# Kyoto: map, what to do and when to go

Kyoto, Japan’s imperial capital from 794 to 1869, has about 1,600 Buddhist temples, Zen gardens and Fushimi Inari shrine in a basin ringed by mountains. Higashiyama, Arashiyama and the northwestern temples call for days planned by area; check each place’s opening hours before arranging an early visit.

Canonical: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/quioto/
Language: en. Extended author commentary and itinerary notes may remain in Portuguese. Dates below belong to individual sources; this is not live availability.

## Direct answer
- **Kyoto: how do you get from Kansai Airport to downtown?** The Haruka express train links KIX to Kyoto Station in 75 to 80 minutes for about ¥3,100, departing every 30 minutes; the direct bus takes 90 to 105 minutes and costs about ¥2,800, and it pays off with heavy luggage, because there isn't a single staircase along the way.
- **Kyoto: how long does the train to Nara take?** 35 to 45 minutes by train from Kyoto Station (JR Nara or Kintetsu, ¥720 to 1,900).
- **Kyoto: what's the currency and how much do things cost?** The currency is the yen, which in mid-2026 stands at about 160 to the dollar and 185 to the euro.

## Higashiyama on foot, from sunrise to night
Start at Kiyomizu-dera, which opens at 6am. Check admission and closing time for your date; arriving early does not guarantee an empty veranda.
- Kiyomizu-dera

## Zen northwest and Arashiyama
Begin at Ryōan-ji’s garden of 15 stones at opening: 8am from March to November, 8:30am from December to February.
- Kinkaku-ji
- Ryōan-ji
- Tenryū-ji and the Arashiyama bamboo grove

## Downtown, power, and the market
Start at Nijō Castle at 8:45am, with the Ninomaru Palace and its creaking floor (about ¥1,300).
- Fushimi Inari Taisha
- Nijō Castle
- Sanjūsangen-dō
- Nishiki Market
- Kyoto Station and the Tower

## Fushimi Inari Taisha
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/quioto/#g-lugar-fushimi-inari-taisha
Fushimi
A shrine from 711 dedicated to Inari, the deity of rice and commerce, with about 10,000 torii donated by companies. The donor's name and the date are engraved on the back of each one. Open 24 hours, free admission; the full loop up to the top of Mount Inari, 233 m, takes 2 to 3 hours.
Check access

## Kiyomizu-dera
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/quioto/#g-lugar-kiyomizu-dera
Higashiyama-ku
Founded in 778, with the main hall rebuilt in 1633 and the wooden veranda suspended about 13 m above the hillside, resting on a frame of interlocking zelkova pillars with no nails. The cypress-bark roof was redone in 2020. It opens at 6am; closing times vary by season and events. It is an option for an early start in Higashiyama, with no guarantee of an empty veranda.
Check access

## Kinkaku-ji
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/quioto/#g-lugar-kinkaku-ji
Kita-ku
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's villa from 1397, turned into a temple, with two stories covered in gold leaf. A novice monk burned it down in 1950; it was rebuilt in 1955, regilded in 1987 and reroofed in 2020, so the building you see is about 70 years old, on top of a history that begins in 1397. Admission is about ¥500, and the one-way circuit takes 30 minutes.
Check access

## Ginkaku-ji
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/quioto/#g-lugar-ginkaku-ji
Sakyō-ku · One to two hours
The Silver Pavilion, from 1482, never received any silver at all. It's worth it for the garden: the Kōgetsudai sand cone, the raked sea of sand, and the mossy climb with a view over the basin. It sits at the north end of the Philosopher's Path.
Check access

## Nijō Castle
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/quioto/#g-lugar-castelo-nijo
Nakagyō-ku
The Tokugawa's Kyoto residence, begun in 1603, with the Ninomaru Palace's 33 rooms, 800 tatami mats, and Kanō-school paintings. The corridor has an uguisubari “nightingale” floor, designed to creak and give away footsteps. It was here that the shogunate was handed back to the emperor in 1867. Admission about ¥1,300.
Check access

## Ryōan-ji
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/quioto/#g-lugar-ryoan-ji
Ukyō-ku
The country's best-known dry garden, from around 1500: 15 stones on white gravel in a 25-by-10 m rectangle, arranged so that all 15 are never visible at once from any point on the veranda. It is worth arriving at opening: 8am from March to November and 8:30am from December to February.
Check access

## Tenryū-ji and the Arashiyama bamboo grove
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/quioto/#g-lugar-tenryu-ji
Ukyō-ku
A temple from 1339, headquarters of the Rinzai school, with the Sōgenchi garden designed by Musō Soseki and preserved since the 14th century: rare, because almost every Japanese garden has been redone. The bamboo path, about 500 m, starts at the north gate and reaches the Ōkōchi Sansō villa.
Check access

## Sanjūsangen-dō
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/quioto/#g-lugar-sanjusangen-do
Higashiyama-ku · Up to half an hour
A roughly 120 m wooden hall, founded in 1164 and rebuilt in 1266, with 1,001 statues of the thousand-armed Kannon standing in rows, plus 28 guardian deities carved in the 13th century. In January it hosts the Tōshiya, an archery tournament more than three centuries old.
Check access

## Nishiki Market
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/quioto/#g-lugar-mercado-nishiki
Nakagyō-ku
A roughly 400 m covered street with about 130 shops, many four or five generations old, specializing in pickles (tsukemono), fish, tofu, and kitchenware. Since 2019 the merchants have asked that people not eat while walking: every shop has its own counter for that.
Check access

## Kyoto Station and the Tower
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/quioto/#g-lugar-estacao-de-quioto
Shimogyō-ku
The 1997 station, by Hiroshi Hara, runs 470 m long, has 15 floors, and an open staircase leading up to a free public terrace with a view of the basin. Across the street, Kyoto Tower (131 m, 1964) is shaped like a candle and is the tallest building in the city.
Check access

**Kyoto: how do you get from Kansai Airport to downtown?**
The Haruka express train links KIX to Kyoto Station in 75 to 80 minutes for about ¥3,100, departing every 30 minutes; the direct bus takes 90 to 105 minutes and costs about ¥2,800, and it pays off with heavy luggage, because there isn't a single staircase along the way.

**Kyoto: how long does the train to Nara take?**
35 to 45 minutes by train from Kyoto Station (JR Nara or Kintetsu, ¥720 to 1,900).

**Kyoto: what's the currency and how much do things cost?**
The currency is the yen, which in mid-2026 stands at about 160 to the dollar and 185 to the euro. The 10% consumption tax is already built into the listed price, and the tourist exemption on purchases above ¥5,000 is shifting to a refund issued at the airport: confirm at the register before counting on it. Reference ranges: coffee ¥400 to 600; teishoku lunch ¥900 to 1,500; convenience store meal ¥500 to 800; ramen ¥900 to 1,300; an ordinary dinner ¥3,000 to 6,000; kaiseki ¥15,000 to 40,000; temple admission ¥400 to 1,300.

**Kyoto: what's the best time to go?**
The two best times are late March to mid-April, for the cherry trees, and November, for the red leaves, and both get packed. May and early December have similar weather and shorter lines.

**Kyoto: what is obanzai?**
Kyoto's home cooking: four or five small dishes of cooked vegetables, tofu, and dried fish served at the same time, traditionally made from leftovers put to use.

## Getting to Kyoto


| Route | Time | Price |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kansai → Kyoto Station · Haruka | 75–80 min | about ¥3,100 |
| Kansai → Kyoto · direct bus | 90–105 min | about ¥2,800 |
| Itami → Kyoto · bus | 55–70 min | about ¥1,400 |
| Tokyo → Kyoto · Nozomi shinkansen | 2h10–2h20 | about ¥14,000 |

## In the Nilo app
- Plan these 3 days on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/guide/quioto/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-itinerary
- Mark your hotel on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/map/quioto/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-stay

## Full editorial guide (Portuguese)
https://nilopelomundo.com/llm/quioto.md