Travel in Kyoto
Nijo Castle
Nijo Castle · Nijo-jo Castle · 元離宮二条城
Visit Nijo Castle for a look inside a shogun's palace. Explore the paintings and carved decoration at Ninomaru Palace, then walk through the gardens outside.
Sources and dates checked Sources and dates checked Nijo Castle official access map
Visitor information at a glance
Address
〒604-8301 京都市中京区二条通堀川西入二条城町541
541 Nijo-jo-cho, Horikawa-nishi-iru, Nijo-jo-dori, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto 604-8301
View location on the map →Admission
For individual visitors, general admission is JPY 800 for adults, JPY 400 for junior and senior high school pupils and JPY 300 for primary school pupils; younger children enter free. The adult ticket including Ninomaru Palace is JPY 1,300. Adult Honmaru Palace admission is JPY 1,000, bought separately from castle admission, with advance reservation required. The exhibition storage hall costs extra.
Opening hours and closed days
Nijo Castle opens from 08:45 to 17:00, with last admission at 16:00. Ninomaru Palace admits visitors from 08:45 to 16:10; Honmaru Palace admits visitors from 09:30 to 16:00.
What can I see at Nijo Castle?
Ninomaru Palace paintings and carved decoration
See paintings and carved decoration inside Ninomaru Palace. Buy an admission ticket including the palace if you want to enter.
Ninomaru Palace paintings, carvings and gardens Nijo Castle admission
A garden walk after the palace
After exploring the palace decoration, walk through the gardens for a look at both the inside and outside of the buildings.
How to get to Nijo Castle
From Kyoto Station, take the Karasuma subway line and change at Karasuma Oike to the Tozai Line. Get off at Nijojo-mae and leave through Exit 1. Walk towards Nijo Castle and buy tickets beside the East Main Gate. Check services and fares for your date separately.
Nijo Castle official access map Kyoto City Transportation Bureau: Nijojo-mae exits and area map
Before you visit
Enter the castle first for Ninomaru Palace
Ninomaru Palace admission ends at 16:10, but you must enter the castle by 16:00. Do not arrive late by relying only on the palace's admission deadline.
The castle and palaces have different closure dates
Nijo Castle closes on 29–31 December. Ninomaru Palace closes every Tuesday in January, July, August and December; when Tuesday is a Japanese public holiday, it closes the following day. It also closes 26 December–3 January. Honmaru Palace closes on the third Monday of each month and the following day, but opens if those dates are Japanese public holidays. Honmaru Palace also closes 26 December–3 January.
Avoid the combined ticket when Ninomaru Palace is closed
You cannot enter Ninomaru Palace on its closure dates. Check the areas available on your date, then buy the matching ticket.
Questions about Nijo Castle
Does the ticket including Ninomaru Palace also cover Honmaru Palace?
Honmaru Palace requires a separate ticket and an advance reservation for a specific date and time. The Ninomaru Palace combined ticket does not allow entry to Honmaru Palace.
Sources and dates checked
- Sources and dates checked ·
- Sources and dates checked ·
- Nijo Castle official access map ·
- Sources and dates checked ·
- Nijo Castle operations and closures ·
- Sources and dates checked ·
- Sources and dates checked ·
- Sources and dates checked ·
- Nijo Castle admission ·
- Kyoto City Transportation Bureau: Nijojo-mae exits and area map ·
- Ninomaru Palace paintings, carvings and gardens ·
Editorial review: