The best of Kyoto: What to do in 4 (or 5) days in the former Japanese capital

Kyoto was one of the last stops on our four-week adventure in Japan. You know the saying, “save the best for last”? Well, that’s exactly what we did.

After soaking in the modern energy of Tokyo, exploring medieval villages, crossing the Japanese Alps and absorbed the story into Hiroshima, we arrived in Kyoto thinking we already knew everything about Japan — what a mistake! Kyoto surprised us at every turn, with new experiences, adventures and learning around every corner.

Our five days in Kyoto were filled with stunning temples, peaceful gardens, incredible dining experiences, cultural immersion, and breathtaking landscapes.

In this post, I’ll share what we found to be the best of the city, all packed into a five day Kyoto itinerary. You could easily fit everything into four days, as I’ll explain below. And if you only have three days, you’ll still get a great taste of Kyoto — enough to fall even more in love with Japan and start dreaming of your next trip to the Land of the Rising Sun.

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What to do in Kyoto in 5 days

1️⃣ Arrival in Kyoto and Nishiki Market

2️⃣ Nanzen-ji Temple, Philosopher's Path, Ginkaku-ji Temple and Kinkaku-ji Temple

3️⃣ Gion Matsuri Festival, Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, Tenryu-ji Temple, Arashiyama Bamboo Forest and Gion

4️⃣ Lake Biwa OR Nara, and Kyoto Tower

5️⃣ Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Hokanji Pagoda and Yasaka Shrine, and Nara (if not visited the day before)

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Day 1 – Arrival in Kyoto and Mibubojocho Area and Nishiki Market

We were in Hiroshima and our plans involved taking the Shinkansen to Quioto, with a stop in Himeji to visit the beautiful Himeji Castle. But, as the best plans are those open to change, we decided to skip the visit to Himeji — after all, we had already explored the incredible Matsumoto Castle — and headed straight to Kyoto.

We arrived in Kyoto around lunchtime, checked into ORI Kyoto, and after grabbing a bite to eat, we wandered around the Mibubojocho area. It didn’t take long to notice that something was going on in the city. It turned out to be preparations for Kyoto’s main festival, the Gion Matsuri, which takes place every July. The highlight of the festival is the Yamaboko Junko parade, where beautifully decorated floats make their way through Kyoto’s main streets.

As we strolled through the neighborhood, we saw several of these floats, richly adorned with tapestries and historical artifacts, each one representing local traditions and legends. There were also plenty of food and drink stalls lining the streets, along with crowds of people enjoying the festivities.

We ended the day exploring Nishiki Market, a network of narrow streets and galleries filled with all kinds of delicacies. If you're nearby, it's also worth checking out Teramachi Shopping Street, a lively gallery full of shops and restaurants.

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Day 2 – Nanzen-ji Temple, Philosopher's Path, Ginkaku-ji Temple, and Kinkaku-ji Temple

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Nanzen-ji Temple and the Philosopher's Path

Nanzen-ji Temple, one of Japan's largest Zen complexes, is a true delight with its grand architecture and tranquil gardens. Once the most important temple in the country, you might recognize the massive Sanmon Gate from the movie Lost in Translation. A short trail leads you to a historic aqueduct, which is definitely worth the visit.

This is also where the Philosopher's Path (Tetsugaku no Michi) begins — a charming path that runs alongside the Kamo Canal. It's named after Kyoto University philosophy professor Nishida Kitaro, who walked this route daily in meditation. The path is lovely any time of year, but in spring, it transforms into a tunnel of cherry blossoms. We visited in the summer and enjoyed a peaceful walk along the 2-kilometer trail, which took us around 30 minutes — a perfect escape from Japan’s intense July sun and heat.

For lunch, we stopped at a small, simple restaurant called Ikana, where I tried matcha noodles — delicious! It was the only place during our trip where I found them.

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Ginkaku-ji Temple

Ginkaku-ji Temple quickly became one of my favorites in Kyoto. Known as the "Temple of the Silver Pavilion," it was designed to shimmer in soft silvery hues under the moonlight. We visited on a scorching hot summer day, but the temple grounds were pleasantly cool and relatively quiet. The gardens were lush and green, with a large moss-covered area that was simply beautiful. I can only imagine how breathtaking the foliage must be in the fall or the cherry blossoms in spring.

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Kinkaku-ji Temple

Next, we took a bus to visit the iconic Temple of the Golden Pavilion—Kinkaku-ji. Covered in gold leaf and surrounded by a serene lake, it’s one of Japan’s most famous landmarks, which explains why it’s always crowded. The path around the lake, offering views of the temple, was packed with tourists. While the rest of the gardens were a bit quieter, they were still quite busy. If you're seeking a zen moment, this may not be the spot amidst the constant flow of visitors.

We ended the evening back at Nishiki Market, exploring more of its alleys.

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Day 3 – Gion Matsuri Festival, Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, Tenryu-ji Temple, Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, and Gion

It was Monday, July twenty fourth, and our schedule was already packed. We had two must-visit spots in Kyoto: the Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine (the one with the iconic red torii gates) and the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. That alone would have been enough to keep us busy, but as we set out in the morning, we realized we had lucked into something special—a traditional event we hadn’t even planned for.

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Gion Matsuri Festival

It was the final day of the Gion Matsuri Festival parades, called Yamaboko Junko. Despite the festival being named after the Gion neighborhood, most of the main events take place on the opposite side of the Kamo River. The streets of central Kyoto were taken over by beautifully decorated floats, draped in Nishijin tapestries, while crowds lined the sidewalks, politely “cheering” for their favorites. As you’d expect in Japan, everything was incredibly polite and orderly.

We found a shaded spot on the sidewalk and spent quite a bit of time watching the parade. One by one, several floats, some weighing up to 12 tons and carried by dozens of men, made their way down the street . The corners were the prime viewing spots, where the audience silently watched as the floats navigated the turns, guided by a traditional song sung by the carriers to coordinate their movements.

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Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine

After the parade, we walked to Gion Station and took the subway to Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine. The station is conveniently close to the shrine’s entrance.

Fushimi Inari is famous for its rows of red torii gates, which stretch across four kilometers of trails leading to the top of the mountain. Dedicated to Inari, the deity of good harvest and business success, Fushimi Inari Taisha is the most important Inari shrine in Japan. Merchants and businesspeople donate torii gates to the shrine, and it’s believed there are over ten thousand gates here. You'll also notice several statues of foxes, considered messengers of Inari.

Don’t let the crowds at the base discourage you . As you climb the mountain, the crowds thin out, and eventually, you’ll find a quiet section of the torii tunnel all to yourself. If you're like us and battling Japan’s intense summer heat, you’ll become a true devotee of Inari, grateful for the shade provided by the endless gates.

The view from the top is stunning. It took us about two hours to complete the entire hike, though there was a point when the kids decided they’d had enough, leaving the adults to forge ahead at a quicker pace. If you prefer a more leisurely experience, allow about three hours to complete the full route.

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Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

After leaving Fushimi Inari, we crossed Kyoto by subway, heading towards the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, which is about a 15-minute walk from Saga-Arashiyama Station.

On the way, we passed by Tenryu-ji Temple and walked through the Sogenchi Zen Garden (which is next to the temple but has a separate entrance) to reach the entrance of the bamboo forest.

You’ve probably seen countless photos of this forest on Instagram, but believe me, it’s even more breathtaking in person than any influencer can capture. The Arashiyama Bamboo Forest itself isn’t huge; there’s a single path of about 500 meters lined with towering bamboo.

It’s worth continuing a bit further beyond the forest to Kameyama Park, where you’ll find a viewpoint offering a stunning view of the Katsura River Valley.

Deep within the forest lies the Okochi Sanso Garden, a former imperial villa with beautiful gardens and one of the best views of Kyoto. The visit even includes tea, but when we arrived, it had already closed (at the time, it closed at five pm, but it's best to check the schedule before visiting).

As we exited the forest, we stopped by the Nonomiya-jinja Shrine, which is also worth a few minutes of your time.

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Gion and Ponto-Cho

Exhausted, but still wanting more, we returned to the central region of Kyoto and went for a walk around Gion neighborhood, the traditional neighborhood of dark wooden houses, geishas and temples. Do you know that ancient Japan that inhabits the popular imagination? You will find it in this region. I recommend a walking tour guided, especially at the end of the day.

We walked around the streets for a while and decided to return to the central region of Kyoto, crossing the Kamo River via the Shijoo Bridge, to have dinner on Ponto-Cho Street.

Ponto-Cho It is a small, pedestrian-only alley that runs parallel to the Kamo River, on the opposite side of the Gion River. It is full of small restaurants and bars, some of them with a space at the back overlooking the river.

We got there thinking we could just go in, sit down and order, but at that point the gods of lack of planning were not on our side. On a Monday, the street was crowded with people and all the restaurants were full. We asked dozens of people, everything was full or only with reservations. We stopped at 7-eleven and had dinner at the hotel.

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Day 4 – Lake Biwa and Kyoto Tower

If you only have four days in Kyoto, I suggest skipping today’s itinerary and following what we did on day five.

However, if you have five or more days and don't feel like spending a whole day relaxing at Lake Biwa, consider splitting day five’s schedule over two days, as I explain there.

But beware: if you’re traveling around Japan in the summer, I highly recommend spending a day at the lake. Don’t underestimate the intensity of the Japanese heat! It’s wise to leave one day open so you can decide once you're there whether you need a break with shade and refreshing water or if you'd rather keep going on the tourist trail.

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Lake Biwa

Who doesn’t love a vacation within a vacation?

After nearly a month of traveling around Japan, seeing one temple after another and enduring a heatwave I never imagined could hit Japan, we were desperate for a break.

We found our paradise just minutes from Kyoto. Lake Biwa is Japan's largest lake and offers a range of activities, such as canoeing, stand-up paddleboarding, fishing, etc. But what we really wanted was to cool off in the water. And what delicious water!

We took the train to Omi-Maiko Station, about 40 minutes from Kyoto Central Station, and from there, it’s just a five-minute walk to the beach. The beach itself is fantastic: a few restaurants and bars, plenty of shade, and lots of room to spread out your towel. Drinking beer on the beach is allowed, and the water temperature was perfect!

It was exactly what we needed to recharge and be ready for the final days of our trip to Japan.

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Kyoto Central Station and Kyoto Tower

After a rejuvenating day at Lake Biwa, we headed back to Kyoto.

We made a stop at Kyoto Central Station, which has an impressive complex of shops and restaurants. Right across from it is the iconic Kyoto Tower, with an observation deck 100 meters high offering stunning 360º views of the city and surrounding region. I highly recommend buying your tickets in advance through the official website.

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Day 5 – Nara and Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Hokanji Pagoda, and Yasaka Shrine

Originally, we didn’t plan on spending a day at Lake Biwa, so we had to condense our five-day itinerary into four. After spending three full days in Kyoto, the math was simple: everything from Days 5 and 4 now had to fit into Day 4. But that’s what travel is about, right? Flexibility and adjusting plans as we go. So, we woke up early, ready to make the most of the day.

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Nara

Nara, Japan’s first permanent capital , is perfect for a day trip from Kyoto or Osaka. The city’s top attractions include:

1. Todai-ji Temple

The star of Nara, Todai-ji Temple, is one of Japan's largest and most significant Buddhist temples. Its highlight is the impressive Daibutsu, a 15-meter-tall bronze statue of Buddha.

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2. Nara Koen Park

Famous for its freely roaming deer, Nara Park is a charming spot where these gentle creatures are considered sacred messengers in Shinto culture. While interacting with them is fun, always be mindful and respectful of their space.

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3. Kasuga Taisha Shrine

Nestled in the woods of Nara Park, Kasuga Taisha is renowned for its magical ambiance, created by its many stone and bronze lanterns. We skipped this one due to time constraints.

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4. Kofuku-ji Temple

This temple is home to a stunning five-story pagoda and sits near Nara Park.

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Kiyomizu-dera Temple

After Nara, we headed back to Kyoto for one of the city’s most iconic spots, Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Founded in 778, the temple’s wooden veranda juts out from the hillside, offering panoramic views of Kyoto and the surrounding mountains. Walking along Ninenzaka Street on the way to the temple, with its quaint shops and traditional houses, was a highlight in itself.

In the same complex, we visited Otowa-no-taki waterfall, where three separate streams flow. It’s believed that drinking from each stream grants a different blessing: longevity, success in studies, and a prosperous love life. Naturally, we braved the long line to sip the water using bamboo ladles and made our wishes.

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Hokanji Pagoda

From Kiyomizu-dera, we wandered through Higashiyama towards Gion, passing near the picturesque Hokanji Pagoda. This five-story pagoda, framed by traditional wooden houses, is a favorite Instagram spot. It’s undeniably beautiful, but the sheer number of tourists crammed into the narrow street made the experience a little overwhelming.

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Yasaka Shrine

We wrapped up the day with a serene visit to Yasada Shrine, enjoying the late afternoon glow. Afterward, we went out for our final dinner in Kyoto, soaking up the last moments in this amazing city.

The next day, we left early for Osaka, the final stop on our four-week adventure in Japan.

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Getting around Kyoto

Kyoto is a vast city, and its attractions are spread out. Even if you’re staying in the city center or the Gion area, there’s only so much you can do on foot. You’ll inevitably need to cover longer distances using the subway or bus, so planning your itinerary carefully is essential to avoid wasting time on unnecessary trips.

It’s also worth noting that Kyoto’s subway system isn’t as extensive or efficient as Tokyo. Often, you’ll find yourself needing to take a bus, which can get crowded! On our way back from Arashiyama, the bus was packed for almost an hour.

But don’t worry—it’s easy to get around the city. The key is having a good cell phone signal — I use the Airalo chip (promo code: DANAE2375) — and keeping Google Maps handy. Just set your destination and follow Google Maps’ instructions, which are incredibly reliable. It shows you everything: the route, whether to take the bus or subway, which line, where to get off, how much it costs, departure times—it’s all there, just follow along.

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Where to stay in Kyoto

I recommend staying near the Karasuma, Kyoto-Kawaramachi, or Kyoto Shiyajusho-mae subway stations, or in the Gion area.

We stayed at ORI Kyoto, close to Karasuma station, and I highly recommend both the hotel and the area. We booked a family room with two bunk beds, a small living room with two sofas, and a kitchenette, which was perfect for our five-night stay.

Other options I had shortlisted were the Sotetsu Fresa Inn Kyoto-Shijokarasuma, Hotel Grand Bach Kyoto Selectand Hotel Rings Kyoto, but I ultimately chose ORI for its great value, as it accommodated all of us in a single room.

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Detailed itinerary of our trip to Japan

Below is the Google MyMaps with the four-week trip to Japan. Just click and save it to your Google account. When you're planning your next trip to Japan, you’ll know exactly where to start 😉

On the map, you’ll find details of everything we did, where we stayed, and the best places we visited. There are different layers, each with a unique color for the various regions we explored.

In this post, I explain  how I use Google MyMaps to plan my trips. It’s an amazing tool for saving locations, calculating routes and distances, and organizing your entire journey. I highly recommend giving it a try!

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And cell phone chip: I have been using the virtual chip of AIRHELLO – if you want to test it, on your first purchase use the coupon DANAE2375 that you earn US$3

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