Kyoto itinerary help

Day 2 is impossible, if you actually want to see and appreciate all the places you:ll be visiting.

There is far too much to do in Kyoto to cover it all in 5 days. I keep returning to Kyoto, again and again, and I never run out of things to see in the city. Accept that you will miss out on some stuff. I would stick to a major area of the city each day, if you can. Transport across the city can be a hassle - particularly if you:re relying on the crowded buses. Best to be able to link places with walking, in my personal opinion.

Note that you have failed to include nearly all of the temples that I personally think are the highlights... ;-)

We'll be arriving to Kyoto on 20th Nov 2017 evening and will leave on 26th Nov morning.

Autumn foliage + public holiday (Nov 23) means that Kyoto will be packed. I hope you have booked accommodation. Avoid some of the most popular/famous foliage spots unless you enjoy crowds. There are plenty of pretty less visited temples in Kyoto even that time of the year. Regarding crowds I have particularly bad memories about Tofukuji that time of the year.

Day 2
Kiyomizu Temple

The main hall (which IMO is by far the best there is) is under scaffolding, and you might want to drop it (though in a recent thread here, somebody still liked it with scaffolding).

Jishu Shrine

This would be on the Kiyomizudera grounds. Just a regular small shrine to me. Worth a stop if you go to Kiyomizudera, but otherwise not.

Sanneizaka and Ninenzaka Streets

ok, somewhat touristic, but still a nice neighborhood. I much prefer it int he morning or evening when it gets less crowded.

Yasaka Shrine and Pagoda

Which pagoda? Yasaka Shrine is IMO much better in the evening lit up. Could combine it with "geisha"-spotting in nearby Ghion.

Chion-in Temple

IMO there are many similar temples to this one in Kyoto, and since its main hall is under scaffolding I'd skip it. You can still see the main gate (sanmon) which is at the lower end near the main path (if you walk Ginkaku-ji to Kiyomizudera).

Shoren - in Temple

ok, but there are plenty similar temples. Generally I'd make sure to see different types of temples.

Nishiki Market f

Not too thrilled about this one, but people seem to like it. You can see similar markets in other cities in Japan in case you are pressed for time in Kyoto.

Fushimi Inari Shrine

Iconic shrine and I would not miss it. It opens 24 h and the main lower part of the shrine/torii is lit up at night. Could see it in the early morning or evening when other sights are closed in order to gain extra sightseeing time.

Tofukuji Temple (?)

A good one, but as above in autumn season I would not recommend it.

Dinner and visit Gion District

As above, see Yasaka shrine here.

Day 4
Tenryu-ji Temple
Arashiyama
Bamboo forest
Okochi-Sanso Villa

ok. Some good/different ones if you continue walking further north: Gioji and Otagi-Nenbutsuji.

Kinkaku -Ji Temple
Koto-in Temple

I like this and other sub-temples of Daitokuji a lot. For logistics, I'd check whether it makes sense to start with Koto-in/Kinkaku-ji in the morning since you will then know how much time you have left for Arashiyama.

Day 6
Ryoan-ji Temple (?)

It would make sense to combine this with Kinkakuji. It is probably the most famous rock garden (and therefore crowded). I'd make sure to see at least one such rock garden, but unless you are decided on this one, there are many others, for instance, for instance in Daitoku-in

Ginkaku-ji Temple
Honen-in Temple
Philosopher's path
Eikando-Temple
Nanzen-ji Temple
Shugaku-in villa (?)

A good one, but you can only visit on a tour and if you get a tour around noon that is quite inconvenient for most sightseeing plans. If you go here, I'd consider a different itinerary, taking in Manshu-in, Enko-ji which are both great in autumn and should be considerably less crowded due to their somewhat remote location. Could end the day in Ohara if you have the time.

Shopping at Shijo-Dori

Day 7
Leaving Kyoto

Thank you in advance for all the help.

Day 3 Yamazaki distillery

This can be done in an afternoon. You definitely do not need a whole day. Which is good because a lot of your other days are very rushed.

Hi all,
thanks for your time and attention on my itinery and especially bamse for taking time to review it day by day. Really helpful .

I did some changes. Do you think it make more sense?

Day 1
Arrival (evening)
Rokkaikudo or Toji Temple (not sute if to include them at all?)
Nishiki Market

Day 2
Sanjusangendo
Sanneizaka and Ninenzaka Streets
Yasaka Shrine and Pagoda
GION to Pontocho
maybe Kiyomizudera or Kodaji at night (illumination) - which one would you recommend?

Day 3
Yamazaki distillery, until about 13:00 (booked long time ago, no able to change tha dates)
Tofukuji Temple
Tea Ceremony

Day 4
Nara
Fushimi Inari Shrine

Day 5

Ginkaku-ji Temple
Honen-in Temple
Philosopher's path
Heikan-Temple
Shugaku-in villa (depending on the reservation)
Nanzen-ji Temple at night (illumination)
Shopping at Shijo-Dori

Day 6

Kinkaku -Ji Temple
Koto-in Temple
Ryoan-ji Temple
Tenryu-ji Temple
Arashiyama
Bamboo forest
Otagi-Nenbutsuji
Gioji
Bridge Togetsukyo
Monkey park

Should I move Kiyomizudera illumination from Day 2 into Day 3 maybe?
ShouldI move Nanzen-ji Temple at night illumination into another day?
Do you think this two temples (above) are good choise to see the illumination?
It seems now the day 6 seems to be the worst one? Or I will manage to see itall?
Would you recommend other temples maybe?

Thank you in advance!

Day 1
Arrival (evening)
Rokkaikudo or Toji Temple (not sute if to include them at all?)
Nishiki Market

Toji and the Nishiki Market will be closed in the evening. Toji is a fantastic temple (more similar to Nara temples than anything in Kyoto), but is a bit inconvenient to reach, as it is far from anything.

Day 2
Sanjusangendo
Sanneizaka and Ninenzaka Streets
Yasaka Shrine and Pagoda
GION to Pontocho
maybe Kiyomizudera or Kodaji at night (illumination) - which one would you recommend?

This looks like a very light program unless you are planning to do some shopping or something.

Hi all,
thanks for your time and attention on my itinery and especially bamse for taking time to review it day by day. Really helpful .

I did some changes. Do you think it make more sense?

Day 1
Arrival (evening)
Rokkaikudo or Toji Temple (not sute if to include them at all?)
Nishiki Market

As already noted, these will be closed by the time you arrive. If you want to do something in the evening, go to Yasaka Shrine or Fushimi Inari, as they are open 24 hours.

Day 6

Kinkaku -Ji Temple
Koto-in Temple
Ryoan-ji Temple
Tenryu-ji Temple
Arashiyama
Bamboo forest
Otagi-Nenbutsuji
Gioji
Bridge Togetsukyo
Monkey park

There's way too much here. A good plan for sightseeing is no more than 3 sites in a day. Ryoanji, Kinkakuji, and Arashiyama/bamboo forest/monkey park is more than enough. Forget about the others, you won't have enough time. Otagi Nenbutsuji is really far out, you'll either be waiting a long time for the bus or walking quite a bit. If it's important to you, you could do it, but you'd probably have to cut something else.

The other thing to remember, and this is important, is that it will be PACKED with tourists at the time you are here. That means the sites will be packed, the buses will be packed, the streets will be packed. If you were here during the off-season (say January) you might be able to do everything in a day since you could get around without a problem. But you might miss the bus (and the next one) because it is full. You might be stuck on the bus or a taxi for 30 minutes, waiting for the crowds to cross the bridge in Arashiyama (it's happened to me). For planning, double or triple the time you think it will take to go to these places, and the same again for visiting them.

I currently live in Kyoto, and before that travelled here many times. Personally, if I was planning a trip to Kyoto at this time, I would recommend the following:

• Choose your top 2 or 3 sites for the day. Make those the priority. If you have extra time and energy, then have some optional activities on hand.
• Visit one area of the city during the day to minimize the time you will spend commuting.
• Figure out the places that you can visit at night. With the fall foliage and the illuminations, they will likely be as busy as during the day, but much more photogenic.
• Some places open really early (Kiyomizudera), or earlier than other places (Ginkakuji), or are open 24 hours (most shrines, Nanzenji Temple grounds, Philosopher's Path, etc). Getting there really early (even before they open) or going later in the evening usually will mean that you can enjoy those places without the crush of humanity that will be there during daylight hours. It's also worth going to temples in the last hour that they are open, as that tends to be a slower time as well.
• Don't just go for the big famous places. You may find that the crowds get to you (they certainly do for me!) and will want to visit or relax in less famous places. It will definitely give you some breathing room to relax and enjoy this city.

Even though I live here, like Giora, I have barely scratched the surface in exploring all this city (and the surroundings) have to offer. There's no way you can do it all in 5 days, so don't even try. Go for quality over quantity and you should enjoy your time here much more.

The one thing that To-ji temple is close to is Kyoto's main railway station. If you arrive by rail in the evening, and you don't have another chance to visit it (and don't mind lugging your luggage around for a bit), take the short walk there to check it out. Although the temple's closed in the evening, you can still see the silhouette of the wooden pagoda - Japan's tallest - after dark.

I would combine Sanjusangendo with the Fushimi-Inari shrine, walking between the two in one day. There are numerous other places of interest around there - the Toyokuni Shrine, Myoho-in (all you can do is peak in through the open door, and see the crazy layers of rafters inside the building; it's basically a fancy kitchen from the 16th century), Tofuku-ji. You can easily fit all that into one day.

Don't try and do anything else on the day you visit Nara - you'll never run out of things to do on a day-trip to Nara.

moose, is Kyoto really packed at the moment? I'm heading there this weekend, and would like to have one day free from the crowds. My initial thought was to visit Ohara and Kurama. But if those places are going to be busy as well (are they known for fall foliage?), I'll probably day-trip out of the city to somewhere obscure.

Giora, it's starting to pick up quite a bit now. I was in Seoul this past weekend, but the weekend prior I was at Fushimi Inari and Tofukuji temple area, and they were even more packed than usual (it was impossible to move at Fushimi Inari - reminded me of going there at New Years!). It's funny that you mention Ohara and Kurama - I was thinking of going there this weekend myself, as it's been over 15 years (!) since I've been there. So I have no idea what the crowds are like there now, but I think the crowds will be more for koyo, but I would like to think that they are not as bad as in Kyoto. If it will rain on Saturday as forecast, that would probably keep some people away as well.