Suggested for the traveler who will spend a few days in our fair city but still wants to prioritize the most popular sights, this itinerary will help you make the most of your trip in the heart of Kyoto city. Beginning with a famous Zen garden and taking you to the Golden Pavilion, a famous shrine, and a castle before bringing you back to the glow of Kyoto Tower, this itinerary will make sure you experience a taste of all the glorious traditional and modern beauty Kyoto has to offer before the day ends.
Ryōan-ji
Start your morning off like the abbots of this Zen temple used to, by contemplating the meaning to be found in Ryōan-ji’s famous karesansui garden. With fifteen rocks on beds of moss spread out in five clusters there are numerous theories as to what the designers intended to be seen, but it is left to visitors to decide what they take away from it. Beyond the garden, wander through the halls of the Abbot’s Quarters, find the famous water basin, and take a stroll through the grounds around the lake left over from the pleasure boating days of the estate before it was converted to a temple more than five hundred years ago.
OPENING HOURS
8:00 – 17:00 (March – November)
8:30 – 16:30 (December – February)
NEAREST STATION / BUS STOP
From Kyoto Station ⇒ City Bus Route 50 ⇒ Ritsumeikan Daigaku-mae Bus Stop ⇒ 7 minutes walking
By Hankyū Railway ⇒ Ōmiya Station ⇒ City Bus Route 55 ⇒ Ritsumeikan Daigaku-mae ⇒ 7 minutes walking
By Keihan Railway ⇒ Sanjō Station ⇒ City Bus Route 59 ⇒ Ryōanji-mae Bus Stop
By Keifuku Kitano Line (Randen) ⇒ Ryōanji Station ⇒ 7 minutes walking
ALSO IN THE AREA
Kitano Tenmangū
After a morning spent in temples make a stop at a Shinto shrine, specifically one dedicated to Tenjin, the god of learning. Kitano Tenmangū is famous among students and those involved in testing or education, and visitors can enjoy their gorgeous plum garden in winter and maple leaves in autumn. Numerous statues of cows are scattered across the grounds and can be rubbed for good luck, and if you are lucky enough to visit on the 25th, you can lose yourself in the monthly flea market called Tenjin-san.
OPENING HOURS
9:00 – 17:00 (7:00 – 21:00 on the 25th of each month)
NEAREST STATION / BUS STOP
From Kyoto Station ⇒ City Bus Route 50 or 101 ⇒ Kitano Tenmangū-mae Bus Stop
From Demachiyanagi Station ⇒ City Bus Route 203 ⇒ Kitano Tenmangū-mae Bus Stop
From Kitano Hakubaichō Station ⇒ 10 minutes walking
ALSO IN THE AREA
Nijō-jō (Nijō Castle)
The former seat of power of the Tokugawa shogunate, Nijō Castle is home to centuries of history. With gorgeous gardens behind its moat and white walls, this castle is known for its lovely sakura and other seasonal offerings, and visitors can easily lose track of time strolling around the edges of the castle grounds and enjoying the smaller pond gardens behind the palace halls. Inside the palace you can live momentarily in history, walking over the “nightingale floors”, taking in the lovely art around you, and reading about the way nobles lived in the castle in the past.
OPENING HOURS
General Admission: 8:45 – 16:00 (the castle closes at 17:00; hours may change depending on the season)
Ninomaru Palace Viewing Hours: 8:45 – 16:00
Closed: New Year Period (December 26th – January 3rd), each Tuesday in January, July, August and December*
*When Tuesday falls on a public holiday, the castle will be closed the following day instead.
NEAREST STATION / BUS STOP
From JR Kyoto Station ⇒ City Bus Routes 9, 50, or 101 ⇒ Nijōjō-mae Bus Stop
From Hankyū Karasuma Station ⇒ City Bus Routes 12 or 101 ⇒ Nijōjō-mae Bus Stop
Hankyū Ōmiya Station ⇒ Taxi (5 minutes)
From Sanjō Station ⇒ Subway Tozai Line towards Uzumasa Tenjingawa ⇒ Nijōjō-mae Station
ALSO IN THE AREA
Kyoto Tower
One of the first things people arriving in Kyoto see is the Kyoto Tower, and it’s the last thing they see before departing. At night the 131 meter (431 feet) tall structure is lit up, and for a fee you can go to the top observation deck for a splendid look out over the old capital. Whether you catch the sunset or enjoy the night view, the tower’s height lets you have an unobstructed view of Kyoto spread out beneath you. The complex beneath the tower also houses many restaurants and shops as well as a hotel and public bath, and the station area provides a wide variety of dining options when you’ve worked up an appetite touring the city!
OPENING HOURS
9:00 to 21:00 (entry until 20:40)
NEAREST STATION / BUS STOP
Kyoto Station
ALSO IN THE AREA
Higashi HonganjiShōsei-en Garden (Kikoku-tei)Kyoto Aquarium
