Kiyomizu-dera's wooden stage above a hillside of red autumn maples

Kansai, Japan · 35.01° N, 135.77° E

Kyoto

Seventeen UNESCO sites, a thousand temples and the quietest mornings in any big city we know.

Best time
Late March–April; mid-November–early December
Ideal length
4–5 days in Kyoto; 8–10 days in Japan
Region
Abroad
Journeys from
₹2,85,000

Kyoto is a city that rewards getting up early. Fushimi Inari's torii gates at seven are a different place from the same path at ten, and the bamboo grove at Arashiyama is only a grove before the tour buses.

We pair a Kyoto ryokan — tatami, a cedar bath, a kaiseki dinner served in your room — with a design hotel in Higashiyama, and plan the days neighbourhood by neighbourhood on foot.

Cherry blossom and autumn maple seasons are extraordinary and extraordinarily busy. We start planning those trips nine months out, and we'll tell you honestly if a shoulder week would serve you better.

(02)When to go

Late March–April; mid-November–early December

Sakura usually peaks in the first week of April; autumn colour in the last two weeks of November. Summers are hot and humid.

  1. January: not recommended
  2. February: not recommended
  3. March: recommended
  4. April: recommended
  5. May: not recommended
  6. June: not recommended
  7. July: not recommended
  8. August: not recommended
  9. September: not recommended
  10. October: not recommended
  11. November: recommended
  12. December: recommended

(03)Don't miss

The moments worth the journey.

Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion, reflected in its pond among pines
Photo Jean Vella / Unsplash
  1. 01

    Higashiyama at dusk

    The Yasaka pagoda and the stone lanes of Sannenzaka once the shops close.

  2. 02

    Kiyomizu-dera

    The wooden stage above a hillside of maples, spectacular in November.

  3. 03

    A night in a ryokan

    Yukata, onsen, kaiseki and a futon laid out while you are at dinner.

  4. 04

    Arashiyama

    The bamboo grove at opening, then a slow boat down the Hozugawa.

(04)From the road

Kyoto in pictures

  • A path through the tall stems of the Arashiyama bamboo grove
    A path through the tall stems of the Arashiyama bamboo grove
  • A woman in kimono walking along Hanamikoji Street in Gion
    A woman in kimono walking along Hanamikoji Street in Gion
  • Tiled rooftops of old Kyoto houses glowing at sunset
    Tiled rooftops of old Kyoto houses glowing at sunset

(05)Journeys

Ways to travel Kyoto

Starting points our planners reshape around your dates, your people and your pace.

Plan a trip to KyotoAll journeys

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