Kyoto Trip Itinerary: The Ultimate 5 Day Guide

When creating your Kyoto trip itinerary, 3 to 5 days is the perfect amount of time for exploring. Especially if you plan on visiting other areas in Japan. On my first trip to Kyoto, I spent 3 days in this lovely prefecture and completely fell in love with the traditional architecture and Kyoto’s beauty.

I was so inspired by the old historic areas such as Pontocho Alley and Sannenzaka. And the quiet and natural beauty of Arashiyama now holds a special place in my heart. Kyoto is one my favourite prefectures to visit in Japan. Once you’ve had a chance to experience Kyoto, it’s easy to see why.

When I travel, I love discovering new restaurants that catch my eye and planning days to go shopping. I’m also always looking out for cute cafes and scenic spots for photography. You’ll find me on foot, roaming the streets and soaking in my surroundings, so this 5 day Kyoto itinerary is a reflection of that.

I hope this guide helps you discover your own favourite places in Kyoto. Feel free to pick and choose what interests you below to create your perfect Kyoto trip.

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Start Here: Planning a Trip to Japan

If you’re planning a trip to Japan and don’t know where to begin, I’ve written a complete guide of what to consider that will help you organize your planning process. This is everything from when to make reservations to popular attractions, finding the best accommodations, creating a travel itinerary and more. It takes me anywhere between 6-8 months of planning to really vet out what I want to do and where to stay. Don’t make the mistake of last minute planning, as most attractions and exhibits require reservations months ahead of time.

5 Day Kyoto Trip Itinerary

Day one: Arriving in Kyoto, First Day of Exploring

Check into your hotel

My recommendation for your arrival day is to not have too many planned things to do. This allows you time to check into the hotel, freshen up from a long commute and get comfortable with your surroundings. Once settled at the hotel, I love the excitement of that first outing where you start to get to know the city.

I stayed at a hotel called Kabin Kyoto. I loved this hotel because not only was it located in a centrally, it was tucked away into a quieter area, which gave a very local feel to the stay . It’s such a walkable location to many points of interest such as the Nishiki Market, Gion or Sannenzaka. The only time I took local transportation was when heading over to Fushimi Inari Taisha, the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest or taking a day trip to Nara.

No set itinerary, just enjoy the first day

If you are staying near Gion or the Nishki Market, you will inevitably walk around Shijo-dori Street. This is a lively shopping area that was part of my everyday commute. The Hankyu-Kyoto line is near here as well, which makes commuting to various parts of Kyoto very accessible during your trip.

Walking around a new city without an itinerary has to be one of my favourite things to do. I ended up at the PLAZA – Kyoto Shijo to buy some UV umbrellas (which is a must for both the bright sunny days and rain showers in Japan). I did some shopping at Kyoto LOFT and stopped by the Pokemon Center Kyoto.

For dinner, I visited Ramen Muraji. I ordered the white ramen, which was made of a chicken based broth, chicken karaage and had matcha ice cream for dessert. The meal was absolutely delicious and made for a great first meal in Kyoto.

Day two: Nishiki Market, Kamo River and Sannenzaka

Get your morning coffee and visit Nishiki Market

On your first morning in Kyoto, visit Kamee Coffee for some butter toast and coffee. Their coffee was deliciously rich and their menu was quite extensive for food options. I overall loved the relaxed vibe here, which makes it the perfect way to start your day.

After your morning coffee, walk over to Nishiki Market. Nishiki Market is a lively and jam-packed shopping alley which is well known for fresh seafood and Japanese street food. You can find anything from takoyaki, tempura shrimp, fresh sushi, rolled egg omelettes and more. There is such a variety of street food here, that you’ll want to make sure to sample a little bit of everything. Note that not many of the food stalls have a seating area, and you are not encouraged to eat while walking. Since most of the food here are small bites anyways, you can finish your food standing near the stall before making your way to the next.

Relax at the Kamo River

Make your way to the Kamo River where you can get away from the busy crowds at the market. The Kamo River is such a peaceful and serene area where many locals like to bike or walk along the river path. I really enjoyed sitting by the river bank and watching the herons in the water hunting for fish. This is the perfect place to hang out for the afternoon if you’re looking for a bit of a break during your trip.

Explore the traditional areas of Pontocho Alley, Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka

Neighbouring the Kamo River is Pontocho Alley. Since you’re nearby, you may as well walk over and take a look down this narrow alleyway. During the daytime, you’re not going to find many of their restaurants open, but this is where you can find the traditional feel of Kyoto with their Edo-era buildings dating back to 1670. At night is where this area comes to life, as the restaurants are open for business. So come back later in the evening to see the difference in atmosphere here.

Next head over to the historic streets, Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka. You’ll get to experience more of Kyoto’s traditional architecture here. As you make your way, you’ll find lots of souvenir shops and restaurants to enjoy. If you’re a Ghibli fan, be sure to check out the Studio Ghibli Store on Ninenzaka. Near Sannenzaka, you can’t miss Hōkan-ji, a Buddist temple standing tall between the narrow cobblestone alleys.

If you are needing a coffee pick me up at this point, stop by the traditional Starbucks or % Arabica Kyoto Higashiyama for an afternoon latte.

Gion at night

Walk along Hanamikoji Street in the Gion district. At night, the red lanterns light up these historic streets and it is such a different feel compared to the daytime. Many of the buildings here date back to the Edo period. You can find higher end restaurants where you can experience Kyoto’s culinary excellence.

Dine at Komefuku Shijo Karasuma

We just happened to stumble onto this restaurant as we were walking around, and I was blown away by this sushi and tempura restaurant. The queue was about 30 minute wait around 8:00 pm on a weekday. The sushi was incredibly fresh and the tempura was fried to perfection. If you’re looking for a good sushi spot, I would highly recommend Komefuku Shijo Karasuma. I’d suggest coming for an early or late dinner to avoid the long queues.

Day three: Fushimi Inari Taisha and a Day Trip to Nara

If you’re wondering whether you’re able to fit in both Fushimi Inari Taisha and a day trip to Nara, I did both without feeling too rushed to get from one place to another. Something to consider is that I did start the day early and I didn’t complete the full trail at Fushimi Inari. They are also both South of Kyoto, which is why I paired the two together.

Gojo Cafe for Breakfast

Start your day off with some breakfast at Gojo Cafe. I had the best iced mocha here and their roasted pork sandwich was delicious. It’s a really cozy spot, with the interior giving a vintage feel. It’s actually part of the Gojo Guest House, a traditional Japanese style hostel. I see some good reviews about this hostel, so if you’re looking for a budget friendly stay, consider checking them out!

Fushimi Inari Taisha

Next make your way to Fushimi Inari Taisha. Upon entering, you’ll see a giant torii gate greeting you in front of the shine’s entrance. As I made my way up the stairs, I couldn’t help but be in awe of the beauty of the shine’s grounds.

Near the shine entrance you can purchase good luck charms and an Omikuji (fortune paper). You’ll see a box that you can shake with a little hole at the top for your stick to fall out. Take note of the number that was on your stick and let the person at the shop know. If you get an unfavourable fortune, you can leave it at one of the metal frames along with the other bad luck fortunes. It’s said that the bad luck will attach itself there rather than with the person who received it.

The iconic torii gates are what draws most people here. It’s such a special place where you can walk through the many torii gates. The trail takes about 2 hours and leads to up to summit the mountain with views of Kyoto at the top.

Even if you choose not to make it to the top, you’ll find lots to see along the way. I especially loved the fox statues and the smaller shrines that were tucked away within the trails. See if you can find the Omokaru stone and make a wish there.

A Day Trip to Nara

In the early afternoon, start making your way to Nara. You can easily take local transportation to Nara and I found google maps quite reliable for this. Chances are if you are in Nara, you are going to make your way to see the deer at Nara Park.

Nara Park, known for the free roaming deer, is such a unique place to visit. We leisurely walked around the park, watching the deer play and graze on grass. They will actually bow to you for crackers!

Note you’ll find little carts around the park where people are selling crackers for the deer. They are safe for the deer to eat, however their main food source is the grass. We came later into the day, so the deer were no longer interested in eating the crackers and were rather just relaxing or grazing on grass in the later afternoon.

There are many things to do in the surrounding area of Nara Park, so just take your time walking through all the gardens and visiting the nearby temples. Here are some other areas of interest in Nara:

• Todaiji temple
• Isuien Garden
• Sagiike pond

Make sure you also visit Nakatanidou, a well known shop for their yomogi mochi.

Day four: Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

Spend the day at the Arashiyama bamboo forest. We actually added this to our Kyoto trip last minute and I’m so glad we did. You can expect the most serene and gorgeous green landscapes as you walk across the Togetsukyō Bridge. After the bridge, you’re greeted with many shops, tea houses and restaurants in the main shopping area.

Here were some of my favourite shops and cafes to visit in Arashiyama:

• Bread, Espresso and Arashiyama Garden
• % Arabica
• Arashiyama Miffy Sakura Kitchen
• Rilakkuma Tea House.

As we entered the forest, make sure you look up to see just how tall the bamboo stretches into the sky. As the wind blows, you can watch as it sways in the wind, creating a calming wave that ripples through the forest. The path seemed to go on endlessly and I wish we had even more time to explore all the paths. Many people don’t know about the Okochi Sanso Garden, which if you have time to visit, is well worth it.

At the end of the evening, we had a wagyu dinner at Kijurou. The atmosphere of the restaurant was so inviting. We were seated beside the window that faces a gorgeous lush garden outside. The meal set was surprisingly affordable and the wagyu so flavourful. It came with many sides that accompanied it so well. I would highly recommend you trying this restaurant if you’re in Arashiyama and I can say this was one of my favourite meals in Kyoto.

Day five: Cafe Hopping & Shopping Day

On your last day in Kyoto, take it slow by cafe hopping and exploring more of Kyoto on foot. Some of the best cafes I visited were:

• Weekenders Coffee Roastery – only open on the weekends, the coffee here is one of the best I’ve tried in Kyoto
• Kamee coffee – a cozy coffee shop with good coffee and eats. they also have a thrift shop up on the second floor.
• Ogawa Coffee – have lunch at this cafe with beautiful Japanese garden inside

When it comes to shopping, there are so many unique products and specialty items that you can only find in Japan. I typically leave all my shopping towards the end of the trip. That way I know how much room I have left in my luggage, so I don’t go over the weight limit!

I really loved shopping along Kawaramachi-dori Street and some shops I loved included Kiddy Land for Sanrio, Miffy and Sailor Moon merch. Go to KINJI and JAM if you like to go thrifting. And if you are looking for high quality Japanese matcha to bring home, make sure to visit Marukyu Koyamaen in the Takashimaya Mall.

Shijo-dori Street is another really long street filled with shops and across the bridge is where you’ll find Miffy’s Kitchen in Gion. The main floor will have cute Japanese confectioneries and upstairs is where you’ll find all the cute Miffy products.

If you’re a stationary lover, be sure to check out Traveler’s Factory Kyoto.

Where to Stay in Kyoto

I always use Expedia to not only find the best rates for hotels in the city, but I really like how you can scan by location, ratings and pricing options as well.

When planning on where to stay, here are a couple of my go-to tips when booking the perfect accommodations:

1. Book early. Try not to leave accommodations until the last minute, as all the good spots will likely be booked up. And not always, but the cost tends to be higher closer to your travel dates as well.
2. Figure out which days you’re going to travel. This will help limit your search results and you can cross off the hotels that are already unavailable for that time period. Travelling on off season versus peak travel dates will also influence the cost of the hotel room as well.
3. Narrow down a good location. You’ll want to think about being near areas of interest, metro stations and most importantly, staying in a safe neighbourhood.
4. Lastly, review your travel budget. Are you looking for a low budget stay, mid-budget or luxury travel?

I hope this Kyoto trip itinerary helps you with building your dream trip to Japan. If you have any questions about Japan, feel free to send me an email or DM on instagram. I’d love to connect with you!

Have the best trip,

Stephi

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