Explore Kyoto and enjoy your stay, from sightseeing the most popular areas to join activities in the city and its surroundings.
Get around Kyoto by subway, train and bus, and access the most popular areas like Arashiyama, Ryoan-ji Temple, Kinkaku-ji Temple, Ginkaku-ji Temple, Nijo Castle, Kyoto Imperial Palace, Heian-jingu Shrine, Gion District, Kiyomizu-dera Temple and Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, or escape by train to nearby destinations like Uji and Nara.
Continue your journey from Kyoto to your next destination in Japan.
Contents
Discover Kyoto
Discover a full range of places to see and activities to do in Kyoto.
Don’t miss
- - Kyoto's grand shrines, ancient castles and historical streets
- - The stunning autumn foliage and the symbolic gardens
- - The traditional Japanese inns, an essential convergence of Japanese tradition and culture
- - Kyoto cuisine, which perfectly encapsulates the Japanese spirit and art of food preparation
Kyoto: Experience the essence of Japanese culture, constantly evolving throughout history
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Getting around Kyoto
Kyoto's urban transportation network comprises subway lines operated by Kyoto Subway as well as train lines operated by Japan Railways (JR) and Nankai Railway.
Getting around Kyoto by subway
The subway operator Kyoto Subway interconnects Kyoto Station with Nijo and Kyoto Imperial Palace.
Kyoto Subway
Karasuma Line serving Kyoto Station, Shijo and Karasuma Oike| Stations | Local |
| Kokusaikaikan | |
| Matsugasaki | |
| Kitayama | |
| Kitaoji | |
| Kuramaguchi | |
| Imadegawa | |
| Marutamachi | |
| Karasuma Oike | |
| Shijo | |
| Gojo | |
| Kyoto | |
| Kujo | |
| Jujo | |
| Kuinabashi | |
| Takeda |
| Stations | Local |
| Rokujizo | |
| Ishida | |
| Daigo | |
| Ono | |
| Nagitsuji | |
| Higashino | |
| Yamashina | |
| Misasagi | |
| Keage | |
| Higashiyama | |
| Sanjo Keihan | |
| Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae | |
| Karasuma Oike | |
| Nijojo-mae | |
| Nijo | |
| Nishioji Oike | |
| Uzumasa Tenjingawa |
Getting around Kyoto by train
The railway companies JR West and Hankyu Railway operate train lines that interconnect Kyoto Station with Nijo, Arashiyama and Inari.
JR West
JR Nara Line serving Kyoto Station, Inari, Uji and Nara
| Stations | Miyakoji Rapid | Rapid | Regional Rapid | Local |
| Kyoto | ||||
| Tofukuji | ||||
| Inari | — | — | ||
| Fujinomori | — | — | — | |
| Momoyama | — | — | — | |
| Rokujizo | ||||
| Kohata | — | — | — | |
| Obaku | — | — | — | |
| Uji | ||||
| Ogura | — | |||
| Shinden | — | |||
| Joyo | ||||
| Nagaike | — | — | ||
| Yamashiro-Aodani | — | — | ||
| Yamashiro-Taga | — | — | ||
| Tamamizu | ||||
| Tanakura | — | — | ||
| Kamikoma | — | — | ||
| Kizu | ||||
| Narayama | — | — | ||
| Nara |
All trains stop, Some trains stop, — Trains do not stop
| Stations | Rapid | Local |
| Kyoto | ||
| Umekoji-Kyotonishi | — | |
| Tambaguchi | — | |
| Nijo | ||
| Emmachi | — | |
| Hanazono | — | |
| Uzumasa | — | |
| Saga-Arashiyama | ||
| Hozukyo | — | |
| Umahori | — | |
| Kameoka | ||
| Namikawa | ||
| Chiyokawa | ||
| Yagi | ||
| Yoshitomi | ||
| Sonobe |
All trains stop, Some trains stop, — Trains do not stop
Hankyu Railway
Hankyu Kyoto Main Line and Hankyu Arashiyama Line serving Kyoto Station and Arashiyama
| Stations | Limited Express | Local |
| Arashiyama | ||
| Matsuo-taisha | ||
| Kami-Katsura | ||
| Kyoto-Kawaramachi | ||
| Karasuma | ||
| Katsura | ||
| Nagaoka-Tenjin | ||
| Takatsuki-shi | ||
| Ibaraki-shi | ||
| Awaji | ||
| Juso | ||
| Osaka-Umeda |
All trains stop, Some trains stop, — Trains do not stop
Getting around Kyoto by bus
The bus company JR West Bus interconnects Kyoto Station with Nijo, Ryoan-ji and Kinkaku-ji.
JR West Bus
Takao-Keihoku Line serving Kyoto Station, Nijo, Ryoan-ji and Kinkaku-ji
Travellers with JR West Kansai Area Pass can get around Kyoto using Kyoto Subway lines, JR West Railway lines, Hankyu Railway lines as well as JR West Bus lines.
JR West Kansai Area Pass (1-day)
Passengers can travel on Limited Express, Rapid or Local trains in the available area for 1 day as well as Kyoto Subway for 1 day.
JR West Kansai Area Pass (2-day)
Passengers can travel on Limited Express, Rapid or Local trains in the available area for 2 days as well as Kyoto Subway for 1 day.
JR West Kansai Area Pass (3-day)
Passengers can travel on Limited Express, Rapid or Local trains in the available area for 3 days as well as Kyoto Subway for 1 day.
JR West Kansai Area Pass (4-day)
Passengers can travel on Limited Express, Rapid or Local trains in the available area for 4 days as well as Kyoto Subway for 1 day.
Areas
The most popular areas in Kyoto include Arashiyama, Ryoan-ji Temple, Kinkaku-ji Temple, Ginkaku-ji Temple, Nijo Castle, Kyoto Imperial Palace, Heian-jingu Shrine, Gion District, Kiyomizu-dera Temple and Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine.
Train routes to Arashiyama
Train routes to Nijo-jo
Train routes to Gion
Train routes to Fushimi Inari Taisha
Getting out of Kyoto
If you are staying in Kyoto and you want to explore the surroundings, Uji and Nara are nearby destinations perfect for one-day or two-days escapes.
Getting out of Kyoto by train
The railway company JR West operates train lines that interconnect Kyoto with Uji and Nara.
JR West
| Stations | Miyakoji Rapid | Rapid | Regional Rapid | Local |
| Kyoto | ||||
| Tofukuji | ||||
| Inari | — | — | ||
| Fujinomori | — | — | — | |
| Momoyama | — | — | — | |
| Rokujizo | ||||
| Kohata | — | — | — | |
| Obaku | — | — | — | |
| Uji | ||||
| Ogura | — | |||
| Shinden | — | |||
| Joyo | ||||
| Nagaike | — | — | ||
| Yamashiro-Aodani | — | — | ||
| Yamashiro-Taga | — | — | ||
| Tamamizu | ||||
| Tanakura | — | — | ||
| Kamikoma | — | — | ||
| Kizu | ||||
| Narayama | — | — | ||
| Nara |
All trains stop, Some trains stop, — Trains do not stop
Travellers with JR West Kansai Area Pass and JR West Kansai WIDE Area Pass (5-day) can travel on Express, Rapid and Local trains with Non-reserved seats. Passengers can also travel on Limited Express trains with Non-reserved seat or travel on Reserved Seat by receiving a Reserved Seat ticket before boarding, as this is included in the rail pass.
Kansai Area Pass (1,2,3,4-day)
Passengers can travel on Limited Express, Rapid or Local trains in the available area for 1, 2, 3 or 4 days as well as Kyoto Subway for 1 day.
Kansai WIDE Area Pass (5-day)
Passengers can travel on Shinkansen and Limited Express trains, as well as Express, Rapid or Local trains in the available area for 5 consecutive days.
Destinations
Kyoto is connected by train with the following destinations in Kansai region:
Train routes to Uji
Train routes to Nara
Continue your journey from Kyoto
From Kyoto, you can continue your journey to your next destination in Chugoku, Kansai, Hokuriku, Chubu or Kanto region.
Continue your journey from Kyoto by train
The railway company JR West operates train lines that interconnect Kyoto with Osaka, Okayama and Hiroshima in Kansai and Chugoku regions as well as Kanazawa and Toyama in Hokuriku region; and the railway company JR Central operates train lines that interconnect Kyoto with Nagoya, Yokohama and Tokyo in Chubu and Kanto regions.
JR West
Sanyo Shinkansen serving Osaka, Kobe, Himeji, Okayama, Hiroshima and Fukuoka
| Stations | NOZOMI | HIKARI | KODAMA | MIZUHO | SAKURA |
| Shin-Osaka | |||||
| Shin-Kobe | |||||
| Nishi-Akashi | — | — | |||
| Himeji | |||||
| Aioi | — | — | — | ||
| Okayama | |||||
| Shin-Kurashiki | — | — | — | ||
| Fukuyama | — | ||||
| Shin-Onomichi | — | — | — | ||
| Mihara | — | — | — | ||
| Higashi-Hiroshima | — | — | — | ||
| Hiroshima | |||||
| Shin-Iwakuni | — | — | — | ||
| Tokuyama | — | ||||
| Shin-Yamaguchi | — | ||||
| Asa | — | — | — | — | |
| Shin-Shimonoseki | — | — | |||
| Kokura | |||||
| Hakata |
All trains stop, Some trains stop, — Trains do not stop
| Stations | KAGAYAKI | HAKUTAKA | ASAMA | TSURUGI |
| Joetsumyoko | — | |||
| Itoigawa | — | |||
| Kurobe-Unazukionsen | — | |||
| Toyama | ||||
| Shin-Takaoka | — | |||
| Kanazawa | ||||
| Komatsu | ||||
| Kagaonsen | ||||
| Awaraonsen | ||||
| Fukui | ||||
| Echizen-Takefu | ||||
| Tsuruga |
All trains stop, Some trains stop, — Trains do not stop
| Stations | THUNDERBIRD |
| Osaka | |
| Shin-Osaka | |
| Takatsuki | |
| Kyoto | |
| Katata | |
| Omi-Imazu | |
| Tsuruga |
All trains stop, Some trains stop, — Trains do not stop
| Stations | HARUKA |
| Kansai Airport | |
| Hineno | |
| Izumi-Fuchu | |
| Tennoji | |
| Osaka | |
| Shin-Osaka | |
| Takatsuki | |
| Kyoto |
All trains stop, Some trains stop, — Trains do not stop
Travellers with JR West Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass (5-day), JR West Sanyo-San'in Area Pass (7-day), Kansai-Hokuriku Area Pass (7-day) and JR West All Area Pass (7-day) can travel on Shinkansen trains with Non-reserved seat or travel on Reserved Seat by receiving a Reserved Seat ticket before boarding, as this is included in the rail pass.
Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass (5-day)
Passengers can travel on Shinkansen and Limited Express trains, as well as Express, Rapid or Local trains in the available area for 5 consecutive days.
Sanyo-San'in Area Pass (7-day)
Passengers can travel on Shinkansen and Limited Express trains, as well as Express, Rapid or Local trains in the available area for 7 consecutive days.
Kansai-Hokuriku Area Pass (7-day)
Passengers can travel on Shinkansen and Limited Express trains, as well as Express, Rapid or Local trains in the available area for 7 consecutive days.
All Area Pass (7-day)
Passengers can travel on Shinkansen and Limited Express trains, as well as Express, Rapid or Local trains in the available area for 7 consecutive days.
JR Central
| Stations | NOZOMI | HIKARI | KODAMA |
| Tokyo | |||
| Shinagawa | |||
| Shin-Yokohama | |||
| Odawara | — | ||
| Atami | — | ||
| Mishima | — | ||
| Shin-Fuji | — | — | |
| Shizuoka | — | ||
| Kakegawa | — | — | |
| Hamamatsu | — | ||
| Toyohashi | — | ||
| Mikawa-Anjo | — | — | |
| Nagoya | |||
| Gifu-Hashima | — | ||
| Maibara | — | ||
| Kyoto | |||
| Shin-Osaka |
All trains stop, Some trains stop, — Trains do not stop
Travellers with the Japan Rail Pass can travel on Shinkansen trains with Non-reserved seat or travel on Reserved Seat by receiving a Reserved Seat ticket before boarding, as this is included in the rail pass.
Japan Rail Pass (7-day)
Passengers can travel on Shinkansen and Limited Express trains, as well as Express, Rapid or Local trains across Japan for 7 consecutive days.
Japan Rail Pass (14-day)
Passengers can travel on Shinkansen and Limited Express trains, as well as Express, Rapid or Local trains across Japan for 14 consecutive days.
Japan Rail Pass (21-day)
Passengers can travel on Shinkansen and Limited Express trains, as well as Express, Rapid or Local trains across Japan for 21 consecutive days.
Destinations
Osaka is connected by train with the following destinations in Kansai and Chugoku regions:
Train routes to Osaka
Train routes to Okayama
Train routes to Hiroshima
Kyoto is connected by train with the following destinations in Hokuriku region:
Train routes to Kanazawa
Kyoto is connected by train with the following destinations in Chubu and Kanto regions:
Train routes to Nagoya
Train routes to Yokohama
