A 2 Day Kyoto Itinerary: The Best of Kyoto with Limited Time!

A 2 day Kyoto itinerary for those who have limited time in Japan! As travelers who travel around a full time job, we spent 8 days exploring Japan and allotted two of them to Kyoto!

Kyoto is such an interesting city! It has a side with amazing traditional architecture and temples that look as old as time, but it is also bigger than I anticipated as well and has a modern side with shopping and bright lights.

Here is how to maximize your time in Kyoto seeing the beautiful highlights but also visiting some places that are off the beaten path!

Kyoto has a lot to see, so if you are there for only a couple of days you will have to prioritize what you want to do.

There are a few things that I think are MUST sees, especially for your first time in Kyoto. However, Kyoto has become a popular destination, so there is a good chance you are going to tire of the crowds in the popular, must-visit spots.

Therefore, I also recommend visiting a few places that are less popular, but still very pretty and worth visiting!

Day 1: Visit Gion District and the centrally located spots in Kyoto + an alternative bamboo forest (not Arashiyama or Adashino Nenbutsuji Temple Bamboo Forests).

Day 2: Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kinkaku-Ji Temple, Ryoan-Ji Zen Garden and Ninna-ji Temple

Plus, there are a few things that we missed that we would have liked to see. So, if you have can add an extra day to your 2 day Kyoto itinerary, I have recommendations!

If you are staying near the Gion District (which is a great place to stay as a first-time visitor!) then I recommend starting here on your first day!

Want an Accommodation Recommendation?

Stay in a Ryokan!

A ryokan is a traditional Japanese accommodation that offers traditional onsens or sentos (public bathhouses) and futon mats to sleep on.

We stayed at Gion Shinmonso, which was clean, and though the futons were admittedly hard, it was a good experience!

Book a Room!

Begin day one in the heart of Gion District. Start by visiting the famous Yasaka street and its Hōkan-ji Temple (aka Yasaka Pagoda).

The Hōkan-ji Temple has become THE VIEW of Kyoto due to its presence on the beautiful Yaska-dori Street and the traditional architecture that surrounds it.

Warning though: this place will be BUSY during the day. Unless you get there at the crack of dawn, you need to pack your patience.

I’ll be honest, it was hard to appreciate the beauty of the street with the crowds when we visited during the daytime. If you can, beat the crowds in the morning or return in the evening when the crowds dissipate!

After visiting these two temples, continue up Yasaka Street to the Kiyomizu-dera Niomon Gate. From Yasaka Kōshin-dō to the Kiyomizu-dera area are loads of shops and restaurants (its a district full of tourists after all!), so you can take as much or as little time on this walk as you want.

The Kiyomizu-dera is home to some of the most colorful and impressive temples in Kyoto and you get a lot of bang for your buck (and time) in this area!

Kiyomiza-Dera Temples

There are multiple temples, pagodas and shrines in the Kiyomizu-dera area (so many I won’t list them all), so you will spend a good portion of your afternoon here.

Some of the temples and pagodas are free to visit. The first one you will come to is Kiyomizu-dera Zenkojido, which stands in front of the beautiful Kiyomizu-dera Niomon Gate.

These, among several other temples are within the free portion of the grounds.

However, the Kiyomizu-dera Hondo (main hall), the Kiyomizu-Dera Otowanotaki Falls and the Kiyomizudera Koyasunoto Pagoda require an entrance fee to enter.

• Kiyomizu-dera Hondo- The large wooden hall that consists of a nice observation deck (stage)
• Kiyomizu-Dera Otowanotaki Falls- 3 streams which you can drink from that are said to bring love, success and longevity
• Kiyomizudera Koyasunoto Pagoda- The second, smaller pagoda of the complex

On the walk from the main hall to the second pagoda you will also pass by a great viewpoint where you can see the larger pagoda!

If you are going to visit this area, you definitely should pay the small entrance fee to see all of the temples of the complex!

• Entrance fee: around 400 yen ($2.66 USD)

Once you leave the Kiyomizudera Koyasunoto Pagoda you will go downhill and complete a loop to where you began. You will also pass by a beautiful koi pond that will have the larger pagoda towering behind it!

Kodaiji Temple

I know, that was a lot of pagoda and temples! After you get your fill, I recommend visiting Kodai-ji Temple!

Kodai-ji Temple wasn’t actually on our radar when we initially began looking at things to do in Kyoto. However, we were looking for a nearby bamboo forest and found the one here.

Is the bamboo forest here as big as the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest? I don’t know, because we didn’t go to that one 😬 BUT I imagine not.

However, it was pretty crowd-free when we visited and it met my bamboo needs.

PLUS, its not just the bamboo forest here. The grounds are also beautiful as well with a pond and temple that are picturesque.

• Hours: 9am to 5pm
• Cost: 600 yen (around $4USD)

NOTE: Google Maps should take you down Ninenzaka street when you go from Kiyomizu-dera to Kodaiji Temple- this is one of the most popular streets with traditional Japanese architecture and should be seen in the daylight at some point on your trip. This is a great time to fit it in.

Scenic Street Route

From Kodaiji Temple and the bamboo forest, you can take Hanamikoji-dori Street to the Shirakawa Canal and Tatsumi Bridge.

Hanamikoji-dori street is another of the beautiful streets with traditional architecture in Kyoto. It will take you all the way to the Shirawaka Canal which is lined by more incredibly architecture. While you are at the canal, be sure to pass over the Tatsumi Bridge.

Newer Kyoto

From here you can take a left on the main street that runs along the Kamo River and cross the Shijō Bridge. You will be entering what I refer to as the “newer portion” of Kyoto. I actually don’t know the time stamp on which parts of Kyoto are older/newer, but this part of Kyoto is mostly modern with a Zara, Disney Store, etc.

Before you get lost in the modern side of Kyoto, I do recommend enjoying the more traditional streets that run along the river and along the little canal near the Shin-bashi Bridge.

Nishki Market is also located in this part of Kyoto. We had good intensions of visiting, but ran out of time.

• FYI: Nishki Market closes between 5:30 and 6:30 pm (depending on the day), so if this is on your priority list, make sure to time your day right!

I know, day 1 seems like it has a LOT! However, most of the sites on day one in Kyoto are close together.

However, now that you have seen the best of central Kyoto, spend your second day of your 2 day Kyoto itinerary outside of the city a little!

Fushimi Inari Taisha, as bad as I hate to call anything a “must” visit, REALLY should be on your Kyoto itinerary! But, it IS one of the most popular spots to visit, so I recommend starting here. The earlier you go, the less crowds.

From here, the other three sites for the day are going to be close together!

Fushimi Inari Taisha

Start your day with a bang by visiting Fushimi Inari Taisha!

• From central Kyoto, the train ride to Fushimi Inari Taisha is about 25 minutes

Fushimi Inari Taisha is often referred to as the shrine of 10,000 gates, for obvious reasons. The gates are lined up along a looped path that is about 2.5 miles (4 km). However, as someone who doesn’t have much time in Kyoto, I don’t recommend taking the WHOLE path.

A popular turnaround spot is the Yotsutsuji intersection which gives a view of Kyoto from above. We stopped just before here as well as many people had said passed here the gates get a little more spread out, so we didn’t’ feel like the time it took would be worth it.

Can you get photos even when there are crowds? Yes. The crowds seem to come in waves, so ride the waves and you should be able to get your nice photos without 100 people in the back.

• Cost: Free to enter
• Hours: 24/7
• Duration: We spent about an hour and a half to the Yotsutsuji Intersection, but if you want to do the whole loop you will need 2-3 hours

Kinkaku-ji Temple

Kinkaku-ji Temple is a unique temple where the upper two stories are wrapped in gold leaf! It is another popular temple, but there is a little more room to spread out here (versus the paths of Fushimi Inari).

• Travel Time from Fushimi Inari Taisha: About an hour via train then bus

Kinkaku-ji was originally purchased by a shogun for a vacation home, but has been repurposed as a Buddhist Temple.

The temple sits alongside a pond that often reflects the temple, making for an incredible photo!

This area is smaller than some of the other temples, so you can see most things within an hour or hour and a half.

**After fighting the crowds of Fushimi Inari Taisha, we opted to visit lesser-known sites rather than visit the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest.Therefore, if you would rather, you can opt to go to the forest instead.

Arashiyama Bamboo Forest is 48 minutes from Kinkaku-ji and 52 minutes from Fushimi Inari Taisha (another reason we opted out)**

Ryoan-ji Zen Garden

Good news is, Ryoan -ji is within walking distance (or short bus ride) from Kinkaku-ji Temple. For us, it was nice to find some great sites without having to travel 40-60 minutes!

• Travel Time: Either a 19 minute walk or 15 minute bus ride

Ryoan-ji is a little different from everything else we visited in Kyoto. It is a zen rock garden where monks come and change the rock formation daily.

It is also located on beautiful grounds. There is a large pond, several temples a garden and more! It is also a great place to see either beautiful cherry blossoms or fall foliage!

• Cost: 600 yen (Around $4 USD)

Ninna-ji Temple

Another short 15-minute walk away is the Ninna-ji Temple complex. This is SUCH a beautiful area and we were NEARLY the ONLY people there.

Ninna-ji was founded in 888 AD but has been reconstructed in the 17th century. It is now a World Heritage Site and the head temple of the Omuro school (a sect of Buddhism.)

There are several temples on the grounds, including a 5 story pagoda that looks VERY similar to that of the Hōkan-ji Temple (aka Yasaka Pagoda) in central Kyoto (without the crowds!)

Plus, again, the grounds are covered in trees that I know have to be epic during the Spring and cherry blossom season!

Your previous trips down Yasaka Dori and Ninenzaka Streets were probably crowd-filled. And though I do think they should be seen in the daylight, I also think it is much easier to appreciate them with less crowds.

So, if you didn’t get up at the crack of dawn to visit them in the morning, you can return to them when you get back to central Kyoto!

A fun thing you can also do is get custom rings made at Glänta, which is found on Ninenzaka street. The lady that helped us was SO NICE and the experience was so fun! Now, my travel companions and I have a souvenir from Japan that will last forever (and fits well with our Ireland Claddagh rings 😀)

We did miss the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, but that was on purpose. But there were a few things we would have like to see that we didn’t have time to.

Otagi Nenbutsu-ji– This is a unique temple of 12,000 moss-covered stone statues and I was sad about missing it. However, it is located near Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, which we established was nearly an hour from Kyoto’s city center. So, a good way to spend day three would be to combine this temple with the bamboo forests if you want to visit the bigger ones.

Nishki Market– We loved the markets in Osaka, so were excited for another. However, by the time we made it to this side of Kyoto it had about 10 minutes until it closed.

Daijo-ji Temple– This is a Buddhist temple located in the south of Kyoto, about a 28 minute train ride and walk or 45 minute walk from Gion District. Though it looks close to the Kiyomizu-dera area, you have to hop on public transportation that takes 45 minutes as well. It wasn’t worth it for us. But looks like it has incredible cherry blossom and autumn foliage trees

I’ve mapped out an excellent way to see Kyoto on your own, but I know, sometimes a guided tour just adds more to an experience.

To be perfectly honest, we didn’t take a guided tour in Kyoto. However, on several occasions on our Japan trip we had wished we had more insight into the history of what we were seeing.

As you have probably noticed, there is some travel time between many of the sites in Kyoto (which threw us off a bit!), so a perk of taking a guided tour is that you won’t have to rely on public transportation.

If I were to take a guided tour of Kyoto, I would take this full-day tour. It covers many of the sites we visited including Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kinkaku-ji Temple and Kiyomizu-dera plus takes you to Arashiyama Bamboo Forest and Nijo Castle

Then you will have a full second day to see the rest of what you’d like to see in Kyoto!