Kyoto Prefecture sights: what would you like to see?
Explore a shogun’s palace through Ninomaru’s wall paintings and carvings at Nijo Castle, then walk the gardens. Consider Tenryuji for Arashiyama garden time or Byodoin in Uji for Phoenix Hall across the pond and cultural-treasure displays. Choose Fushimi Inari for worship along red torii paths. For Amanohashidate’s sandbar and pine path, check how long the return journey from northern Kyoto will take.
Attraction admission, hours and access
Nijo Castle
Nijo-jo Castle元離宮二条城
See Ninomaru Palace’s wall paintings and carved decoration to explore a shogun’s palace, then walk in the gardens. Choose admission including Ninomaru Palace for interior viewing. Honmaru Palace needs a separate ticket and advance booking.
- AdmissionStandard adult castle admission is JPY 800, or JPY 1,300 including Ninomaru Palace. Honmaru Palace and the Painting Gallery cost extra.
- Opening hoursCastle admission runs from 08:45 to 16:00, and the castle closes at 17:00. Ninomaru Palace reception ends at 16:10, but you must enter the castle by 16:00. Year-end castle closures and palace closures differ.
- Getting thereUse Nijojo-mae exit 1 and walk towards Nijo Castle. Buy tickets beside the East Gate. From Kyoto station, change at Karasuma Oike. Search services and fares for your date separately.
- Additional viewing conditionsHonmaru Palace is a separate date- and time-specific advance booking. When Ninomaru Palace closes, choose a ticket matching available areas rather than buying its inclusive ticket unchanged.
Nijo Castle official access mapNijo Castle admissionNijo Castle operations and closuresKyoto transport bureau Nijojo-mae exits and area mapNinomaru Palace paintings, carvings and gardens
Tenryuji
Tenryu-ji天龍寺
Choose Tenryuji for a relaxed Arashiyama garden visit. To visit the buildings as well, check extra admission charges and operations for your date.
- AdmissionGarden admission costs JPY 500 for high school students and older, and JPY 300 for primary and junior high students. Buildings cost JPY 300 extra; the Dharma Hall’s Cloud Dragon painting costs a separate JPY 500.
- Opening hoursThe garden opens from 08:30 to 17:00, with reception until 16:50. The buildings open from 08:30 to 16:45, with reception until 16:30.
- Getting thereWalk about 13 minutes from JR Saga-Arashiyama, five minutes from Randen Arashiyama or 15 minutes from Hankyu Arashiyama. From Kyoto station, compare the JR Sagano line.
- Additional viewing conditionsGarden admission excludes buildings and the Dharma Hall. Check official notices for building or hall suspensions and early garden opening on your date. Check garden operations separately even when buildings or the hall close.
Tenryuji accessTenryuji Japanese hours and viewing suspensions
Byodoin
平等院
Walk beside the pond for views of Phoenix Hall, then see cultural treasures in the Hoshokan museum. Basic admission includes the garden and Hoshokan. Phoenix Hall interior viewing needs same-day first-come reception and an extra fee.
- AdmissionAdmission to the garden and Hoshokan costs JPY 700 for adults, JPY 400 for junior and senior high students and JPY 300 for primary students. Phoenix Hall interior costs a separate JPY 300. These are individual prices in official guidance checked on 8 October 2026.
- Opening hoursThe garden opens from 08:45 to 17:30, with reception until 17:15. Hoshokan opens from 09:00 to 17:00, with reception until 16:45. Interior reception starts at 09:10 on a first-come, first-served basis on the day of your visit.
- Getting thereWalk from JR Uji or Keihan Uji. Both are listed as about ten minutes, but station locations and river-crossing routes differ; use the official access map.
- Additional viewing conditionsPhoenix Hall interior reception is first come on the day. From 16 June–15 October 2026, sessions hold 30 people, with 10:30, 11:30, 12:30, 13:30, 14:30 and 15:30 sessions suspended. From 16 October, sessions hold 35. This differs from garden visitor limits. An early reception closure prevents interior viewing.
Byodoin official visitor guideByodoin official access mapSummer operating exceptionsChanges from 16 OctoberByodoin pond, Phoenix Hall and Hoshokan
Amanohashidate
天橋立
A pine path runs along the long sandbar between Miyazu’s waters. Choose Amanohashidate for walking among pines with close views of the sea. Sandbar walking is free. Miyazu · 宮津
- AdmissionSandbar walking is free. Observation decks, lifts, boats and bicycle hire are excluded.
- Opening hoursWalking access has no fixed closure day. Choose your walking area according to weather and on-site passage restrictions.
- Getting thereWalk about five minutes from Kyoto Tango Railway’s Amanohashidate station to the sandbar entrance. Crossing the whole sandbar takes about 50 minutes one way, separate from station-to-entrance access. The four- and five-day Monju overnight plans walk only the southern section and return the same way.
- Additional viewing conditionsFor a boat return, check operations, fares and boarding location separately. The September 2026 Daitenkyo Bridge notice restricts vessels beneath the bridge and explicitly states no walking impact. Recheck date-specific works and passage guidance in official notices and on site.
Amanohashidate accessSeptember 2026 Daitenkyo Bridge works notice
Fushimi Inari Taisha
伏見稲荷大社
Visit Fushimi Inari Taisha to walk the path of red torii. Worship at the main sanctuary, then continue towards the Senbon Torii. Standard worship is free.
- AdmissionStandard worship is free. JR return fares, prayer services and charms cost extra.
- Opening hoursWorship access has no fixed closure day. Check separate charm-office and prayer reception hours.
- Getting thereFrom Kyoto, take a JR Nara line service stopping at Inari; the shrine is opposite the station. Official guidance gives about five minutes on the train, with Inari the second stop. Waiting, accommodation travel and walking to the main sanctuary are extra. Keihan Fushimi-inari is a different station.
- Return routeAfter worship in the main sanctuary and torii areas, return to Inari and take a Kyoto-bound train to the same accommodation. Eat outside the shrine grounds. Avoid blocking narrow paths for photos and follow photography prohibitions.
- Additional viewing conditionsThis itinerary covers main sanctuary and torii-area worship, without a climb to Mt. Inari’s summit. Check JR return fares and services for your date separately.
Worship costs and operationsShrine access guideVisitor rulesFushimi Inari Senbon Torii
Frequently asked questions
Does Nijo Castle’s JPY 1,300 ticket include Honmaru Palace?
JPY 1,300 covers the castle and Ninomaru Palace. Honmaru requires a separate ticket and a reservation for your chosen date and time. On Ninomaru closure days, choose a ticket for your available areas rather than buying the inclusive ticket unchanged.
Is an Amanohashidate walk the same visit as an observation deck?
Walking on the sandbar differs from looking down from a hilltop observation deck. The four- and five-day Monju plans walk over the rotating bridge and Daitenkyo Bridge to the pine path, returning the same way. Observation decks, lifts and boats are excluded. Guidance gives about 50 minutes one way to cross the whole sandbar, distinct from a southern-section return walk.
Amanohashidate accessTourism association walking map, page 2
Official sources and dates checked
- Tenryuji access ·
- Amanohashidate access ·
- Nijo Castle official access map ·
- Nijo Castle admission ·
- Nijo Castle operations and closures ·
- Byodoin official access map ·
- Byodoin official visitor guide ·
- Summer operating exceptions ·
- Changes from 16 October ·
- Worship costs and operations ·
- Shrine access guide ·
- Visitor rules ·
- Tourism association walking map, page 2 ·
- September 2026 Daitenkyo Bridge works notice ·
- Kyoto transport bureau Nijojo-mae exits and area map ·
- JR West Sagano and Biwako line stops, revised 16 March 2024 ·
- Tenryuji Japanese hours and viewing suspensions ·
- JR Kyoto line stops, revised 14 March 2026 ·
- Ninomaru Palace paintings, carvings and gardens ·
- Byodoin pond, Phoenix Hall and Hoshokan ·
- Fushimi Inari Senbon Torii ·