The Yasaka Pagoda at the end of a stone-paved street lined with wooden houses and lanterns, at dawn
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Kyoto in 1 day

  • 1 day
  • 8.7 km on foot
  • 18 stops
  • Audio guide

One day in Kyoto is enough to taste three different cities: the bamboo and river of Arashiyama, the shoguns' downtown and the Gion district at dusk. You will not see everything, but you will get the essentials, with three free routes and an audio guide. It is a long day, about nine kilometres on foot plus a few rides on public transport.

One day in KyotoBamboo, castles and lanterns

Start early in Arashiyama with the Arashiyama highlights route: from Togetsukyō Bridge to the Sagano bamboo grove and the Rakushisha hut, before the tour groups arrive. For lunch, try the yudōfu at Okutan, beside Nanzen-ji: it is in the east, so allow for a train and subway ride. In the afternoon, take the history route, from Nijō Castle and the Hamaguri-gomon to Sanjō Bridge and Nishiki. At dusk, head up to Gion on the spirits route, ending at Kiyomizu-dera, and have nishin soba for dinner at Matsuba.

  1. Morning

    Arashiyama highlights: a bridge for the moon, bamboo and poets

    Mixed · 1.9 km · 1 h 40 min

    1. Togetsukyō BridgeA bridge named after a moon that seemed to cross it, which thirteen-year-olds walk over without looking back.
    2. Tenryū-ji TempleThe great Zen temple a shogun founded to calm the spirit of the emperor he had betrayed.
    3. Nonomiya ShrineThe sacred grove where imperial princesses purified themselves before serving at Ise, setting of a chapter of “Genji”.
    4. Sagano Bamboo GroveA green corridor of towering stalks whose sound is protected as one of Japan’s soundscapes.
    5. Jōjakkō-ji TempleA temple on the slopes of Mount Ogura, where tradition says a poet gathered Japan’s hundred most famous poems.
    6. Rakushisha, the Hut of the Fallen PersimmonsThe thatched hut of a disciple of Bashō, named after a persimmon crop sold and lost in a single night.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Yudōfu (simmered tofu) at Okutan Nanzen-ji. Nanzen-ji Fukuchi-chō 86-30, Sakyō, Kioto

  3. Afternoon

    Shoguns, emperors and samurai: a thousand years of power in Kyoto

    History · 4.6 km · 2 h 30 min

    1. Nijō CastleThe castle where the first Tokugawa shogun settled and where the last one announced the end of his dynasty.
    2. Hamaguri-gomon GateA gate that opened like a clam in a fire, and which took gunfire in a battle in 1864.
    3. Kyoto Imperial Palace: Kenreimon GateThe most solemn gate of the palace where emperors lived for over five centuries, used only by them and by heads of state.
    4. Honnō-ji TempleThe temple whose name stands for Japan’s most famous betrayal, home to Oda Nobunaga’s memorial tomb.
    5. Sanjō Ōhashi BridgeThe end of the Tōkaidō, the road linking Kyoto and Edo, over a river where samurai heads were once put on display.
    6. Nishiki Market and Nishiki Tenmangū“Kyoto’s kitchen”: a market lane saved by a painter, ending at a shrine whose torii is wedged into the buildings.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  4. Early evening

    Kyoto of the spirits: tanuki, wells to hell and a stone that cuts ties

    Mysteries & legends · 2.2 km · 1 h 50 min

    1. Tatsumi Daimyōjin and the Shirakawa CanalA tiny shrine where geiko come to pray and which, tradition says, was built to calm a mischievous tanuki.
    2. Yasaka ShrineThe shrine of the plague god and the birthplace of the Gion Matsuri, the great festival to ward off epidemics.
    3. Yasui Konpira-gū ShrineA paper-covered rock you crawl through to cut bad ties, under the protection of a vengeful emperor.
    4. Rokudō Chinnō-ji TempleThe crossroads between this world and the next, where a court official went down every night to work for the king of hell.
    5. Sannenzaka SlopeA stone stairway between wooden houses where, superstition says, anyone who falls will die within three years.
    6. Kiyomizu-dera TempleA temple hanging over the void, from whose stage hundreds of people jumped in the Edo period, trusting in Kannon.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  5. Dinner

    Try Nishin soba at Sōhonke Nishin Soba Matsuba. Shijō-dōri Yamatoōji nishi-iru, Kawabata-chō 192, Higashiyama, Kioto

The map

Kyoto in 1 day, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed History Mysteries & legends

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Before you go

Tips for Kyoto in 1 day

  • Wear comfortable shoes: it is about nine kilometres on foot, and the last route ends uphill in Higashiyama.
  • The three areas are far apart; use the train, subway or bus between routes and save your energy for the final stretch in Gion.
  • Get to Arashiyama early: the bamboo grove fills up by mid-morning. And remember that many temples close in the middle of the afternoon.

Questions

Kyoto in 1 day: your questions

Can you see Kyoto in one day?

You can see the essentials, not everything. In one day you can cover Arashiyama, the historic centre and Gion, which is already a lot. Kyoto has hundreds of temples, so you have to choose: this plan favours walking, food and atmosphere over going inside every compound.

How far do you walk on this itinerary?

The three routes add up to about 8.7 kilometres: 1.9 in Arashiyama, 4.6 in the historic centre and 2.2 in Gion and Higashiyama. Add the walks to restaurants and a few short rides on public transport.

Is it better to take the train or the bus between areas?

For Arashiyama, take the train: it is fast and avoids traffic. Between the centre, Gion and Higashiyama, the subway, the bus or even walking all work well. Check times and lines on the day, because buses are packed in high season.

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