Kyoto train route guide. How to choose the best route by train to get the major spots?

kyoto stationKansai Area
2013.09.22
Click to enlarge. (C) JP Rail
Click to enlarge. (C) JP Rail

Train system in Kyoto may be complicated for you. There are three types of railway, JR, Kyoto City Subway and Private company’s railways. Actually it’s a key to travel in Kyoto smoothly and avoid wasting your valuable time. Of course city of Kyoto has city wide bus service. But during peak season, bus service runs behind the schedule sometimes due to traffic congestion.

And also, there are many types of deals, such as ICOCA, Kansai Thru Pass, JR Pass, Kansai Area Pass, Kyoto city pass. Each pass has different conditions. You have to understand which train system is covered by your pass.

In this post, I tell you about using these deals and explain all train systems in Kyoto.

Which train services that are covered by ICOCA, Kansai Thru Pass and other JR deals

Many deals are available in Kansai area. But each pass have different coverage. I tell you about major passes and deals.

For the travellers who use ICOCA, Kansai one pass, Suica, Pasmo or other IC cards

You can take all trains on the map above except Shinkansen and Sagano Scenic Railway. When you travel in Kansai area, don’t try to take Shinkansen for such a short transfer. Please see the post below to find more information:

Kansai train networks guide. How to move between Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Nara and Wakayama. Make sure JR lines and non JR lines
There are many train running in Kansai region, Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe and surrounding places. This post shows you the train network in Kansai region. You can find the difference of JR and non JR lines and which train you should take in your trip.
jprail.com
2011.11.20

Regarding Sagano Scenic Railway, it is not a public transportation but an attraction. This is the reason why it is not covered by any rail pass.

By the way, ICOCA does not cover Kyoto city bus service either. In sometimes 2014, Kyoto city bus will accept ICOCA.

For the travellers who use Kansai Thru Pass

Please see the map below:

Click to enlarge. (C) JP Rail
Click to enlarge. (C) JP Rail

You can go anywhere in city of Kyoto. Most of places can be accessed by train. And this pass covers Kyoto City Bus too. Bus services cover all part of city of Kyoto. If you access from Osaka (Umeda) to Kyoto station, you cannot get a direct transfer by this pass. This is only things that you may care.

JR Pass, Kansai Area Pass, Kansai WIDE Area Pass, Kansai Hiroshima Area Pass, Sanyo Sanin Area Pass, Kansai Hokuriku Area Pass, Hokuriku Arch Pass

Please see the map below:

Click to enlarge. (C) JP Rail
Click to enlarge. (C) JP Rail

I wrote another post which focus on JR Pass and JR regional deals in the link below. You may find how much you can use JR Pass and JR regional deals in Kyoto. You can learn how to maximize using these passes:

How to use JR Pass in downtown Kyoto. Find how much you can use Japan Rail Pass in Kyoto.
You may find how to use JR Pass and JR regional deals in Kyoto. You can learn how to maximize using these deals.
jprail.com
2011.02.24

Kyoto Sightseeing One and Two-day Pass Card and Kyoto subway pass

Please see the map below:

Click to enlarge. (C) JP Rail
Click to enlarge. (C) JP Rail

These deals cover Kyoto city subway lines. Kyoto city bus and Kyoto Bus (private bus company) are also covered by Kyoto Sightseeing one day and two day cards. If you will take bus, you can go almost anywhere in city of Kyoto. Only place where is not covered by this pass is Uji.

How to access to major spots in Kyoto by train

As I mentioned above, sometimes bus services are affected by heavy traffic. And there are too many lines of bus in city of Kyoto. You may be confused by too many choices. Therefore I recommend you to use train service as much as you can.

If you need more info about bus, you may be able to find it at Japan-Guide.com

Gion

If you see Maiko in Gion, you are very lucky. © Y.Shimizu/© JNTO
If you see Maiko in Gion, you are very lucky. © Y.Shimizu/© JNTO

You can get there by both Hankyu Railway and Keihan Railway. Hankyu’s Kawaramachi station is located 5 minutes away from Keihan’s Gion-Shijo staiton. There is Kamo river between these two stations. One of most popular market, Nishiki market is located bear Kawaramachi station. This area is one of the busiest area in Kyoto.

If you access from Osaka, take Hankyu if you stay in Umeda (JR Osaka station) and take Keihan if you stay in Namba or Shinsaibashi area. Yodoyabashi is connected by Osaka subway Midousuji line.

Kiyomizudera

It is Must-See spot in Kyoto. ©Sue Ann Simon/©JNTO
It is Must-See spot in Kyoto. ©Sue Ann Simon/©JNTO

Actually it’s a bit away from the station. But you can get there from Keihan’s Kiyomizu-Gojo station. The distance is 1.7 km and takes about 20 minutes.

Arashiyama

Togetsukyo is the icon of Arashiyama. ©Yasufumi Nishi/©JNTO
Togetsukyo is the icon of Arashiyama. ©Yasufumi Nishi/©JNTO

There are three stations, Hankyu, Randen and JR. Randen’s Arashiyama station is located in the heart of Arashiyama. But you will be okay with other two stations. JR’s Saga-Arashiyama station is about 15 minutes away from Randen’s Arashiyama station. Hankyu’s Arashiyama station is located at other side of Katsura river. Togetsu bridge connects these two stations.

If you get Arashiyama from Umeda, obviously Hankyu Railway is the best choice. But there is no direct train service from Umeda to Arashiyama. You have to transfer at Katsura.

If you get Arashiyama from Kyoto station or using JR deals, JR Sagano line is the best choice.

If you get Arashiyama from Gion and Kawaramachi area, I recommend you to take Hankyu to Omiya and transfer to Randen. Randen is not very well known. This rail service is like street car and it runs on the street at some part of this line. This 20 minutes ride will be nice experience in your Kyoto visit. Hankyu’s Omiya station is located underground and Randen’s Shijo-Omiya station is on the ground. But it’s just cross the road and only 3 minutes away.

If you stay in Sanjo area and get Arashiyama, take subway to Uzumasa-Tenjingawa station and transfer to Randen. Randen-Tenjingawa station is located on the ground and subway’s station is underground. But it’s same place.

Kinkakji (Golden Pavilion)

I recommend you to drop by Ryoanji temple before visit Kinkakuji. ©JNTO
I recommend you to drop by Ryoanji temple before visit Kinkakuji. ©JNTO

It can be accessed from randen’s Kitano-Hakubaicho station on foot. It takes about 20 nminutes. Of course you can catch the bus at Kitano-Hakubaicho station. It is three bus stops away from Kinkakuji and takes about 5 minutes.

If you access there from Arashiyama, Randen is a good choice. But if you get there from Gion, Kyoto station and other places, Randen is considerable. You have to change the train at Katabiranotsuji. It takes about 30 minutes from both Shijo-Omiya and Arashiyama. But Kinakakuji can be accessed by direct bus from many places in Kyoto. Even though I consider traffic, bus service may be faster than Randen. And also Kinkakuji can be accessed from subway’s Kitaoji staion by bus. If you get there from Kyoto station and Gion, this route is the fastest.

Nijo castle

Nijo castle is located in the heart of Kyoto. It is very easy to access there. ©JNTO
Nijo castle is located in the heart of Kyoto. It is very easy to access there. ©JNTO

The nearest station is subway’s Nijojo staton. But you can access there from JR Nijo station too. So you can choose the trains by you pass/deal.

Fushimi Inari

Fushimi Inari Shrine is very famous as thousands of torii gates. ©Kyoto Convention Bureau /©JNTO
Fushimi Inari Shrine is very famous as thousands of torii gates. ©Kyoto Convention Bureau /©JNTO

It can be accessed by both JR and Keihan. JR’s Inari station is the nearest station. But Keihan’s station is only 5 minutes away from the shrine. You can choose it by your pass/deals.

If you combine this place with Nara, JR’s Inari station is on the way to Nara.

Uji

Byodoin Hououdou is the highlight in Uji. © JNTO
Byodoin Hououdou is the highlight in Uji. © JNTO

It is not located in city of Kyoto. So you cannot get there by city bus.

Both JR and Keihan can take you there. The biggest spot, Byodoin is located between JR Uji and Keihan’s Uji stations. It take about 10 minutes from both stations.

If you get there from Osaka, Keihan Railway is the best choice. But there is no direct train to Uji from Yodoyambashi. You have to change the trains at Chushojima.

Kyoto subway line goes to Rokujizo station. This is located at same place as JR’s Rokujizo station. You can change the trains very easily there. But Keihan’s Rokujizo station is a bit away from subway/JR stations. So if you access there from the heart of Kyoto, subway and JR combination is a good choice too.

Comments

  1. Carolina says:
    July 28, 2015 at 2:07 am

    Hi Takeshi,

    Me & my hubby will be arriving to Kyoto from Hakone. We’ll be staying at Citadines Karasuma Gojo for 2 nights and wondering what pass should we use in Kyoto. Day 1 we plan to visit Kiyomizudera Temple, walk to Yasaka Shrine and go to Gion & Shijo-Dori street. Day 2 go to Arashiyama, Kinkakuji by taxi, then Nishiki market, Pontocho & Gion area. The next morning before we heading to Osaka, we plan to visit Fushimi Inari and go to Osaka.

    Q1. Do I need to buy any pass, since I intend to visit the listed above mostly by train. Or should I just use my SUICA? Because the Citadines located near subway Gojo & Kiyomizu-Gojo (Keihan).

    Q2. I’ll be staying in Daiwa Roynet Osaka Uehommachi, so do you think it more convenient for me to go there by Kintetsu from Kyoto Station? So I just need to change the train only at Nara Line.

    Thank you so much for the help!

  2. Dwi says:
    July 3, 2015 at 9:40 pm

    Hi Takeshi-san,

    I’m still wondering whether I should get a bus/train pass for traveling around Kyoto or just use ICOCA card that I get from buying the Haruka from KIX?
    After arriving at Kyoto St, I plan to visit Kinkauji, Ryoanji and then continue to Arashiyama for the first day. Then on 2nd day, I want to activate my JR Pass, visit Nara, back to Higashiyama and Fushimi Inari.
    Will buying 1 or 2 day pass pay off for such schedule?

    Thanks, Dwi.

    • Takeshi / JPRail says:
      July 3, 2015 at 11:30 pm

      Hi Dwi san,

      You don’t need to use ICOCA. All day bus pass is only 500 yen. Three bus ride is enough to pay off. You can use ICOCA in convenience store in the station to purchase food and drink. You may use it for using coin lockers. There are many ways to use ICOCA. You may have a chance to take subway in other cities. JR Pass does not cover it.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JP Rail

  3. Shirley says:
    June 28, 2015 at 8:16 am

    Dear Takeshi san,
    I’m planning to go to kansai airport from shin osaka station to catch my flight back home. They said its best for me to catch the airport express Haruka. If I already have suica card which i bought in tokyo before, can I buy haruka ticket with suica ? Or do I have to buy another special haruka ticket at shin osaka station ? Can you please give me any information about this ? Tq so much..

    • Takeshi / JPRail says:
      June 28, 2015 at 8:41 am

      Hi Shirley san,

      You can use Suica in Osaka. But you can use it for base fare ticket only. So you can use Suica to go to KIX, but you have to purchase limited express supplement ticket for taking Haruka beside Suica at Shin-Osaka.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JP Rail

  4. Tin says:
    June 11, 2015 at 7:04 pm

    Hi Takeshi. Can you help us with our itinerary. We are planning to go to Kyoto (Gion,Kiyomizu Temple, Kinkakuji Temple) and then Nara (Todaiji Temple, Deer Park). We are staying at Shinsaibashi in Osaka. What is the easiest and most convenient way to go to Osaka from Shinsaibashi Station? Thank you.

  5. Earl says:
    June 10, 2015 at 11:05 am

    Hi takeshi! What’s the best route from Gion going back to Nishinakajima Station in osaka?

    • Takeshi / JPRail says:
      June 10, 2015 at 12:44 pm

      Hi Earl,

      Do you mean Nishinakajima-Minamikata station? If so, it’s same location as Minamikata station of Hankyu Railway Kyoto line. You can catch Hankyu train at Kawatamachi. It’s just other side of Kamogawa river from Gion.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JP Rail

  6. Sharon Freitas says:
    June 3, 2015 at 2:26 pm

    Hi Takeshi-san
    My family of 4 is going from Osaka (Sheraton Miyako Hotel) to Kyoto (Dormy Inn Kyoto) on June 9th and then we have 3 nites/4 days in Kyoto. Here are some ?s:
    1) What is best way to travel from Sheraton Miyako Hotel to Kyoto? We’d like to arrive around 11am, go to TIC for tourist info, then to Nijo Castle?
    2) Next day, we want to visit Inari Shrine (hike and festival for 3-4 hours), Nara Park (sites and feed deer), Todaiji Great Buddha, Nara Nagomikan (souvenirs/restaurants/ sweets). A taxi service quoted us $310 to take us on this tour but if it’s not too difficult, can you advise what transportation to take or do you recommend tour?
    3) Day 3 we want to visit Arashiyama, Sagano Bamboo Grove and Iwatayama Monkey Reserve. What time should we start our day and what transportation should we take?
    4) On each of the 3 nights we are in Kyoto, we’d like to go to Osaka (Dotombori Nite Market and perhaps another night to Tempozan Marketplace) and Kyoto (Nishiki Market) and another place. Can you recommend transportation to go and what time to leave hotel for these places?
    THANK YOU SO MUCH!
    Sharon Freitas

  7. Leelee says:
    May 17, 2015 at 11:50 pm

    Hello Tekeshi !

    Is me again, so sorry and thanks for sloving all my quries to Takayama;)

    Recently saw a post regarding Arashiyama, may I know to get to this place from Namba? I will have to change train to Osaka? Then from Osaka to this place? And read about Sagano Scenic Railway May I know where to take this train? And after this train ride , how to get back to Osaka?

    Will it be convenient to take this Sagano scenic railway?

    Thanks!

  8. SylviaTan says:
    May 12, 2015 at 3:26 am

    We have a group of 6 adults & 5 kids (Age 5-10) have a trip with 2 at kyota for 3 days 2 night and connect to Osaka for 3 nights there.
    Which pass should I purchase ?
    Please advice.
    Thank you.

  9. PM says:
    April 22, 2015 at 5:33 am

    Hi, Takeshi san! I have read and re-read most of your posts and am STILL confused! 🙂 So could you help me, please :

    We would be based in Osaka and taking day trip to Kyoto. Can be 1 day or 2 days. We would like to visit Arashiyama, Kiyomizudera and Gion. Can we cover all those in 2 days? We will be staying 3 days in Tennoji and 2 days in Shinsaibashi area. Is it better to travel to Kyoto from Tennoji or Shinsaibashi? Which train should we take?

    In fact, I will be grateful if you could advise on our airport-Tennoji and Shinsaibashi-airport tickets as well.On Hyperdia, there is JR Kansai Airport Rapid Service (1,060JPY) or Haruka (2,430 JPY). Haruka is slightly faster but as we arrive very early in the morning, we don’t mind taking a slower train to our Ryokan in Tennoji.

    Besides 2 days to Kyoto (day trips), we plan to spend the other days in Tennoji and Osaka. Don’t think we will have time to travel to Nara or Kobe or other parts of Kansai.

    Should we buy Haruka-Iacoca or Kansai Thru Pass?

    Thank you very much for your assistance!!

  10. Lucy says:
    April 10, 2015 at 8:50 pm

    Hi, I would like to find out how to travel from arashiyama to takayama and also from takayama to Itami airport. Thank you.

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