Kyoto: Cheap Flights & Best Hotels

Kyoto Travel Guide

For more than a thousand years Kyoto was Japan's imperial capital, and it remains the country's cultural heart. The city holds well over a thousand Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, many of them part of a UNESCO World Heritage listing, alongside wooden townhouses, Zen rock gardens, tea houses and the geisha district of Gion. Kyoto is also a modern city of over a million people, so the magic lies in timing: an early-morning shrine, a quiet back lane or a garden visited out of season.

Kyoto Through the Year

Spring is synonymous with cherry blossom, usually around late March to early April, when the city is at its most beautiful and its most crowded. Autumn, from roughly mid-November to early December, brings blazing maple leaves to temple gardens, with similar crowds. Summer is hot and very humid, but it is festival season: the month-long Gion Matsuri in July features huge decorated floats, and the Gozan no Okuribi bonfires light the mountains in August. Winter is cold and quiet; a dusting of snow on the Golden Pavilion is a rare treat, and hotel prices dip.

Must-See Sights

Fushimi Inari Taisha. Thousands of vermilion torii gates wind up a forested mountain. Go at dawn or later in the day, and walk beyond the first section to leave the crowds behind.

Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion). A Zen temple covered in gold leaf, reflected in a mirror pond.

Kiyomizu-dera. A hillside temple whose wooden stage juts out over the trees. The approach through the preserved lanes of Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka is lined with tea and craft shops.

Arashiyama. On the city's western edge, the famous bamboo grove, the gardens of Tenryū-ji, the Togetsukyō Bridge and a hillside monkey park make a full day. Early morning is essential for the bamboo path.

Gion. Kyoto's best-known geisha district, with wooden teahouses along Hanami-kōji and the canal-side lanes of Shirakawa. Be respectful: photography is restricted on some private lanes, and harassing geiko and maiko is not tolerated.

Philosopher's Path. A canal-side walk between Ginkaku-ji (the Silver Pavilion) and Nanzen-ji, especially lovely in spring and autumn.

Ryōan-ji. Home to Japan's most famous Zen rock garden.

Nijō Castle. The shoguns' residence, with "nightingale floors" that squeak to warn of intruders.

Nishiki Market. A narrow covered market known as "Kyoto's kitchen", ideal for tasting pickles, tofu and sweets.

Kyoto Cuisine

Kyoto's cooking is refined and seasonal. Kaiseki, an elegant multi-course meal, is the city's signature experience. Shōjin ryōri, vegetarian Buddhist temple cuisine, can be enjoyed at several temples and is a great option for vegetarians. Try yudōfu (simmered tofu), yuba (tofu skin), obanzai home-style dishes, matcha green tea from nearby Uji and yatsuhashi cinnamon sweets. Note that many standard Japanese dishes use fish-based dashi stock, so strict vegetarians should ask.

Getting There

Kyoto has no airport of its own. Most international visitors fly into Kansai International Airport (KIX) near Osaka and take the JR Haruka limited express directly to Kyoto Station, or fly into Tokyo and ride the Shinkansen bullet train, which takes a little over two hours. Osaka Itami Airport handles domestic flights, with buses to Kyoto.

Getting Around

City buses reach most sights but are often crowded in peak seasons. The subway has two lines, and private railways (Keihan, Hankyū, Randen tram) and JR lines are useful for Fushimi, Arashiyama and Uji. IC cards such as ICOCA work on most transport. Cycling is a pleasant way to explore the flat city centre, and walking between neighbouring temples is often fastest.

Where to Stay

• Around Kyoto Station: Best transport links and many chain hotels.
• Downtown (Kawaramachi / Karasuma): Restaurants, shopping and easy access to Gion.
• Higashiyama: Traditional ryokan inns among the temples.
• Arashiyama: Peaceful riverside stays once day-trippers leave.

Budget Tips

• Many shrines, including Fushimi Inari, are free to enter.
• Stay in a machiya guesthouse or business hotel for value.
• Combine nearby temples to save on transport.
• Convenience stores sell good, cheap meals.
• Compare flights into both Osaka and Tokyo: voyagiro.com compares 27+ booking sites for free so you can find the best route.

Practical Information

• Visa: Many nationalities can visit Japan visa-free for short stays; others need a visa. Check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan website.
• Currency: Japanese yen (JPY). Cards are increasingly accepted, but carry cash for small temples and shops.
• Etiquette: Remove shoes where asked, do not eat while walking in busy lanes, and keep quiet in temples.
• Plugs: Type A, 100V.