Ueno Park to Ueno Zoo, Tokyo: free self-guided walking tour
Quick answer. A free self-guided walking tour from Ueno Park to Ueno Zoo in Tokyo: 4 stops, about 1.8 km, about 25 minutes of walking plus about 26 minutes of listening. Start in Ueno Park, the hill of the great Kan’ei-ji temple that became a public park beside Ueno Station. Next to the station exit, the National Museum of Western Art opened in 1959 around the collection of shipbuilder Matsukata Kojiro, in a building by Le Corbusier. Walk on to the National Museum of Nature and Science, which locals call Kahaku, and end at Ueno Zoo, Japan’s oldest zoo, opened in 1882.
- Stops:
- 4
- Distance:
- about 1.8 km
- Walking:
- about 25 min
- Listening:
- about 26 min
Two ways to do this walk
Tokyo with Mappu
Walk Mode, in the free Mappu app
It knows where you are, tells you about everything you pass between the stops, answers your questions and keeps you on the route. Your phone stays in your pocket.
A 2-hour live walk, €4.99.
50 credits from the Starter pack. One-time purchase, no subscription.
Self-guided audio walk. No guide accompanies you. Not affiliated with the sites.
Free: the audio guides
Listen to each stop’s audio guide in your browser and find your own way between the stops.
Walking directions in Google MapsUeno Park to Ueno Zoo, Tokyo: how long does the walk take?
About 51 minutes in all: about 25 minutes on foot over about 1.8 km, plus about 26 minutes of audio at the 4 stops. Time inside the sites is extra.
Ueno Park to Ueno Zoo, Tokyo: in what order should you visit the stops?
Follow the stops in this order: Ueno Park, National Museum of Western Art, National Museum of Nature and Science, and Ueno Zoo. The longest stretch between two stops is about 0.8 km, about 11 min on foot.
Route and map
Indicative route. While you walk, watch where you're going, mind the traffic and follow local signs and rules. The map is an aid, not a safety guide. Terms
Follow Mappu’s map: the route runs along the streets from stop to stop, and the stories keep playing as you walk.
To get to the first stop, or if you’re far from the route, Google Maps has walking directions through every stop.
Stop 1
The hill of Kan’ei-ji, once one of Edo’s wealthiest temples, turned into a public park of museums, the zoo, Shinobazu Pond and cherry blossoms beside Ueno Station.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: National Museum of Western Art · about 0.7 km, about 9 min on foot
Stop 2
Japan’s national museum of Western art, opened in April 1959 around the collection of shipbuilder Matsukata Kojiro, in a building by Le Corbusier.
about 7 min of audio
Next stop: National Museum of Nature and Science · about 0.3 km, about 4 min on foot
Stop 3
Japan’s national museum of natural history and science, called Kahaku, with a Japan Gallery on the archipelago and a Global Gallery on the history of life.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Ueno Zoo · about 0.8 km, about 11 min on foot
Stop 4
Japan’s oldest zoo, opened in 1882 inside Ueno Park, 14 hectares in a west and an east garden linked by the Aesop Bridge, with a five-story pagoda among the animals.
about 7 min of audio
The stop stories are AI-generated audio guides and can contain mistakes. Check opening hours and tickets on the official sites.
Planning a trip to Tokyo?
Get your plan
Mappu sketches your days free in the chat, no account needed. Then take the full plan with you:
- Weekend trip, €9.99: Your day-by-day plan plus 2 live walks
- Save your trip’s free guides on your phone in the Mappu app: they play with no signal
Before you go
- Check opening hours, tickets and access on each site’s official page before you go.
- Distances and times are estimates: the walking route between stops, from OpenStreetMap, at 4.5 km/h. Your route on the street may differ.
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Plan more days in Tokyo
These day-by-day Mappu itineraries include Tokyo. The day links open the days that visit stops on this walk.
Route checked by Mappu on November 1, 2026. Stop descriptions come from each place’s published Mappu audio guide. Mappu is a Fenutech product.