Day trip from Kyoto

We'll probably be in Kyoto for 5 nights and was wondering if anyone had any ideas for a decent day trip? Maybe somewhere with a nice onsen?

thanks

A lot of folks head to Nara. If you like Japanese gardens, you could head up to the Ohara area (1 hour or so north of Kyoto by bus) and check out Sanzen-in Temple with its magnificent garden. A 15-minute walk away is Jakko-in Temple which is also pretty. Mt Hiezan is on the way to Ohara and you can hike up the mountain or take the ropeway up to the temple at the top. If you want to hop on the train and head to Kobe, there is a resort area called Arima which is famous for its hot springs.

Forgot to post the link on Arima hot springs. Here it is.

As Cocodrillo said - Nara - it is a wonderful place to visit.

Nara clearly comes first. Convenient, close, interesting. A second possible day trip is Himeji castle (although maybe too slow or expensive unless you get a JR West pass of some sort). Can also do a long day on shinkansen to Hiroshima and Miyajima. The RT fare will equal the cost of a pass though!

Nara is cool, but you may get sick of temples with that long in Kyoto. A non-temple option is Hikone castle (<1 hr by train, in Hikone, where there are restaurants that serve the lovely omi beef.)

I was in Kyoto for 6 days last winter. I got templed out at times, so did my schedule something like this:

Day 1 - arrive, get settled, see some of Kyoto around the station
Day 2 - Kyoto
Day 3 - Himeji (stopped in Kobe for the most expensive and most delicious steak I've ever had)
Day 4 - Kyoto
Day 5 - Nara, evening in Osaka
Day 6 - Kyoto

Everything I saw is highly recommended. If you're going to see one castle in Japan, it's gotta be Himeji-jo in Himeji. Nara was great, feeding the ravenous deer and getting instantly enlightened by crawling through a giant-Buddha's-nostril sized hole in the world's largest wooden building were the highlights. If can, rent bikes to get around in Kyoto. It's so much more convenient than buses if you want to see a lot in a short time. They can get in the way if you want to explore some alleys as such, though.

An good half day trip would be to take the Eizan train line up to the Kurama area for an onsen. The train leaves from Demachiyanagi station, which is located at the northern end of the Keihan line. It takes about 20 min. or so up to the onsen. There are also some short walks and temples in the area.