Three days in Kyoto: visit Uji on the final day?
You can give separate days to Nijo Castle, Arashiyama and Uji. First check that you can return from Uji to Kyoto Station before departure on the final day. For more time for the Phoenix Hall interior, or an early departure, compare Uji on day two and a final day near Kyoto Station.
Choose a 2 nights, 3 days itinerary
City castle and garden visits, plus Uji
Choose this for separate days at Nijo Castle's palace, an Arashiyama garden and Uji's Phoenix Hall. Stay two nights at one hotel near Kyoto Station and travel to the three areas. It suits a final day with time to return from Uji before departure.
City castle and garden visits, plus Uji →2 nights, 3 days BByodoin's interior and Kyoto Station architecture
Choose this for Nijo Castle followed by a leisurely day at Uji's Phoenix Hall and exhibitions. Stay two nights near Kyoto Station, give day two to Uji and remain near the station before departure. Arashiyama is excluded.
Byodoin's interior and Kyoto Station architecture →City castle and garden visits, plus Uji
Choose this for separate days at Nijo Castle's palace, an Arashiyama garden and Uji's Phoenix Hall. Stay two nights at one hotel near Kyoto Station and travel to the three areas. It suits a final day with time to return from Uji before departure.
Day 1 | Nijo Castle
Start at Nijo Castle if dividing Nijo Castle, Arashiyama and Uji across separate days. This itinerary needs time to return from Uji to Kyoto Station before departure on the final day.
- Kyoto Station → Nijojo-mae Station
From Kyoto Station, take the subway Karasuma Line towards Kokusaikaikan to Karasuma Oike. Change to the Tozai Line towards Uzumasa Tenjingawa and get off at Nijojo-mae.
Nijo Castle official access mapKyoto City Transportation Bureau: Nijojo-mae exits and area map
- Nijojo-mae Station → Ticket office beside the East Main Gate
Leave Nijojo-mae through Exit 1 and walk towards Nijo Castle. Head to the ticket office beside the East Main Gate.
Nijo Castle official access mapKyoto City Transportation Bureau: Nijojo-mae exits and area map
- Ticket office beside the East Main Gate → Ninomaru Palace and gardens
Buy a ticket including Ninomaru Palace at the office beside the East Main Gate. Visit the palace and gardens, then eat outside the castle. Last castle admission is 16:00, so move the visit to another day after a late arrival.
- Ninomaru Palace and gardens → Return to your starting station and the same hotel
Return from the same station via Karasuma Oike to Kyoto Station and your hotel.
Nijo Castle official access mapKyoto City Transportation Bureau: Nijojo-mae exits and area map
Last castle admission is 16:00 and closing is 17:00. On Ninomaru Palace closure dates, choose a ticket matching the areas you can visit. After a late arrival, move the visit to another day and check operations for the replacement date.
Day 2 | Arashiyama
- Kyoto Station → JR Saga-Arashiyama Station
Take the JR Sagano Line from Kyoto towards Sonobe and get off at Saga-Arashiyama.
Tenryu-ji accessJR West Sagano and Biwako Line stop map, revised 2024-03-16
- JR Saga-Arashiyama Station → Tenryu-ji garden
Walk about 13 minutes to Tenryu-ji, visit with a garden ticket, then have lunch in Arashiyama. If you also walk beside the river, plan your return around JR Saga-Arashiyama. Do not confuse it with Randen or Hankyu Arashiyama stations.
Tenryu-ji accessJR West Sagano and Biwako Line stop map, revised 2024-03-16
- Tenryu-ji garden → Return to your starting station and the same hotel
Take a JR train towards Kyoto and return to the same hotel. Adding the buildings costs JPY 300; on suspension dates, visit only the garden.
Tenryu-ji accessJR West Sagano and Biwako Line stop map, revised 2024-03-16
Check your date's JR services and operations for the garden, buildings and Dharma Hall separately. If your chosen area is closed, decide whether to visit only the garden or change the date.
Day 3 | Uji, then departure
- Your hotel near Kyoto Station → JR Uji Station
From Kyoto Station, take a JR Nara Line train towards Uji or Nara that stops at Uji, and get off at JR Uji.
- JR Uji Station → Byodoin
Official directions give about ten minutes on foot from JR Uji to Byodoin.
Byodoin official access mapByodoin official visiting guidance
- Byodoin → Byodoin garden and Hoshokan
Buy the JPY 700 garden and Hoshokan ticket. Phoenix Hall interior registration is first come that day, so avoid waiting for a session when you cannot delay your departure. Eat in Uji afterwards only if there is enough time for the return.
- Byodoin garden and Hoshokan → Your departure from Kyoto Station
Return to JR Uji and take the Nara Line towards Kyoto. At Kyoto Station, head to the ticket gate and platform for your booked departure. Before an early departure that leaves no time for Uji and back, move Uji to day two and omit Arashiyama.
Byodoin official access mapByodoin official visiting guidance
Byodoin garden opens from 08:45 to 17:30, with last admission at 17:15; Hoshokan opens from 09:00 to 17:00, with last admission at 16:45. Phoenix Hall interior visits use same-day first-come registration. Check official notices for sessions, group sizes and suspensions on your date. Return on a Kyoto-bound train from JR Uji.
Included: Nijo Castle and Ninomaru Palace JPY 1,300; Tenryu-ji garden JPY 500; Byodoin garden and Hoshokan JPY 700.
Extra costs: The subtotal excludes subway and JR travel, two nights' accommodation, meals, Tenryu-ji buildings and Dharma Hall, Phoenix Hall interior, Honmaru Palace, separate exhibitions and travel to the airport or next destination.
Phoenix Hall interior admission and Tenryu-ji buildings each cost an additional JPY 300 if chosen.
Nijo Castle admissionTenryu-ji Japanese hours and visit suspension noticesByodoin official visiting guidance
Byodoin's interior and Kyoto Station architecture
Choose this for Nijo Castle followed by a leisurely day at Uji's Phoenix Hall and exhibitions. Stay two nights near Kyoto Station, give day two to Uji and remain near the station before departure. Arashiyama is excluded.
Day 1 | Start with Nijo Castle
See Nijo Castle on day one, then try to register for the Phoenix Hall interior in Uji on day two. Stay near Kyoto Station on departure day and prepare for your booked service.
- Kyoto Station → Nijojo-mae Station
From Kyoto Station, take the Karasuma Line towards Kokusaikaikan. At Karasuma Oike, change to the Tozai Line towards Uzumasa Tenjingawa and get off at Nijojo-mae.
Nijo Castle official access mapKyoto City Transportation Bureau: Nijojo-mae exits and area map
- Nijojo-mae Station → Ticket office beside the East Main Gate
Leave Nijojo-mae through Exit 1 and walk towards Nijo Castle. Head to the ticket office beside the East Main Gate.
Nijo Castle official access mapKyoto City Transportation Bureau: Nijojo-mae exits and area map
- Ticket office beside the East Main Gate → Ninomaru Palace and gardens
Buy a ticket including Ninomaru Palace at the office beside the East Main Gate, then visit the palace and gardens.
- Ninomaru Palace and gardens → Return to your starting station and the same hotel
Afterwards, eat near the castle and return by the same subway route to your Kyoto Station hotel. If you miss last admission or the palace is closed, swap with day two's Uji visit, checking Byodoin operations as well.
Nijo Castle official access mapKyoto City Transportation Bureau: Nijojo-mae exits and area mapNijo Castle admissionNijo Castle operations and closures
Last castle admission is 16:00 and closing is 17:00. On Ninomaru Palace closure dates, choose a ticket matching the areas you can visit. After a late arrival, move the visit to another day and check operations for the replacement date.
Day 2 | Uji with time for interior registration
- Kyoto Station → JR Uji Station
From Kyoto Station, take a JR Nara Line train towards Uji or Nara that stops at Uji, and get off at JR Uji.
- JR Uji Station → Byodoin
Official directions give about ten minutes on foot from JR Uji to Byodoin. Distinguish JR Uji from Keihan Uji Station.
Byodoin official access mapByodoin official visiting guidance
- Byodoin → Byodoin garden and Hoshokan
For the Phoenix Hall interior, check same-day registration and sessions first. If registered, arrange the garden, Hoshokan and lunch around your session. If registration has closed, finish with the garden and exhibitions. The interior costs JPY 300 beyond the basic ticket and is not a seat reserved in advance.
Byodoin official visiting guidanceSummer operating exceptions
- Byodoin garden and Hoshokan → Return to your starting station and the same hotel
Return to JR Uji afterwards and take a Kyoto-bound train back to the same hotel. Check official Phoenix Hall interior notices for your date.
Byodoin official access mapByodoin official visiting guidanceSummer operating exceptionsChanges from 16 October
Byodoin garden opens from 08:45 to 17:30, with last admission at 17:15; Hoshokan opens from 09:00 to 17:00, with last admission at 16:45. Phoenix Hall interior visits use same-day first-come registration. Check official notices for sessions, group sizes and suspensions on your date. Return on a Kyoto-bound train from JR Uji.
Day 3 | Station building, then departure
- Your hotel near Kyoto Station → Kyoto Station Building's fourth-floor square and Grand Stairway
Explore Muromachi-koji Square and the Grand Stairway on the fourth floor of Kyoto Station Building.
- Kyoto Station Building, fourth floor → Optional visit: tenth-floor Skyway
If you have time after 10:00 before departure, follow signs up to the tenth-floor Skyway. It is a 185-metre walkway linking the east and west sides.
- Station building visitor areas → Your departure from Kyoto Station
After your visit and meal, head to the ticket gate and platform for your booked departure from Kyoto Station. If platform access leaves too little time, skip the Skyway and prepare to depart first.
The fourth-floor Muromachi-koji Square and Grand Stairway open from 06:00 to 23:00, and the Skyway opens from 10:00 to 22:00. Skip the Skyway before an early departure. Visit only the square and Skyway as time permits, then catch your departure service.
Included: Nijo Castle and Ninomaru Palace JPY 1,300; Byodoin garden and Hoshokan JPY 700.
Extra costs: The subtotal excludes subway travel, JR return travel to Uji, two nights' accommodation, meals, shopping, Phoenix Hall interior admission of JPY 300, Honmaru Palace, separate paid exhibitions and travel to the airport or next destination.
If you register on the day and visit the Phoenix Hall interior, add JPY 300 for an attraction admission total of JPY 2,300.
Transport passes, fares and checks before departure
For a separate Lake Biwa Museum trip
For Lake Biwa Museum, distinguish the JR Nara Line for Uji from the JR Biwako Line for Kusatsu south of Lake Biwa. Check trains via Kyoto Station and the museum bus from Kusatsu's west exit. Adult bus fares are JPY 480 one way or JPY 960 return; JR fares are separate.
Facility accessBus operatorJR West Sagano and Biwako Line stop map, revised 2024-03-16Byodoin official access map
Frequently asked questions
What does admission to Nijo Castle, Tenryu-ji and Byodoin cost?
Basic admission for the three attractions totals JPY 2,500. Adding Tenryu-ji's buildings and the Phoenix Hall interior costs JPY 300 each, bringing the total to JPY 3,100. Tenryu-ji's Dharma Hall, Honmaru Palace, subway, JR, accommodation and meals are excluded. Check building operations and first-come interior registration for your date.
Nijo Castle admissionTenryu-ji Japanese hours and visit suspension noticesByodoin official visiting guidance
Is day two better than the final day in Uji if I want to wait for the Phoenix Hall interior?
The day-two Uji itinerary leaves visiting time and keeps the final day near Kyoto Station. You can arrange the garden, exhibitions and meal around interior registration, but your preferred session is not guaranteed. Check official notices for sessions, capacity and suspensions on your date.
Byodoin official visiting guidanceSummer operating exceptionsChanges from 16 October
Official sources and dates checked
- Tenryu-ji access ·
- Nijo Castle official access map ·
- Nijo Castle admission ·
- Nijo Castle operations and closures ·
- Byodoin official access map ·
- Byodoin official visiting guidance ·
- Summer operating exceptions ·
- Changes from 16 October ·
- Facility access ·
- Bus operator ·
- Square and walkway opening guidance ·
- Rooftop closure notice ·
- Kyoto City Transportation Bureau: Nijojo-mae exits and area map ·
- JR West Sagano and Biwako Line stop map, revised 2024-03-16 ·
- Tenryu-ji Japanese hours and visit suspension notices ·