Getting Around Kyoto: Buses, Subway, Trains, Bikes and Day Passes

The green-and-white Kyoto City Bus network is how most visitors meet Kyoto, because the big northern and eastern temples (Kinkaku-ji, Ginkaku-ji, Daitoku-ji, Ryoan-ji) are nowhere near a station. Inside the central zone every ride costs a flat 230 yen (children 120 yen). On most routes you board through the rear or middle door and pay as you leave at the front, by tapping an IC card or feeding coins into the box next to the driver; the machine changes 1,000-yen notes but not larger ones. Outside the flat-fare zone (Ohara, Takao, the far west), take a numbered ticket or tap your card on boarding and pay by distance. The cream-coloured Kyoto Bus company runs the Arashiyama, Ohara and Kurama-side routes and accepts the same IC cards.

The routes worth knowing from Kyoto Station’s north-side bus terminal: 206 (Kiyomizu-dera via Gojo-zaka, Gion, Daitoku-ji, a loop), 100 (Kiyomizu-dera, Gion, Heian Shrine, Ginkaku-ji), 205 (Kinkaku-ji, Shijo Kawaramachi, a loop) and 101 (Nijo Castle, Kinkaku-ji). From downtown, 12 runs Shijo Kawaramachi to Kinkaku-ji, and 59 from Sanjo Keihan reaches Kinkaku-ji and Ryoan-ji.

Crowding is the problem, not cost. Route 100 and 206 buses leave Kyoto Station full at 9am and crawl through Higashiyama traffic in spring and November; a 15-minute ride can take 45. Three fixes work: ride the subway or Keihan most of the way and bus only the last stretch, move before 8:30am or after 4pm, and avoid sitting on the D-stand queue at Kyoto Station when the train will do. Last buses on most routes leave between 10pm and 11pm.

Two changes since 2023 catch out visitors using older guides. First, the 700-yen bus-only one-day pass was withdrawn in 2023 to push tourists off overcrowded buses; the only bus day ticket now is the combined Subway and Bus 1-Day Pass (see Passes below).

Second, since June 2024 the city runs Sightseeing Limited Express buses on weekends and public holidays. EX100 goes from Kyoto Station (stop D1) to Gojo-zaka for Kiyomizu-dera, then Gion, Heian Shrine and Ginkaku-ji; EX101 goes non-stop from Kyoto Station to Gojo-zaka. The fare is 500 yen (children 250 yen), you board at the front and pay as you get on, and IC cards and the 1-Day Pass are accepted. They skip most stops, so they are genuinely faster than route 100 and 206 when traffic allows. On weekdays, use the ordinary buses or the train.

Kyoto Municipal Subway has two lines. The Karasuma Line (green) runs north-south under Karasuma-dori from Takeda through Kyoto Station, Shijo (for Hankyu Karasuma and Nishiki Market), Karasuma Oike and Imadegawa (for the Imperial Palace and Daitoku-ji by bus) to Kokusaikaikan; some trains run through onto the Kintetsu line to Nara. The Tozai Line (red) crosses east-west from Daigo (for Daigo-ji) and Yamashina through Keage (for Nanzen-ji), Higashiyama, Sanjo Keihan, Karasuma Oike and Nijojo-mae (Nijo Castle) to Uzumasa Tenjingawa, where you can change to the Randen. Fares are 220 to 360 yen by distance (as of October 2025), trains run about every 5 to 8 minutes from 5:30am to about 11:30pm, and they are rarely crowded.

Five private and JR lines fill the gaps:

• Keihan Main Line: runs underground along the Kamo River’s east bank through Demachiyanagi, Sanjo, Gion-Shijo and Kiyomizu-Gojo, then south to Fushimi-Inari and Osaka’s Yodoyabashi. It does not reach Kyoto Station (change at Tofukuji to JR). The best line for Gion and Higashiyama.
• Hankyu Kyoto Line: from Kyoto-Kawaramachi and Karasuma downtown to Osaka-Umeda; change at Katsura for Arashiyama.
• Randen (Keifuku): a one-car street tram from Shijo-Omiya to Arashiyama, with a branch past Ryoan-ji and Ninna-ji (Kitano-Hakubaicho line). Flat fare, about 250 yen.
• Eizan Railway: from Demachiyanagi north to Kibune-guchi and Kurama (about 30 minutes), and to Yase-Hieizanguchi for the cable car up Mount Hiei.
• Kintetsu Kyoto Line: from Kyoto Station’s south side to To-ji and on to Nara.
• JR: the Nara Line stops at Inari, right at the gate of Fushimi Inari (5 minutes), then Tofukuji and Uji; the Sagano Line reaches Saga-Arashiyama in about 15 minutes; the Kyoto Line goes to Osaka and Lake Biwa.

The pass maths in Kyoto is simple because only one pass covers buses.

A typical temple day (bus to Kinkaku-ji, bus to Ryoan-ji, Randen to Arashiyama, JR back) costs about 950 yen in single fares and the Randen and JR legs are not covered by the 1-Day Pass, so it loses money. A day of four buses and a subway ride (Ginkaku-ji, Heian, Gion, Kiyomizu-dera, home) costs 1,140 yen and the pass just wins. The pass is a magnetic card sold at subway stations, the bus information centre at Kyoto Station and on buses, and it starts on the first day you put it through a gate or reader.

ICOCA is JR West’s IC card, sold from machines at any JR station with a 500-yen deposit; it also works in Apple Wallet. Suica and Pasmo from Tokyo work everywhere ICOCA does, including buses. Top up with cash at station machines or convenience stores. The Japan Rail Pass covers JR lines in Kyoto (Sagano, Nara, Haruka) but no bus, subway or private railway, so pass holders still need an IC card.

Kyoto Station is huge but logical. The north side (Karasuma Central Exit) faces Kyoto Tower and holds the city bus terminal (stands A to D, with D1 to D3 for routes 206, 100 and the EX buses), the tourist information centre on the second floor, the taxi rank and the Karasuma subway line underground. The south side (Hachijo Exit) has the Tokaido Shinkansen gates, the Kintetsu platforms, the airport limousine and many highway bus stops, plus the Aeon Mall and cheaper business hotels.

Inside, the JR platforms that matter: the Haruka to Kansai Airport uses platform 30, the Sagano Line to Arashiyama uses platforms 31 to 33 at the western end (a 5-minute walk from the central gates), and the Nara Line for Inari and Uji uses platforms 8 to 10. Shinkansen gates are on the south side, with a transfer gate from the JR concourse. Allow 10 minutes to walk between the bus terminal and the shinkansen platforms with luggage.

• JR Haruka limited express: about 75 to 80 minutes from Kansai Airport (KIX) to Kyoto Station, every 30 minutes. The full fare is around 3,000 yen unreserved. Foreign visitors on a temporary-visitor stamp can buy the discounted Haruka One-way Ticket as a QR ticket from an overseas travel agency: 2,200 yen to Kyoto until 31 October 2026 and 2,700 yen from 1 November 2026 (check JR West before you go). The Japan Rail Pass and the JR Kansai passes cover it.
• JR Kansai Airport Rapid plus a change at Osaka: cheaper but 95 to 110 minutes with a transfer. Only worth it if you are on a pass that excludes the Haruka.
• Airport Limousine Bus: about 2,600 yen, 85 to 100 minutes to Kyoto Station Hachijo Exit; easier with lots of luggage.
• Itami (Osaka International): no train to Kyoto. Limousine buses run to Kyoto Station in about 55 to 65 minutes for around 1,300 yen.
• Shared shuttles and taxis: door-to-door MK Skygate and Yasaka shuttles from KIX run about 4,000 to 5,000 yen a person and need booking a day ahead; a taxi is 20,000 yen or more.

The last Haruka leaves KIX around 10:15pm. For flights that land later, use the limousine bus, or stay in Osaka and come in the next morning.

Taxis are plentiful and honest: about 500 yen for the first kilometre and roughly 100 yen for each further 250 to 300 m, with a late-night surcharge. A 4-person group going from Kyoto Station to Kinkaku-ji (about 2,500 to 3,000 yen) often pays less than four bus fares and arrives in half the time. GO and Uber call ordinary licensed taxis. Rear doors open automatically; do not slam them.

Cycling is the best way to see Kyoto if you are steady in traffic. The centre is flat and laid out in a grid; Kyoto Station to Kinkaku-ji is about 8 km (45 to 75 minutes), to Arashiyama about 10 km. The Kamo River path from Demachiyanagi to Shichijo is car-free. Rules are enforced: ride on the left side of the road (pavements only where signed), no phones, umbrellas or earphones, lights after dark, no riding after drinking, and helmets are expected. Since April 2026, police can issue on-the-spot fines to cyclists over 16 for violations such as using a phone. Park only in designated lots (many temples have free bike parking; downtown lots charge 100 to 200 yen); bikes left on pavements are impounded and cost a few thousand yen to recover.

Walking joins most of the eastern sights. The classic route is the 2 km Philosopher’s Path from Ginkaku-ji to Nanzen-ji (see Ginkaku-ji and the Philosopher’s Path), then on through Chion-in, Maruyama Park and Yasaka Shrine to Gion and up Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka to Kiyomizu-dera: a full day on foot with no transport at all.

Kyoto is the best base in Kansai for day trips; check Japan itineraries for how they fit a longer route.

Ohara has no train: take Kyoto Bus 17 from Kyoto Station (about an hour, pay by distance) or from Demachiyanagi. For the Golden Route by shinkansen (Tokyo 2h15 on the Nozomi), see Japan trains and the JR Pass.

Luggage: the city actively discourages suitcases on buses, which have no racks. Use coin lockers (about 400 to 800 yen a day) or the staffed baggage counters at Kyoto Station, and send big bags between hotels or to the airport with takkyubin delivery from your hotel front desk or a convenience store (about 2,000 to 3,000 yen a bag, next-day). Several Kyoto Station counters offer same-day delivery to Kyoto hotels if you drop off in the morning.

Apps: Google Maps handles buses, subway and private railways with live times; Japan Transit Planner (Jorudan) and NAVITIME show platforms and the cheapest versus fastest routes; GO for taxis. Kyoto’s official city bus and subway website has an English route finder and current pass details.

Accessibility: all subway stations and most JR and Keihan stations have lifts. City buses are low-floor with a ramp at the middle door, but crowds make wheelchair travel hard at peak times, and temples on the eastern hills involve steep slopes and steps. Taxis with ramps can be booked through the larger companies.

Kyoto travel guide