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00the route
Route

Kyoto in a day: temples by daylight, obanzai at night

September 25, 2026Sora Nakamura

The Kyoto of the postcards in one long day, taken from Jalan's one-day model course, with its prices and hours as of 3 September 2026: coffee at seven, the rock garden when it opens, handmade udon in Okazaki, the Heian shrine and Yasaka in the afternoon, Kiyomizu before it closes, and dinner a minute from Karasuma station.

The temples and shrines are open every day. The udon shop closes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and the dinner on Wednesdays and the third and fourth Thursdays, so avoid those. The entry fees add up to ¥1,700 a person; the buses between the west and the east of the city are not priced here.

Where
Kyoto
How long
1 day
Stops
7
Distance
15 km · 4.3 km on foot
On the clock
about 13 h
Pace
steady
Season
all
Mood
first-time · eating
See it on the map →All routes →Just landed? First 24 hours →

Times are the editor’s plan, not a timetable. ≈ marks our own rough estimate; check the train times before you go.

01what it costs
Day 1¥4,540≈ $29 / €25fares ¥0 · places ¥4,5401 stop not priced yet · 2 fares not recorded yet
Priced so far¥4,540≈ $29 / €25midCovers 6 of 7 stops and the trains · 2 rides without a fare · no hotel on this route

Per person, one adult. Each place’s figure is what its source printed, and the stop names the source and the date; the fares are the operators’ own published figures. Meals and rides with no printed figure are not in the total, and a figure printed more than a year ago says so. Converted at the European Central Bank reference rate of 2026-09-24, not a bank rate.

02the day
  1. イノダコーヒ本店

    Breakfast at Inoda's main branch: a machiya front, and behind it a room done like an old Western house. The Kyoto Breakfast of ham made for the house, salad, scrambled eggs and a croissant, with a drink, is ¥1,890.

    京都市 · Jalan Net News · 60 min¥1,890per personas printed by Jalan September 3

    Hours7:00–18:00 (last order 17:30); no fixed holiday · Jalan, as of 3 Sep 2026

    The place →Open in maps ↗
  2. Bus≈45 min
  3. Ryoan-ji 龍安寺

    The rock garden: white sand and fifteen stones, set so that from no single place can you see all fifteen at once.

    京都市 · Jalan Net News · 60 min¥600per personas printed by Jalan September 3

    Hours8:00–17:00 March to November, 8:30–16:30 December to February · Jalan, as of 3 Sep 2026

    The place →Open in maps ↗
  4. Bus≈45 min
  5. 京うどん 生蕎麦 おかきた

    Handmade udon and fresh soba near the Heian shrine, boiled when you order. The kitsune udon is ¥950: a stock of Rishiri kelp, Kujo leek, and fried tofu made every morning by a local tofu shop.

    京都市 · Jalan Net News · 50 min¥950per personas printed by Jalan September 3

    Hours11:00–18:00; closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays · Jalan, as of 3 Sep 2026

    The place →Open in maps ↗
  6. Walk≈5 min · 0.3 km
  7. Heian Jingu 平安神宮

    Built in 1895 for the 1,100th year of the capital, a five-eighths copy of the Heian palace's state halls. The grounds are free; the ¥600 is for the garden.

    京都市 · Jalan Net News · 60 min¥600per personas printed by Jalan September 3

    HoursGrounds 6:00–18:00; garden 8:30–17:30, changing with the season · Jalan, as of 3 Sep 2026

    The place →Open in maps ↗
  8. Walk≈23 min · 1.4 km
  9. Yasaka Shrine 八坂神社

    Gion's shrine, its main hall and worship hall under one great roof, a style called gion-zukuri. Entry is free.

    京都市 · Jalan Net News · 45 minFreeper Jalan September 3

    HoursOpen at all hours; the amulet office 9:00–17:00 · Jalan, as of 3 Sep 2026

    The place →Open in maps ↗
  10. Walk≈16 min · 1.0 km
  11. Kiyomizu-dera 清水寺

    The wooden stage juts from the main hall over the city, built without nails; walk on to the Otowa waterfall, which gave the temple its name.

    京都市 · Jalan Net News · 90 min¥500per personas printed by Jalan September 3

    Hours6:00–18:00; the closing time changes with the season · Jalan, as of 3 Sep 2026

    The place →Open in maps ↗
  12. Walk≈27 min · 1.6 km
  13. お数家 いしかわ

    Obanzai, the everyday cooking of Kyoto homes, in a small place at the end of a narrow lane, a minute from Karasuma station: about a hundred dishes, from Kyoto-grown produce. Kujo leek and squid dressed in vinegared miso is ¥680.

    京都市 · Jalan Net News · 120 min

    Hours17:00–22:00 (last order 21:00); closed Wednesdays and the third and fourth Thursdays · Jalan, as of 3 Sep 2026

    The place →Open in maps ↗
See it on the map →
03the map
This route on our map7 stops · 15 kmOpen the map →
04music for the way
Music for the way
Kyoto, quietOpen in Spotify ↗
For the tableOpen in Spotify ↗
For twoOpen in Spotify ↗
05on the wire

On the wire this week

  1. 【京都】1日で定番スポットを巡る！エリア別の観光モデルコースを紹介（マップつき）＜2026＞ Jalan Net News
06the editor

Sora Nakamura was born in Kanazawa, grew up between a fish market and a grandmother's kitchen, and spent her twenties cooking in Tokyo, Lyon and Melbourne before she put down the knife to write. Back in Tokyo since 2019, she keeps a spreadsheet of every place she has eaten at since 2011 and a bicycle she rides to most of them. She writes routes, not rankings, and believes the best restaurant in any town is the one that has been open long enough to have a regular who died there.