How many days do you need in Kyoto?
Three days. That is the length of the itinerary we built for Kyoto.
Here is what each day holds. Every stop below carries its time, and every gap says how to get to the next stop, with the walk or drive time wherever both stops are mapped.
Kyoto · 3 days Japan
Best time: November for maple season is the single best week in Japan.
Higashiyama east sideDay 1
📍8:00 AMKiyomizu-dera
The wooden stage over the valley, before the school trips arrive.
🚶 ~7 min · 🚗 ~1 min · 0.3 mi
📍11:00 AMSannenzaka lanes
Preserved slopes of tea shops down toward Yasaka Pagoda.
🚶 ~14 min · 🚗 ~2 min · 0.5 mi
📍6:00 PMGion at dusk
Walk Hanamikoji quietly; geiko hurry to appointments around now.
Arashiyama west sideDay 2
🌳8:00 AMBamboo Grove
Photogenic only before 9 AM; pair with Tenryu-ji’s garden next door.
🚶 ~12 min · 🚗 ~2 min · 0.5 mi
🌳11:30 AMMonkey Park Iwatayama
A short climb; monkeys roam free with the city view behind.
🚗 ~12 min · 3.5 mi
📍3:00 PMKinkaku-ji Golden Pavilion
Gold leaf over a mirror pond; the loop takes 40 minutes.
Fushimi and downtownDay 3
⛩️7:30 AMFushimi Inari torii gates
Hike at least to the Yotsutsuji overlook; the crowd thins with altitude.
🚗 ~9 min · 2.7 mi
🍽️12:30 PMNishiki Market lunch
Kyoto’s kitchen: tofu doughnuts, skewers, and pickles to sample.
🚶 ~8 min · 🚗 ~1 min · 0.3 mi
🍽️5:00 PMPontocho alley dinner
Riverside terraces in summer; book kaiseki if it is a splurge night.
This is how Petrel lays out a trip. Upload your own confirmations and it builds this for your dates: flights and hotels included, with live flight status and the travel time between stops.
This is one of 126 free itineraries. Open it, change anything you want, and it becomes your trip.