By plane
The nearest airport to Echizen is in Komatsu. Buses connect Komatsu Airport with Komatsu Station for ¥260, from which you can take a Hokuriku Line local train or limited express train to Takefu station in Echizen.
If coming internationally, the best airport to arrive in is Kansai Airport in Osaka. From Kansai Airport, you can reach Fukui by train in about 3 1/2 hours by taking the Haruka limited express train to Shin-Osaka, and transferring to the Thunderbird or RaichÅ, described below.
By train
Echizen is served by Takefu Station on the JR Hokuriku line, which links Toyama with Maibara. A connection to the Kosei Line at Tsuruga provides a direct link to Kyoto and Osaka.
Echizen is connected to Kyoto and Osaka 1-2 times per hour by the Thunderbird and RaichÅ limited express services.ãAll Raicho trains and a handful of Thunderbird trains serve Takefu Station. Both of these trains make the run from Osaka in about 1 hour and 40 minutes and from Kyoto in about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
The Shirasagi limited express also stops at Takefu Station on runs from Nagoya via Maibara. Trains reach Echizen from Maibara in 50 minutes.
If coming from Tokyo, take the hourly Tokaido Shinkansen Hikari service that stops at Maibara station. From Maibara, take the Shirasagi to Takefu station 3 hours and 20 minutes.
There is no charge for the above services with the Japan Rail Pass.