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Things to do in Kyoto
35 verified places and 90 missions to truly experience Kyoto. Must-sees: Kiyomizu-dera, Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), Fushimi Inari-taisha, Byōdō-in (Uji). Best known for: Culture, Nature, Leisure.
Plan your trip to Kyoto →Places in Kyoto
CultureKiyomizu-deraBuddhist temple founded in 778 on the slope of Mount Otowa, in eastern Kyoto.CultureKinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)Zen temple of the Rinzai school, officially called Rokuon-ji, famous for its three-storey pavilion covered in…CultureFushimi Inari-taishaPrincipal Shinto shrine among the thousands of shrines dedicated to Inari, kami of rice and business, whose…CultureByōdō-in (Uji)Buddhist temple in Uji, south of Kyoto, famous for its Phoenix Hall (Hōōdō), completed in 1053 and reflected…CultureKyoto StationA large railway station and shopping centre opened in 1997, the work of architect Hiroshi Hara, with an…CultureKyoto Imperial PalaceKyoto Gosho, residence of the emperors of Japan until the court moved to Tokyo in 1868.CultureRyōan-jiZen temple of the Rinzai school founded around 1450, famous for its dry garden: a rectangle of raked gravel…CultureGinkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion)Zen temple officially called Jishō-ji, built in 1482 as a retirement villa for the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa…CultureGionHistoric district in eastern Kyoto, known for its wooden machiya houses and for being the main geisha…CultureTō-jiShingon Buddhist temple founded in 794, when the capital moved to Heian-kyō, and entrusted in 823 to the monk…CultureNijō CastleResidence of the Tokugawa shogun in Kyoto, commissioned by Tokugawa Ieyasu and completed in 1603.CultureHeian ShrineShinto shrine built in 1895 to commemorate the 1,100th anniversary of the founding of Kyoto.CultureNinna-jiBuddhist temple of the Shingon school founded in 888 by Emperor Uda, who retired here as a monk; for…CultureKyoto National MuseumMuseum of art and archaeology located in the Higashiyama district, opened in 1897.CultureNanzen-jiZen temple of the Rinzai school founded in 1291 by Emperor Kameyama, on the lower slopes of Higashiyama.CultureTōfuku-jiZen temple founded in 1236 by the regent Kujō Michiie, one of the great Rinzai temples of Kyoto.CultureYasaka ShrineShinto shrine at the eastern end of Shijō Street, between the Gion district and Maruyama Park.NatureArashiyama Bamboo GroveA path among towering bamboo stalks in the Arashiyama district, west of Kyoto, next to Tenryū-ji temple.CultureSanjūsangen-dōBuddhist temple of the Rengeō-in complex, founded in 1164 and rebuilt in 1266 after a fire.LeisureKyoto TowerA 131-metre observation tower opened in 1964, opposite Kyoto station.CultureTenryū-jiZen temple of the Rinzai school founded in 1339 by Ashikaga Takauji in Arashiyama, west of Kyoto.CultureKōzan-jiBuddhist temple in the Toganoo mountains, north-west of Kyoto, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.CultureNishi Hongan-jiHeadquarters of the Hongan-ji branch of Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism, west of Kyoto station.LeisureKyoto International Manga MuseumMuseum opened in 2006 in the former Tatsuike school, in central Kyoto, next to Karasuma Oike metro station.CultureKōdai-jiZen temple of the Rinzai school founded in 1605 by Nene, widow of the warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi, in memory…NaturePhilosopher's PathA walk of about two kilometres alongside a canal in eastern Kyoto, lined with cherry trees, which is often…CultureKennin-jiZen temple of the Rinzai school, founded in 1202 by the monk Eisai and considered the oldest Zen temple in…CultureEikan-dō Zenrin-jiTemple of the Jōdo Buddhist school, in the Higashiyama district, at the foot of the eastern hills.NatureIwatayama Monkey ParkNature park on the slope of Mount Iwatayama, in Arashiyama, where Japanese macaques live freely.Food & drinkNishiki MarketA narrow covered shopping street of about 400 metres, one block north of Shijō, known as Kyoto's kitchen.CultureNinenzakaA cobbled slope of traditional wooden houses (machiya) that descends towards Kiyomizu-dera temple, in…CultureKurama-deraBuddhist temple on the slopes of Mount Kurama, north of Kyoto, surrounded by cedar forest.Food & drinkPontochōA very narrow, cobbled alley that runs parallel to the Kamo River, between Sanjō and Shijō, full of…CultureTogetsukyō BridgeWooden bridge over the Katsura River, in Arashiyama, and symbol of the district.CultureKifune ShrineKifune-jinja, a Shinto shrine in the Kifune valley, north of Kyoto, dedicated to the deity of water.
Frequently asked questions
What to see in Kyoto in one day?
If you only have one day, start with the essentials: Kiyomizu-dera, Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), Fushimi Inari-taisha, Byōdō-in (Uji) and Kyoto Station.