Destinations & ItinerariesBy Clever Tourists · Published
Three to four days. We spent 4 days in Kyoto in early April 2023 and then 2 more in Nara. Three days covers the four districts most visitors come for, Higashiyama, Gion, Arashiyama and Fushimi Inari, if you start early. A fourth day adds Kinkaku-ji and the northwest temples, or a day trip to Nara. Fewer than two days means choosing between the famous sights; more than five is for day trips like Himeji or for slowing down.
• 1 day: Fushimi Inari at dawn, then southern Higashiyama and Gion at dusk. You will miss Arashiyama.
• 2 days: add Arashiyama on the second morning. Tight, but it covers the core.
• 3 days: the sweet spot for most first trips, one district per day, as in our 3 days in Kyoto itinerary.
• 4 days: what we had. Add Kinkaku-ji and the northwest, or Nara.
• 5 or more: Nara, Himeji, Uji or the temples of Ohara as day trips, or simply slower mornings.
Kyoto's main sights are spread out and the crowds build by mid-morning, so you cannot cover two districts at their best in one morning. That is why days, not hours, are the useful unit here.
Day 1, southern Higashiyama and Gion. Kiyomizu-dera when it opens, around 6am, then down the stepped lanes of Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka, past the Yasaka Pagoda to Maruyama Park and Yasaka Shrine. Back in Gion at dusk for Hanami-koji and Pontocho.
Day 2, Arashiyama. The bamboo grove before 8am, Tenryu-ji's pond garden, Togetsukyo Bridge and, if your legs allow, the Iwatayama monkey park for the view over the city.
Day 3, Fushimi Inari and the south. The shrine never closes, so go at dawn and climb past the first viewpoint, where the crowds thin. Pair it with Tofuku-ji in autumn, or Nishiki Market in the afternoon.
Day 4, Kinkaku-ji and the northwest, or Nijo Castle. The Golden Pavilion, then Nijo Castle and its "nightingale" floors, or the Philosopher's Path in blossom season. Kinkaku-ji is one of the few places you need a bus for.
Tickets and dress codes for the big temples are in our Kiyomizu-dera and Kinkaku-ji guide and our Fushimi Inari guide.
Nara is the most common addition to a Kyoto stay, and it deserves a full day: Todai-ji's Great Buddha Hall, the deer of Nara Park and the lantern-lined path to Kasuga Taisha. From Kyoto Station the Kintetsu line takes about 35 to 50 minutes to Kintetsu-Nara, a few minutes' walk from the park; see Kyoto to Nara: Kintetsu vs JR.
Most people do it as a day trip, which means counting it as one of your Kyoto days. We stayed 2 nights in Nara after Kyoto instead. Our Nara guide explains why that is worth considering: the park and temples at dawn, before the tour groups arrive, are a different place. Read the deer etiquette guide before you buy crackers.
Stay downtown around Karasuma or Kawaramachi for restaurants and trains, near Kyoto Station if you plan several day trips, or in Higashiyama and Gion if you want to be in the old lanes at 6am. Kyoto adds an accommodation tax per person per night; see our Kyoto hotel tax guide.
Plan each day around one area and use trains and walking where you can. Buses are useful but crowded, and fares for visitors are set to change; our Kyoto city bus guide has the details. Kyoto is about 2 hours 15 minutes from Tokyo by Nozomi and about 75 minutes from Kansai Airport on the Haruka.
Cherry blossom in late March and early April and the maples from mid-November into early December are Kyoto's busiest weeks. If you visit then, the extra day matters more, because early starts are the only way to see the famous places without crowds. Our cherry blossom forecast guide and Kyoto autumn leaves guide have the dates.
Kyoto fits into a longer trip in several ways: in our 7-day itinerary it gets 3 nights, and on our 33-day route it got 4, between Kanazawa and Nara.
Yes, for most first visits. Three days covers southern Higashiyama and Gion, Arashiyama, and Fushimi Inari, one district a day with early starts. A fourth day adds Kinkaku-ji and the northwest or a Nara day trip.
It covers the core if you start early: Fushimi Inari and Higashiyama on one day, Arashiyama and Gion on the other. You will miss Kinkaku-ji and the slower parts of the city.
Stay in Kyoto if you can. Its main sights are at their best right after opening, around 6am at Kiyomizu-dera and before 8am at the bamboo grove, which is hard to manage from Osaka.
Yes. The Kintetsu train takes about 35 to 50 minutes from Kyoto Station to Kintetsu-Nara, a few minutes' walk from Nara Park. Give it a full day; we stayed two nights there instead.
Three or four days in Kyoto plus one or two nights in Osaka. Osaka is about half an hour away by train and is best in the evening for food in Dotonbori.
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