No. 01 · Landmark
Fushimi Inari-taisha
Mountain shrine with 10,000 vermilion torii gates
Kyoto's most photographed shrine — a 4 km loop up Mount Inari beneath gates donated by Japanese businesses since the 700s.
Read more →Japan
Kyoto
A thousand temples in the old imperial capital
Japan's old capital for 1,000 years — 1,600 Buddhist temples, 400 Shinto shrines, and the last great geisha district at Gion.
When to go
Late March–early April (cherry blossoms) and November (autumn leaves).
Getting around
Buses and trains cover everywhere; bike through the old streets between temples.
Kyoto highlights
Don't miss
The top places to start with if you only have a day or two — the essentials before you go deeper.
No. 02 · Landmark
Kinkaku-ji
The Golden Pavilion above its reflecting pond
A Zen Buddhist temple whose top two storeys are covered in gold leaf — rebuilt in 1955 after a monk burned the original.
Read more →No. 03 · Where to stay
Gion
The old geisha district of wooden machiya houses
Kyoto's most atmospheric neighbourhood — Hanamikoji Street's preserved teahouses, Yasaka Shrine, and the chance of spotting a maiko at dusk.
Read more →Things to do in Kyoto
4 hand-picked
A curated mix of landmarks, neighborhoods, and museums worth your time in Kyoto, Japan — grouped by type below.
Landmarks
2 places
Where to stays
2 places
Where to stay in Kyoto
4 neighborhoods
Kyoto is best stayed near Kyoto Station or in central Nakagyo — buses and bikes handle the temples.
Downtown (Nakagyo)
Nishiki Market, transit, restaurants
Best for: Central walking and dining base
Gion
Geisha district, atmosphere, riverside
Best for: Romantic and traditional stays
Higashiyama
Temples, Kiyomizu, old streets
Best for: Walking to the major temples
Kyoto Station
Modern, transit hub, hotels
Best for: Easy in-and-out trips
A 3-day itinerary, your way
If you only have a long weekend in Kyoto.
Day 1
Eastern Temples
Kiyomizu-dera at opening, walk Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka, lunch in Higashiyama, Yasaka Shrine, sunset in Gion and dinner at a kaiseki.
Day 2
Fushimi Inari & Arashiyama
Fushimi Inari at sunrise (full loop), train to Arashiyama, bamboo grove, Tenryū-ji, lunch by the river, dinner downtown.
Day 3
Golden Pavilion & Nishiki
Kinkaku-ji morning, Ryōan-ji rock garden, lunch in Nishiki Market, Nijō Castle, Pontochō Alley for dinner.