30 Things to Do in Kyoto For an Unbelievable Visit
If you’re looking for the best attractions in Kyoto, then we’re here to help – but also to share all of the unique activities in the city you probably had no idea existed! Kyoto was one of the places we were most excited to visit in Japan, and while we loved the tourist hot spots, we learned that there is SO much more to do here than just visiting the top photo spots.
Of course, the temples, shrines, and traditional neighborhoods are a huge part of what makes Kyoto worth visiting. But we also found so many fun experiences around the city, from exploring the markets and trying different foods to tea ceremonies, workshops, sake tastings, and some seriously unique activities.
We’ve put together all of our favorite things to do in Kyoto, along with the places we think are actually worth adding to your itinerary. Whether you want to hit the major attractions, dive deeper into Japanese culture, or find some experiences that are a little different, we’ve got you covered.
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The Best Things to Do in Kyoto, Japan
Before we dive into all of the best attractions in Kyoto, let’s share a little bit about the city and what to expect when you get there!
⭐️ What is Kyoto Best Known for?
Kyoto is one of the most popular cities in Japan for tourists. It’s best known for its incredible temples and shrines, traditional Japanese architecture, and rich cultural heritage. As Japan’s former capital for more than 1,000 years, the city is home to historic districts, beautiful gardens, centuries-old traditions, and some of the country’s most iconic landmarks.
Kyoto is also famous for its seasonal beauty, particularly cherry blossoms in spring and colorful autumn foliage. Add in its traditional tea culture, Japanese cuisine, bamboo forests, and historic geisha districts, and it’s easy to see why the city attracts visitors from all over the world.
Whether you’re interested in history, nature, food, or Japanese culture, there are so many things to do in Kyoto that you could easily spend several days exploring. And if you’re a photographer like us, then get your camera ready for some of the most beautiful photos of Japan!
👀 What Should You Not Miss in Kyoto?
If it’s your first time visiting Kyoto, there are a few places and experiences that really deserve a spot on your itinerary. While the city has countless temples and shrines, some landmarks stand out for their unique architecture, cultural significance, and beautiful surroundings.
Here are some of the highlights we recommend prioritizing when planning your trip:
These are just a few of the highlights, and there’s plenty more to discover depending on how much time you have. Below, we’ll cover the best attractions in Kyoto in more detail, including historic landmarks, cultural experiences, nature spots, and some places worth visiting beyond the top tourists spots in the city.
The Best Things to Do in Kyoto, Japan
Now that you know a bit about what this Japanese city is all about, let’s dive into all of the cool things to do in Kyoto!
🏮 Wander Kyoto’s Old Town
One of our favorite ways to experience Kyoto is simply to walk around. The historic neighborhoods are full of traditional wooden buildings, tiny streets, restaurants, shops, canals, and unexpected little corners.
Some of the areas and sights we’d make time for include:
💡 Pro tip: Go early in the morning when the light is soft and the tour groups haven’t arrived yet. This is when the locals (and photographers) go and the vibe is totally different.
⛩️ Walk Through the Fushimi Inari Torii Gates
The thousands of bright orange torii gates winding their way up Mount Inari are one of the most iconic sights in Kyoto, and seeing them in person is pretty amazing.
This is definitely one of the best photo spots in Kyoto, and it gets busy, so if you want to experience it without the crowds, we recommend getting there super early.
⛩ Explore Kyoto’s Temples & Shrines
Kyoto is home to an almost overwhelming number of temples and shrines, and everywhere. we turned we kept find more – each with its own reason for visiting. You don’t need to visit every single one, but we definitely recommend picking a few that appeal to you rather than only sticking to the most famous ones.
Here are some of the temples and shrines we’d put on your list:
🎋 Explore Arashiyama
Arashiyama is one of those places that deserves more than a quick stop. The famous bamboo forest is only one part of the area, and there are temples, gardens, viewpoints, the river, and plenty of other things to explore.
We’ve put together a full guide to the best things to do in Arashiyama where we break down the Bamboo Forest, Monkey Park, and everything else you should know before visiting.
If you’re visiting Kyoto for the first time, we’d absolutely make room for Arashiyama.
💡 Budget at least half the day so you can really enjoy all that the area has to offer.
🏯 Visit Nijo Castle
Nijo Castle is one of the best places in Kyoto to get a feel for the city’s political and historical past. The castle complex has beautiful gardens, traditional architecture, and the famous nightingale floors, which were designed to squeak when walked upon.
It’s a great addition to a Kyoto itinerary because it gives you something different from the city’s temples and shrines.
🌳 Relax in Kyoto’s National Garden & Parks
There are so many attractions in Kyoto, but sometimes you need a break from all of the tourist hot spots. There are plenty of beautiful green spaces where you can slow down and escape the crowds.
Want to explore the best gardens in Kyoto with a guide? You can sign up for the tour below!
🏪 Explore the Markets
Kyoto’s markets are a great way to experience the city’s food culture and pick up some unique Japanese products at the same time. Whether you’re looking for local snacks, traditional sweets, souvenirs, antiques, or handmade goods, there is plenty to browse.
We’d definitely set aside some time to actually explore rather than simply walking through. Nishiki Market alone has enough food and little shops to keep you busy for a while, and the city’s temple markets are fantastic if you’re more interested in antiques and handmade goods.
Here are a few markets we’d look into:
🚉 Explore Kyoto Station
Kyoto Station is much more than somewhere you arrive and leave from. The enormous modern structure is an attraction in itself, with shops, restaurants, observation areas, and some pretty impressive architecture.
One of the fun things to look out for is the station’s LED light display, which transforms the massive staircase into a colorful illuminated show.
It’s also a convenient place to grab a meal or do some shopping, especially if you’re already passing through for a train.
🗼 Go Up Kyoto Tower
Kyoto Tower is one of the city’s most recognizable modern landmarks and gives you a completely different perspective from all of those temples and traditional streets.
Head up to the observation deck for panoramic views over Kyoto, particularly around sunset when you can watch the city transition from day to night.
🚣 Get Out on the Water
Kyoto might not be the first place you think of for boat rides, but there are actually some really fun ways to experience the surrounding waterways.
🍵 Experience Kyoto’s Tea Culture
You can’t visit Kyoto without experiencing its incredible tea culture in some way. This could be as simple as sitting down for a beautifully prepared cup of matcha or as immersive as participating in a traditional tea ceremony.
A few ways to experience it include:
🍶 Visit a Sake Brewery
Kyoto is also famous for sake, and Fushimi is one of Japan’s most important sake-producing districts.
Visiting a brewery is a great way to learn about how sake is made and, of course, taste some along the way. This pairs particularly well with the Fushimi Jukkoku-bune boat ride since both experiences take you through the historic Fushimi area.
🍜 Eat Your Way Around Kyoto
Some of the best things to do in Kyoto have nothing to do with sightseeing, and everything about tasting the flavors around town . The city’s food scene deserves some serious attention, and we would absolutely leave room in your itinerary for trying local dishes and unique foods that Kyoto has to offer.
There are several ways to do this:
Seek out local specialties: From matcha and tofu to traditional Kyoto cuisine, there is plenty to discover.
Take a food tour: A great option if you want a local to introduce you to Kyoto’s specialties and show you places you might otherwise walk right past.
Explore Nishiki Market: Try local snacks and ingredients while wandering through the market.
Try fun and unique restaurants: Kyoto has plenty of memorable dining experiences beyond traditional sit-down restaurants.
👘 Dress Up in Traditional Japanese Clothing
One of the most fun ways to experience Kyoto’s historic streets is by renting a traditional Japanese outfit.
You can rent a kimono or yukata, get dressed up, and spend the day wandering through areas like Gion and Higashiyama.
You can also take it one step further with a professional photoshoot, which is especially fun if you’re already dressed in traditional clothing and want some beautiful photos to remember the experience.
🎨 Take a Japanese Craft Workshop
If you want to do something more creative, Kyoto has an incredible range of traditional Japanese craft experiences. Rather than simply buying souvenirs, you can actually learn how to make something unique to this region by yourself, and have something special to take home with you!
Here are some of the different workshops in Kyoto you can sign up for:
This is one category where you can really choose based on your interests. If you’re into fashion, try textile dyeing. If you want something to take home, jewelry or chopsticks could be fun. And if you’ve always wanted to try a traditional Japanese art form, Kyoto is the perfect place to do it.
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⚔️ Try a Samurai Experience
This is actually one of the most fun and unexpected experiences that we had, and Fede’s personal favorite.
A samurai experience lets you learn about the traditions surrounding the samurai while learning about Japanese sword techniques and performance. Some experiences also include traditional clothing for you to wear!
We love it because it’s a more interactive way to learn about a unique part of Japan’s history.
🎭 Watch a Traditional Show
Kyoto is one of the best places in Japan to experience traditional performing arts, and there are several different types of shows and cultural performances you can add to your itinerary.
🍱 Take a Japanese Cooking Class
If eating your way around Kyoto isn’t enough, why not learn how to make some of the food yourself?
A cooking class can be a fun way to get more involved with Japanese food culture, whether you’re interested in sushi, ramen, traditional home cooking, or other Japanese dishes.
We especially like cooking classes when traveling because you get to take the experience home with you. Even if you can’t recreate the exact restaurant meal you loved, you’ll leave knowing how to make something yourself.
🍡 Try a Mochi-Pounding Experience
Mochi is one of the most famous desserts in Japan, but it actually has a really interesting process for making it.
Mochi-pounding experiences, known as mochitsuki, involve pounding steamed glutinous rice with a large wooden mallet until it becomes the chewy dough used to make mochi. It’s surpisingly fun to watch, and there are even experiences where you can do it on your own!
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🚲 Explore Kyoto by Bike
Kyoto is a fantastic city to explore on two wheels, particularly if you want to cover more ground without spending your entire day on public transportation.
You can rent a bike and explore independently or join a guided bike tour to see some of the city’s major sights with a local.
It’s also a great way to get between some of the less crowded neighborhoods and attractions.
🛺 Take a Rickshaw Tour
For something a little more traditional, hop into a rickshaw and explore Kyoto with a local guide.
Rickshaw tours are particularly popular around areas such as Arashiyama and the historic districts, and they can be a fun way to see the city while learning more about the history and stories behind the streets you’re traveling through.
🧘 Meditate With a Monk
For a completely different kind of Kyoto experience, consider joining a meditation session with a Buddhist monk.
Instead of rushing from one attraction to the next, this gives you the chance to slow down, learn about Buddhist practices, and spend some quiet time in a temple setting.
It’s especially nice to work something like this into an itinerary that is otherwise packed with sightseeing.
👻 Go on a Ghost Tour
Kyoto has centuries of history, which means there are plenty of legends, mysteries, and spooky stories hiding beneath the surface.
A ghost or haunted history tour is a fun way to see a completely different side of the city, especially after dark.
Rather than focusing only on temples and beautiful gardens, you’ll learn about some of the darker stories and supernatural legends associated with Kyoto.
♨️ Relax at an Onsen
After all that walking, sightseeing, and exploring, an onsen can be the perfect way to unwind.
Whether you visit a traditional hot spring facility or build an onsen experience into a day outside the city, soaking in the hot mineral-rich water is a quintessential Japanese experience.
Just remember that onsen etiquette is different from a typical swimming pool or spa, so make sure you know the rules before you go.
✨ Experience teamLab Biovortex Kyoto
If you’ve already experienced one of the teamLab installations elsewhere in Japan, you know how immersive these exhibits can be. teamLab Biovortex Kyoto brings that same idea to Kyoto with large-scale digital art installations that surround you and respond to your movements and environment.
It’s a really fun contrast to the temples, gardens, and historic streets that dominate most Kyoto itineraries.
And because it is right around Kyoto Station, it’s also relatively easy to add to a day of exploring the modern side of the city.
🌿 Visit Shozan Resort
Shozan Resort is another option for getting away from the busiest tourist areas and enjoying a more tranquil side of Kyoto.
The complex is surrounded by greenery and traditional Japanese scenery, making it a nice change of pace when you’ve spent several days bouncing between crowded attractions.
🗺 Take a Day Trip From Kyoto
Kyoto is also an excellent base for exploring the surrounding region, so don’t feel like every experience on your itinerary needs to be inside the city itself.
Some of the day trips and nearby areas we’d consider include:
Final Thoughts on Things to Do in Kyoto & What’s Next
We only visited Osaka once and we are already planning our return trip. That honestly says it all! Every neighborhood surprised us, every meal blew us away, and we left feeling like we had barely scratched the surface of what this city has to offer.
If you are on the fence about visiting, do not be. Osaka is absolutely worth it and we think it might just become your favorite city in Japan!
Looking for more? We have guides to unique things to do in Osaka, the best day trips from Osaka, and the food of Osaka coming up for everything you need to eat before you leave!
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👀 What’s Next?
Now that you how to get to Osaka, Japan, you might want to know more about visiting! We have more articles coming up, but in the meantime, you can check out our other Japan guides:
✈️ How to get to Osaka, Japan
🚗 How to get around Osaka, Japan
🚌 How to get to Nara, Japan
🏮 Nara Lantern Festival
🦌 What to do in Nara in one day
📖 Nara travel guide
📆 The best time to visit Japan
📖 Complete guide for visiting Japan
So are excited to experience all of the fun things to do in Kyoto, Japan? We hope this guide helps you plan an incredible itinerary in one of our favorite Japanese cities.
Want to learn more about traveling to Kyoto? We have a lot of Kyoto guides coming up, and also have plenty of other Japan Travel Guides for you to explore. Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date with our most recent articles, and to get special discounts on our shop.
Ready to book your trip to Kyoto, but don’t want the hassle of doing it all on your own? Well, we’re here to help! Scratch Your Mapa offers travel planning packages including customized itineraries, hand-picked hotels, and personalized activities.
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