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15 tours a local would bookShimizu shore excursions I'd recommend to a friend
Shizuoka is my second home — I am there every month, with local partners who know these operators. These are the tours from the port I would book for my own family — each with why, which calls it fits, and the catch.
The one tour to book from Shimizu — picked from the seats left on the coming calls (checked 2026-10-13).
Only tours that start at the pier (or say clearly where they don't), have a real review record, and fit a normal call with the hour before all-aboard kept free. Shared cars with a guide come first in each list: they are what passengers at this port actually book, and the price is per person. I left out anything rated under 4.5, and anything too new to have been tested by cruise guests.
Tours that fit 4 hours ashore
Tours that fit 5–6 hours ashore
Mt. Fuji from Four Angles: the Short Car Tour
The Fuji tour that fits a normal call: four hours from the pier and back, per-person pricing, and seats on most cruise days.
From US$129 per person · max 8 Meets at the pier 5.0★ · 14 reviews · 4 hours Fits and has seats on 15 of 20 calls from 27 Oct Why it's on this list →
Mt. Fuji & Miho no Matsubara: The Guided Four Hours
A gentle guided walk: Miho's pine grove, Dream Plaza and the waterfront, with tea and a snack — no long drives.
From US$129 per person · max 10 Meets at the pier 5.0★ · 2 reviews · 4 hours Fits and has seats on 13 of 20 calls from 27 Oct Why it's on this list →
Private Shimizu Highlights by Jumbo Taxi
The one I'd book for a first call with 5–6 hours: Nihondaira, Kunozan and Miho — all three of Shimizu's big sights — in four hours, with the ropeway and the driving handled.
US$350 per person for 2 · US$699 per vehicle Meets at the pier 4.9★ · 156 reviews · 4 hours Fits and has seats on 12 of 20 calls from 27 Oct Why it's on this list →
Private Shimizu for Two: The Sedan Tour
Our most-recommended Shimizu tour — Nihondaira, the ropeway to Kunozan, and Miho — in a sedan sized for two or three.
US$259 per person for 2 · US$518 per vehicle Meets at the pier 4.9★ · 34 reviews · 4 hours Fits and has seats on 12 of 20 calls from 27 Oct Why it's on this list →
Step-Free Shimizu Tour: Nihondaira, a Temple & Miho
The tour I recommend to anyone who finds steps hard: the Nihondaira view, a temple with its own Fuji view, and Miho — all by car, no ropeway.
US$350 per person for 2 · US$699 per vehicle Meets at the pier 5.0★ · 12 reviews · 4 hours Fits and has seats on 12 of 20 calls from 27 Oct Why it's on this list →Tours that fit 7 hours or more ashore
Shiraito Falls & Lake Tanuki: Fuji's Water Country
If the mountain is the reason you booked this cruise, this is the tour: five hours into Fuji's own foothills with the operator that has run it for cruise passengers the longest.
US$453 per person for 2 · US$906 per vehicle Meets at the pier 5.0★ · 67 reviews · 5 hours Fits and has seats on 10 of 20 calls from 27 Oct Why it's on this list →
Mt. Fuji View Tour with a Licensed Guide
The pick for people who want to choose: a nationally licensed guide and a car for six hours, with three or four stops you select from a list.
From US$378 per person · max 7 Pickup at the pier 4.9★ · 23 reviews · 6 hours Fits and has seats on 13 of 20 calls from 27 Oct Why it's on this list →
Mt. Fuji View Customized Tour with a Licensed Guide
The guide-not-a-bus option: a licensed local who shows you Shimizu and Shizuoka your way, for the price of a ship's coach seat.
From US$157 per person · max 10 Pickup on request 4.9★ · 100 reviews · 6 hours Fits and has seats on 11 of 20 calls from 27 Oct Why it's on this list →
Shimizu Private Custom Tour with a Local Guide
The food-and-port-town day: Miho's pines for the view, the tuna market for lunch, and a local who can order for you.
From US$194 per person · max 15 Taxi ~5 min from the ship 4.9★ · 30 reviews · 5 hours Fits and has seats on 15 of 20 calls from 27 Oct Why it's on this list →
Fuji Highlights Small-Group Tour from Shimizu Port
The best-value way to reach Mt. Fuji itself from Shimizu: a shared car of no more than nine, priced per person, with the foothills' greatest hits in one day.
From US$142 per person · max 9 Meets at the pier 4.7★ · 148 reviews · 6–7 hours Fits and has seats on 1 of 20 calls from 27 Oct Why it's on this list →
All-About Mt. Fuji: The Short Tour with a Sweet Twist
The best short tour at this port: Mt. Fuji viewpoints plus making your own Fuji-shaped wagashi sweet, and you are back at the ship with hours to spare.
From US$129 per person · max 8 Meets at the pier 5.0★ · 23 reviews · 4 hours Fits and has seats on 4 of 20 calls from 27 Oct Why it's on this list →
Green Tea Farm Tasting & Fuji Terrace, Small Group
The best tea experience from the port: a ninth-generation family farm and a guided tasting, then the Fuji view from Nihondaira — for long calls only.
From US$272 per person · max 6 Taxi ~20 min from the ship 4.9★ · 9 reviews · 7 hours Fits and has seats on 5 of 20 calls from 27 Oct Why it's on this list →
Mount Fuji Private Tour: The Full Day
A slower, local-led Fuji day: Shiraito Falls, a quieter waterfall, a mirror lake and the head Sengen shrine, with room to change the plan on the day.
US$453 per person for 2 · US$906 per vehicle Pickup at the pier 5.0★ · 17 reviews · 5–8 hours Fits and has seats on 2 of 20 calls from 27 Oct Why it's on this list →
Mt. Fuji Cultural Experience: Shrines, Sake & Spirit
The deepest Fuji day on offer: Miho, the shrine that faces the mountain, Shiraito Falls, Fujinomiya yakisoba, a two-century-old sake brewery and tea in a garden teahouse.
US$640 per person for 2 · US$1280 per vehicle Pickup at the pier 5.0★ · 9 reviews · 5–6 hours Fits and has seats on 8 of 20 calls from 27 Oct Why it's on this list →Nothing matches both filters — try a longer call length.
Worth knowing about
Real tours with a catch — too few reviews for me to vouch for them yet, or they only suit long calls. Each page says which.
Hakone in a Day, Private Car & Licensed Guide
Hakone by private car with a licensed guide — only worth it on a very long call, because the drive eats the day.
From US$365 per person · max 7 Own way to the start 5.0★ · 10 reviews Why it's on this list →Lake Yamanaka & Oshino Hakkai Small-Group Day from Shimizu Port
The north-side Fuji day from Shimizu — a lake and the spring ponds instead of the foothill shrines — in a shared van, on a long call.
From US$136 per person · max 9 Pickup at the pier 4.3★ · 8 reviews · 8 hours Why it's on this list →
Zen & Matcha at a Tokugawa Temple
Zazen and sutra chanting at Tesshu-ji, a temple with Tokugawa ties, then matcha and wagashi — close to the port.
From US$141 per person · max 10 Meets at the pier 5.0★ · 1 review · 2 hours Fits and has seats on 15 of 20 calls from 27 Oct Why it's on this list →
Sushi Class at the Port: Make It Where the Tuna Lands
A two-hour hands-on sushi class at Dream Plaza with a professional chef, after a walk through the sushi museum.
From US$162 per person · max 8 Meets at the pier 5.0★ · 1 review · 2 hours Fits and has seats on 12 of 20 calls from 27 Oct Why it's on this list →
Shimizu Port Food & Bar Hopping
Two local restaurants and bars with a host who knows the port town's food — best on an evening call.
From US$93 per person · max 6 Meets at the pier 2 hours Fits and has seats on 19 of 20 calls from 27 Oct Why it's on this list →Being set up with local operators
Tours in Shimizu: what to know
Which shore excursion is best from Shimizu?
For a first call of about six hours, the private sightseeing tour that strings together Nihondaira, the ropeway to Kunozan Toshogu and Miho no Matsubara — 150+ reviews at 4.9★. If Mt. Fuji itself is the point and you have eight hours or more, the Fujinomiya foothills tours (Shiraito Falls, Lake Tanuki, the head Sengen shrine) are the ones to book.
How much does a private tour cost in Shimizu?
Private vehicle tours are priced per car, not per person: roughly US$500–700 for a sedan or van for four hours and US$900 or more for a five-hour Fuji run. Shared small-group and guide-only tours start around US$130–160 per person. Every page here shows the live starting price.
Do Shimizu tours pick you up at the cruise pier?
Most of the tours we recommend meet you at Hinode Pier or Shimizu Port. The exception, a tea-tasting tour that starts at Shizuoka Station, says so plainly on its page, with the taxi time and fare from the pier.
Should I book a Shimizu tour before my cruise?
Yes. There is no tour desk at the pier, and the English-speaking operator pool here is small — October and November sell out. Every tour listed offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
What if Mt. Fuji is hidden on my tour day?
It often is: the summit shows clearly about 3–4 days in 10. Good local operators adjust the route toward shrines, waterfalls and tea fields, and several tours here do not depend on the mountain at all.
Everything on shore excursions from Shimizu
Tours are booked through our partners Viator (a Tripadvisor company) and GetYourGuide. If you book, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you — it never decides what I recommend, and the pages say so when a tour has a catch.