Downtown Kyoto
The covered Nishiki Market (Nishiki-kōji Ichiba) is one of Kyoto’s real highlights, especially if you have an interest in cooking and dining. Commonly…
Must-see attractions in Kyoto
Kyoto
Located atop 848m-high Hiei-zan (the mountain that dominates the skyline in the northeast of the city), the Enryaku-ji complex is an entire world of…
Southern Higashiyama
A buzzing hive of activity perched on a hill overlooking the basin of Kyoto, Kiyomizu-dera is one of Kyoto's most popular and most enjoyable temples. It…
Kyoto Station & South Kyoto
With seemingly endless arcades of vermilion torii (shrine gates) spread across a thickly wooded mountain, this vast shrine complex is a world unto its own…
Southern Higashiyama
A collection of soaring buildings, spacious courtyards and gardens, Chion-in serves as the headquarters of the Jōdo sect, the largest school of Buddhism…
Kyoto Station & South Kyoto
Home to a spectacular garden, several superb structures and beautiful precincts, Tōfuku-ji is one of the best temples in Kyoto. It is linked to Fushimi…
Southern Higashiyama
Gion is the famous entertainment and geisha quarter on the eastern bank of the Kamo-gawa. While Gion’s true origins were in teahouses catering to weary…
Downtown Kyoto
The military might of Japan's great warlord generals, the Tokugawa shoguns, is amply demonstrated by the imposing stone walls and ramparts of their great…
Imperial Palace & Around
For anyone with the slightest fondness for Japanese gardens, don't miss this network of lanes dotted with atmospheric Zen temples. Daitoku-ji, the main…
Northern Higashiyama
Perhaps Kyoto’s most famous (and most crowded) autumn-foliage destination, Eikan-dō is a superb temple just a short walk south of the famous Path of…
Northern Higashiyama
Home to a sumptuous garden and elegant structures, Ginkaku-ji is one of Kyoto's premier sites. The temple started its life in 1482 as a retirement villa…
Northern Higashiyama
This is one of the most rewarding temples in Kyoto, with its expansive grounds and numerous subtemples. At its entrance stands the massive San-mon. Steps…
Northwest Kyoto
Kyoto's famed 'Golden Pavilion', Kinkaku-ji is one of Japan's best-known sights. The main hall, covered in brilliant gold leaf, shining above its…
Southern Higashiyama
This temple is hard to miss, with its giant camphor trees growing just outside the walls. Fortunately, most tourists march right on past, heading to the…
Kyoto
Byōdō-in is home to one of the loveliest Buddhist structures in Japan: the Hōō-dō hall (Phoenix Hall), which is depicted on the back of the Japanese ¥10…
Kyoto Station & South Kyoto
The Kyoto Station building is a striking steel-and-glass structure – a kind of futuristic cathedral for the transport age – with a tremendous space that…
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Southern Higashiyama
This exquisite temple was founded in 1605 by Kita-no-Mandokoro in memory of her late husband, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The extensive grounds include gardens…
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Path of Philosophy (Tetsugaku-no-Michi)
Northern Higashiyama
The Tetsugaku-no-Michi is one of the most pleasant walks in Kyoto. Lined with a great variety of flowering plants, bushes and trees, it is a corridor of…
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Imperial Palace & Around
On the far western edge of the Daitoku-ji complex, the sublime garden of this subtemple is one of the best in Kyoto and worth a special trip. It’s located…
Kyoto
Daigo-ji is a World Heritage–listed sprawling temple complex located in the Daigo district of Kyoto, which lies on the east side of the Higashiyama…
Kyoto Station & South Kyoto
Higashi Hongan-ji is the last word in all things grand and gaudy. Considering its proximity to the station, the free admission, the awesome structures and…
Kyoto Station & South Kyoto
A vast temple complex, Nishi Hongan-ji comprises several buildings that feature some of the finest examples of architecture and artistic achievement from…
Northwest Kyoto
You’ve probably seen a picture of the rock garden here – it’s one of the symbols of Kyoto and one of Japan’s better-known sights. Ryōan-ji belongs to the…
Southern Higashiyama
This colourful and spacious shrine is considered the guardian shrine of the Gion entertainment district. It's a bustling place that is well worth a visit…
Southern Higashiyama
Maruyama-kōen is a favourite of locals and visitors alike. This park is the place to come to escape the bustle of the city centre and amble around gardens…
Imperial Palace & Around
The Kyoto Imperial Palace (Kyoto Gosho) and Sentō Imperial Palace (Sentō Gosho) are surrounded by the spacious Kyoto Imperial Palace Park, which is…
Northern Higashiyama
Founded in 1680 to honour the priest Hōnen, this is a lovely, secluded temple with carefully raked gardens set back in the woods. The temple buildings…
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Southern Higashiyama
This superb temple’s name refers to the 33 sanjūsan (bays) between the pillars of this long, narrow edifice. The building houses 1001 wooden statues of…
Kyoto Station & South Kyoto
Located opposite Kyoto Station, this retro tower (1964) looks like a rocket perched atop the Kyoto Tower Hotel. The observation deck provides excellent…
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Northern Higashiyama
One of Kyoto’s more popular sights, this shrine was built in 1895 to commemorate the 1100th anniversary of the founding of the city. The shrine buildings…
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Kyoto Station & South Kyoto
One of the sights south of Kyoto Station, Tō-ji is an appealing complex of halls and a fantastic pagoda that makes a fine backdrop for the monthly flea…
Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art
Northern Higashiyama
This fine museum holds several major exhibitions a year, as well as a variety of free shows. It’s always worth stopping by to see if something is on while…
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Shūgaku-in Rikyū Imperial Villa
Northern Higashiyama
One of the highlights of northeast Kyoto, this superb imperial villa was designed as a lavish summer retreat for the imperial family. Its gardens, with…
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Northwest Kyoto
The most atmospheric Shintō shrine in northwest Kyoto, Kitano Tenman-gū is also the site of Tenjin-San Market, one of Kyoto’s most popular flea markets…
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Northwest Kyoto
Myōshin-ji is a separate world within Kyoto, a walled-off complex of temples and subtemples that invites lazy strolling. The subtemple of Taizō-in here…
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Imperial Palace & Around
The Sentō Gosho is the second imperial property located within the Kyoto Imperial Palace Park (the other one is the Imperial Palace itself). The…
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Northwest Kyoto
Kōryū-ji, one of the oldest temples in Japan, was founded in 622 to honour Prince Shōtoku, who was an enthusiastic promoter of Buddhism. It’s notable…
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Northwest Kyoto
This mountaintop temple sits at the summit of a long flight of stairs that stretches from the Kiyotaki-gawa to the temple’s main gate. The Kondō (Gold…
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Kyoto
The largest of Fushimi’s sake breweries is Gekkeikan, the world’s leading producer of sake. Although most of the sake is now made in a modern facility in…
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Imperial Palace & Around
The Kyoto Imperial Palace, known as the Gosho in Japanese, is a walled complex that sits in the middle of the Kyoto Imperial Palace Park. While no longer…
