Kyoto 3 day itinerary
A 3 day Kyoto plan built from our catalogue. Each stop shows a photo, why to go, the hours it keeps and how to reach the next stop; the hours are checked against the weekday it falls on.
Day 1 · Fri 4 Dec
Kiyomizu-dera Temple · Gion · Sanjusangendo (Rengeo-in) · Fushimi Inari Taisha
Covers Higashiyama and Fushimi. 4 sights and 2 meals. Travel between stops: 5 legs, about 73 min in all (ride times are estimates).
- 09:00–10:30Kiyomizu-dera TempleHigashiyama
Photo: Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 4.0 A World Heritage temple on the slope of Mount Otowa, founded more than 1,250 years ago. Source
Catalogue hours 06:00–18:00
21 min walk to the next stop
- 10:45–12:15GionHigashiyama
The Higashiyama district where the streetscape of old Kyoto and the geisha quarter remain. Source
No hours in the catalogue
9 min walk to the next stop
- 12:25–13:25Tempura Yasaka EndoHigashiyama
Kyoto-style tempura on Yasaka street next to Kennin-ji. Source
Catalogue hours 11:00–15:30, 17:00–21:30
20 min walk to the next stop
- 13:40–15:10Sanjusangendo (Rengeo-in)Higashiyama
Photo: Akonnchiroll, CC BY-SA 4.0 A temple with 1,000 Thousand-Armed Kannon statues lined up in a 120 m main hall. Source
Catalogue hours 08:30–17:00 · Last entry 16:30
About 20 min to the next stop: walk 14 min to Tofukuji, JR Nara Line from Tofukuji to Inari (1 stop, about 3 min), walk 3 min
- 15:30–17:00Fushimi Inari TaishaFushimi
Photo: Saigen Jiro, CC0 The head shrine of the roughly 30,000 Inari shrines across Japan, affectionately known as “O-Inari-san”. Source
No hours in the catalogue
3 min walk to the next stop
- 17:30–18:45NezameyaFushimi
An old restaurant near the entrance to the approach behind Fushimi Inari Taisha, said to have been named by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. It serves inari sushi and eel dishes. Source
No hours in the catalogue
Day 2 · Sat 5 Dec
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest · Tenryu-ji · Kinkaku-ji Temple · Kamigamo Shrine
Covers Arashiyama, Kita Ward and Kamigamo. 4 sights and 2 meals. Travel between stops: 3 legs, about 27 min in all.
- 09:00–10:30Arashiyama Bamboo ForestArashiyama
Photo: JuenKoom Yee HowP, CC0 A bamboo path of about 400 m running from Nonomiya Shrine to Okochi Sanso. Source
Open 24 hours
7 min walk to the next stop
- 10:35–12:05
- 12:10–13:10Shigetsu (Tenryu-ji Shojin Cuisine)Arashiyama
A shojin (temple cuisine) restaurant run by the World Heritage temple Tenryu-ji itself. It cooks without animal ingredients, centred on vegetables, mountain greens and seaweed, and you eat looking at the garden and the seasonal view. Source
No hours in the catalogue
- 13:40–15:10Kinkaku-ji TempleKita Ward
Photo: Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0 A temple under Shokoku-ji known for its gold pavilion, Kinkaku. Source
Catalogue hours 09:00–17:00
- 15:30–17:00Kamigamo ShrineKamigamo
Photo: Immanuelle, CC BY 4.0 A place to walk the wide grounds, the sand cones and the woods and meet the shrine culture of north Kyoto. Source
Catalogue hours 05:30–17:00
18 min walk to the next stop
- 18:00–19:15Kyoto Kitashirakawa Ramen Kairikiya KitayamaKita Ward
The Kitayama branch of a chain serving Kyoto Kitashirakawa ramen. Source
Catalogue hours 10:30–00:00
Day 3 · Sun 6 Dec
Shimogamo Shrine · Ginkaku-ji Temple · Heian-jingu Shrine · ROHM Theatre Kyoto
Covers Demachiyanagi, Sakyo Ward, Ginkaku-ji area, Okazaki and Nakagyo Ward. 4 sights and 2 meals. Travel between stops: 3 legs, about 53 min in all (ride times are estimates).
- 09:00–10:30Shimogamo ShrineDemachiyanagi
Photo: Grendelkhan, CC BY-SA 4.0 The forest to the north-east where the rivers meet and the shrine approach continues, good for walking in the shade of the trees away from the busy streets. Source
Catalogue hours 06:30–17:00
- 10:50–12:20Ginkaku-ji TempleSakyo Ward
Photo: Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0 A temple in Higashiyama with a pavilion known as the “Silver Pavilion”. Source
Catalogue hours 08:30–17:00
- 12:25–13:25KisakiGinkaku-ji area
A tofu restaurant about five minutes’ walk from Ginkaku-ji, introducing a Kyoto yudofu set, sesame tofu and a set with fried tofu and vegetables. Seating is tatami, table and private rooms. Source
No hours in the catalogue
28 min walk to the next stop
- 13:40–15:10Heian-jingu ShrineOkazaki
Photo: Saigen Jiro, CC0 A shrine founded in 1895 and a landmark of Okazaki, with a vermilion hall and a garden. Source
Catalogue hours 06:00–17:30
7 min walk to the next stop
- 15:15–16:45ROHM Theatre KyotoOkazaki
Photo: Yasu, CC BY-SA 3.0 A hub for the performing and cultural arts in Okazaki, with several halls and cultural exchange spaces together. Source
Catalogue hours 10:00–17:00
About 18 min to the next stop: walk 10 min to Higashiyama, Tozai Line from Higashiyama to Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae (2 stops, about 3 min), walk 5 min
- 18:00–19:15Katsukura Sanjo HontenNakagyo Ward
The main shop of a tonkatsu restaurant born in Kyoto. Source
Catalogue hours 11:00–21:00
Getting around
Tap in and out with a Suica or Pasmo IC card on the trains and metros below (the catalogue lists no fares, so none are quoted here). Walking times follow streets; ride times are estimates. Lines this plan rides: JR Nara Line, Tozai Line.
Where to stay
Stay within walking distance of a station on one of the lines above: every ride in this plan uses them. The three days cover Higashiyama, Fushimi, Arashiyama, Kita Ward, Kamigamo, Demachiyanagi, Sakyo Ward, Ginkaku-ji area, Okazaki and Nakagyo Ward.
Where you sleep: Fri 4 Dec to Sun 6 Dec, 2 nights
Descriptions are English translations of our catalogue notes, each linked to the page it was taken from.
Walking times follow OpenStreetMap streets. Ride times are estimated from the line length, not a timetable. Line and station names are from OpenStreetMap (ODbL).
Hours are the official times in our catalogue for the weekday each stop falls on. Check the official page before you go.
See the Kyoto travel guide