3 Days Kyoto Itinerary: Best Places to Visit in Kyoto

Day 1 | Morning

Kiyomizu-dera Temple

Opening Hours: Open at 6:00, the closing time is 17:30-18:30, depending on the season; the spring, summer and autumn are open for special visits at night, and open at night from 22:00 on December 31, The specific opening hours are subject to the official website.

Ticket Price: 400 JPY

Recommended Length of Stay: 2-4 Hours

Location: 294 Kiyomizu 1-chome, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 605-0862

Kiyomizu-dera Temple is an ancient temple in Kyoto and was listed as a World Cultural Heritage site in 1994. The veranda of the temple suspended over the moutain is a national treasure of Japan. It is surrounded by green trees and is full of cherry blossoms in spring. In autumn, the red maple leaves is another attraction. It is equivalent to Kinkaku-jiand Arashiyama, and is a famous historical site in Kyoto. The pilgrims or visiting tourists who come to worship year round come in non-stop.

Reviews from Real Guests:

Express: The precincts of Kiyomizu Dera Temple are quite wide and around 1 ～ 2 hours. The city of Kyoto that can be seen from Higashiyama feels emotional. I think it is the most Kyoto-like scenery. It is necessary to be careful because it is difficult to understand the intersection down from national Route 1. If you are pilgrimage to 33 places in Saigoku, you may want to see the scenery from the other side of the temple from Zenmine Ji Temple in Nishiyama.

wasabian: Kiyomizu-dera is one of the must visit tourist spots in Kyoto. You might need to walk around 10min uphill to the temple from Kiyomizu-Michi station but believe me, you will not feel how long the distance is because there are a lot of shops selling Kyoto specialty foods and crafts. It’s the best when you visit during cherry blossom season. It is definitely worth the walk around the temple.

Day 1 | Afternoon

Now we come to another great highlight in the city: Kinkaku-ji.

Kinkaku-ji

Opening Hours: Open from 9:00am-5:00pm

Ticket Price: 400 JPY

Recommended Length of Stay: 1-2 Hours

Location: 1 Kinkakujichō, Kita Ward, Kyoto, 603-8361, Japan

Kinkaku-ji is an ancient Japanese temple in Kyoto. Completed in 1397, it originally served as the villa of shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, but was later transformed into a Zen Buddhist temple. Originally named Rokuon-ji (literally "Deer Garden Temple"), it is also known as the Temple of the Golden Pavilion owing to the gold foil that the outside of the building is wrapped in. In addition to being a famous tourist attraction, Kinkaku-ji has also been designated as a National Treasure by the Japanese government and is a symbol of Kyoto.

Reviews from Real Guests:

Trip.com User: My winter vacation was fantastic. I went to Japan with my parents after Spring Festival.I made an attentive plan before leaving China. What a different feeling! We decided to go to Kyoto at first. Kyoto was a small but accient city. There were many traditional buildings on the streets. The streets in Japan impressed me. All the streets were clearly. There was no rubbish anywhere. On the first morning, we went to the Golden Pavilion.A building in there was package by gold foil. You can learn something about Japan Temples in there. Talking about foods, we had sushi and sashimi for lunch. They were super fresh and tasty.If you come to Kyoto, a bowl of stretched noodles is a must! You can taste all kinds of Japanese stretched noodles in there. The next day, we went to Nara by subway. Don’t worry about transportation, The subay, the bus, and the train are all convenient. We saw the biggest wooden building in the world, the Todaji Temple. Then we fed deers. There were many deers anywhere in Nara. I wonder where did they sleep. You can buy deers’food in Nara Park. Please remember put the deers’food in a plastic bag, so deers may follow you to get the food. The roast Japan Beef is a good choice for lunch. I ate a lot. Most of the waiters and the employees could speak easy English. Japanese were helpful and kind. Service was attentive. I studied some history of Japan. This trip brought me good memory.

娃娃菜: It is very suitable for playing with Mom and Dad. The place is beautiful or the season of red leaves. It is red, yellow, green and green everywhere. The weather is very good and the sky is very blue. The ticket is a very cute peace charm. (?) The traffic is very convenient and you can get there directly by bus. If you come to play in winter, it should be very beautiful. The Golden Pavilion Temple will become white, now looks like gold glitter, sunset time will be more beautiful!

Day 1 | Evening

Looking for a bed nearby after finishing your journey at Kinkaku-ji? Kuraya Nanseicho is one of your top choices.

Kuraya Nanseicho

Age of construction before renovation: over 99 years
The building was used as a facility to manufacture electronic parts, so it was refurbished multiple times, making it a long building running north with three connected buildings and a total floor area of approximately 330 square meters. The width of the buildings are 7.28 meters. The depths of the western and central buildings being 9.1 meters, and the eastern building’s depth is 5.46 meters. The walls separating the rooms were kept to the least, making the space integrated.
Manufacturing of electronic components boomed during the high economic growth period, resulting in the refurbishing of the facility.
We renovated the western-side building facing the street. Also, the eastern-side building got a simple retouch and making it into a tin crafting atelier, and the central building was taken down and made into a beautiful yard tucked between the western and eastern buildings.
The first floor of the western-side building’s façade is decorated with artificial marble up to waist height, and has a 4.45-meter wide iron barred window. On the second floor, it has 1.82 meter and 2.73-meter wide glass windows. These windows each have door pockets, and decorated with wooden frames and handrails. The exterior wall and the bottom side of the roof was finished with mortar.
Although the building was vacant for a few months, it was used as a residence until then. Keeping the renovation to the least, we kept the original design and reintroduced the building as Machiya Ryokan “Kuraya”.
We would like to provide you priceless experience of Japanese "living" and hope you spend a wonderful time at Kuraya.

Day 2 | Morning

Nijo Castle

Opening Hours: 8:45-16:00 (the castle is closed at 17:00); July and August opening hours 8:00-18:00 (the castle is closed at 19:00); September opening hours 8:00-16:00 ( The castle is closed at 17:00)

Ticket Price: 600 JPY

Recommended Length of Stay: 2-3 Hours

Location: 541, Nishijo Castle, Kawasaki, Nakagawa, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto

Once the acting residence of the Tokugawa shoguns while in Kyoto, Nijo Castle is also serves as a symbol of the power of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The castle is surrounded by high walls and a moat, with the inside rooms connected by a corridor installed with the famous "nightingale floors". These floors were designed to make a chirping sound when walked upon so as to prevent intruding assassins at night. The castle opens in the evening during cherry blossom season, attracting flocks of visitors to view the magnificent cherry blossom trees.

Reviews from Real Guests:

PNIV: Nijo Castle, located in Kyoto, Japan, was first built in 1603 CE by Tokugawa Ieyasu (r. 1603-1605 CE), founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603-1868 CE). The castle complex is surrounded by a double moat and made up of three distinct areas: the Ninomaru Palace (1626 CE), the Honmaru compound (1847 CE), and the castle's two gardens. The castle contains 3,000 examples of medieval paintings, nearly 1,000 of which are classified as Important Cultural Properties. Nijo Castle is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and six of its buildings are recognised as official National Treasures of Japan. The Tokugawa Shoguns Tokugawa Ieyasu of the Matsudaira family established himself as military supremo of Japan after winning the 1600 CE Battle of Skeigahara against those generals who supported the son and heir of Toyotomi Hideyoshi (r. 1582-1598 CE). Ieyasu took the title of shogun in 1603 CE and thus established the Tokugawa Shogunate that finally brought the complete unification of Japan which then enjoyed some 250 years of peace. It was Ieyasu who had Nijo Castle built from 1603 CE to be used as the shogun's base in Kyoto and a handy presence near the imperial palace. At that time Edo (Tokyo) was the capital and seat of the shogunate and so Nijo housed a permanent senior governor while shoguns only used the castle when they were on official visits.

nengratihkurniawan: Nijo Castle, or Nijo-jo, as it is called in Japanese, is one of the absolute highlights of Kyoto. The lovely atmosphere, the beautiful Japanese Zen gardens, and the ancient buildings and palaces with their ornate gold-covered architecture and fantastic interiors and wall paintings – I love it all! Therefore, Nijo Castle is a stop on our recommended 3-day Kyoto Itinerary. The former Imperial Villa Nijo-jo Castle was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1994. The castle buildings and gardens underwent a huge full-scale restoration in 2011 and are shinier and fresher than ever! Nijo Castle is one of the very few remaining castles from one of the golden ages of Japanese architecture and design – the early Edo period. That it has survived over the years, through earthquakes and wars, is fantastic. If you want to get the most out of your visit to Nijo Castle, you should consider joining a Nijo Castle Tour. This tour lasts 1 hour, and you get a guided tour of the whole castle and castle grounds and hear the full story behind it by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide. There is also a self-guided audio tour available.

Day 2 | Afternoon

Sanjusangen-do nearby is the top choice before you leave Nijo Castle and hit the road.

Sanjusangen-do

Opening Hours: Open from 1/1-3/31,9:00am-4:00pm;Open from 4/1-11/15,8:30am-5:00pm;Open from 11/16-12/31,9:00am-4:00pm

Ticket Price: 600 JPY

Recommended Length of Stay: 1-1 Hours

Location: 657 Sanjusangendomawari, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture

Sanjusangen-do Temple, also known as the Hall of the Lotus King, boasts one of Japan's few long wooden buildings, its main hall stretching from north to south. Although the exterior is simple and austere, the interior is shockingly different. The temple is filled with Japanese National Treasures, including Buddhist statues and cultural relics, and it is especially famous for the impressive number of statues of the Thousand Armed Kannon. These statues vary in appearance, from differences in clothing and musical instruments to expressions and postures. The temple is also known for its archery competition which is held here every year.

Day 2 | Evening

Don’t forget to book GARRYA NIJO CASTLE KYOTO in advance, because all the tourists head to Sanjusangen-do love staying at it.

GARRYA NIJO CASTLE KYOTO

An exclusive luxury hotel with only 25 rooms, offering a peaceful and intimate stay in Kyoto. Extraordinary dining and accommodation await you in proximity to the ambience and scenic attractions of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Nijo Castle. Travel back in time to the period between the end of the Samurai and the dawn of a new era.

Day 3 | Morning

Kyoto Tower

Opening Hours: Sun - Sat 9:00 AM - 8:30 PM

Ticket Price: 770 JPY

Recommended Length of Stay: 1-2 Hours

Location: 721-1 Higashishiokōjichō, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, 600-8216, Japan

Standing tall in front of Kyoto Station, Kyoto Tower is one of the landmarks of Kyoto, remembered by almost every visitor to the city. The tower itself is designed in the shape of a candle, while the observatory deck provides a great place to look out over the streets of Kyoto and enjoy panoramic views of the surrounding shrines, temples, and Higashiyama mountains. In addition to the observatory, a restaurant, hot spring, and hotel can be found inside the tower.

Reviews from Real Guests:

Ace_Grace: Kyoto Tower is a famous symbol of this historic city and old capital of Japan! 🇯🇵 The 360 view is beautiful, with maps and binoculars to locate specific attractions in Kyoto. (Maybe not for people who are spacially sensitive or afraid of heights.) It is also conveniently located directly across the front of Kyoto Station

Express: Rather than leaving the ticket gate of Kyoto Station, it seems that it is better to take a picture from Kyoto Station Building. It's interesting to compete with your travel partners to find how many photography spots you can find.

Day 3 | Afternoon

After finishing the tour at Kyoto Tower, you can head to Ginkakuji, the most worth visiting place around the corner.

Ginkakuji

Opening Hours: March-November 8:30-17:00, December-February 9:00-16:30, all year round.

Ticket Price: 500 JPY

Recommended Length of Stay: 1-1 Hours

Location: 2 Ginkakujichō, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, 606-8402, Japan

A UNESCO World Heritage site, Ginkakuji was originally built as a villa for shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa and modeled after Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) The temple has two floors. The first floor, built in the same style as Saihoji Temple, is called Shinku-den, and the second floor Cho-onkaku is dedicated to Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy. Despite its nickname as the Silver Pavilion, the exterior of the temple was never actually covered in silver, but rather painted white instead. The garden is comprised of the Silver Pavilion, Togudo Temple (East Seeking Hall), and a pond, accompanying a white sand garden representing the sea and waves.

Reviews from Real Guests:

Trip.com User: Get up early, the climate is comfortable, the scenery is pleasant, suitable for leisure travel ～～

Day 3 | Evening

If you want to explore other popular attractions later, MARUFUKURO is a suitable place for you to stay and refresh.

MARUFUKURO

The MARUFUKURO is an ideal spot for travelers wanting to discover the city. Visitors to Kyoto will find that the MARUFUKURO is a fantastic accommodation choice.

With Shichijo Railway Station just 800m away and Osaka International Airport only 49km away, transportation is very convenient. The closest major public transportation, Gojō Metro Station, is only 100m away. With 正面の湯, Kyoto National Museum and Ruins Myohoin Gate all within a short distance, there is no shortage of things to do in the area.

This hotel makes a great place to kick back and relax after a long day of sightseeing.

According to our trusted guests, the facilities at this hotel are first-rate.

* All reviews in the blog are machine-translated.