Kyoto keeps the shrines, gardens and geisha districts that Tokyo paved over, wrapped in mountains that turn pink in spring and crimson in autumn. It's compact enough to see on foot and bicycle, and close enough to Osaka and Nara for easy day trips.
Good to know
- Buy a one-day bus pass — most sights aren't on the subway lines.
- Temples close their gates early, usually by 5pm; plan the last stop accordingly.
- Remove shoes at temple entrances and ryokan doorways without being asked.
Eat this
Places the planner can use
Mark places as a must or something to skip. The itinerary is built only from this list; ★ marks the destination’s highlights.
Wooden temple on stilts over a hillside, its huge veranda giving a sweeping view of the city and the maple trees below.
Cherry-tree-lined canal walk between Ginkaku-ji and Nanzen-ji, named for a philosophy professor's daily stroll.
A more restrained temple than its golden counterpart, famous for its raked-sand "sea of silver sand" garden.
"Kyoto's Kitchen" — a covered arcade of pickle shops, knife sellers and skewered street food going back 400 years.
Shogun's castle with "nightingale floors" that chirp underfoot to warn of intruders, set in formal gardens.
Multi-course seasonal haute cuisine served in a narrow riverside alley of centuries-old restaurants.
Summer-only platforms built out over the Kamo River where restaurants serve dinner above the water.
Thousands of vermilion torii gates climbing Mount Inari — walk as far up as you like, the crowds thin out fast.
A gilded Zen pavilion reflected in its own pond — arrive at opening to beat the tour buses.
A quiet path of towering bamboo stalks, best combined with the Tenryu-ji garden and the Togetsukyo Bridge nearby.
Lantern-lit streets of old teahouses where geiko and maiko sometimes hurry between appointments at dusk.
Forty minutes by train to a park of bowing wild deer, the giant bronze Buddha of Todai-ji, and Kasuga's lantern-lined paths.