How long does it take to cycle the Shimanami Kaido?

Plan one full day. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) publishes the Shimanami Kaido at 70 km from Onomichi in Hiroshima to Imabari in Ehime, and at a steady 15 km/h that is about 4 hours 40 minutes of riding. Add the ferry across the Onomichi Channel, the climb up a ramp to every bridge deck, lunch and the stops you will want. That fills a day from a morning start to a late-afternoon train. Two days suit riders who want a night in Setoda or on Omishima. A sports e-bike can carry you across in a morning or an afternoon, and Shimanami Japan wants it back the same day before the terminal closes.

We worked the riding times from MLIT's 70 km and the speeds in the table, which are our own assumptions for each kind of rider. Prices and hours are Shimanami Japan's, Giant's and Sagawa's published figures for 2026. Our route page carries the distance, climbing and wind that our own build measured along the line.

How long does the Shimanami Kaido take, by plan?

Plan	Who it suits	Riding time (computed from MLIT's 70 km)	Bike and price (published, 2026)	The catch
One day on a cross bike	Fit riders who want the whole crossing and a train home	About 4 h 40 min at 15 km/h	Shimanami Japan cross bike, ¥3,000 a day	Island terminals close at 17:00, so a late lunch squeezes the end
One day at an easy pace	Riders who stop for every view	About 5 h 50 min at 12 km/h	Shimanami Japan city bike, ¥3,000 a day	Little time left for the shrines or a swim
Two days with a night on the islands	Couples and riders who want Setoda or Omishima	About 2 h 20 min a day at 15 km/h	Cross or city bike kept two days, ¥6,000 (computed from ¥3,000 a day)	Carry your bags, or send them ahead at ¥2,200 a bag with Sagawa
E-bike half day	Riders short on time or legs	About 3 h 30 min at 20 km/h	Shimanami Japan sports E-bike, ¥8,000 a day	Same-day return only, and riders must be 145 cm or taller
A fitted road bike	Riders who want a proper road bike set up for them	About 3 h 30 min at 20 km/h	Giant Store Onomichi, ¥4,950 to ¥9,240 a day, plus ¥3,300 to finish in Imabari	Giant's one-way return needs booking, and Onomichi usually closes on Tuesdays

The times count only the riding. A rider who stops for an hour at lunch and a few short breaks on the bridges should add two hours or more to each figure.

Can you ride the Shimanami Kaido in one day?

Yes. Start at JR Onomichi Station, where Shimanami Japan's terminal opens at 8:00, and take the short ferry across to Mukaishima, since the expressway bridge there has no bike path. From Mukaishima a blue line on the road leads over Innoshima, Ikuchijima, Omishima, Hakatajima and Oshima, and the Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge brings you down at the edge of Imabari. Every bridge starts with a ramp up from the island road. JB Honshi Expressway warns that strong winds blow over the straits, and you feel them most on the bridge decks.

Finish at a terminal in Imabari during its hours, then take the train from JR Imabari Station or the bus back to Onomichi. Shimanami Japan's bikes may not travel on trains, buses, cars or taxis, so the bike has to end its day at a terminal.

Is it better to take two days?

Two days suit anyone who wants the islands as much as the bridges. Setoda on Ikuchijima makes the natural stop mid-route, with its lemon groves and the Shiomachi shopping street. Omishima holds Oyamazumi Shrine on its west coast, which means a detour off the bridge route. A cross or city bike from Shimanami Japan can stay out for several days at ¥3,000 a day, and a battery-assisted bike at ¥4,000 can stay out overnight too.

Send your bags ahead so you ride light. Sagawa's Cycling Without Baggage moves a bag up to 160 cm and 30 kg between partner hotels and terminals the same day for ¥2,200. From the Onomichi Station terminal it takes bags from 8:00 to 9:00 and hands them back from 17:00. Most partner hotels serve only their own guests.

Can you do the Shimanami Kaido on an e-bike in half a day?

Yes. Shimanami Japan's sports E-bike costs ¥8,000 a day in 2026, and you collect it at Onomichi Station or at one of the two Imabari terminals. It has to go back before the terminal closes that same evening. Riders need to be at least 145 cm tall. At 20 km/h the full 70 km takes about 3 hours 30 minutes in the saddle, so a rider who picks the bike up at 8:00 can be in Imabari by lunch. A battery-assisted city bike at ¥4,000 is slower and can stay out overnight, which suits a relaxed two-day trip better.

Do you pay a toll to cycle the bridges?

No. Bicycles cross all six expressway bridges free under the Shimanami Cycling Free scheme, which Hiroshima Prefecture extended to 31 March 2028. Electric kick scooters fall outside it and pay the toll.

Where do you return a rental bike in Imabari?

Return it at the Imabari Station terminal unless you have checked the Itoyama one first. Imabari city closed the Sunrise Itoyama building for renovation on 15 September 2026. It stands at the foot of the Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge and houses Shimanami Japan's Itoyama terminal, and the city expects it back around winter 2027/28. Shimanami Japan's terminal list still showed the Itoyama terminal on 11 October 2026 with no closure notice, so phone Shimanami Japan on 0848-22-3911 before you plan to finish there. Giant Store Imabari sits inside JR Imabari Station, and riders who rented from Giant in Onomichi can shower there for ¥440.

How do you get to Onomichi?

By the Sanyo Shinkansen to Fukuyama, 61 minutes from Shin-Osaka on Nozomi 101 in the 2026 timetable, then the Sanyo Line to Onomichi Station by the ferry piers. Only the Kodama stops at Shin-Onomichi. Riders bringing their own bike bag it for the train under JR's rinko rules, and Onomichi Station's coin lockers will hold the empty bag.

Where should you stay on the Shimanami Kaido?

Stay in Onomichi the night before so you start fresh, and on Ikuchijima or Omishima if you split the ride.

Stay	Where	Price (published, 2026)	Suits	The catch
Hotel Cycle	Onomichi U2, by the ferry piers	¥19,800 a Standard Twin for two	Riders who wheel the bike into the room	Costs more than the hotels by the station
Hotel Beacon Onomichi	Above JR Onomichi Station	Not published in our file	Riders arriving by train	Only the three cycle room types take a bike inside
Anago no Nedoko	Onomichi's shopping arcade	¥3,000 a dorm bed	Backpackers on a budget	Shared showers and a 22:00 check-in cut-off
yubune	Setoda's Shiomachi street	Not published in our file	Riders who want a bath and a room the bike rolls into	No restaurant on site
Cycle Guesthouse Shiokaze	Ikuchijima's north shore	¥3,500 a weekday dorm bed	Riders on a budget who want a barrel sauna	Bikes stay outside on racks
WAKKA	Inokuchi port on Omishima	¥4,800 a bunk bed, guide price	Riders who want bag transfers and a pickup if the ride goes wrong	Shuts every Tuesday
Imabari Station Hotel	A minute from the Imabari Station terminal	From ¥4,000 a person, room only	Riders finishing late who want a bike hanger	Compact rooms and one bath shared by turns

When is the Shimanami Kaido busiest?

Spring, autumn, Golden Week and Obon. Shimanami Japan keeps some bikes for walk-ups, and on a busy holiday the stock can be gone by about 10:00, so book ahead in those weeks. Cycling Shimanami rides the expressway itself on Sunday 25 October 2026. The main line closes from 6:00 to 12:40 that day between Imabari IC and Innoshima-kita IC, and the cycle paths stay open as usual.

Quick answers

How long does it take to cycle the Shimanami Kaido?

Plan one full day for the Shimanami Kaido. MLIT publishes the route at 70 km, which is about 4 hours 40 minutes of riding at 15 km/h before stops, the ferry and lunch.

Can you cycle the Shimanami Kaido in half a day?

Yes, on an e-bike. At 20 km/h the 70 km takes about 3 hours 30 minutes of riding, and Shimanami Japan's ¥8,000 sports E-bike has to go back the same day before the terminal closes.

How much does it cost to rent a bike for the Shimanami Kaido?

Shimanami Japan charged ¥3,000 a day for a cross or city bike in 2026, ¥4,000 for a battery-assisted bike and ¥8,000 for the sports E-bike. Cross, city, battery-assisted and E-bikes go back to any of its ten terminals.

Is the Shimanami Kaido toll-free for bicycles?

Yes. Bicycles cross the six bridges free under the Shimanami Cycling Free scheme until 31 March 2028. Electric kick scooters still pay the toll.

Can I return a Shimanami rental bike at Sunrise Itoyama?

Phone first. Sunrise Itoyama closed for renovation from 15 September 2026, and Shimanami Japan's list still showed its Itoyama terminal on 11 October 2026, so call 0848-22-3911 or finish at the Imabari Station terminal.