Tsuruga

Overview

Tsuruga is a port city on Tsuruga Bay in southern Fukui Prefecture. Many travelers change trains here between Kansai and Hokuriku, but the shrine, shopping streets, and waterfront museums make it worth leaving the station, or even staying overnight.

What the city is known for

Kehi Jingu Shrine has an 11-metre wooden torii gate. Closer to the port, the Tsuruga Red Brick Warehouses contain restaurants and a railway-and-harbor diorama within former storage buildings.

Nearby, the Port of Humanity Tsuruga Museum recounts the stories of Polish orphans who arrived in the 1920s and Jewish refugees who reached the city in the 1940s.

Main areas

Hotels and places to eat cluster around the West Exit in the Tsuruga Station Area. Covered shopping streets lead toward Kehi Jingu Shrine, about an 18-minute walk from the station.

The Kanegasaki waterfront is farther away. A sightseeing bus cuts down the walking required when you're visiting the port museums.

Getting around and onward travel

Tsuruga Station has direct Hokuriku Shinkansen services to Fukui, Kanazawa, and Tokyo. Thunderbird trains run to Kyoto and Osaka, while Shirasagi services connect with Maibara and Nagoya. The Obama Line heads west toward Obama and Higashi-Maizuru.

Where to stay and where to go next

A hotel near the West Exit keeps onward trains close and puts the center within walking distance, which helps when you're breaking a longer rail journey. Hotel Granbinario Tsuruga is a one-minute walk from the exit. The waterfront sights require a longer walk or a bus ride.