Kyoto
Kyoto was taken off the atomic bomb target list at one man's insistence, and sixteen hundred temples are still standing. It is also one of the four most Michelin-starred cities on earth.
Kyoto in a nutshell
Kyoto: what to expect
This is what 73,000+ planned stops in the city on Stippl say about Kyoto.
Kyoto is worth visiting, and three nights is what most travellers give it. The city was Japan's capital for a thousand years and escaped the wartime bombing, so what you walk through is the real thing rather than a rebuild, with 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites inside the city limits and temples on the wooded hillsides all around the basin. The short list almost everyone does is Fushimi Inari's torii tunnels, the Golden Pavilion, Kiyomizu-dera and the bamboo grove at Arashiyama. Most travellers plan 3 nights.
You cannot fly into Kyoto, and that changes the trip. The city has no airport, and it shows: only 0.6% of the trips that pass through Kyoto have it as their only Japanese stop. Tokyo is the door into the country. Kyoto is usually the reason people came.
The catch is the crowds, and the fix is the clock. The temples sit on the hillsides rather than in the centre, so you sleep in the middle and head out early, and anything famous is worth doing at opening or after dark. Give yourself a fourth night if you also want Nara, the day trip most tied to Kyoto anywhere in Japan. If crowds are what ruin a place for you, avoid blossom season and the November colour window, and come in winter instead.
Who Kyoto is for
History and culture travellers
the unanimous framing, and the one Japanese city where the sights outrank the food in every guide
First-timers in Japan
the shorthand for "traditional Japan"; sources pair it with Tokyo as the two halves of a first trip
Slow travellers
our own data's phrase, "reveals itself slowly over several days", is what every itinerary discovers: three days covers the highlights and four to seven covers the city
Photographers
with the caveat below about where photography is not allowed
Walkers and cyclists
the centre is flat and the favourite Kyoto day is a bike day
Maybe not for you: anyone allergic to crowds who will not get up early, nightlife travellers (Osaka is fifteen minutes away and does it better), and budget travellers who need cheap beds, Osaka undercuts Kyoto and every head-to-head says so
When to go to Kyoto
March–April (cherry blossom), November (autumn leaves)
Green season
May–early June
after Golden Week the temples empty out, the moss gardens are at their best and the weather is still dry
Tsuyu
June–mid July
the wettest weeks of the year, and the fewest people of any warm month
Summer
mid July–early September
the basin has no coastal breeze and holds the heat; sources warn specifically against the uphill temple walks in it
Koyo
late October–early December
autumn colour, peaking mid-to-late November and lingering into the first half of December. The single strongest seasonal recommendation the sources make for the city
Winter
mid December–February
cold, quiet and the cheapest beds of the year, with occasional snow on the temple roofs
- the basin opens roughly a week after Tokyo, and it is the busiest fortnight of the Kyoto year; every stay area books out months ahead
- Yasaka Shrine's festival, running for more than 1,100 years, with the main float procession on 17 July. It draws millions and it is the one Kyoto date to plan around rather than into
- the Philosopher's Path, Maruyama and the Higashiyama lanes are the named spots, and each tree line holds for roughly a week
- peak foliage, and the fortnight when the city is as full as it is in blossom season
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What not to miss in Kyoto
Photo by Stefan K via Unsplash
Photo by Ryoji Iwata via UnsplashFushimi Inari Taisha
thousands of vermilion torii winding up the mountain. Go at dawn or after 20:00; our own data and every guide agree, and one source notes that even at opening you will not be alone by the time you come down
Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion
¥500, open 09:00–17:00; the visit is short and the crowds are constant
Kiyomizu-dera
and the Sannen-zaka/Ninen-zaka approach, the single most rewarding walk in the city
Arashiyama bamboo grove
free, open ground, open 24 hours, and packed all day; our sources' advice is unanimously "before sunrise"
Gion after dark
the machiya lanes and the Shirakawa canal. Photography is not allowed on the private alleys, a restriction introduced in response to visitor pressure
A tea ceremony
Our sources' most-recommended paid experience in Kyoto, more than any temple
The neighbourhoods of Kyoto
Southern Higashiyama
first-timers, walkers
The Sannen-zaka and Ninen-zaka stone lanes between Kiyomizu-dera and Gion: the densest run of temples, tea houses and craft shops in Japan
Sannen-zaka and Ninen-zaka, the densest run of temples and tea houses in Japan.
Gion
atmosphere
The geisha district: preserved Edo machiya along Hanamikoji, lantern-lit lanes on the Shirakawa canal, kaiseki behind closed doors
Lantern-lit lanes on the Shirakawa canal, and kaiseki behind closed doors.
Northern Higashiyama
slow days
The Philosopher's Path between Nanzen-ji and Ginkaku-ji: a canal walk under cherry trees, quieter than the south
The Philosopher's Path, a canal walk under cherry trees between two temples.
Downtown (Kawaramachi & Shijo)
eating
The commercial and social centre: Nishiki Market, Pontocho's riverside alley, the restaurants and the nightlife
Nishiki Market and Pontocho's riverside alley of restaurants and bars.
Arashiyama
nature
The bamboo grove, Tenryu-ji, the monkey park and the river, 20 minutes west of the centre
The bamboo grove, Tenryu-ji and the monkey park, all in one stop.
Central Kyoto (Nakagyo)
budget
Nijo Castle and the Imperial Palace, business hotels, the cheapest central beds
Nijo Castle and the Imperial Palace, with the cheapest central beds nearby.
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Where to stay in Kyoto
Ryokan is the Kyoto splurge: our sources treat a night in a traditional inn as a Kyoto experience rather than an accommodation choice, and two publishers have dedicated ryokan articles for the city
Southern Higashiyama
The Sannen-zaka and Ninen-zaka stone lanes between Kiyomizu-dera and Gion: the densest run of temples, tea houses and craft shops in Japan
Gion
The geisha district: preserved Edo machiya along Hanamikoji, lantern-lit lanes on the Shirakawa canal, kaiseki behind closed doors
Northern Higashiyama
The Philosopher's Path between Nanzen-ji and Ginkaku-ji: a canal walk under cherry trees, quieter than the south
Downtown (Kawaramachi & Shijo)
The commercial and social centre: Nishiki Market, Pontocho's riverside alley, the restaurants and the nightlife
Arashiyama
The bamboo grove, Tenryu-ji, the monkey park and the river, 20 minutes west of the centre
Central Kyoto (Nakagyo)
Nijo Castle and the Imperial Palace, business hotels, the cheapest central beds
What to eat in Kyoto
The multi-course seasonal banquet; Kyoto is its home and its most expensive expression
Buddhist temple vegetarian cooking, served at several temples
Whisked powdered green tea; Uji, just south, is the growing region
Simmered tofu, the Higashiyama and Arashiyama winter dish
Kyoto home cooking, small seasonal vegetable dishes
The Pontocho riverside alley runs from cheap skewers to fine dining
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Cultural highlights & etiquette
Country etiquette applies here
shoes off indoors, no tattoos at most public baths, tipping is not done, and chopsticks are never stood upright in rice
No photos in Gion's alleys
the ban covers the private alleys and exists because of visitor volume, and it is enforced with signage and fines. The public streets remain open
Do not chase maiko for photos
geisha and maiko are people going to work; our sources state this bluntly and it is the origin of the alley ban
Temples are working sites
keep quiet, use no flash inside the halls, and follow the purification basin ritual at a shrine
Many temples close at 17:00
closing runs 17:00–18:00 with last admission before that, so an afternoon plan runs out of daylight faster than expected
Do
- Arrive at opening or after dark at the famous sites. It is the single most repeated piece of advice in the Kyoto sources
- Rinse hands and mouth at the purification basin before approaching a shrine hall
- Book dinner ahead. Kyoto is the one Japanese city where a walk-in regularly fails
- Check closing times before planning an afternoon: many temples shut at 17:00–18:00 with last admission earlier
- Rent a bicycle. The centre is flat and the historic lanes are faster on two wheels than by bus
Don't
- Do not photograph on Gion's private alleys. It is banned, signposted and fined
- Do not follow, block or photograph geisha and maiko. They are people going to work, and this is what the alley ban was written for
- Do not use flash inside temple halls, and do not raise your voice in them
- Do not put the uphill sites (Fushimi Inari's mountain, Kiyomizu's approach, the monkey park) in a July or August afternoon
- Do not arrive in blossom or autumn peak without a booking made months ahead
Daily budget in Kyoto
Budget
€70–80
hostel dorm (Osaka-level at €13–17), konbini, bus and subway rides, the free Arashiyama bamboo grove
Mid-range
€100–150
mid-range hotel, temple entries, Nishiki Market and Pontocho meals
High-end
€250+
ryokan with kaiseki, a tea ceremony, book months ahead for the blossom and autumn peaks when Kyoto's whole ladder tightens
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Fun facts about Kyoto
Kyoto is one of the four most Michelin-starred cities on earth, alongside Tokyo, Paris and Osaka, and it is by far the smallest of them, so the starred restaurants sit within walking distance of each other in Higashiyama and Gion rather than scattered across a capital. Book weeks out; most seat under twenty
Kyoto was the imperial capital for more than a thousand years, until 1868
It was removed from the WWII atomic-bomb target list at Henry Stimson's intervention
~1,600 Buddhist temples and ~400 Shinto shrines inside one city
17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites within the city limits
Kyoto and Tokyo are the same two kanji reversed: 京都 and 東京
Local tips for Kyoto
Kyoto is a bicycle city
Our sources keep rediscovering it: the centre is flat, the historic lanes are faster on two wheels than by bus, and our own data's local tip says to rent one on arrival
The buses are the weak point
sights are scattered, buses are slow and full, and multiple operators mean a single journey can need two tickets
The JR Pass is for day trips
it is not worth buying for moving around Kyoto itself
Kyoto is extremely safe
no source records a crime warning specific to the city
The hazards are heat and stairs
several signature sights are uphill walks (Fushimi Inari's mountain, the monkey park, Kiyomizu's approach) and sources warn against doing them in July and August
Crowds are a safety question
at the famous sites in peak season, density is a comfort and a safety consideration rather than merely an annoyance
Frequently asked questions about Kyoto
In the middle, after Tokyo, because there is no airport here and you arrive by train. Only 3.0% of the trips that include Kyoto on Stippl start here. Lay the rail legs out in Stippl and give Kyoto the nights its day trips need. Then ask people who have been, in subreddits like r/JapanTravel.
Two in three do: 65.2% of Japan trips planned on Stippl include Kyoto, and 13.1% of every Japanese stop is in the city. A route that skips it is unusual enough that the real question is which nights Kyoto gets rather than whether it gets any.
Hardly ever. Just 12.5% of Kyoto stops planned on Stippl are a single night, one of the lowest shares in the country. The temples sit on the wooded hillsides rather than in the centre, so one night buys the walk between two of them and none of the early starts the rest of them need.
Arrive at opening or go after dark, and treat that as the whole strategy rather than a tip. Fushimi Inari works at dawn or after eight in the evening, the Arashiyama bamboo grove before sunrise, and Nishiki Market in the morning. Anything famous is a different place at nine than at eleven.
Both, if the days allow, because they sit fifteen minutes apart by train. Kyoto is temples, gardens and atmosphere, while Osaka is food, nightlife, price and transport. If you genuinely have to pick one, Kyoto is what people came to Japan for and Osaka is the easier place to eat and sleep.
You may see maiko walking to engagements in Gion in the early evening, which is not the same thing as a performance. Do not follow them and do not photograph them, and the private alleys off the main streets are closed to photography entirely. Watching from a distance is the whole etiquette.
Every guide is written by the Stippl editors and checked against the trips our travellers actually plan. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.
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