Takamatsu
Base · 1–3 nights
Kagawa’s only genuinely convenient first-time base: Ritsurin Garden, arcades, harbourfront udon and the ferry network are all here. It is pleasant rather than a dense sightseeing city, but it makes Naoshima, Teshima and the inland plain workable without a car.
2Naoshima
Base · 1–2 days
The essential art-island day: Chichu, Benesse House, Lee Ufan, Honmura’s Art House Project and the outdoor works make an unusually concentrated architecture-and-art experience. Go selective rather than trying to clear every museum; timed entries and ferry schedules set the pace.
3Teshima
Short stop · 1 day
A greener, quieter counterpoint to Naoshima, built around the extraordinary Teshima Art Museum, farm lanes, citrus groves and sea views. Give it a full day: sparse buses and hilly cycling make it a poor add-on to Naoshima.
4Shodoshima
Base · 2–3 nights
A large, lived-in island of olive groves, soy-sauce breweries, somen, Angel Road and Kankakei Gorge—not an island arranged around a single museum circuit. Stay two nights and rent a car if possible; buses are useful but too slow for a satisfying cross-island day.
5Kotohira
Short stop · 1 night
Kagawa’s best inland heritage stop, with old inns and shopfronts climbing toward Konpira-san. The 785-step main-shrine ascent feels like a real pilgrimage, not a quick temple stop; come for an overnight ryokan atmosphere or as a substantial day trip from Takamatsu.
6Zentsuji
Short stop · 1 day
The quiet temple-country complement to Kotohira, centered on Zentsuji Temple and its Kobo Daishi connection. It adds real pilgrimage context, but works best folded into a Kotohira or rural-udon day rather than used as a standalone base.
7Marugame
Short stop · 1 night
Come for Marugame Castle’s immense stone walls and surviving wooden keep, then eat honetsukidori, Kagawa’s peppery roasted chicken on the bone. It is a smart half-day or overnight stop on the central coast, not a replacement for Takamatsu as a first-trip base.
Mitoyo and Kanonji
Base · 2 nights
Western Kagawa is for a slow coastal drive: Chichibugahama’s low-tide reflections near sunset, Kanonji’s giant Zenigata sand coin, fruit country and unfussy cafés. It is far better with a car; public transport does not line up well with beach light or scattered rural stops.
Megijima, Ogijima and Honjima
These smaller inhabited islands offer fishing villages, walking, cycling and a quieter Seto pace than Naoshima. Pick Megijima or Ogijima from Takamatsu, or Honjima from Marugame, and plan around the last ferry before doing anything else.
Sample routes
Long weekend: Takamatsu, one art island and Konpira
3 nights / 4 daysTakamatsu (2 days) → Naoshima (1 full day) → Kotohira (1 full day)
The efficient first taste of Kagawa without a car. Base in Takamatsu, give Naoshima a disciplined full day with pre-booked museum entries, then choose the 785-step Konpira-san climb for a sharp change of pace. Do not try to add Teshima as well.
Plan this routeClassic first visit: city, art islands, shrine town and Shodoshima
6 nights / 7 daysTakamatsu (2 days) → Naoshima (1 full day) → Teshima (1 full day) → Kotohira (1 day / 1 night) → Shodoshima (2 days / 2 nights)
This is the proper first-time circuit: Takamatsu handles the ferry logistics, Naoshima and Teshima get a day each, Kotohira supplies inland Japan, and Shodoshima adds food, mountains and a lived-in island atmosphere. Rent a car on Shodoshima rather than wasting its best day on bus connections.
Plan this routeSlow art-and-islands week
7 nights / 8 daysTakamatsu (2 days / 2 nights) → Naoshima (2 days / 2 nights) → Teshima (1 day / 1 night) → Shodoshima (3 days / 2 nights)
For travellers who care more about architecture, landscape and unhurried museum time than checking off mainland sights. Overnight on Naoshima lets you split Honmura from the major museums; Teshima gets its own quiet day; Shodoshima finishes the trip with olive groves, soy-sauce lanes and Kankakei Gorge. It costs more and requires tighter ferry planning, but it is far better than day-tripping every island.
Plan this routeDeeper Kagawa: food, pilgrimage and the western coast
12 nights / 13 daysTakamatsu (3 days / 3 nights) → Naoshima (1 full day) → Teshima (1 full day) → Shodoshima (2 days / 2 nights) → Kotohira (1 day / 1 night) → Zentsuji (1 day) → Marugame (1 day / 1 night) → Mitoyo and Kanonji (2 days / 2 nights) → Takamatsu (1 day / 1 night)
A serious Kagawa trip for repeat Japan visitors and food-minded travellers. Start car-free in Takamatsu, use Shodoshima for the first driving segment, then work west through Konpira, temple country, Marugame Castle and honetsukidori before giving Mitoyo and Kanonji the sunset time they need. Return to Takamatsu as a practical departure buffer, not because it needs another sightseeing marathon.
Plan this route