This list of places to visit in Kyoto, will help you prepare a trip to a city that has managed to combine in an incredibly harmonious way its oldest culture and traditions with modernity. Neighborhoods that retain their traditional wooden buildings and tea houses, still hastily traveled by maikos and geishas, hundreds of incredible temples and shrines, beautiful gardens and large palaces, make Kyoto the dream of every traveler.
Although any time is perfect to visit Kyoto, all its wonders, shine even more in spring with the flowering of cherry or hanami, turning the whole city into an explosion of colors and smells, which make these months, without a doubt, the best Time to travel to Japan.
Other of its great attractions is its delicious cuisine, in which to eat based on dishes of sushi, sashimi, tempura, ramen, Kobe meat, okonomiyaki, gyozas or miso soup, will make your palate enjoy the most.
We have to confess that for us Kyoto became our favorite city during the trip to Japan for free that we did a few years ago. Such was the crush we had with the city, that we returned to spend a month living in an apartment in the Gion neighborhood, during which we wrote this guide to travel to Japan.
So based on our experience of the time we spend in the city we have made this list of what we believe are the 10 essential places to see in Kyoto. We start!
1. Fushimi Inari-taisha
We can say that Fushimi Inari-taisha is our favorite temple and one of the essential places to visit in Kyoto.
This sanctuary built in the eighth century in honor of the goddess of rice, is famous for its thousands of red or orange toriis, which meander by tracing a path through the base of the Inari mountain and which have been donated by individuals and companies so that the God Inari be favorable.
If you have time, we recommend taking a long walk through its 4 kilometers of toriis until you reach the highest part and that we are sure, it will be one of the experiences you will remember from the trip.
It is also important to keep in mind that Fushimi Inari is one of the most visited sanctuaries, so we recommend coming early if you want to see it or take pictures with few people.
The sanctuary, located less than 4 kilometers south of the city, can be reached on foot, although the most common way is with the JR Nara train (included in the JR Pass), from Kyoto Station. The journey is about 8 minutes and the train will leave you practically in front of the sanctuary, so it is the best way to get here. We made the visit first thing, taking advantage of the train trip that would take us later to the city of Nara.
Another option to learn more about the history of the sanctuary is to book this excursion that includes Fushimi Inari and Nara with a guide in Spanish.
The temple is open 24 hours a day, so you can get up early all you want to visit it.
Fushimi Inari-taisha
2. Kinkaku-ji
Kinkaku-ji or the Golden Pavilion, is a Zen temple in which its pavilion covered with sheets of pure gold or gold leaf stands out.
The temple, a World Heritage Site, was built in 1397, although the current structure is from 1955 since in 1950 a monk with altered mental faculties set it on fire, it has a beautiful pond in front called Water mirror and a Japanese garden, is one of Kyoto's postcard images.
Located a little far from the center, west of Kyoto, you can reach the temple in half an hour with buses 101 and 205 from the Kyoto station.
Kinkaku-ji
3. Gion District
Gion, the famous geisha neighborhood, is another one of most essential places to visit in Kyoto. Taking a walk at sunset through its narrow streets and traditional Japanese-style wooden houses is one of the best things to do in Kyoto. If you are also lucky enough to cross a maiko or a geisha on the way to a tea house, we assure you that the experience will be complete.
In addition to walking around the neighborhood, we advise you to pay special attention to Hanamikoji Street, full of restaurants and tea houses, which is a good place to see them when they go to work from 5pm to 7pm or when they leave work from 8pm to 22h.
The Geishas, called Geiko in Kyoto, are artists of traditional Japanese arts such as the famous tea ceremony. During the formative years, the geisha are called maikos and a good option to see them is by booking a traditional Maiko show or this tour that includes the tea ceremony, considered two of the best excursions in Kyoto.
Near the Gion neighborhood is Pontocho Street, which still retains the charm of traditional Japan with its traditional houses, tea houses and restaurants, as well as being another place where you can also cross geisha or Maikos
Pontocho Street
Our recommended hotel in Kyoto
To stay in this city we recommend the Citadines Kyoto Karasuma-Gojo hotel, located 1 minute walk from Gojo metro station and 1.5 kilometers from Kyoto station. The hotel has spacious rooms, something very rare in Japan, friendly staff, quality wifi, and also has several restaurants and supermarkets open 24 hours in the surrounding area.
4. Kiyomizu-dera
Kiyomizu-dera, the temple of pure water, is one of the most tourist places of the former imperial capital of Japan. This temple, built in 778 on a hill east of Kyoto, is famous for its magnificent views of the city, the pagodas, the pavilions, the gates and the surrounding nature, which form a set of extreme beauty.
Kiyomizu-dera, like most famous Kyoto temples, it is advisable to visit it early, before the organized groups arrive.
To get to the temple you can take bus 100 or 205 at the Kyoto station and get off at the Kiyomizu-michi or Gojo-Zaka stops, taking into account that the final ascent to the temple is done on foot.
Visiting hours: every day from 6 am to 6 pm.
Kiyomizu-dera, one of the essential places to visit in Kyoto
5. Bamboo Forest of Arashiyama
Stroll among more than 50 varieties of bamboo perfectly aligned while you hear the whisper of the rocking of the logs produced by the wind, we are sure that it will be another of the moments that you will remember from a trip to Japan.
This bamboo forest, a plant of great importance in Japanese and Eastern culture, has in Arashiyama specimens of more than 20 meters high that delight thousands of tourists who come here every day.
Although it is normal to come only once during the trip, we recommend you, if you have time, visit the forest at different times of the day, since due to the change of light and colors, each of the experiences becomes unique.
In addition to the bamboo forest, the Arashiyama area has several places that are worth knowing as the Togetsuky Bridge and several temples such as Tenryu-Ji.
To get to Arashiyama, located more than 10 kilometers west of the city, you can take the local Sagano line train (included in the JR Pass) that will take you in 30 minutes to the Saras Arashiyama station.
Another good option, if you don't have the JR Pass, is to arrive by bus from Kyoto station or book this excursion to Arashiyama and the imperial town of Uji with a guide in Spanish.
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
6. Ginkaku-ji, one of the best places to visit in Kyoto
Ginkaku-ji or Temple of the Silver Pavilion, is one of the places to visit in Kyoto more beautiful. This Buddhist temple sought to imitate the Golden Pavilion Temple, but with a pavilion covered with silver panels, although this could not be completed as a result of a civil war. Although we have to say that this circumstance does not detract from the beauty of the temple, with beautiful Japanese-style gardens, among which the dry garden of white sand and moss with streams and ponds, which make it one of the wonders of Kyoto
A good option to know the history of the city and several of the most important temples such as Ginkaku-ji, is to book this guided tour in Spanish.
To get to the temple, you can take buses 5, 17 and 100 at the Kyoto station and get off at the Ginkakuji-michi stop.
Visiting hours: every day from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Ginkaku-ji
7. Way of Philosophy
One of the best walks, especially in spring at the time of cherry blossoms, is the Philosopher's Walk or Path of Philosophy of Kyoto, which owes its name to the Japanese philosopher Nishida Kitaro, who meditated on this place when I was going to teach at the University of Kyoto.
The 2.5-kilometer route that runs parallel to the Shishigatani Canal passes near numerous temples and shrines, as well as several lovely craft shops and coffee shops where you can make a stop.
Some of the most interesting temples are Reikanji, Otoyojinja, Nyakuojijinja, Anrakuji, Honen-in, Mirokuin and the nearby Eikando and Nanzenji, which we recommend not to miss. We recommend doing the route starting at the Nyakuoji bridge to finish at the magnificent Ginkaku-ji temple, the most beautiful of the route.
Way of Philosophy
8. Ryoan-ji
Ryoan-ji, another of the places to visit in Kyoto, is a Zen temple that stands out for its mysterious dry garden, the most famous in Japan. This type of Zen garden, called karesansuiIt has few decorative elements and is used by monks for meditation. The interpretation of the distribution in the garden of its elements such as gravel, moss, sand and type of raking, or rocks, is quite subjective, although you can get to notice a relaxing effect when observing it for a while.
In addition to this garden you can stroll through the beautiful surroundings that surround the temple with a pond and gardens with varied vegetation.
To get to the Ryoan-ji temple, we recommend combining it with the Kinkaku-ji temple. If you take bus 59 in Kinkaku-ji, you will arrive in 10 minutes at the entrance of the Ryoan-Ji Temple.
Visiting hours: every day from 08h to 17h.
Ryoan-ji
Recommended travel cardsRemember that in order not to pay commissions and always have the current change we recommend you use the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot.
You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.
9. Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka streets
The Higashiyama neighborhood, located on the side of a mountain, preserves the essence of the most traditional and magical Kyoto on Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka streets. These two streets that can be traversed after visiting the Kiyomizudera Temple, located at the top, transfer past eras with their traditional wooden houses. For us, the best time to walk through these two pedestrian streets is the sunset, although if you want to enter one of its many souvenir shops you can also visit them in the morning.
Of course, it should be borne in mind that you must be careful, since the legend says that if you fall in Sannenzaka in three years you will die and if you do it in Ninenzaka, you will do so in two years.
Ninenzaka Street
10. Heian-Jingu and Sanjusangendo
The Heian or Heian Jingū shrine, famous for the huge red torii at the entrance of the temple, is another of the essential places to visit in Kyoto. Although the torii and the main building attract attention, we are left with the garden area, a haven of peace that came out in the movie Lost in translation.
To get to Heian-Jingu you can take bus 5 at Kyoto station to the Kyoto Kaikan Bijitusu-kan Mae stop.
Visiting hours: every day from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
We cannot forget another of the temples you have to see in Kyoto: Sanjusangendo. It is here that there are 1001 statues of Kannon, the goddess Buddha of Mercy, all handmade of wood and covered with gold leaves, which are located inside the longest wooden hall in Japan. Keep in mind that photographs are not allowed inside, although despite that, the visit is well worth it.
To get to the temple you have to take bus 100, 206 or 208 to the Sanjusangen-do-mae stop.
Visiting hours: every day from 8 am to 5 pm.
Heian-jinju
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If you feel like helping us complete the list of the 10 places to visit in Kyoto, add yours in the comments.
