The 3 Best Ways to Travel from Narita Airport to Tokyo

Narita Airport is about 80 km (50 miles) northeast of downtown Tokyo. There are a variety of transport methods available including those provided by Uber drivers and other private transport services, however, the most convenient common methods are trains, airport shuttles, and taxis (including pre-booked shared taxis) and private transfers.

Buses and slow trains are the cheapest option (8 or 9 USD).

Hailing a taxi at the airport or booking a private transfer is the most expensive (about 190 USD in 2024), but the most convenient, as it would get you and your luggage to your hotel entrance.

To simply travel to downtown Tokyo, the fastest options are the airport Skyliner (about 19 USD) and the Narita Express (20 USD).

1. Skyliner / Narita Express from Narita Airport to Tokyo: the Fastest Ways

To get to Ueno (Downtown Tokyo) or Nippori (Shinkansen) station in Tokyo, the Skyliner is better. The Keisei Skyliner is a high-speed train that operates between Narita Airport and Ueno (41 minutes) or Nippori (36 minutes). Nippori Station allows connections onto Japan Railway lines for Shinkansen high-speed passenger trains. The cost is about 16 or 22 USD.

For Tokyo Station as well as Shinagawa, Musashi-Kosugi, Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Yokohama stations, Narita Express is better. Tokyo Station is the first stop, and it is the gateway to central Tokyo. Tokyo Station is the busiest station in Japan with major Shinkansen lines to Osaka, Joetsu, and Nagano.

The Narita Express stations are in important business and tourist areas of Tokyo. From Narita Airport Terminal 1 to Tokyo Station, it takes 53 minutes and 3,020 yen (about 19 USD in 2024) per adult one way, 4,000 yen (25 USD) for a round trip ticket). You can buy tickets at the airport.

For budget train travel, the Keisei Main Line is available. The ticket price is about 8 USD (95 minutes), and you can buy tickets at the airport. The train leaves every 15 to 20 minutes. At Nippori Station, you can transfer to Japan Railway trains.

Things to Know about the 2 Narita Airport Train Stations

• Narita Airport has three terminal buildings. Frequent free shuttles connect all 3 terminals. The distance between Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 is about half a kilometer. Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 have train stations, but Terminal 3 doesn't have one. Terminal 3 is used by low-cost airlines.
• The Skyliner and Narita Express trains and other JR East and Keisei trains stop at Narita airport terminals Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. The train stations are underground on the B1 floor. Since Terminal 3 doesn't have a train station, if you arrive there, you could take a free shuttle bus to Terminal 1 or Terminal 2 or walk for about 9 minutes to Terminal 2.
• The bus stops for the shuttles can be easily found outside of each terminal building on ground level. Walking inside Terminal 2 to the Narita Terminal 2 Station takes 5 under minutes.

2. Buses from Narita Airport to Tokyo

Airport Limousine Bus

The Airport Limousine Bus is a comfortable deluxe bus that goes from Narita Airport to destinations in central Tokyo including to several hotels. You may prefer the Airport Limousine Bus if it provides direct access to where you want to go. Travel time is about an hour. The cost is about 20 USD.

Access Narita Bus (Budget)

If you only have 1 suitcase and a bag to carry on, there are frequent Access Narita buses that leave every 20 or so minutes. From Narita International Airport's 3 terminals, the buses travel to Tokyo Station and Ginza in about 70 minutes. The price is 12 USD for tickets purchased about 20 minutes or more before travel.

All Narita Access buses have 20 to 30 non-designated seats that don't require advanced reservations. Even if one bus is full, the next bus comes in about 20 minutes, so you should be able to board one with little waiting without pre-booking.

You can make reservations on their website. The reservation page is in Japanese.

3. Taxis from Narita Airport to Tokyo

Regular Taxis

You can hail the taxis outside the airport for about about 30,000 yen or 190 USD. Travel time is about an hour. Prices vary due to traffic and time of day.

Pre-Booked Shared Taxis

Using NearMe, you can pre-book a taxi for sharing with other travelers. The price for this service might be 40 USD.

Private Transfers

We provide private transfers from airport to hotel as part of our tours. Our drivers are English-speaking (which most taxi drivers are not), knowledgeable, and friendly. Consider traveling with us for the smoothest transition into Tokyo.

Exploring Japan with Japan Highlights

You can discover the true beauty of Japan with us. Let us create the best journey for you and your loved one(s) in Japan, and we can facilitate visits to other countries and regions too. We have decades of experience designing and facilitating custom tours.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us!

You might like to read more about Your Tokyo Travel Guide