Kyoto 3-Day Itinerary

This plan keeps each day inside one part of the city so you walk more and ride less. It also puts the most crowded sights first thing in the morning. The early alarms are the price of seeing Kyoto at its best, and they pay off.

Day 1: Fushimi Inari and Higashiyama

Take an early JR train to Inari and climb through the torii gates at least as far as Yotsutsuji, following our Fushimi Inari route. Back at the bottom, have kitsune udon, then ride the Keihan line north to Shichijo and walk to Sanjusangen-do and its 1,001 statues. In the late afternoon, climb to Kiyomizu-dera as the day crowds start to leave, then walk down Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka, past the Yasaka Pagoda and on to Yasaka Shrine. Finish in Gion as the lanterns come on, and have dinner in Pontocho.

Day 2: Arashiyama and the northwest

Be at the bamboo grove soon after sunrise. See Okochi Sanso and Tenryu-ji, then walk up to Gio-ji through Sagano. Our Arashiyama guide has the full morning. After a yudofu lunch, take the Randen tram and a short taxi or bus to Ryoan-ji and then Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion, which are close together. Back downtown in the evening, walk Nishiki Market (most stalls close early) and the covered arcades of Teramachi.

Day 3: Central and eastern Kyoto

Start at Nijo Castle when it opens. Take the Tozai subway east to Keage, walk through the brick tunnel under the old incline railway and on to Nanzen-ji. From there follow the Philosopher's Path north to Ginkaku-ji. Have a slow lunch nearby, then spend the afternoon at a tea ceremony or at the Kyoto National Museum. If you have energy left, Yasaka Shrine and Gion look different on a second evening.

If it rains

Rain in Kyoto is not a disaster. Moss gardens glow, and the temple halls are covered. Swap Arashiyama for the Kyoto Railway Museum, a sake brewery tour in Fushimi, or the big covered markets downtown.

With a fourth day, go to Nara for the deer and the giant Buddha at Todai-ji, about 45 minutes by train, or to Uji for tea and the Byodo-in. The bus system is the thing most likely to slow you down, so plan each day around the railway lines where possible.