One of Japan's 'Three Great Gardens', Kenroku-en was developed over two centuries by the Maeda clan and covers 11.7 hectares of meticulously maintained landscape. The name means 'garden possessing six attributes' — spaciousness, seclusion, artifice, antiquity, waterways, and panoramas. The Kotoji two-legged stone lantern beside Kasumiga-ike Pond is the garden's most iconic sight. From November to March, the yukitsuri rope snow-supports tied around the trees are a distinctive Kanazawa winter tradition.

The former seat of the Maeda clan, one of Japan's most powerful feudal domains. The castle keep was destroyed by lightning in 1602 and was never rebuilt, but the reconstructed Hishi-yagura turret, Gojikken-nagaya armory, and Hashizumemon-tsuzuki-yagura form a striking ensemble of white lead-tile roofing. Ishikawa-mon gate (Important Cultural Property) and the Ninomaru Hiroba plaza — with Kenroku-en directly adjacent — make this an essential first stop.

Operating for over 300 years as 'the kitchen of Kanazawa's citizens', Omicho Market houses approximately 180 shops selling fresh seafood from the Sea of Japan, local produce, and prepared foods. Snow crab (zuwaigani), nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch), sweet shrimp (amaebi), and the female snow crab (kobako-gani, in season Oct–Dec) are the must-try specialties. The sushi and seafood-don restaurants inside the market serve some of the best-value premium seafood in Japan.

Established by the Kaga Domain in 1820, Higashi Chaya (East Teahouse District) is Kanazawa's most celebrated historic streetscape. The two-story ochaya buildings with their characteristic koshi latticed wooden facades are designated a National Important Preservation District for Historic Buildings. Today the district's teahouses, gold-leaf craft shops, wagashi (Japanese confectionery) stores, and matcha cafés make it one of Japan's most atmospheric streets for walking and shopping. The ochaya interiors of Shima and Kaikaro are open to visitors.

Opened in 2004 and designed by the legendary SANAA (Sejima + Nishizawa) architectural studio, this circular museum is as celebrated for its architecture as its collection. The permanent highlight is Leandro Erlich's 'Swimming Pool', where visitors below appear to be submerged while those above look down through the water's surface — one of Japan's most visited contemporary artworks. The building's circular form has no single entrance, embodying the museum's philosophy of being 'open to the town'. Outdoor installations are accessible for free.

Nagamachi preserves the residential quarter of mid-ranking Kaga Domain samurai, with a distinctive network of earthen walls (dobei), stone-paved lanes, and small irrigation canals (nagare). The Nomura Samurai House is open to visitors and displays fine examples of fusuma sliding door paintings, carved ranma transoms, and a traditional garden. In winter, the earthen walls are wrapped in straw (komogake) to protect them from frost — a characteristic seasonal sight unique to Kanazawa.