01 ／ Tunnel
A brick tunnel driven straight through Mount Nagara, about 2,436 m long. Two shafts were sunk, a method the city calls a first for tunnel construction in Japan, and the first shaft is about 47 m deep. It became a National Treasure on 27 August 2025.
02 ／ Castle gates
Zeze Castle was abolished in 1870 (Meiji 3), and its gates were moved to shrines in the city. Dismantling and repairing the front gate of Zeze Shrine turned up a plaque dated 1655; it and the front gate of Shinotsu Shrine, once the castle's north main gate, are Important Cultural Properties.
03 ／ Rock
A mineral formed where limestone meets granite. In the grounds of Ishiyamadera it gathers in great numbers along the strata, and after weathering is described as at its most striking. It became a National Natural Monument in 1922, and the temple halls stand on this rock.
Living here
From JR Otsu Station, the Biwako Line takes 9 minutes to Kyoto on the JR Rapid and 40 minutes to Osaka on the JR Special Rapid. City Hall is about a 1-minute walk from Keihan's Otsu-shiyakusho-mae Station on the Ishiyama-Sakamoto Line.
+1.2% since 2015
337,634 → 345,070
123.73km² of it habitable
2024
2.4 people per household
2020
National average 60,630 yen
2023
9.2 per 10,000 people
2023
Population from 2010 onward (municipal boundary changed).2006-03-20 に編入合併（志賀町）。2010年調査から市域が変わっている。
These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.
ACCESS
Travel times follow JR西日本『JRおでかけネット』区間時刻表（ページの日付 2026-10-07・水）。line-timetable/2235（ＪＲ神戸線・ＪＲ京都線・琵琶湖線 姫路～大阪～米原 上り）で、京都『発』→大津『着』と大阪『発』→大津『着』が同じ列車の列にあるものを数えた：京都→大津は149本（新快速・快速・普通・特急）で最速9分（快速・普通。新快速は10分）、運転日注意欄に印の無い毎日運転の便にも9分がある（快速 14:37→14:46、普通 05:32→05:41）。大阪→大津は139本で最速40分（新快速。印の無い毎日運転の便に 11:00→11:40・11:30→12:10 など。平日のみの便にも40分）。逆向き（line-timetable/2234）は大津→京都9分・大津→大阪39分。びわ湖大津観光協会『アクセス』は『京都駅→大津駅 約10分 JR琵琶湖線』『新大阪→大津駅 約40分（新快速）』 (checked 2026-10-07). They vary by time of day.
Shape
North to south
45.9km
If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.
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