KYOTO 3 DAY ITINERARY
Traveling from Osaka to Kyoto
Kyoto is the heart of Japan’s traditional culture; three days is just enough to explore its highlights! This itinerary will guide you through the city’s must-see sights, best eats, and some insider tips to make your trip as smooth as possible. If you haven’t read it already, check out my post on where to stay in Kyoto to see the hotel I LOVED in Kyoto and what I liked about it!
If you are heading to Kyoto from Osaka like I did, you don’t have to pay extra for a bullet train ticket for a 15-minute ride! Kyoto is close enough to Osaka that you can get there in an hour by the Hankyu-Kyoto line on the Kyo-train Garaku. This train is a special one-of-a-kind retro train found only on the Hankyu Kyoto Line on weekends and national holidays; it makes four round trips per day between Osaka-Umeda and Kyoto-Kawaramachi for 410 yen one way (seat reservations not required). If your timing is right, you’ll board the train that’s nicely decorated with traditional Japanese interior. We didn’t know this ahead of time and hopped on the regular train, but it was still very cute!
However, this subway line is a common commuter train for locals, so you should avoid peak hours and be mindful of how much luggage you are bringing. As mentioned in my post Bullet train from Haneda to Osaka, consider using a luggage forwarding service so you can travel freely and avoid carrying your luggage up and down subway stations that do not offer an escalator to exit. We learned this the hard way and decided to use the luggage service for our next stop in Tokyo.
Day 1: Nishiki Market and Gion Nightlife
Considering your first day will be a long travel day consisting of checking out and into a new hotel, you should probably keep the schedule pretty simple to give you time to get situated. There are plenty of temples to check out in Kyoto, but they are a little further away from downtown Kyoto, and you would want to go as early as possible. So I suggest keeping your first day in Kyoto lowkey and checking out the Nishiki Market and some Gion nightlife.
Nishiki Market, often referred to as "Kyoto's Kitchen," is a vibrant shopping street lined with over 100 specialty shops and stalls. Spanning five blocks, this bustling market offers a wide array of local delicacies, fresh produce, and traditional crafts. Visitors can sample everything from pickled vegetables and fresh seafood to sweet treats like mochi and yatsuhashi. Please note that if you choose to purchase food at the market, you have to eat inside the store! Since Nishiki Market is such a crowded space, they want to make sure the narrow walkway stays clean and there is no traffic jam!
Once we finished exploring Nishiki Market, we grabbed a Taxi Go and headed to Gion! To be honest, I simply mapped it to Gion and got dropped off at the Yasaka Shrine, which ended up being a great place to take an after-dinner stroll at night! The glowing lanterns illuminate the path and the temple is situated in a large park with beautiful lakes and bridges all over! Even though none of the food vendors were open at night, we really enjoyed the quiet stroll and smaller crowds.
After visiting the shrine, we walked over to the Gion Corner to see the traditional Machiya-styled homes and even got to see some geishas! However, please be respectful when you encounter locals and geishas alike. It is rude to take photos and there are signs all around the corner in areas where photos are not allowed, so be on the lookout for them! It was amazing to see the area still resembling traditional Japan, something you don’t get in Tokyo! After exploring a bit, we found a cute neighborhood izakaya called Yamaneko Gion Craft Beer and Sake Bar. The staff spoke English and were very welcoming! We had a great time chatting and playing games with the patrons.
Day 2: Fushimi Inari Gates and Fushimi Sake Village
Start your second day with a trip to Fushimi Inari Taisha; it’s a popular spot, so try to get there early! There are plenty of shops and eateries along the way, so of course we had to eat our way up until we saw the red gates. To be honest, we tried the popular tricks to avoid crowds but ended up getting lost. Choose your own adventure and make the best of it! It was very hot and humid since we went in July, so the hike was extremely draining. We had originally planned to take a day trip to Nara Park after visiting the Inari gates but decided against it. We opted to check out the Fushimi Sake Village instead! We had no idea, but Fushimi is renowned for its centuries-old sake-making traditions, shaped by its unique climate and pure underground water. Skilled artisans blend traditional techniques with quality craftsmanship. The sake village is a small cluster of restaurants and sake breweries that allow you to do a sake flight with food pairing! We loved it, especially since we got to take a break with AC! We knew we wanted another early start so we opted to have an early night in.
Day 3: Kinkanku-ji (The Golden Pavilion) and Adashino Nenbutsuji Bamboo Forest
This was the most exciting part of our Kyoto trip, I’ve always seen photos of the Kinkaku-ji (The Golden Pavilion) and could not wait to see it in real life! There isn’t a direct subway that can take you to the northwest area of Kyoto, so we opted to take a taxi which was very reasonably priced. In fact, we opted to take taxis all around Kyoto since we were doing a lot of sightseeing around town and wanted to make the journey a little bit easier. You can also opt for the bus, but splitting a taxi between 3 people was fair enough.
We started off at the Adashino Nenbutsuji for the alternate bamboo forest. Most people visit the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, but after the Inari gates, I really appreciated being away from the crowds. It was a small temple area you could walk through before reaching the small bamboo forest. There was absolutely nobody there when we got the the bamboo forest and we loved it. I’ve never been to the Arashiyama bamboo forest and I can imagine how much bigger it is compared to Adashino Nenbutsuji, but being able to experience the bamboo forest alone is the experience in itself! If you would rather stick to the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, then more power to you!
After visiting the serene forest, we took a stroll along the city surrounding the temple and found a quaint fresh soba and udon shop. It was raining when we visited so it was a great way to escape the pouring rain, but to our surprise, the udon was to die for! It was the best cold dipping udon I’ve ever had, and it has completely changed my view on eating udon in the United States! It was bouncy and chewy, cooked to perfection.
After our wonderful udon meal, we hopped in another taxi and headed over to see the Kinkaku-ji. This is another popular location, so you will see directions along the way to take you to the Golden Pavilion. You will find plenty of little souvenir shops along the way, so take your time and soak it all in! It was truly a sight to see the beautiful golden pavilion on a calm beautiful day.
Final Thoughts
I absolutely fell in love with Kyoto and was shocked that most people only spend one day there. Perhaps a large part of it is because of the wonderful stay we had at the Machiya-styled hotel named Hotel Kanra Kyoto (read more about it here: where to stay in Kyoto). I felt that three days was still not enough and there was so much more to see. Other suggestions include visiting another one of Kyoto’s iconic temples, Kiyomizu-dera, checking out a traditional tea ceremony, enjoying a kaiseki meal, or even taking that day trip to Nara to see the Nara Deer Park and Todaiji Temple. Hope you enjoy your trip to Kyoto!
