Things to do in Kyoto: the top sights, with fees and hours

Kyoto was the capital of Japan starting in 794, when Emperor Kanmu chose it as the home of his court.¹ The Japan National Tourism Organization dates the capital period from 794 until the end of the Edo period in 1867.⁷ That span explains why a visit never feels like a single attraction: the city holds centuries of palaces, gardens and temples side by side.

The numbers are large. Kyoto's shrines and temples hold about 20 percent of Japan's National Treasures and 15 percent of its Important Cultural Properties.² Seventeen properties make up the World Heritage listing Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, approved in December 1994 by the 18th Session of the World Heritage Committee.^8,9

So the problem is not finding the best things to do in Kyoto; it is choosing, whichever list you start from. The sensible approach is to treat the city as four or five clusters and give each a half day: the eastern hills around Kiyomizu-dera, the northern temples, the center with its palace and castle, and two outliers, Fushimi Inari in the south and Arashiyama in the west. The map on this page shows how they lie.

Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion, is open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. all year round, with admission of 500 yen for adults and 300 yen for primary and middle school students.³ City buses 12, 59, 205 and M1 stop at Kinkakuji-michi stop.³¹ It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994, and it has no luggage storage, so leave your bags at the hotel.^32,33

Ginkaku-ji, the Silver Pavilion, is open 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from March 1 to November 30 and 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from December 1 to the end of February, with admission of 1,000 yen for adults.^23,22 A visit usually takes about 30 minutes, and normally only the gardens can be entered.^34,35 Construction began in March 1489, but Shogun Yoshimasa died on January 7, 1490 before it was finished.³⁶

Connect the two with a walk. The Philosopher's Path is a canal-side stroll between Ginkaku-ji and Nyakuoji Bridge, passing Anraku-ji and Honen-in temples.²⁸ It got its name because the philosopher Nishida Kitaro walked it daily from 1910 until his retirement in 1928, and it runs past the front gate of Ginkaku-ji.^37,38 Cherry blossoms in spring and fireflies in summer are the draw.

Fushimi Inari Taisha is beside Inari Station on the JR Nara Line, 2 stations and 5 minutes from Kyoto Station by the shrine's count.⁴⁰ The shrine counts around 10,000 torii of all sizes along its mountain paths, and JNTO says it takes between two and three hours to tour the mountain.^86,87 Two full pages on this site cover the shrine and the climb.

Arashiyama lies the other way. The JR Sagano Line Rapid Service takes about 11 minutes from Kyoto Station to Saga-Arashiyama Station, and from there it is about an 8 minute walk to the Togetsu-kyo Bridge area.^43,88 A less crowded route goes by subway to Uzumasa Tenjingawa Station on the Tozai Line, then on the Keifuku (Randen) tram to Arashiyama Station.⁸⁹

Both fit a single day with a guide. The one-day bus tour this site books lists Kiyomizu-dera (1 hour), Sanjusangen-do (40 minutes), a 50-minute Arashiyama stop (lunch only on the optional buffet ticket), a bamboo grove walk (20 minutes), Tenryuji Temple (30 minutes), Kinkaku-ji (40 minutes), a pass-by of Nijo Castle and Fushimi Inari Taisha (1 hour), from $97. It has 5,210 reviews rated 4.80.