Transportation in Kobe
Railway
Main area of Kobe city spreads along the coast from east to west.
Because Rokko mountains are just north of the city, and the main area is on the southern slope.
Therefore, most of the railway lines run from east to west.
And some railroads operate many trains frequently.
It is very convenient not only to tour around Kobe but also to move to Osaka or Himeji.
The central station is Sannomiya (三宮), and many lines are connected in the station.
Kobe station of JR has the name of city, but it is at the west end of central Kobe.
Shinkansen
Shin-Kobe station
Shin-Kobe station is located in the mountain about 2 km north of Sannomiya.
Subway or route bus leads to Sannomiya.
The station is in the narrow gap of the valley in Rokko mountains.
So, there are very long tunnels on the both of east and west sides of this station.
All trains stop at Shin-Kobe, and it takes about 13 minutes from Shin-Osaka and about 30 minutes from Kyoto.
JR Line
JR Kobe Line runs through the central area of Kobe from east to west.
In the central area, there are the stations of Nada, Sannomiya, Motomachi and Kobe.
On this line, rapid train and local train run on separate tracks.
So many trains are operated frequently.
The rapid train has two type.
One is ordinary rapid train ("Kaisoku"), and the other is the train which stops only main stations like limited express ("Shin-Kaisoku").
From Osaka to Sannomiya, it takes about 23 minutes by Shin-Kaisoku, about 34 minutes by Kaisoku, and about 45 to 50 minutes by local train.
Kobe Kosoku Line (Kobe Rapid Transit Railway)
Kobe Kosoku Line is like a subway of Kobe.
To central Kobe, the lines of four railway companies are connected.
From Osaka (Umeda), the trains of Hankyu and Hanshin railways come.
From Akashi and Himeji, the trains of Sanyo Dentetsu Railway come.
And, the trains of Kobe Dentetsu Railway come from Arima-onsen, Sanda and Miki.
The line is almost under ground like subway.
And many trains run into the other company's line each other.
Subway
Kobe Municipal Subway has are two lines.
Seishin-Yamate Line runs through Shin-Kobe and Sannomiya.
It runs mainly on the north side of JR Line.
Kaigan Line runs from Sannomiya-Hanadokeimae through Harborland.
It runs mainly on the south side of JR Line.
Port Liner & Rokko Liner
These are the lines of automated guideway transit (AGT) systems.
Port Liner connects between Sannomiya station and Kobe Airport.
On the way, it runs through Port Island.
Rokko Liner connects between Sumiyoshi station on JR Line and Rokko Island.
Other transportation in Kobe
CITY LOOP
CITY LOOP
© KOBE TOURISM BUREAU
CITY LOOP is a route bus connecting most sightseeing spots in Kobe and main stations.
The main stations where the bus stops are Sannomiya and Shin-Kobe.
The bus route is the followings.
Sannnomiya → Kitano area → Shin-Kobe → Sannnomiya → Nankinmachi → Meriken Park → Harborland → Kyu-kyoryuchi → Sannomiya
Every day, it is operated 3 to 5 services an hour.
So it is very convenient to tour around Kobe city.
One day ticket has the discount service of the entrance fee to various sightseeing spots, museums and cruising boats.
Kobe Port cruising
"FANTASY" in Kobe Port
© KOBE TOURISM BUREAU
Kobe Port is a historic port, so the cruising around the port is one of the sightseeing events.
Some shipping companies operate the crusing with their favorite ships.
Most of them leave from the pier near Port Tower in Meriken Park.
It takes about 45 minutes to sail in Kobe Port.
And a few ships visit Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge located about 20 km west of Kobe.
It takes about 1.5 to 2 hours.
They are almost the cruising with lunch or dinner.
