How to Travel from Osaka to Kyoto

There is only 40 kilometers (25 miles) between Osaka to Kyoto. To get Kyoto from Osaka, JR trains, Shinkansen, and private trains are all available. Among them, JR train is the best way for the lowest ticket price is only 580 yen and the least time needed is within 30 minutes. Shinkansen and private trains are more suitable for customers pursuing better environment and those getting on trains far from Osaka Station separately.

1. Best Way – JR Train’s Kyoto Line: 23 – 47 minutes, 580 – 2640 yen

Advantages: cheap price & moderate travelling time
Departure stations: Osaka Station/Shin-Osaka Station
Destination station: Kyoto Station
Available trains: Local, Rapid, Special Rapid, and Limited Express trains
Prices & time needed:

	Local	Rapid/Special Rapid	Limited Express
Price	580 yen		1,340 - 2,640 yen
Time needed	47 minutes	29 minutes	23 - 27 minutes

Transfer: No transfer
Platforms at Osaka Station: 8, 9, and 10
Note that Shin-Osaka Station and Osaka Station are very close to each other. It would take 3 – 4 minutes from one to the other by train, but the prices of taking trains to Kyoto Station from these 2 stations are same.

Train timetable

2. Fastest Way – Tokaido Shikansen(bullet train): 13 – 15 minutes, 1,450 yen – 3,850 yen

Advantages: cozy carriage environment & the highest speed
Departure station: Shin-Osaka Station
Destination station: Kyoto Station
Transfer: No transfer
Available trains: Nozomi, Hikari, and Kodama
Frequency: more than 10 trains an hour (Nozomi’s frequency is the highest)
Prices & time needed:

	Nozomi	Hikari	Kodama
Time needed	14 minutes	13 minutes	15 minutes
Non-reserved seats	1,450 yen
Reserved seats	3,080 yen	2,870 yen
First-class seats	3,850 yen	3,640 yen

Shinkansen train

Carriage

3. Depart from Places other than (Shin-) Osaka Station – Private Trains: 390 yen, 33 minutes

Advantages:

More stations distributed extensively in Osaka, which enable visitors to go to the nearest stations to go to Kyoto.
The prices may be lower and time needed less for some private trains.

Where to Depart:

Osaka Castle – Keihan Railway: 420 – 490 yen, 43 minutes – 53 minutes

Departure stations: Kitahama Station/Kyobashi Station

Transfer: No transfer

Areas	Destination stations
Near Kyoto Station	Iari Station/Tofukuji Station
Near downtown area	Kyoto Kawaramchi Station/Gion Shijo Station/Demachiyanagi Station

Kyoto Station

Ticket machines

Near Shin-Osaka Station – Hankyu Railway: 390 yen, 33 – 35 minutes

Departure station: Awaji Station

Transfer: no transfer

Destination stations: Shijo Karasuma Station or Kyoto Kawaramachi Station, which are all near downtown Kyoto

Namba Yasaka Shrine/Shinsaibashi/Dotonbori – Kintetsu Railway: 1,270 yen, 77 minutes

Departure station: Yodoyabashi Station/Namba Station
Destination station: Kyoto Station
Transfer: 1 transfer from Kintetsu’s Nara Line to Kyoto Line at Yamatosaidaji Station

For visitors getting to Kyoto from Osaka’s Kansai International Airport, please read the passage: How to travel from Osaka’s International Airport to Kyoto, which introduces travelling to Kyoto both by train and bus.

Tips:

1. To save money in transportation, you can also buy a Kansai Railway Pass and passes issued by JR West Company, including Kansai Area Pass, Kansai WIDE Area Pass, and Kansai Mini Pass. The former Pass supports taking both JR trains and private trains in Kyoto. The later only supports taking JR trains as JR Rail Pass.

2. The only pass or transportation card that supports taking Tokaido Shinkansen in Kyoto is Japan Rail Pass, but note that the accepted Shinkansen trains are Hikari and Kodama.

3. Apart from passes, IC card – a prepaid card is also convenient. It supports taking most public vehicles including trains, subway, and bus, thus saving your time to buy tickets. Note that there is no ticket discount as passes. The common IC cards in Kyoto include ICOCA card, Kansai One Pass, and Suica card.