Things to do · Kyoto · Japan
19 best things to do in Kyoto
19 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Jordy Meow, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Kyoto are Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kiyomizu-dera and Kinkaku-ji. Of the 19 picks below, 5 are free, 5 work on a rainy day and 6 suit children. Allow about 4 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Fushimi Inari Taisha
- Free sights
- 5
- Good on a rainy day
- Nishiki Market
- Time to see the highlights
- 4 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fushimi Inari Taisha | Fushimi | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Kiyomizu-dera | Higashiyama | 1.5–2 hours | Low cost |
| Kinkaku-ji | Kita | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Arashiyama Bamboo Grove and Tenryu-ji | Arashiyama | Half a day | Low cost |
| Gion and Hanamikoji Street | Gion | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Nishiki Market | Downtown Kawaramachi | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Philosopher's Path and Ginkaku-ji | Northern Higashiyama | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Nijo Castle | Nakagyo | 1.5–2 hours | Low cost |
| Sanjusangen-do | Higashiyama | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Ryoan-ji | Kita | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Kyoto Imperial Palace and Gyoen | Kamigyo | 1–1.5 hours | Free |
| To-ji | Kyoto Station area | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Tofuku-ji | Higashiyama | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Daitoku-ji | Kita | 1.5–2 hours | Low cost |
| Kennin-ji | Gion | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Kamo River and Pontocho | Downtown Kawaramachi | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Kyoto Railway Museum | Kyoto Station area | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Kyoto National Museum | Higashiyama | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Iwatayama Monkey Park | Arashiyama | 1–1.5 hours | Low cost |
The 19 best things to do
Religious site · Fushimi
1.Fushimi Inari Taisha
The head shrine of Inari, god of rice and commerce, is famous for the thousands of vermilion torii gates donated by businesses that tunnel up Mount Inari. The full loop to the 233-metre summit takes two to three hours, but most visitors turn back at the Yotsutsuji intersection, which has a view over the city. The grounds are free and open around the clock.
Arrive before 8am or after dark for empty gates; the crowds thin dramatically above Yotsutsuji.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Photo spot
- Active
- Kids
- After dark
Religious site · Higashiyama
2.Kiyomizu-dera
Founded in 778, this UNESCO-listed temple is known for its wooden main hall stage, built without nails and projecting 13 metres above the hillside, with views across Kyoto. Below, visitors drink from the three streams of Otowa waterfall. The stone lanes of Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka lead down to Gion.
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
3.Kinkaku-ji
The Golden Pavilion is a Zen temple whose upper two floors are covered in gold leaf, reflected in the Mirror Pond. The original 14th-century building burned in 1950 and was rebuilt in 1955. The route through the grounds is one-way and takes about 45 minutes.
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
Nature · Arashiyama
4.Arashiyama Bamboo Grove and Tenryu-ji
A short path between towering bamboo stalks leads from the north gate of Tenryu-ji, a UNESCO-listed Zen temple whose 14th-century pond garden borrows the hills behind it as scenery. Nearby, the Okochi Sanso villa garden and the Togetsukyo bridge over the Hozu River complete a day in Kyoto's western hills.
Walk the bamboo grove soon after sunrise, then visit Tenryu-ji's garden when it opens.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Nature
- Photo spot
- Couples
- Kids
Neighbourhood · Gion
5.Gion and Hanamikoji Street
Kyoto's best-known geisha district has wooden teahouses (ochaya) and restaurants along Hanamikoji Street and the willow-lined Shirakawa canal. At dusk you may glimpse geiko and maiko walking to appointments. Yasaka Shrine stands at the eastern end of Shijo-dori.
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
Market · Downtown Kawaramachi
6.Nishiki Market
A five-block covered street known as 'Kyoto's kitchen', Nishiki has more than a hundred stalls selling pickles, tofu, dashi rolled omelettes, fresh seafood, wagashi and knives. Many stalls sell small tasting portions.
Eat at or beside the stall where you buy; the market asks visitors not to eat while walking.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Food
- Rainy day
- Shopping
- Iconic
Street · Northern Higashiyama
7.Philosopher's Path and Ginkaku-ji
This 2 km canal-side stone path runs between Ginkaku-ji (the Silver Pavilion, never actually silvered) and the Nanzen-ji area, passing small temples such as Honen-in. It is lined with cherry trees that make it one of Kyoto's most popular blossom walks.
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
8.Nijo Castle
Built for the first Tokugawa shogun in 1603, Nijo Castle's Ninomaru Palace has painted sliding doors and 'nightingale floors' that squeak to warn of intruders. Moats, stone walls and gardens surround it, and it is where the shogunate returned power to the emperor in 1867.
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
1.Sanjusangen-do
A 120-metre wooden hall, Japan's longest, holds 1,001 gilded statues of Kannon, the bodhisattva of mercy, standing in ranks around a large seated figure and guarded by 28 deities. Photography is not allowed inside.
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
Garden · Kita
2.Ryoan-ji
Ryoan-ji's dry rock garden, 15 stones set in raked white gravel within an earthen wall, is the most famous Zen garden in Japan; from any point on the veranda, at least one stone stays hidden. The temple's pond garden is a quiet contrast.
Visit early or late in the day when the veranda is quieter and you can sit for a while.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Couples
Palace · Kamigyo
3.Kyoto Imperial Palace and Gyoen
The emperor's residence until 1869 stands inside Kyoto Gyoen, a large park of gravel avenues and lawns. The palace grounds can be visited free on a set route past the Shishinden ceremonial hall, and the park is a favourite for picnics and plum and cherry blossom.
Bring a picnic and look for the early-flowering weeping cherry trees near the Konoe residence site in late March.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Outdoors
- Kids
Religious site · Kyoto Station area
4.To-ji
Founded in 796, To-ji has Japan's tallest wooden pagoda at about 55 metres and a lecture hall of Buddhist statues arranged as a three-dimensional mandala. On the 21st of each month the Kobo-san flea market fills its grounds with antiques, food and crafts.
Time your visit for the 21st to catch the Kobo-san market, which starts early in the morning.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Shopping
- Photo spot
Religious site · Higashiyama
5.Tofuku-ji
This large Zen temple complex south of the centre is famous for the Tsutenkyo covered bridge spanning a valley of maple trees, one of Kyoto's most celebrated autumn views. The Hojo has modern checkerboard and gravel gardens by Shigemori Mirei.
Outside peak foliage season in November it is calm, and the Hojo gardens are worth a visit at any time of year.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Architecture
- Photo spot
- Off the beaten path
Religious site · Kita
6.Daitoku-ji
A walled complex of more than 20 Zen sub-temples, Daitoku-ji is closely tied to the tea ceremony. A handful of sub-temples open to visitors, including Daisen-in, whose small dry landscape garden depicts a river flowing from mountains, and Koto-in with its maple-lined approach.
Have lunch at one of the shojin ryori vegetarian restaurants near the temple gates.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Off the beaten path
- Architecture
Religious site · Gion
7.Kennin-ji
Kyoto's oldest Zen temple, founded in 1202, sits just south of Gion's teahouses. Its Hatto hall ceiling is painted with a pair of dragons, and the abbot's quarters hold a raked gravel garden and reproductions of a famous Wind God and Thunder God screen.
Photography is allowed in most areas, and it is usually calmer than the temples up the hill.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Waterfront · Downtown Kawaramachi
8.Kamo River and Pontocho
The Kamo River's grassy banks are Kyoto's living room, where locals stroll, jog and sit in the evening. Along its west bank, the narrow alley of Pontocho is lined with restaurants and bars; from May to September many put up wooden kawayuka terraces over the water for summer dining.
Cross the stepping stones at Demachiyanagi, where the Kamo and Takano rivers meet, for a local favourite spot.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- After dark
- Couples
- Food
- Outdoors
Museum · Kyoto Station area
9.Kyoto Railway Museum
Japan's largest railway museum displays more than 50 trains, from steam locomotives in a working roundhouse to early shinkansen, with driving simulators and a short steam-train ride. It is about a 20-minute walk west of Kyoto Station.
Check the steam-train ride schedule on arrival, and book simulators early on school holidays.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
Museum · Higashiyama
10.Kyoto National Museum
Opposite Sanjusangen-do, the Kyoto National Museum shows Buddhist sculpture, painting, calligraphy and ceramics from Kyoto's temples in the modern Heisei Chishinkan wing, beside a red-brick Meiji-era hall and garden.
Major special exhibitions draw long queues; the permanent collection is calmer and well labelled in English.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
Park · Arashiyama
11.Iwatayama Monkey Park
A steep 20-minute climb from the south bank of the Oi River leads to a hilltop clearing where more than a hundred wild Japanese macaques roam freely. Visitors can feed them from inside a wire-fronted hut, and the view looks back over the whole city.
Wear good shoes for the climb and do not stare directly at the monkeys or show food outside the hut.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Views
- Nature
- Active
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Sanjusangen-do, Kennin-ji, Kyoto Railway Museum and Kyoto National Museum |
| History | Kiyomizu-dera, Kinkaku-ji, Gion and Hanamikoji Street and Philosopher's Path and Ginkaku-ji |
| Views | Kiyomizu-dera and Iwatayama Monkey Park |
| Outdoors and nature | Arashiyama Bamboo Grove and Tenryu-ji, Philosopher's Path and Ginkaku-ji, Kyoto Imperial Palace and Gyoen and Tofuku-ji |
| Food and markets | Nishiki Market and Kamo River and Pontocho |
| After dark | Fushimi Inari Taisha, Gion and Hanamikoji Street and Kamo River and Pontocho |
| With children | Fushimi Inari Taisha, Arashiyama Bamboo Grove and Tenryu-ji, Nijo Castle and Kyoto Imperial Palace and Gyoen |
| On a rainy day | Nishiki Market, Sanjusangen-do, Kennin-ji and Kyoto Railway Museum |
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Kyoto?
Fushimi Inari Taisha. The head shrine of Inari, god of rice and commerce, is famous for the thousands of vermilion torii gates donated by businesses that tunnel up Mount Inari.
+What can you do for free in Kyoto?
Fushimi Inari Taisha, Gion and Hanamikoji Street, Philosopher's Path and Ginkaku-ji, Kyoto Imperial Palace and Gyoen and Kamo River and Pontocho. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Kyoto when it rains?
Head indoors to Nishiki Market, Sanjusangen-do, Kennin-ji and Kyoto Railway Museum.
+What is there to do in Kyoto at night?
Fushimi Inari Taisha, Gion and Hanamikoji Street and Kamo River and Pontocho are best after dark.