Kyoto Travel Guide

Location: Kyoto Prefecture in the north of Kansai, in Honshu Island, eastern Japan
Climate: subtropical maritime monsoon climate
Area: 828 square kilometers (204,602 acres)
Population: about 1.46 million

As one of the important cities in Kansai, Kyoto was the capital for more than 1,000 years before 1868. Such long history contributes to the rich culture and countless historical sites, especially delicate religious buildings, such as Kinkaku-ji Temple and Kitano Tenmangu Shrine. Nowadays, Kyoto is featured not only by tradition but also by modernization. Take it developed transport system as an example, the train, Shinkansen, subway, and bus will take you to spots within Kyoto and its nearby cities, including Osaka, Tokyo, Nara, and Kobe.

Kyoto Attractions – Top Places to visit

In Kyoto, there are many tourist attractions for visitors to explore: various shrines and temples with hundreds of years of history, parks and bamboo forests with natural beauty, the prosperous business streets gathered by restaurants and various shops with the strong life atmosphere of local people, and theme museums & villages with Kyoto’s cultural heritage.

Kyoto Photos & Kyoto Videos

Tour Planning

To visit most attractions in Kyoto, you usually need to spend 4 days or more time here. You can divide Kyoto into 5 parts: around Arashiyama, around Fushimi Inari Taisha, around Ginkaku-ji Temple, Kiyomizudera Temple, and Kitano Tenmangu Shrine. The major attractions in Kyoto are scattered around the 5 places. Every day, you can visit 3 or 4 attractions on average.

To rest in Kyoto, you can live near Kyoto Station as the traffic here is very developed. Or, Kawaramachi-dori Street in downtown area is also a good choice. It is very bustling and convenient for shopping. You can get there from Kyoto Station in 7 minutes by subway. Living around Gion is time-saving for visiting tourist attractions. For example, from here, you can get to Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Ninenzaka, and Sannenzaka within 20 minutes’ walk.

Kyoto Weather & Best Time to Visit

Kyoto’s spring from March to May is featured by warm weather and its significant temperature difference between morning and night. Traveling in Kyoto in summer means you need to watch out for the typhoon and the frequent rains, especially in August. The extreme weather in summer will extend to September in autumn, but after that, Kyoto is the best period when the temperature is pleasant and the humidity is mild. In winter, apart from coldness, Kyoto is very dry.

March, April, October, and November are the best periods to visit Kyoto, From March to April, Kyoto becomes warm gradually and the rainfall is low. From October to November, it is cool in Kyoto and the rain drops dramatically when maple leaves turn red gradually. To see red leaves without bothering crowds, click 5 Less-Crowded Places to See Maple Leaves in Kyoto.

7-Day Kyoto Weather Forecast

Kyoto Transportation

Kyoto’s traffic system consists of Shinkansen with a comfortable environment and the fastest speed, JR trains, and several private companies’ various trains. As there is no airport in Kyoto, if you plan to go to Kyoto by plane, you need to land at Osaka’s Kansai International Airport or Osaka International Airport first, and then take trains or buses to get here. The developed transportation nets in Kyoto connect its nearby cities, like Osaka, Tokyo, Nara, Kobe, and Wakayama. For places far away in Japan, you can get here by transferring trains multiple times.

In addition, taking subway or bus to visit Kyoto is also very convenient. For example, you can go to Kinkakuji Temple, Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, and Nijo Castle

To avoid frequently buying tickets when taking vehicles in Kyoto, you can buy an ICOCA card or Suica card, which supports taking almost all public transportation tools in Kyoto, including trains, Kyoto Subway, and buses.

Kyoto Food

Apart from tourist attractions, Kyoto owns redundant, unique, and traditional food, such as the classic Japanese Wagyu, Sushi, and Tempura. As the top food in Japan, Kaiseki Cuisine can never be missed. This traditional Japanese cuisine consists of several dishes, which are all cooked with seasonal vegetables and fresh seafood. In addition, Kyoto’s Tofu is very famous in Japan for the high-quality water here. To taste the authentic Tofu, you can go to Nanzenji Temple which is surrounded by many restaurants. Last, another must-eat food in Kyoto is various noodles, including Udon noodles, ramen, and Nishin Soba noodles originating from Kyoto. The delicate flavor of seafood would match the taste of wheat.

Delicious Japanese Teppanyaki

Traditional Japanese Anago meshi

Geisha Culture

Kyoto is the birthplace of Geisha culture. More than 300 years of history is a distinctive part of Japanese culture. Nowadays, Geisha refers to Japanese female artists specializing in traditional Japanese songs and dancing, as well as performing musical instruments. Years of hard training in literature, manner, aesthetic taste, and artistic skills promote their graceful behavior. In Kyoto, you can appreciate Geisha’s performances in Gion, Gojyorakuen, and Miyagawacho.

A Geisha with exquisite makeup and costume

A Maiko is performing