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Autumn maples around a Kyoto temple

Best Time to Visit Kyoto

Short answer: late October to early December, with the maples at their best from mid to late November. Cherry blossom season in late March and early April is just as beautiful, but it's the busiest the city ever gets. If crowds bother you more than weather, come in January or February.

Here's the longer version.

Season by season

  • Spring (March to May). Cherry blossom usually peaks around the end of March or the first days of April, and it lasts about a week. Hotels fill months ahead and some prices double. Golden Week, from late April into early May, brings Japan's own holiday crowds. May after Golden Week is lovely and much calmer.
  • Early summer (June to mid July). The rainy season. Moss gardens look their best, but it's damp and humid. Hydrangeas bloom at temples like Mimuroto-ji.
  • High summer (mid July to August). Kyoto sits in a basin and gets very hot and sticky, often well above 35°C. The upside is the Gion Matsuri festival in July and the riverside dining platforms (kawadoko) over the Kamo River. Plan mornings and evenings outdoors, afternoons inside.
  • Autumn (September to early December). September is still warm and has the odd typhoon. By late October the air is cool and clear. Maple season fills Tofuku-ji, Eikan-do and Kiyomizu-dera, so the same rule as spring applies: go at opening time.
  • Winter (December to February). Cold and dry, with the occasional light snow that turns the Golden Pavilion white for a morning. Temple halls are unheated, but hotel prices drop and the famous sights are finally manageable. The first days of January are busy with shrine visits.

Festivals to plan around

Aoi Matsuri, a costumed procession, takes place on 15 May. Gion Matsuri fills the whole of July, with the big float parades on 17 and 24 July, and the evenings before them are the most atmospheric part. On 16 August huge bonfire characters are lit on the mountains around the city for Gozan no Okuribi. Jidai Matsuri, a parade of historical costumes, is on 22 October. All of them push hotel demand up, so book early if your dates overlap.

In any month, the pattern inside the day matters more than the season. The first two hours after opening are the quiet ones everywhere. For how to fill a short stay, see our 3-day itinerary, and for layers and rain gear, our what to wear guide.