Ready-made trips · Japan
Kyoto in 5 days
Fushimi Inari’s thousands of torii gates, the bamboo grove of Arashiyama, Gion in the evening, and a day in Nara with its deer.
Open the plan to change anything: swap stops, swap or add days, and keep your own copy to share.
- Length
- 5 days
- Best time
- March to May, October to November
- Pace
- Moderate
- Day trips
- Nara
Five days in Kyoto: Arashiyama; Fushimi Inari and Southern Higashiyama, plus a day trip to Nara. Each full day is one our team has planned, to be walked in order around usual opening hours, with lunch and dinner suggestions close to the stops.
Day by day
1First Evening in GionArrival
- When you arriveYasaka ShrineCentral Shinto shrine.Tip: A significant Shinto shrine at the entrance to the Gion district — genuinely atmospheric, especially illuminated in the evening.
- When you arriveGion DistrictGeisha district.Tip: Kyoto's famous geisha district — genuine geiko and maiko can sometimes be spotted in the evening, though respectful distance and no flash photography are expected.
Lunch nearby: % Arabica Higashiyama or Kyoto Gogyo
Dinner: Okutan Kiyomizu or Nishiki Warai
2Arashiyama
- MorningArashiyama Bamboo GroveFamous bamboo forest.Tip: Before 8am you may have the bamboo almost to yourself; by 10am it is shoulder to shoulder.
- AfternoonTenryu-jiArashiyama’s great Zen temple, with a pond garden framed by the hills.Tip: Leave through the north gate straight into the bamboo grove.
- If you have timeArashiyama Monkey ParkHilltop monkey park.Tip: A hike up (about 20 minutes) rewards you with both wild monkeys and panoramic Kyoto views — feeding is allowed only from a designated hut, not freely throughout the park.
Lunch nearby: Arashiyama Yoshimura or Shigetsu
Dinner: % Arabica Arashiyama or Arashiyama Yoshimura
3Nara: the Great Buddha, Kasuga and the DeerDay trip to Nara
- MorningTodai-ji TempleGreat Buddha Hall.Tip: Home to one of the largest bronze Buddha statues in the world, genuinely housed within one of the largest wooden buildings globally.
- AfternoonNara ParkFree-roaming deer park.Tip: Deer crackers (shika senbei) are sold everywhere; the deer bow for them — and nip if you tease them.
Lunch nearby: Kakinoha-zushi Tanaka or Mellow Café
Dinner: Kakinoha-zushi Tanaka or Mellow Café
4Fushimi Inari and Southern Higashiyama
- MorningFushimi Inari ShrineThousands of red torii gates.Tip: Start at dawn and climb past the Yotsutsuji crossroads, halfway up — the crowds thin and the view opens over the city.
- AfternoonTofuku-jiZen temple & autumn leaves.Tip: Known for genuinely spectacular autumn foliage viewed from a wooden bridge — significantly less crowded than Kyoto's more famous temples.
- If you have timeSanjusangen-doA 120m hall of 1,001 life-size golden statues of Kannon.Tip: Photography is not allowed inside; walk the whole hall slowly.
Lunch nearby: Nezameya or Vermillion Café
Dinner: The Muse or Okutan Kiyomizu
5Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka and Nishiki MarketLast morning
- Before you leaveSannenzaka and NinenzakaThe stone-paved lanes of old wooden shops leading down from Kiyomizu-dera.Tip: The lanes are magical before 9am, before the shops open.
- Before you leaveNishiki MarketTraditional food street.Tip: Known as 'Kyoto's Kitchen' — go for genuinely local specialty foods and snacks, though it has become increasingly touristy and crowded in recent years.
Lunch nearby: % Arabica Higashiyama or The Muse
Dinner: Kyoto Gogyo or Nishiki Warai
Where to stay
Gion & Higashiyama
The old wooden streets of the geisha district and the temples of the eastern hills.
Gion-Shijo (Keihan) station; buses along Higashioji.
Downtown Kawaramachi
Central Kyoto around Shijo and Kawaramachi, by Nishiki Market and Pontocho.
Hankyu and Keihan trains and the subway; buses everywhere; walk to Gion.
Arashiyama
The riverside district of bamboo and hills in the west, with traditional inns.
JR Saga-Arashiyama and the Randen tram; 30 min to the centre.
Everything in the plan is ready to book
The full plan has a map of each day, directions between stops, opening hours, restaurant choices, hotels in these areas and tickets, tours and trains linked to book with the provider you choose.
Open the full plan →Want different dates, a slower pace or something specific? Plan your own Kyoto trip in about a minute.