Kōya-san Getting there & around

Getting there & away

Unless you have a rental car, the best way to Kōya-san is by train. The Nankai-Dentetsu line has trains from Osaka’s Namba station to Kōya-san. The trains terminate at Gokurakubashi, at the base of the mountain, where you board a funicular railway (five minutes, price included in train tickets) up to Kōya-san itself. From the cable-car station, you must take a bus into the centre of town, as walking is prohibited on the connecting road.

From Osaka (Namba station) you can travel directly on a Nankai–Dentetsu line kyūkō to Kōya-san (¥1230, 82 minutes). For the slightly faster tokkyū service with reserved seats you pay a supplement (¥760).

From Wakayama you can go by rail on the JR Wakayama line to Hashimoto (¥820, one hour) and then continue on the Nankai–Dentetsu line to Gokurakubashi station (¥430, 38 minutes).

From Kyoto it’s best to go via Namba in Osaka. From Nara you can take the JR line to Hashimoto, changing at Sakurai and Takadate en route.