Guides

Kyoto Travel Guides

Itineraries, day trips, food, transport and etiquette: what to see, how to get there and what it costs.

Kyoto by Season

March · April · May

Kyoto in Spring

Cherry blossoms along the Philosopher's Path, mild walking weather, and Kyoto's single most crowded and most beautiful season.

June · July · August

Kyoto in Summer

The Gion Matsuri's float processions fill July, and long daylight hours stretch sightseeing into the evening, if you can handle the heat.

September · October · November

Kyoto in Autumn

Koyo foliage turns the temple gardens red and gold through November, under some of the year's most comfortable walking weather.

December · January · February

Kyoto in Winter

The year's shortest queues and lowest prices, with an outside chance of snow dusting Kinkaku-ji's gold roof.

Itinerary

One Day in Kyoto: A Sunrise-to-Evening Itinerary

A realistic one-day Kyoto itinerary: Fushimi Inari at sunrise, Higashiyama's temple lanes at midday, Gion and Pontocho by night.

Day trips

Best Day Trips from Kyoto

The best day trips from Kyoto: Nara's deer park and Todai-ji, and Uji's matcha and Byodo-in Temple, each doable by train in under an hour.

Practical

Getting Around Kyoto: Buses, Subway & Trains

How to get around Kyoto: city buses, the subway, JR and private rail lines for day trips, current passes and fares, and when walking beats all of them.

Practical

Getting to Kyoto from Tokyo by Shinkansen

How to get from Tokyo to Kyoto on the Tokaido Shinkansen: Nozomi, Hikari, and Kodama fares, travel times, and what a Japan Rail Pass covers.

Food & drink

Kyoto Food Guide: Where to Eat

Where to eat in Kyoto on every budget, from centuries-old yudofu specialists to Michelin-starred kaiseki, and from Nishiki Market to Pontocho.

Itinerary

3 Days in Kyoto: A Day-by-Day Itinerary

A realistic 3-day Kyoto itinerary: Higashiyama and Fushimi Inari, Arashiyama and the bamboo grove, then a Nara or Uji day trip to close it out.

Practical

Getting to Kyoto from Osaka, Kansai & Itami Airports

How to get to Kyoto from Kansai Airport (KIX), Itami Airport (ITM), and central Osaka: trains, the limousine bus, prices, and travel times for each.

Practical

Where to Stay in Kyoto: Best Neighbourhoods for Tourists

Where to stay in Kyoto by what you want from your trip: downtown for transit, Higashiyama or Gion for atmosphere, Pontocho for nightlife.

Budget

Free Things to Do in Kyoto

Fushimi Inari's torii gates, the Arashiyama bamboo grove, Yasaka Shrine: Kyoto's best sights that cost nothing to see, and what to budget for nearby.

Practical

Temple & Shrine Etiquette in Kyoto: What to Know Before You Go

How to behave at Kyoto's temples and shrines: the purification ritual, torii gate manners, photography rules, and basic visitor conduct.

Neighbourhoods

Arashiyama, Kyoto: How to Visit Beyond the Bamboo Grove

How to plan a day in Arashiyama: beating the bamboo grove crowds, Tenryu-ji, the monkey park, the quieter Sagano temples, and which train to take.