The Osaka City Guides answer the questions every first-timer has: which okonomiyaki counter is worth the wait, how to fit the castle, the shrines and a sky deck into short winter days, where the standing sake bars hide and how to reach Kyoto, Nara or Kobe by train in under an hour. Each guide is a short, opinionated list with the reason to go, what to order or look for and one practical tip per place, and it opens in your browser as soon as you pay.
About the Osaka City Guides
- 144 places
- 6 guides
- 13 languages
- Works offline
- Print or PDF
- Instant access
- Free updates
The six Osaka guides
Food guide
24 places
Takoyaki and street snacks, okonomiyaki cooked on the griddle in front of you, fried skewers, steaming udon and curry, a few sit-down classics and sweets with coffee.
Things to do guide
24 places
Osaka Castle and the museums, sky decks at dusk, ancient shrines and temples and neighbourhood walks that show the city beyond the neon.
Family guide
24 places
Aquariums and indoor play for wet days, Universal Studios Japan and other big days out, parks for dry mornings and food children will happily eat.
Nightlife guide
24 places
Cocktail and whisky bars with no menu, standing sake counters, jazz and punk rooms, views over the lights and late food in the back alleys.
Day trips guide
24 places
Nara, Kyoto, Kobe, Arima Onsen, Himeji, Koyasan and Minoh, each with the right train, the travel time and what to see first.
Budget guide
24 places
Free shrines and viewpoints, museums that cost nothing, the transport passes that really pay back and cheap hot meals.
Why an interactive guide beats a list
Tick places off
Mark each place as done and watch your progress, so you always know what is left.
Your own notes
Write notes on any place and add your own finds. They stay on your phone.
One tap to Maps
Every place opens in Google Maps, and the day route puts your picks in a sensible order.
Open now, near me
Filter by what is open right now or what is closest to you.
Works offline
Open the guide once with a connection and it keeps working without data.
Print it or save as PDF
On a computer, print any guide or save it as a PDF to take with you.
Three places from the guides
Okonomiyaki Mizuno
Dotonbori, Sennichimae side
A savoury pancake counter running since 1945 and a Bib Gourmand name for years. Order the yamaimo-yaki, made with grated mountain yam, which comes out softer and lighter than the usual kind. Expect a line at lunch. From the food guide.
Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
Tempozan Harbour Village, Osakako Station
Built around a huge Pacific tank where whale sharks glide past, it leads you down the building in a slow spiral of about two and a half hours. Book a timed ticket online instead of queuing at the gate. From the family guide.
Fushimi Inari Taisha
Fushimi, JR Inari Station
Thousands of red torii gates climbing a wooded hill on the edge of Kyoto. The first stretch is crowded, but past the first fork the path turns quiet; in winter, go at dusk as the lanterns come on. Free and always open. From the day trips guide.
Plan your days in Osaka
Day one: walk the free grounds and moat of Osaka Castle in the morning, have okonomiyaki in Dotonbori for lunch, watch the city light up from a sky deck at dusk and end the night at a standing sake bar in Ura-Namba. Day two: catch an early train to Nara or Kyoto with the day trips guide and come back for a bowl of udon. For a rainy or slow day, spend the morning at the Kaiyukan aquarium, then stroll the long covered arcade of Tenjinbashi-suji and warm up in a free museum.
Osaka guides: your questions
What do the Osaka City Guides include?
Six guides with 144 places in total: food, things to do, family, nightlife, day trips and budget. Each place comes with the reason to go, the area, opening notes and a practical tip.
How do I receive the guides once I have paid?
The links show up on your order page straight after payment and in the confirmation email. They open in any browser on a phone or laptop, with no app and no account.
Can I use the guides offline in Osaka?
Yes. Open each guide once while connected and it keeps working without signal, ticks and notes included. Only the map links need mobile data.
What languages are the guides available in?
The guides open in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Greek, Polish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Arabic. You can switch the language inside the guide at any time.
How much do the Osaka guides cost?
One guide costs €4.99, two cost €8.99, four cost €15.99 and all six cost €19.99.
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