Kyoto in 3 days: a first-timer's walking itinerary (2026)
This is the route we would hand a friend visiting Kyoto for the first time. Each day is eight stops in walking order, timed so the busy places come before the tour groups and the viewpoints land near sunset. Prices were checked in November 2026; where a price is older or not published, we say so.
Open the interactive 3D route →Day 1 · Fushimi Inari, Kiyomizu & Gion: Red gates at dawn, maple valleys, old Gion at dusk
Walk the torii tunnels of Fushimi Inari before the crowds, cross the maple valley of Tofuku-ji, ride the Keihan Line north and climb to Kiyomizu-dera's wooden stage. Then wander down the stone lanes of Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka, the gardens of Kodai-ji, Yasaka Shrine and Maruyama Park, and end in Gion as the lanterns come on.
Fushimi Inari Taisha
Thousands of vermilion torii gates climb Mount Inari in long tunnels. Early morning is the only time the first stretch feels calm.
Price: Free · Hours: Grounds open 24 hours
Tip: Take the JR Nara Line to Inari (about 5 min from Kyoto Station). Walk up to the Yotsutsuji viewpoint (about 45 min) and come back down; the full summit loop takes 2–3 hours on steep stone steps.
Tofuku-ji & Tsutenkyo Bridge
A covered wooden bridge over a ravine of about 2,000 maples, one of Kyoto's most famous autumn views.
Price: Tsutenkyo & Kaisando ¥1,000 (15 Nov–7 Dec) · Hours: 8:30am–4:30pm from mid-November (last entry 4pm)
Tip: In peak weeks the bridge queue can be long and staff may ask you not to stop for photos on it; the view from Gaunkyo bridge is a good alternative. The Hojo rock gardens are a separate ticket.
Kiyomizu-dera
A great wooden stage built out over the hillside on tall pillars, looking across a sea of maples to the city below.
Price: ¥500 adult · Hours: From 6am; closes about 6pm · night viewing 21–30 Nov 2026, 5:30–9:30pm (last entry 9pm)
Tip: The stage is busiest from late morning; walk on to the Okunoin side for the classic view back at the hall. If you are in Kyoto on 21–30 November, you can come back after dark for the illuminated night viewing (¥500).
Sannenzaka & Ninenzaka · lunch
Stepped lanes of wooden shops selling pottery, pickles, sweets and matcha, with the Yasaka pagoda rising above the roofs.
Price: Free · pay per dish · Hours: Most shops about 9am–6pm (check)
Tip: The steps are steep and slippery in rain. Eating while walking is discouraged here; eat at the shop or a café. Many places close by 6pm.
Kodai-ji
A temple built in memory of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, with a raked gravel garden, a pond under maples and a small bamboo grove.
Price: ¥800 adult · Hours: 9am–10pm during the autumn night viewing (23 Oct–13 Dec 2026, last entry 9:30pm)
Tip: The approach from Nene-no-michi is a quiet stone lane. If you prefer the gardens lit up, swap this stop to the evening; lights come on at 5pm.
Yasaka Shrine & Maruyama Park
The vermilion west gate at the top of Shijo-dori and a dance stage hung with hundreds of lanterns, with Maruyama Park's trees just behind.
Price: Free · Hours: Grounds open all day
Tip: Walk through Maruyama Park first, then come out through the shrine to the west gate for the view down Shijo-dori.
Hanamikoji Street
Gion's main stone-paved street of wooden teahouses with bamboo blinds, quiet and atmospheric as the lanterns light up around sunset (about 4:45pm).
Price: Free · Hours: Street open all day
Tip: The side alleys off Hanamikoji are private roads where photos are banned; signs warn of a ¥10,000 fine. Never block or follow geiko and maiko; stay on the main street to take pictures.
Gion Shirakawa · dinner
A willow-lined canal with old wooden houses and the little Tatsumi Shrine by the bridge, lovely in the evening lights.
Price: Free · pay per dish · Hours: Street open all day · restaurants vary
Tip: For dinner, the streets around Shijo-dori and Pontocho have many choices; popular places fill up early in autumn, so book or eat before 6pm.
Day 2 · Arashiyama & Kinkaku-ji: Bamboo at first light, the Golden Pavilion in the afternoon
Arrive in Arashiyama early for the bamboo grove, walk into Tenryu-ji's pond garden, climb the mossy steps of Jojakko-ji, see the mountains turn red from Togetsukyo Bridge and have lunch in town. Then take the little Randen tram to Ryoan-ji's rock garden, walk to Kinkaku-ji, and end at Kitano Tenmangu's maple garden as the lights come on.
Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
A path between towering green bamboo that creaks and rustles in the wind. Before 8am there is still room to stop and look up.
Price: Free · Hours: Path open all day
Tip: Take the JR Sagano Line to Saga-Arashiyama (about 15 min from Kyoto Station) and walk 10 min. Keep to the path; the bamboo is fenced and carving or touching it damages it.
Tenryu-ji
A World Heritage Zen temple whose 14th-century pond garden borrows the maple-covered Arashiyama hills as its backdrop.
Price: Garden ¥500 (halls +¥300) · Hours: 8:30am–5pm (last entry 4:50pm) · garden from 7:30am on 14–30 Nov 2026 (check)
Tip: Enter through the north gate straight from the bamboo grove. The Cloud Dragon painting in the Dharma Hall is a separate ¥500 ticket and opens on weekends and in special periods only.
Jojakko-ji
A small temple climbing the slope of Mount Ogura, with a thatched gate, mossy stone steps under maples and a view over Sagano.
Price: ¥600 · Hours: 9am–5pm (last entry 4:30pm)
Tip: The paths are uneven stone steps; wear good shoes. On the way back down, the lanes of Sagano are quiet and lined with farm fields and old houses.
Togetsukyo Bridge
A long wooden-railed bridge across the Katsura River, with the whole mountainside of Arashiyama turning red and gold behind it.
Price: Free · Hours: Open all day
Tip: The riverbank on the town side has benches and the best straight view of the bridge. Rowing boats can be hired upstream if you have time.
Arashiyama main street · lunch
The main street between the bridge and the Randen station, with tofu, soba and yudofu restaurants, matcha sweets and souvenir shops.
Price: Free · pay per dish · Hours: Most shops about 10am–5pm (check)
Tip: Lunch queues grow after noon in autumn; eat a little early. The Randen station has a small footbath and a 'Kimono Forest' of lit poles.
Ryoan-ji
Fifteen stones set in raked white gravel behind an old clay wall, the most famous dry garden in Japan, plus a large pond garden.
Price: ¥600 adult · Hours: 8am–5pm (March–November)
Tip: Sit on the veranda and try to count all fifteen stones: from any one spot, at least one is hidden. Shoes come off inside.
Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)
A three-storey pavilion covered in gold leaf, reflected in a mirror pond with pine-covered islands.
Price: ¥500 adult · Hours: 9am–5pm daily
Tip: The path is one-way and busy all day; the first view across the pond is the best photo spot, so take your time there. Last entry is at 5pm, so don't arrive much later than 3:30pm.
Kitano Tenmangu & Momiji-en
The shrine of the god of learning, and behind it a maple garden along an old earthen wall built by Hideyoshi, lit up at dusk.
Price: Shrine free · Momiji-en ¥1,500 · Hours: Momiji-en 31 Oct–6 Dec 2026, 9am–4pm; lit to 8pm (last entry 7:40pm) from mid-November
Tip: Enter the maple garden around 4pm to see it in daylight and then lit up, with no changeover. Buses back to Kyoto Station leave from Kitano Tenmangu-mae.
Day 3 · Nijo Castle & the Philosopher's Path: A shogun's castle, a food market, and maples by lantern light
Hear the nightingale floors of Nijo Castle at opening time, graze through Nishiki Market, cross the Kamo River by Pontocho, pass under Heian Shrine's giant torii, then take the bus to Ginkaku-ji and walk the canal-side Philosopher's Path south to Nanzen-ji's brick aqueduct. Finish at Eikando's night illumination.
Nijo Castle
The Kyoto residence of the Tokugawa shoguns: a gilded Karamon gate, painted palace rooms and 'nightingale' floors that chirp underfoot.
Price: ¥1,300 adult (incl. Ninomaru Palace) · Hours: Entry 8:45am–4pm, closes 5pm · closed 29–31 Dec
Tip: Be at the East Gate at 8:45am and go to the Ninomaru Palace first, before the tour groups. Kyoto plans a higher fee for non-residents from fiscal 2027, so check the price if you travel later.
Nishiki Market · lunch
'Kyoto's kitchen': a narrow covered lane of about 130 shops selling pickles, tofu, dashi rolls, sesame, knives and sweets.
Price: Free entry · pay per dish · Hours: Most shops about 10am–5pm · some close Wednesdays or Sundays (check)
Tip: Eating while walking is discouraged; eat at the stall or its standing counter. Several shops close by 5pm and the lane is packed at midday.
Pontocho & the Kamo River
A one-lane alley of wooden restaurants squeezed between Kiyamachi and the river, and the wide Kamo riverbank where locals sit by the water.
Price: Free · Hours: Alley open all day
Tip: Pontocho is busiest at night; by day you can walk it slowly. Follow the riverbank north to Sanjo bridge for the subway.
Heian Shrine & Great Torii
A 24m concrete torii over the road and a bright vermilion copy of the old imperial palace, built in 1895, with a wide white-gravel court.
Price: Grounds free · garden separate · Hours: Grounds about 6am–5pm in November (check)
Tip: The stroll garden behind the main hall has a separate ticket (check the price on site); skip it if you want more time on the Philosopher's Path.
Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion)
A quiet two-storey pavilion, a cone of white sand and a moss garden with a hillside path looking back over the city.
Price: ¥1,000 adult (from April 2026) · Hours: 8:30am–5pm (March–November)
Tip: The fee doubled in April 2026. Take the hillside loop for the view over the roof to the city. The approach street has tea and sweet shops.
Philosopher's Path
A stone path beside a narrow canal under cherry and maple trees, named after a philosopher who walked it every day.
Price: Free · Hours: Open all day
Tip: Detour up to Honen-in's thatched gate and sand mounds (free grounds) halfway along. The path is flat but busy; keep to one side for cyclists and residents.
Nanzen-ji & the Aqueduct
A huge wooden Sanmon gate you can climb, and a red-brick Meiji-era aqueduct of arches running through the temple grounds.
Price: Grounds & aqueduct free · Sanmon gate ¥800 (2026 guide · check on site) · Hours: Paid areas 8:40am–5pm (entry until 20 min before)
Tip: Climb the Sanmon before 4:40pm for the view over the maples. Sunset is about 4:45pm, so the aqueduct is at its softest light just before you leave.
Eikando night illumination
Often called the best autumn temple in Kyoto: thousands of maples around a pond and a pagoda on the hill, lit up after dark.
Price: Night ¥1,000 (20 Nov–6 Dec 2026) · Hours: Night entry 5:30–8:30pm, 20 Nov–6 Dec 2026 · daytime to 4pm
Tip: The day and night sessions are separate; queue from about 5pm. Outside 20 Nov–6 Dec there is no night opening, so visit by day instead (¥1,500 during the autumn exhibition, last entry 4pm) before Nanzen-ji.
Top 10 places for a first visit
| # | Place | Area | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fushimi Inari Taisha Thousands of vermilion torii gates in tunnels up Mount Inari, open day and night. | Fushimi | Free |
| 2 | Kiyomizu-dera A hillside temple with a huge wooden stage over a valley of maples. | Higashiyama | ¥500 adult |
| 3 | Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) A gold-leaf pavilion mirrored in a pond with pine islands. | Kitayama | ¥500 adult |
| 4 | Arashiyama Bamboo Grove A path through towering bamboo that rustles in the wind. | Arashiyama | Free |
| 5 | Gion & Hanamikoji Kyoto's geisha district of wooden teahouses and stone-paved streets. | Gion | Free |
| 6 | Tofuku-ji A Zen temple with a covered bridge over a ravine of about 2,000 maples. | Higashiyama south | Tsutenkyo & Kaisando ¥1,000 (15 Nov–7 Dec) |
| 7 | Nijo Castle The Tokugawa shoguns' Kyoto castle, with painted rooms and squeaking 'nightingale' floors. | Nijo | ¥1,300 adult (incl. Ninomaru Palace) |
| 8 | Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion) A quiet Zen pavilion with a sculpted white-sand garden and a moss hillside. | Higashiyama north | ¥1,000 adult (from April 2026) |
| 9 | Eikando (Zenrin-ji) A temple famed for its autumn maples around a pond and a hilltop pagoda. | Okazaki | Day ¥1,500 / night ¥1,000 (autumn 2026) |
| 10 | Nishiki Market 'Kyoto's kitchen', a covered lane of about 130 food shops. | Downtown | Free entry · pay per dish |
Before you go
Entry
- Visa-free stays: Korean and Singaporean passport holders can visit Japan for tourism without a visa for up to 90 days. There is no pre-travel authorisation yet; ignore sites that sell one. Confirm with the official MOFA site before travel.
- Visit Japan Web (free): Register your passport and flight on the official Visit Japan Web site before you fly and show the QR code at immigration and customs at Kansai Airport. It is free; don't pay a look-alike agency.
- Departure tax: The International Tourist Tax rose to ¥3,000 per departure from 1 July 2026. It is added to your air ticket, so there is nothing to pay at the airport.
SIM & eSIM
- eSIM before you fly: A data eSIM installed at home works as soon as you land at Kansai Airport. Compare days and data, not just price.
- At the airport: Counters in the KIX arrivals hall sell tourist SIMs and rent pocket Wi-Fi; bring your passport.
- Maps: Google Maps shows Kyoto bus numbers, stops and live times well. Bus stops have several poles for different routes, so check the number on the pole matches.
Getting around
- Airport to Kyoto: From Kansai Airport the JR Haruka limited express runs direct to Kyoto Station in about 75 minutes (unreserved about ¥3,600; discount tickets for visitors are sold by JR West). The airport limousine bus takes 90–120 minutes (about ¥2,800). These are mid-2026 figures; check before you ride.
- IC cards: ICOCA, Suica and PASMO cards work on Kyoto buses, the subway, JR, Keihan, Hankyu and the Randen tram. City buses in the central zone cost a flat ¥230; tap on when you get off at the back.
- Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass: ¥1,100 for unlimited subway and city bus rides in one day. It pays off from about four bus rides. The old bus-only day pass is no longer sold.
- Beat the autumn traffic: In November, buses to Kiyomizu, Gion and Ginkaku-ji are packed and slow, worst from about 1pm to 4pm. These routes use JR, Keihan, the subway and the Randen tram where possible and keep buses to short hops.
- Hotel tax: Since 1 March 2026 Kyoto charges an accommodation tax per person per night by room rate: ¥200 under ¥6,000, ¥400 to ¥20,000, ¥1,000 to ¥50,000, ¥4,000 to ¥100,000 and ¥10,000 above. It is often paid at check-in, on top of the booking price.
Local rules
- Gion photo rule: In Gion, the private side alleys off Hanamikoji ban photos and signs warn of a ¥10,000 fine. Never chase, touch or block geiko and maiko; take pictures only on public streets.
- Temple manners: Take off shoes where asked, don't step on moss or gravel gardens, and don't use tripods or selfie sticks in crowded halls. Eating while walking is discouraged in Nishiki Market and on Sannenzaka.
- Autumn crowds: Mid to late November is the busiest season of the year. Start before 8am, book dinner, keep valuables close in crowds and allow extra time for queues at Tofuku-ji, Kiyomizu-dera and the night illuminations.
- Steep paths: Fushimi Inari, Kiyomizu-dera, Jojakko-ji and Ginkaku-ji have steep stone steps that are slippery when wet. Wear shoes with grip and carry a small torch for the evening.
Money & tax-free
- Cards and cash: Cards and IC cards work in most shops, but small temples, shrine charms and some market stalls may be cash only. 7-Eleven ATMs accept foreign cards.
- New tax-free system (from 1 Nov 2026): You now pay the 10% consumption tax at the till and get it back when you leave. Spend at least ¥5,000 before tax in one shop on one day, keep the goods unused, and before check-in at the airport scan your purchases at the customs kiosk or on Visit Japan Web; then claim the refund the way the shop explains.
- Tipping: There is no tipping in Japan; good service is included.
Weather in November
- Cool and mostly dry: Days are about 15–18°C early in the month and cooler later; mornings can drop to about 5–8°C, colder than Osaka. Bring layers, a warm coat for evening illuminations and a compact umbrella.
- Sunset and leaves: Sunset is around 4:45–4:55pm. Kyoto's maples usually peak from mid to late November, later in the city centre than in the hills; the exact week changes each year, so check a leaf forecast before you go.
Sources
- Self Guide Japan — Things to do in Kyoto (fees and hours checked 23 Sep 2026)
- japan-guide.com — Tofuku-ji (Tsutenkyo ¥1,000 from 15 Nov–7 Dec, updated Feb 2026)
- Kiyomizu-dera official — autumn night viewing 21–30 Nov 2026
- Kyoto autumn 2026 guide — Kiyomizu-dera night viewing 17:30–21:30, ¥500
- NTA — Kodai-ji autumn night viewing 2026 (23 Oct–13 Dec, ¥800)
- Metropolis — Japan tourist rules 2026 (Gion private-street photo rule)
- Tenryu-ji official — admission and access (garden ¥500)
- Walkerplus — Jojakko-ji autumn (¥600, as of Sep 2026)
- Sagano Tourism Association — Okochi Sanso (¥1,000 with tea)
- NTA — Kitano Tenmangu Momiji-en 2026 (¥1,500, light-up to 8pm)
- Keihan — Kyoto autumn leaves 2026: Eikando (night 20 Nov–6 Dec, ¥1,000)
- MATCHA — Ginkaku-ji fee raised to ¥1,000 from 1 Apr 2026
- Nanzen-ji guide, updated Jul 2026 (grounds and aqueduct free)
- Nippon.com / Jiji — Nijo Castle fee plan (Oct 2026)
- Time Out — Kyoto accommodation tax from 1 Mar 2026
- Self Guide Japan — Japan tourist taxes 2026
- WaTabi — How to get around Kyoto 2026 (bus ¥230, 1-day pass ¥1,100)
- Japan Activity — Kansai Airport to Kyoto (Haruka, Jun 2026)
- Todai-ji guide, updated Jun 2026 (Great Buddha Hall ¥800)
- The Star — Himeji Castle ¥2,500 for non-residents, Kyoto lodging tax (Mar 2026)
- Osaka Info — Osaka Castle Main Tower (¥1,200)
- Kyoto City Official Travel Guide
- JNTO — Japan National Tourism Organization
- JNTO — Japan's new tax-free shopping system (from 1 Nov 2026)
- JNTO Korea — International Tourist Tax ¥3,000 from 1 Jul 2026
- MOFA Japan — visa exemption list
- Visit Japan Web — official (free)
- Illustrated draft map by 3DAYS · real-data 3D map in preparation
Prices are for adults and can change; always check the official site on the day. Some ticket, hotel and eSIM links on 3DAYS are affiliate links: your price is the same and we may earn a commission. Rankings and routes are not paid placements.