The Yasaka Pagoda at the end of a stone-paved street lined with wooden houses and lanterns, at dawn
  1. Home
  2. Destinations
  3. Japan
  4. Kyoto
  5. 3 day itinerary

Kyoto in 3 days

  • 3 days
  • 8.7 km on foot
  • 18 stops
  • Audio guide

Three days is the pace Kyoto deserves. Each day has its own character: the first, nature and gold; the second, power and a stroll along a canal; the third, torii, spirits and a market. There is room to eat unhurried, go back to a corner you liked or leave an afternoon open.

Day 1Bamboo and the golden pavilion

Give the morning to Arashiyama on the Arashiyama highlights route: from Togetsukyō Bridge to Tenryū-ji, the Sagano bamboo grove and Rakushisha. In early light, with few people around, it is a different experience. Have yudōfu, the simmered tofu of Zen temples, at Okutan beside Nanzen-ji: it is in the east, so go by train and subway. Save the afternoon for the northwest of the city, with two temples that lie on the way back to the centre.

  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

    Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion

    A three-storey pavilion covered in gold leaf, reflected in a pond. It was the villa of shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and was rebuilt in 1955 after a fire. The visit is short but busy: arrive early in the afternoon.

    Directions

    Ryōan-ji and its rock garden

    Fifteen rocks on raked gravel, Japan's most celebrated dry garden. Sit on the veranda and let your eyes wander. It is about a twenty-minute walk from Kinkaku-ji, so the two combine easily.

    Directions

Day 2Shoguns and philosophy

The history route fills the morning: Nijō Castle, the Hamaguri-gomon, the Kenreimon gate of the Imperial Palace, Honnō-ji and Sanjō Bridge. Finish at Nishiki Market, a good place for a snack before sitting down to nishin soba at Matsuba, a few minutes away. In the afternoon, cross to the east and walk the Philosopher's Path, the canalside stroll between Ginkaku-ji and Heian Jingū. It is the time to walk slowly and stop to watch the water.

  1. Morning

    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

  2. Lunch

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

  3. Afternoon

    Ginkaku-ji, the Silver Pavilion

    A fifteenth-century villa of shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa, turned into a Zen temple. It was never covered in silver: its charm lies in the sand garden and the moss. It marks the start of the Philosopher's Path.

    Directions

    Heian Jingū

    A shrine from 1895 with a giant vermilion torii, built to celebrate the capital's 1,100th anniversary. Its garden is visited separately. It rounds off the walk from Ginkaku-ji, about thirty minutes on foot.

    Directions

Day 3Torii, market and spirits

Get up early to see Fushimi Inari almost empty: the climb between the torii is the best part of the morning, and a neighbouring temple completes the stretch. Then return to Gion and have saba-zushi at Izuu. Keep the afternoon free and, at dusk, walk the spirits route: Tatsumi Daimyōjin, Yasaka Shrine, the stone at Yasui Konpira-gū and Kiyomizu-dera. For dinner, look for a place serving tsukemono, Kyoto's pickles; Nishiki sells them, but the market closes early, so go before.

  1. Morning

    Fushimi Inari Shrine

    The shrine of the rice god, with thousands of vermilion torii climbing the mountain. It is always open; early in the morning there are fewer people and the climb is calmer. You do not need to reach the top.

    Directions

    Tōfuku-ji

    A large thirteenth-century Zen temple, famous for the Tsūtenkyō bridge over a valley of maples, spectacular in autumn. The modern gardens charge admission. It is one train stop from Fushimi Inari.

    Directions

  2. Lunch

    Try Saba-zushi (mackerel sushi) at Izuu. Yasaka-shinchi Kiyomoto-chō 367, Higashiyama, Kioto

  3. 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

  4. Dinner

    Try Tsukemono (Kyoto pickles) at Mercado de Nishiki. Nishikikōji-dōri, entre Teramachi y Takakura, Nakagyō, Kioto

The map

Kyoto in 3 days, on the map

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

Mixed History Mysteries & legends Extra sight

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Kyoto in 3 days

  • Stay near a train or subway station: over three days you will move a lot between areas and save time.
  • Avoid Mondays and public holidays for museums and some temples, which often close. Check opening hours before you go.
  • Autumn (red leaves) and spring (cherry blossom) are the best seasons but also the busiest: book accommodation well in advance.

Questions

Kyoto in 3 days: your questions

How many days do you need in Kyoto?

Three days let you see the highlights without rushing: Arashiyama, the historic centre, Gion and the big temples. With more time you can add Nara or Osaka as a day trip, but for Kyoto alone three days is a very good balance.

How far will I walk?

The three routes add up to about 8.7 kilometres spread over three days: 1.9 in Arashiyama, 4.6 in the centre and 2.2 in Gion. With the extras and walks to restaurants, expect roughly 6 to 10 kilometres a day.

Is a transport pass worth buying?

It depends on how much you use buses and the subway. If you make several long trips a day, a day pass can pay off. Run the numbers on your plan: many stretches in the centre and Gion are easy on foot.

Other itineraries for 3 days

Kyoto

More or less time?

1 day itinerary 2 day itinerary All about Kyoto