City guide
Kyoto rewards planning by geography rather than by ranking. Group the sights by district, use the JR lines your pass already covers, and you can see the city properly in three days.
Start at Kiyomizu-dera early, then walk down Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka to Kodai-ji and Yasaka shrine, ending in Gion. It is roughly three hours at a slow pace and covers the city's most photographed streets without a single train ride.
Quick answers to common questions.
Three full days covers the main districts comfortably, four if you add day trips to Nara or Himeji.
Partly. It covers the JR Nara and Sagano lines to Fushimi Inari and Arashiyama, but not city buses or the subway.
Near Kyoto station for rail access, or Gion and Higashiyama if you want to walk to the temples.
Late January and early February, and weekdays outside cherry blossom and autumn colour season.
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