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Bucket list trip:

Last updated: 20 June, 2023
Expert travel writer: Rob Goss

Where to go and what to see in Kyoto to get the most from your trip – a 5-day itinerary from destination expert and Japan travel writer Rob Goss.

Editor note – Rob has not included specific recommendations of where to stay each day unless it’s necessary. Instead, see the ‘Where to stay’ section in our Kyoto destination guide.

Day 1

4

In the morning, head to northeast Kyoto to avoid the worst of the crowds at two of the city’s top UNESCO-designated sights: the gilded Kinkaku-ji Temple and the Zen garden of Ryoan-ji Temple.

For lunch, try cooking your own okonomiyaki savoury pancakes at Katsu, near Ryoanji Station.

Then take the Randen tram to Arashiyama for the famed bamboo grove, but also the gardens of Tenryu-ji Temple, the opulent Okochi Sanso Villa, and, if time, a footbath by the station’s Kimono Forest.

Finish in Arashiyama with a dinner of unagi (char-grilled eel) at Hirokawa.

Kinkakuji Temple

Kyoto, Kansai, Japan

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Bucket List Experience
Temple surrounded by trees

The stunning, gilded temple of Kinkakuji, casting its golden reflection onto an islet-studded pond, is the iconic Kyoto image. A UNESCO World Heritage site.

Best for ages 13+

Ryoanji Temple

Kyoto, Kansai, Japan

Spring cherry blossom seen from temple

Translating as The Temple of the Dragon at Peace, this Zen temple’s cryptically designed rock garden is considered one of the finest surviving examples of ‘dry landscape’ Japanese Zen temple garden design featuring distinctive larger rock formations arranged amidst a sweep of smooth pebbles. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Adult price: £3

Best for ages 13+

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Arashiyama Bamboo Grove

Kyoto, Kansai, Japan

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Bucket List Experience
Bamboo grove greenery

The towering stalks and soft light of Arashiyama’s much-photographed bamboo grove make this iconic Kyoto sight an almost otherworldly experience.

Adult price: £3

Best for ages 4+

Tenryu-ji Temple

Kyoto, Kansai, Japan

Japanese house by lake

This temple near the famous bamboo grove in Arashiyama is worth admission for its 700-year-old Zen garden. Although built around a central pond, it’s also a classic example of a garden that employs shakkei (borrowed scenery), with the surrounding mountains adding depth to each scenic point.

Adult price: £3

Best for ages 13+

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Day 2

4

Start at the Kiyomizu-dera Temple then walk through the lovely old streets nearby, stopping for a yudofu (simmered tofu) lunch at Okabeya.

After, walk to the Yasaka Shrine and the adjoining Maruyama Park (a great cherry blossom spot in spring), before a stroll around the nearby Gion district, where early evening you might spot a geisha or two.

For dinner, indulge in teppanyaki. Near Gion, both Gion Ichidou and Kobe Misono have menus that include high-grade wagyu steak.

Kiyomizu-dera Temple

Kyoto, Kansai, Japan

Kiyomizu-dera Temple

Founded in the late 700s, this World Heritage temple in the Higashiyama area is best known for its five-story pagoda and main hall, the latter of which features a photogenic veranda jutting out over a maple-covered hillside.

Adult price: £3

Best for ages 13+

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Yasaka Shrine

Kyoto, Kansai, Japan

Yasaka Shrine

The shrine that protects the Gion geisha district is one of Kyoto’s most distinctive sights. Entered through a roofed gateway painted a vivid vermillion, its grounds include a striking dance stage – used for performances during festivals – that’s adorned with several hundred lanterns lit each evening.

Best for ages 13+

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Maruyama Park

Kyoto, Kansai, Japan

People socialising at tables under blossom trees

This extremely popular spot near Gion has a giant weeping cherry tree that’s illuminated at night, plus loads of food stalls.

Best for ages 13+

Duration: 2 months

When: March & April

Frequency: annually

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Geishas in Gion

Kyoto, Kansai, Japan

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Bucket List Experience
Geisha women

The place to see Japan’s mysterious and enigmatic geisha – colourful kimonos, elaborate hairstyles and oshiroi make-up.

Best for ages 13+

Day 3 Nara day trip

4

Take a train south to Nara, the capital before Kyoto in the 700s, to spend the morning visiting Todai-ji Temple and other UNESCO sites around Nara Park.

For lunch, navigate by the park’s snack-hungry deer for noodles or tea and sweets at the thatched Mizuya Chaya teahouse.

Use the afternoon to take in the stores and traditional sights of Naramachi, Nara’s old quarter.

Before the train back to Kyoto, stop at Junpei for dinner and drinks at a classic izakaya.

Day trip to Nara

Nara, Kansai, Japan

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Bucket List Experience
Exterior red temple

Nara was Japan’s first permanent capital, from 710 to 794. Today, it’s revered for eight locations making up the ‘Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara’ World Heritage site.

Best for ages 18+

Todaiji Temple

Nara, Kansai, Japan

Statue of a gold Buddha in temple

One of Japan’s most famous and historically significant temples. It was built in 752 as the head of all provincial Buddhist temples, and instantly became a seat of power to rival the shogun. Today, it’s also renowned for the 15-metre-high bronze statue of Buddha (Daibutsu) in the main hall.

Best for ages 18+

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Kasuga Taisha Shinto Shrine

Nara, Kansai, Japan

Red temple in forest

This UNESCO World Heritage site dating back to 768, is the shrine of the once-powerful Fukjiwara clan and an outstanding example of kasuga-zukuri architecture. Nara’s most important shrine is also renowned for hundreds of bronze lanterns, donated by worshippers and lit twice a year during for lantern festivals.

Best for ages 18+

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Isuien Garden

Nara, Kansai, Japan

Hill trail

Meaning ‘garden founded on water’, Isuien is a gorgeous Japanese garden dating back to the 17th century. It’s filled with ponds, colourful acer trees and a smattering of traditional tea houses.

Adult price: £6

Best for ages 13+

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Day 4

4

Start the day with a stroll through Nishiki, Kyoto’s oldest and most vibrant food market: pick on street snacks and shop for authentic souvenirs. After, for the afternoon, sign up for a traditional tea ceremony in English at Maikoya.

Then, for more Japanese tradition, stay the night at a traditional ryokan inn. Central Kyoto has many to choose from, but if you want to splurge on one of the city’s finest, try Hiiragiya.

You’ll dine on an intricately arranged multi-course kaiseki dinner, included in the price.

Nishiki Market

Kyoto, Kansai, Japan

Busy covered market

Stretching along five shop-lined blocks, Kyoto’s oldest food market immerses visitors in Kyoto’s culinary heritage. Over 100 stalls and restaurants offer all and anything food related.

Best for ages 13+

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Traditional Japanese tea ceremony in Kyoto

Kyoto, Kansai, Japan

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Bucket List Experience
Traditional green matcha in bowl

The traditional tea ceremony, practiced for centuries, combines all the formality and ritual of traditional Japan, capped by a cup of thick green tea.

Adult price: £20

Best for ages 13+

Duration: Up to 4 hours

When: On request

Frequency: daily

Kaiseki-ryori dinners in Kyoto

Kyoto, Kansai, Japan

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Bucket List Experience
Breakfast table at a ryokan

The pinnacle of Japanese cuisine, this traditional dinner features a succession of up to 12 dishes, artfully presented and culinarily sublime. Tastes range from the familiar to the wonderfully indecipherable.

Adult price: £100

Best for ages 18+

Duration: 3-4 hours

Stay at a ryokan in Kyoto

Kyoto, Kansai, Japan

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Bucket List Experience
Inside traditional room

Japan oozes tradition and there’s no better way to immerse yourself in it than a night at a ryokan, a traditional inn.

Adult price: £-

Best for ages 18+

Duration: 1 night

Day 5

3

In the morning, head to Fushimi Inari Shrine for a photogenic stroll through its torii gateway-lined pathways.

Afterwards, there are several simple restaurants for lunch near the shrine, but for something sweet try the green tea parfait at Sando Chaya.

Fushimi is also a major sake-making district, with close to 40 breweries; sign up for a tour and tasting at the Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum.

Take an early evening shinkansen (bullet train) from Kyoto back to Tokyo, but before boarding buy a bento box for an on-train dinner.

Fushimi Inari Shrine

Kyoto, Kansai, Japan

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Bucket List Experience
Shrine entrance external view

One of Japan’s most sacred shrines, Fushimi Inari’s thousands of torii gateways also make it one of the country’s most Instagrammable sights.

Adult price: £2

Best for ages 13+

Ride the Bullet Train

Japan

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Bucket List Experience
Bullet train speeding in front of Mount Fuji

Reaching speeds of up to 320 km/h, Japan’s iconic bullet train revolutionised high-speed train travel and remains a must-do experience.

Adult price: £90

Best for ages 4+

Duration: 2+ hours