Kyoto 3 day itinerary — How to visit Kyoto in 3 days & what to do in Kyoto in 3 days perfectly?

As one of the world’s most culturally rich cities, Kyoto used to be a capital with thousands of years history of Japan, an extremely attractive destination for any tourist. Kyoto is rated as the best city in the world by Travel & Leisure magazine. The city has 17 UNESCO world heritage sites, 1600 Shinto shrines, 400 temples and pagodas and nearly 100 Michelin-Star restaurants and countless small restaurants, eateries and bars that make you overwhelmed.

It doesn’t matter if you stay here for a long time, but with a itinerary of 3 days in Kyoto to discover all the beauties of this city, you should make a travel plan. And, how to spend 3 days in Kyoto (three days in Kyoto, 3 days in Kyoto Japan)? Let’s check it out our Kyoto three day itinerary: Kyoto 3 day itinerary — How to visit Kyoto in 3 days perfectly (3 perfect days in Kyoto) & what to do in Kyoto in 3 days below.

Kyoto 3 day itinerary — Day 1: Explore the Northwestern Kyoto

Kinkaku-ji Temple (Golden Pavilion)

Golden Temple (Kinkaku-ji) is one of Japan’s famous and iconic temples and an attractive tourist destination. You should go on time to avoid crowding. Just spend 45 minutes is the right time for you to observe the architecture of the temple and surrounding area.

Today, Kinkaku-ji is privately owned. In 1397, the temple was acquired by Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and after his death, the temple was handed over to his son. In the middle of the 13th century, the hall of the complex area was destroyed by fire. In 1950, this hall was restored by a monk. Opening time to Golden Temple: from 9 am – 5pm. With the entry price is 400 yen.

Kinkaku-ji Temple
Address: 1 Kinkakujicho, Kita, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 603-8361, Japan
Hours: 9AM-5PM
Entrance fee: Adults: 400 yen / Junior high and elementary school students: 300
Url (Japanese): http://www.shokoku-ji.jp/k_about.html

Ryōan-ji Temple

From Kinkaku-ji Temple, it is a 20-minute walk to reach Ryoan-ji Temple – a zen temple recognized by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage. Ryoan-ji garden is one of the typical examples of Japanese zen rock garden. Ryoan-ji area is open from 8:30 am – 5 pm. Admission fee is 500 yen.

Ryōan-ji
Address: 13 Ryoanji Goryonoshitacho, Ukyō-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 616-8001, Japan
Phone: +81 75-463-2216
Hours: 8:00AM to 5PM (Mar to Nov) / 8:30AM to 4:30 PM (Dec to Feb)
Entry fee: 500 yen for adults / Children under 15: 300yen
Url: http://www.ryoanji.jp/smph/eng/

Lunch break: At Ryoan-ji, there is Ryoanji Yudofu vegetarian restaurant, here you can enjoy dishes made from tofu and vegetables are processed in different ways. Okonomiyaki pancakes are famous Japanese delicacies that are grilled along with pork, octopus and cheese.

Ryoanji Yudofu
Address: 13 Ryoanji Goryonoshitacho, Ukyō-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 616-8001, Japan
Hours: 10AM–5PM
Phone: +81 75-462-4742

Ninna-ji Temple

After lunch, you can walk to Ninna-ji Temple. Visitors coming here in cherry blossoms season will admire the wonderful scenery of this place. Opening times are from 9:00 am – 4:30 pm. Entry fee is 500 yen.

Ninna-ji
Address: 33 Omuroouchi, Ukyō-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 616-8092, Japan
Phone: +81 75-461-1155
Admission: 500 yen

To be able to return to central Kyoto you will have two options. The easiest way is to take a taxi (it takes about 30 minutes) or if you want to save money you can go by bus (number 26) to Kyoto station (takes about 45 minutes).

Arashiyama Area

If you still do not want to return to the hotel, you can go to Arashiyama district – one of the most pleasant areas in Kyoto, which is famous for bamboo forest and the Tenryu-ji temple world heritage. To getting there you can go by taxi or tram Keifuku Dentetsu – Arashiyama.

Dinner

With a simple dinner, visitors can choose izakaya (a Japanese pub) and order Japanese Tempura dishes (including fish and seafood deep fried with sauce, fish sauce, shrimp, crab …) , sashimi (Japanese raw fish dish) and gyoza (meat-fried pancakes with a full selection of vegetarian options. Alternatively, you can choose to add drinks such as nama biiru draught beer and rice wine.

What to do in Kyoto in 3 days — Day 2: Nishiki Market, Gion District and Higashiyama Area

Nishiki Market

Continued reading…