Solo travel · Kyoto · Japan
Solo travel in Kyoto
How to enjoy Kyoto at your own pace.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Kakidai, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Kyoto is very comfortable for solo travellers: counter dining is common, temples reward quiet, unhurried visits, and machiya guesthouses and hostels are sociable and well run. Many solo travellers base themselves in Nishijin and Kitano.
Key facts
- Base
- Nishijin and Kitano
- Getting around
- Bus
- Emergency number
- 110 (police), 119 (fire and ambulance)
- Language
- Japanese
Solo travel tips
- Eat at counter restaurants, ramen shops and obanzai bars, where solo diners are the norm.
- Start early at Fushimi Inari, Arashiyama and Kiyomizu-dera for peaceful visits.
- Rent a bicycle for flexible temple-hopping on your own schedule.
- Join a tea ceremony, cooking class or guided walk to meet other travellers.
- Hostels and machiya guesthouses downtown and near Kyoto Station keep costs reasonable.
Where to stay
$$ · Best for budget, culture, quiet stays and solo travellers
Nishijin and Kitano
Nishijin is the historic home of Kyoto's silk-weaving industry, with machiya townhouses, small workshops and neighbourhood restaurants. It is close to Kitano Tenmangu shrine, Daitoku-ji and the Kinkaku-ji and Ryoan-ji area, with good-value guesthouses but no subway line.
- Good
- Local, residential feel; Affordable machiya stays; Close to Kinkaku-ji
- Watch out
- Bus-dependent; Quiet at night
- Nearby
- Kitano Tenmangu, Kinkaku-ji, Daitoku-ji, Nijo Castle
Great on your own
Religious site · Higashiyama
Kiyomizu-dera
Go at opening time, then walk down Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka before the shops open and the crowds arrive.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Views
- History
- Architecture
- Photo spot
Religious site · Kita
Kinkaku-ji
Combine with Ryoan-ji and Ninna-ji, a 20–30 minute walk or short bus ride along the 'Kinukake-no-michi' road.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Architecture
- Photo spot
- History
Neighbourhood · Gion
Gion and Hanamikoji Street
Photography is banned on some private lanes off Hanamikoji; never block or follow geiko or maiko for photos.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- After dark
- Couples
- History
Street · Northern Higashiyama
Philosopher's Path and Ginkaku-ji
Walk north to south, from Ginkaku-ji to Nanzen-ji, and detour to the moss-covered gate of Honen-in.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Couples
- Outdoors
- Photo spot
- History
Castle · Nakagyo
Nijo Castle
Walk the Ninomaru Palace corridors slowly to hear the nightingale floors chirp underfoot.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Kids
Religious site · Higashiyama
Sanjusangen-do
Look for a face that resembles someone you know; tradition says you can find one among the statues.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
Meeting people
- Nishiki Market tasting — Try dashi omelette, tofu doughnuts, pickles and grilled seafood skewers as you work along the covered market, eating at each stall.
- Kawayuka summer terrace — From May to September, restaurants along the Kamo River in Pontocho and up in Kibune serve dinner on raised wooden platforms over the water.
- Pontocho — A lantern-lit alley of restaurants and tiny bars beside the Kamo River.
- Kiyamachi — Bars and izakaya along the Takase canal, with a younger, livelier crowd at weekends.
Sensible precautions
Kyoto has very low crime. The main issues are crowding at major sights, heat exhaustion in July and August, and cyclists on pavements. Typhoons can disrupt travel in late summer and early autumn.
- Emergency number
- 110 (police), 119 (fire and ambulance)
- Staying connected
- Free Wi-Fi is available at stations and many sights; pocket Wi-Fi, eSIMs and prepaid SIMs are easy to arrange at Kansai Airport.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Kyoto good for solo travellers?
Kyoto is very comfortable for solo travellers: counter dining is common, temples reward quiet, unhurried visits, and machiya guesthouses and hostels are sociable and well run.
+Where should solo travellers stay in Kyoto?
Nishijin and Kitano: Weaving workshops, machiya streets and the shrine-temple belt of the north-west.