The historic tram network is the easiest way to cross the city. Two lines — both running from Kagoshima-Chuo Station to the eastern suburbs via Tenmonkan — cover almost every place a visitor needs to reach. A flat fare of around 170 yen is paid in cash on exit, or by IC card. A one-day pass is sold at the station and inside trams.
Two City View sightseeing buses loop the main sights, one through the waterfront and Sengan-en, the other up Shiroyama. The same one-day pass covers both buses, the tram, and the regular city buses. The Sakurajima ferry runs 24 hours from the port near the aquarium; it is fast, cheap, and one of the quiet pleasures of Kagoshima at any time of day.
The centre is walkable: from Kagoshima-Chuo to Tenmonkan is fifteen minutes on foot along the river, and Shiroyama and the castle are another fifteen beyond that.