kyoto in 3 days, 2 nights
Nishiki Market and Gion after landing, Fushimi Inari's gates and Kiyomizu-dera on day two, then Arashiyama and the Golden Pavilion before heading home. Late March to early April and November are the best and busiest times.
Day 1 Nishiki and Gion
- Morning
- Take the overnight flight from KL to Kansai, about 6.5 hours, then the Haruka express to Kyoto, about 75 minutes. Drop your bags at the hotel.
- Lunch
- Snack your way along Nishiki Market, the long covered market in the city centre, on skewers, pickles and matcha sweets.
- Afternoon
- Check in and rest after the night flight.
- Evening
- Gion, a short bus or taxi ride from Kyoto Station, for the lantern-lit lanes of old wooden houses. Have dinner nearby.
Day 2 Gates and temples
- Morning
- Go early to Fushimi Inari, a few minutes by JR train from Kyoto Station. Walk up through the red torii gates as far as you like; the crowds thin out the higher you go.
- Lunch
- Lunch near the shrine, or back around Kyoto Station.
- Afternoon
- Kiyomizu-dera, the wooden temple on stilts, a short taxi ride away. Then walk down the old lanes of Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka, stopping for matcha sweets.
- Evening
- A kaiseki dinner, the seasonal multi-course meal Kyoto is known for. Book ahead.
Day 3 Arashiyama and home
- Morning
- JR train to Arashiyama, about 15 minutes from Kyoto Station. Walk the bamboo grove early, then down to the river.
- Lunch
- Yudofu, simmered tofu from temple cooking, which Arashiyama's restaurants are known for.
- Afternoon
- Taxi or bus to Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion on its pond, about 30 minutes away.
- Evening
- Back to Kyoto Station, then the Haruka to Kansai for the flight home.
Good to know
- Coming from Osaka instead? Skip the Haruka. The shinkansen from Shin-Osaka takes about 15 minutes.
- Don't photograph or follow geiko and maiko, and keep out of the Gion lanes marked private.
- City buses get very crowded. Use trains where you can, and taxis for short hops between sights.