Kyoto

Best things to do in Kyoto

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   1. Fushimi Inari-taisha

   • About 2 hours to walk up the mountain
   • No booking needed
   • Couples
   • Active
   • No car needed

   The head shrine of the kami Inari, at the foot of Mount Inari (233 m). Roughly 10,000 torii gates line the paths up the mountain, which run about 4 km and take around 2 hours to walk up.

   Wikipedia describes the shrine as open 24 hours with no entrance fee. It gets very busy over the Japanese New Year.

   15,391 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Fushimi Inari-taisha

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   2. Kiyomizu-dera

   • 1 to 2 hours
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Couples
   • Families
   • No car needed

   A Buddhist temple in eastern Kyoto, founded in 778 and part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto UNESCO site (1994). The main hall, a National Treasure rebuilt in 1633, has a large wooden veranda on tall pillars over the hillside, and the Otowa waterfall runs below it.

   The sources we read do not give opening hours or ticket prices; check the temple's own site before you go. The complex was covered in scaffolding for restoration work before the 2020 Olympics.

   10,720 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Kiyomizu-dera

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   3. A day trip to Nara

   • A full day
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Families
   • Couples
   • No car needed

   Japan's capital from 710 to 784, with a UNESCO World Heritage listing from 1998 that includes Todai-ji, Kofuku-ji and Kasuga-taisha. Tame sika deer roam the town and park; Todai-ji's main hall is described as the world's largest wooden building.

   Wikipedia notes that the park's deer have been found to be malnourished by relying on crackers, so watch them rather than feed them. We have not confirmed rail times from Kyoto; check before you go.

   10,478 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Nara, Nara

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   4. Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion

   • About an hour
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Couples
   • Families
   • No car needed

   A Zen temple known as the Golden Pavilion, a World Heritage Site. The top two floors are covered in gold leaf. The villa became a temple after Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's death, and the pavilion was rebuilt in 1955 after an arson attack in 1950.

   The sources we read do not give opening hours or ticket prices; check the temple's own site before you go.

   10,149 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Kinkaku-ji

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   5. Kyoto Imperial Palace

   • 1 to 2 hours
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Couples
   • No car needed

   The former palace of the Emperor of Japan from 1331 to 1869, in the grounds of Kyoto Gyoen park. The grounds are open to the public, and the Imperial Household Agency runs tours of the buildings several times a day.

   Wikipedia does not say whether building tours need a reservation or what they cost; check the Imperial Household Agency's site before you plan.

   7,166 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Kyoto Imperial Palace

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   6. Nijo Castle

   • 1 to 2 hours
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Couples
   • Families
   • Rainy day

   A flatland castle built for the Tokugawa shogunate and finished under Tokugawa Iemitsu in the 1620s, part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto. The Ninomaru Palace corridors have 'nightingale floors' that chirp underfoot, and in 1867 the last shogun announced the return of power to the Emperor here.

   The sources we read do not give opening hours or ticket prices; check the castle's own site before you go.

   5,729 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Nijō Castle

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   7. Arashiyama and Tenryu-ji

   • Half a day
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Couples
   • Families
   • Active

   A scenic district on Kyoto's western edge, best known for the Sagano bamboo grove, the Togetsukyo bridge and the Iwatayama Monkey Park, where over 170 wild monkeys live. Tenryu-ji, founded in 1339, is a UNESCO-listed Zen temple here.

   The sources we read do not give opening hours or ticket prices for the temple or the monkey park; check before you go.

   4,418 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Arashiyama
   • Wikipedia, Tenryū-ji

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   8. Byodo-in, Uji

   • 1 to 2 hours
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Couples
   • No car needed

   A Buddhist temple in the city of Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, built as a villa in 998 and turned into a temple in 1052. The Phoenix Hall (1053) holds an Amida Buddha statue and appears on the Japanese 10-yen coin; the temple is UNESCO-listed.

   The sources we read do not give opening hours, ticket prices or the journey from central Kyoto; check before you go.

   4,184 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Byōdō-in

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   9. Ryoan-ji rock garden

   • About an hour
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Couples
   • No car needed

   A Zen temple in north-west Kyoto founded in 1450. Its dry garden, about 25 m by 10 m, has 15 stones in five groups on raked white gravel, with moss as the only plant. The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

   The sources we read do not give opening hours or ticket prices; check the temple's own site before you go.

   3,224 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Ryōan-ji

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    10. Gion

    • 2 to 3 hours
    • No booking needed
    • Couples
    • Adults
    • No car needed

    Kyoto's best-known geisha district, which grew up in front of Yasaka Shrine. Hanamikoji is the main street in Gion Kobu; the Miyako Odori dances run through April. Part of the district is a national historical preservation district.

    This is a working neighbourhood; be considerate when photographing residents and performers.

    3,120 readers a month

    Sources

    • Wikipedia, Gion

Just missed the list: Tō-ji (11th; a Shingon Buddhist temple in Minami-ku); Ginkaku-ji (12th; the Silver Pavilion Zen temple in Sakyo ward)