While traveling Tokyo area for several days, Hakone is one of the best places to enjoy the Japanese hot spring and great nature. If you are planning a trip to Hakone, the Hakone Freepass will be a good option for using the public transportation — unlimited rides, major savings, and stress-free transportation — but you might be curious if the Hakone Freepass is worth it for your trip.
Today, I would like to give detailed information about Hakone Freepass and if it will be worth it for your trip.
What is Hakone Freepass?
The Hakone Freepass is a transportation discount ticket offered by Odakyu Railway, designed specifically for tourists visiting Hakone.
As you can see in the picture above, it covers almost all local transportation in the Hakone area, including:
- Odakyu Line (from Shinjuku, optional)
- Hakone Tozan Train
- Hakone Cable Car
- Hakone Ropeway
- Hakone Sightseeing Cruise
- Local buses in the area
You can use it for 2 or 3 consecutive days.
💰 How Much Does It Cost?
As of 2025 May, here are the prices (including round-trip from Shinjuku):
| Validity | Adult Price | Child Price |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Days | ¥6,100 | ¥1,100 |
| 3 Days | ¥6,500 | ¥1,350 |
If you buy only the Hakone area version (without Shinjuku round-trip, the blue-colored line in the picture above):
| Validity | Adult Price | Child Price |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Days | ¥5,000 | ¥1,000 |
| 3 Days | ¥5,400 | ¥1,250 |
By the way, what is the most important point about Hakone Freepass price is that it doesn’t cover the “Romance car express fee”. 🤨 I know it is confusing, so let me explain in detail about this in the FAQ section in the bottom.
🤔 Is the Hakone Freepass Worth It?
Since the price is quite high, you must be curious about whether the Hakone Freepass is worth it for your trip or not.😅 (I was too, haha)
The answer to the question is… Yes, if you are going to explore more than half of the course in Hakone ! Why? It’s because all the transportations in Hakone area (Ropeway, Cable car, Tozan bus, Tozan train or Cruise) are basically expensive.
Let’s take a quick detail view.
If you are planning a round-trip from Shinjuku⇔Owakudani, it already costs ¥7,320, which is more expensive than the Hakone Freepass (¥6,100).
So, in the case of…
- I’m not planning to visit more than a half course in Hakone,
- I’m going to enjoy the Japanese onsen (hot spring) at a Ryokan, without traveling too much,
I want to recommend you “Owakudani pass” or “Hakone Tozan Train 1-day pass” which covers less route but a bit cheaper than Hakone Free Pass, or even not buying any pass but paying the normal train fare.
💡Comparison (If you travel from Shinjuku)
| Pass | Validity | Adult Price | Child Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hakone Free Pass | 2 Days | ¥6,100 | ¥1,100 |
| Owakudani Pass | 2 Days | ¥5,180 | ¥1,080 |
| Hakone Tozan Train 1-day pass | 1 Day ※1 | ¥4,120 ※2 | ¥600 |
※1：Please be careful that “Hakone Tozan Train 1-day pass” only offers 1-day pass.
※2：Please be careful that “Hakone Tozan Train 1-day pass” does not cover the train fare between Shinjuku⇔Odawara, which costs ¥2,540 for round-trip for adult, ¥100 for child. The pass ticket itself costs ¥1,580 for an adult and ¥500 for a child.
❓Frequently Asked Question
Based on my experience, I summarized the most frequently asked question about Hakone Freepass.
① Is the “Romance car express fee” included in Hakone Freepass?
➡No. If you want to take a romance car instead of normal Odakyu line, you have to pay additional “Romance car express fee” which costs ¥1,000 for an adult and ¥500 for a child (one-way). You can buy the ticket for Romance car on online or at the station.
To summarize,
- If you want to take Romance car from Shinjuku and buy a Hakone Free Pass for 2-day trip, you should pay ¥8,100 in total. (¥6,100 for Hakone Freepass + ¥1,000 * 2 for round-trip Romance car express fee)
- If you don’t need to take Romance car from Shinjuku and buy a Hakone Free Pass for 2-day trip, you only pay ¥6,100.
② Is the Shinjuku station only station that I can take the Hakone Romance car?
➡No. Of course the Shinjuku station is one of the biggest stations that you can make transfer, but there are some metro stations that you can take the train to Hakone. Please refer to my post about Metro Hakone.
③ Do I need a reservation for any transportation?
➡ Not all of them. Only the limited express “Romance car” requires a seat reservation and an extra fee. Other transports covered by the pass are non-reserved and freely accessible.
④ Can I use the pass for round-trip transport on the Hakone Ropeway or Cruise?
➡ Yes! The pass allows unlimited rides. You can ride the same route back and forth as many times as you’d like within the validity period.
⑤ Can I buy the Hakone Free Pass online?
➡ Yes. You can purchase it via the Odakyu Official Website or on travel platforms like Klook, Japan Experience, etc. You can also buy it at stations.
⑥ Do I need to use the pass on consecutive days?
➡ Yes. Once activated, the pass is valid for consecutive days only — not any three days of your choice.
Please feel free to ask any question about the transportation in Hakone at the comment. I will be glad to help your trip. 😊
♨️Final Thoughts
To summarize, if you are visiting Hakone for 1 or 2 days, and want to experience the full loop (train → cable car → ropeway → cruise), Hakone Freepass is 100% worth it — convenient, flexible, and cost-saving!
But if you are looking for some ways to save your budget, there are some options that you can choose rather than Hakone Free Pass, such as Owakudani Pass or Hakone Tozan Train 1-day Pass.
Hakone is full of natural beauty, unique experiences, and relaxing hot springs, so I hope you enjoy your trip to Hakone as much as you can!
If you found this guide helpful, don’t forget to leave a comment or share it with your travel buddies. If you have any question about planning your trip to Hakone, I’d love to help —leave a comment below! 🗾💬
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