4 Days in Kyoto Itinerary for First Timers

Planning 4 days in Kyoto and wondering how to fit everything in without feeling overwhelmed?

You’re in the right place! I’m Mel, a travel blogger from London, and I recently spent a week in Kyoto, the incredible city in Japan, during a month-long trip.

This 4 days in Kyoto itinerary is based on my personal experience and is designed for first-timers who love good food, incredible matcha, and want authentic experiences without all the crowds.

It’s worth noting that yes, Kyoto’s famous spots do get absolutely rammed with tourists. But venture beyond the obvious routes and you’ll find quiet streets, exceptional coffee shops, and those magical moments that make high-season travel worth it.

This itinerary balances must-see sights with local gems, early morning temple visits with late-night gyoza runs, and gives you plenty of breathing room to actually enjoy yourself. Let’s get into it.

4 Days In Kyoto: Before You Arrive

Where to Stay in Kyoto? Kyoto’s Best Hotels

Location matters hugely for a weekend in Kyoto. You want somewhere that balances proximity to sights with easy access to restaurants and transport. Here are my top picks:

Great Location: • Hotel Resol Kyoto Kawaramachi Sanjo – Where I stayed first. Perfect base right in the heart of Kyoto’s main shopping street, surrounded by incredible restaurants and boutiques. Slightly far from Gion but close to everything else that matters! Central, comfortable, and well-priced.

Upscale Comfort: • DoubleTree by Hilton Kyoto Higashiyama – Where I moved to halfway through my stay. Brilliantly located within walking distance to major temples. More upscale than Resol with excellent facilities and amazing cocktails. Really good food and breakfast.

Luxury Splurge: • Four Seasons Kyoto – If you want to treat yourself properly on your trip to Kyoto, this top-tier. Beautiful property, impeccable service, stunning location.

Is 4 Days Enough Time in Kyoto?

I’d say that 4 days in Kyoto is a decent amount of time, since there’s so much to do, see, and eat in Kyoto and the surrounding areas.

It’s also the perfect base for visiting other places like Nara, Uji, Himeji, Kobe, or Osaka. (Check out why I think Kobe is one of Japan’s most underrated cities!)

In the guide below I’m breaking down exactly how to spend three full days in Kyoto before departing on day four in the evening.

How Busy Is Kyoto?

Kyoto is one of those cities where timing is everything.

The iconic (and heavily touristed) spots – Fushimi Inari, Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, the streets around Kiyomizu-dera – transform from serene to suffocating as the day progresses. Tourist buses roll in mid-morning and don’t leave until sundown.

My strategy for a successful 4 days in Kyoto? Wake up early. Like, painfully early. I’m talking 5am early.

I know that’s rough when you’re on holiday, but trust me – getting to see these places in the early morning light, practically alone, is worth every lost minute of sleep. The flip side is that Kyoto outside the main tourist zones is surprisingly quiet. Consider avoiding all the ‘main’ hotspots and go to the lesser known ones.

The residential streets, local pottery shops, neighbourhood cafes – these places remain blissfully calm even during peak season.

Your weekend in Kyoto should include both!

Getting Around Kyoto

Kyoto is very walkable, but also has excellent buses and subway lines. Get an IC card (Suica or ICOCA) for easy transport. Taxis are reasonable for early morning temple visits when you’re too tired to navigate public transport. We took taxis quite a few times because they were affordable when split between us and saved us time in the early mornings!

4 Days In Kyoto Itinerary for First Timers

Day 0: Arrival Evening in Kyoto

Arrive in Kyoto and check in to your accommodation.

I arrived at Kyoto Station from a Mount Fuji weekend trip around 7pm. I took a cab and checked straight into Hotel Resol Kyoto Kawaramachi Sanjo. The hotel is conveniently located, modern and tastefully designed, and our suitcases were already waiting for us in the lobby. We used Yamato Transport (aka Black Cat) luggage delivery throughout the Japan trip!

Sometimes the best start to trip to Kyoto is just settling in and saving your energy for the early wake-ups ahead – so I’d recommend you take the evening off and stay local for dinner. Find somewhere chilled to eat nearby or grab something from the konbini (convenience store).

I remember I was so knackered from a day of touring around Fuji and the Shinkansen journey to Kyoto that on my first night, I grabbed a bento box from FamilyMart and had it in the room before crashing!

Day 1: Temples, Matcha & Evening Strolls

🌅 Early Morning: Wander around Sannenzaka & Ninnenzaka (7am)

Set your alarm for 5am. Yes, really. We dragged ourselves out of bed to reach Sannenzaka and Ninnenzaka by 7am, hoping to beat the crowds. Which we did!

If you’re staying in Kawaramachi, I’d recommend you take a 10-minute taxi (what we did), hop on a 20-minute bus, or do a 30-minute walk.

Here’s my top tip for this part of your stay in Kyoto: if you’re waking before 7am, grab breakfast from the konbini or eat at your hotel because almost NOWHERE is open except 7-Eleven. We ended up having with egg sandos and a fresh smoothie at 7-11, which hit the spot!

The early wake-up was worth it. These historic walking streets, lined with traditional wooden buildings, were beautifully quiet and a little bit breezy in the May morning. We wandered, took photos, soaked it all in.

By noon, these same streets were shoulder-to-shoulder chaos. Tourist buses, crawling crowds, we were genuinely gasping for oxygen.

We didn’t return to the Sannenzaka area until evening, when it emptied out again and looked magical under moonlight. If you only visit once during your weekend in Kyoto, make it early morning or after dark.

🍵 Mid-Morning: Matcha Break at Kyo Ha Matcha De Kimeru (10am)

We headed back towards Pontocho, planning to try Le Labo Cafe, but they’d run out of matcha (devastating).

Instead, we stumbled upon Kyo Ha Matcha De Kimeru (the name roughly translates to “Today I’m Gonna Slay with Matcha” which is just brilliant).

This place served one of the best matcha lattes I’ve ever had – they add this salt-sugar syrup that works perfectly to draw out the flavour and umami. We tried a hot one too. Divine.

(We went back here three times during our stay in Kyoto to try their matcha ice creams too! More on that later.)

Fired up by caffeine and matcha, we were ready to explore.

🛍️ Midday: Tea Room & Local Boutique Shopping (12pm)

Walk through Nakanocho and head to Ippodo Tea Daimaru Kyoto. Ippodo Tea is one of Kyoto’s best tea shops and is over 300 years old. If you head to their flagship store (Ippodo Tea’s Main Store) you can have a peaceful tea experience at Kaboku Tearoom.

I’d really recommend buying some tea here, whether for yourself or as a gift for any tea lovers you know. We picked up local tea and matcha from Ippodo Tea Room, where staff helped us choose the perfect harvest for sencha and matcha. We chose to buy Ippodo’s Ummon (premium), Sayaka no Mukashi (sweet/umami), and Seiun (deeper/complex) matcha. So fragrant, complex and wonderful.

If you’re into tea at all, this is a must during your weekend in Kyoto!

🥢 Afternoon: Hambagu Lunch & Local Brand Shopping (1pm)

Time to eat! I’d recommend trying a beloved Japanese dish like hambagu (beef burger with sauce, served one rice). We stumbled across a wonderful restaurant called Hiiragi run by a young guy, whose Japanese beef hamburg lunch menu special was around ¥1850 (£9 / $11).

After you grab somewhere nearby (I recommend looking at Google Maps or Tabelog and finding places that are rated between 3.2 and 4.2 stars), wander up Furumachi-dori Shopping Street and head to Nijo Dori. Along this street and in this area are some lovely shops including APFR KYOTO – a stunning aroma apothecary tucked into a house that sells gorgeous locally developed fragrances and candles inspired by different aspects of Japanese and global culture.

We picked up a White Tea travel candle and it not only smells wonderful, but burns beautifully. Whilst I love a good fridge magnet as a travel memento, in Japan especially there are so many incredible local artisans that it’s worth supporting them.

🥟 Evening: Dinner at Gyoza Taizou (7pm)

 

For dinner, we hit up Gyoza Taizou – a vibey eatery with this fun, cheeky street-eats atmosphere that reminded me of Taiwan. The gyoza were fire. Crispy, juicy, perfectly seasoned. We ordered three different plates of gyoza (including an extra garlicky one packed with punch).

This is the kind of place that makes a weekend in Kyoto special – not fancy, just genuine, delicious local food. Good fuel after doing 20,000+ steps a day!

Day 2: Fushimi Inari, Pottery Shopping & Conveyor Belt Sushi

⛩️ Dawn: Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine (5:30am)

Get ready for another 5am wake-up call. You need to be up and at ’em to get to Fushimi Inari before the crowds!

Fushimi Inari Taisha is a world-famous mountainside Shinto shrine that dates from around 711 A.D. One of the most incredible things about Fushimi Inari is that it features a hilly path with thousands of traditional gates and steps.

Actually, get up AS EARLY AS YOU CAN. Especially if you’re in high season, because people will already be at the shrine. If you’re wiped and can’t face navigating public transport half-asleep, take a taxi to the shrine. The early morning light filtering through those ten-thousand vermillion torii gates will be worth the early rise.

It was already getting busy when we arrived around 6am, but nothing compared to the hordes pouring off the subway as we left. Getting up at 5am again was rough, but crucial for experiencing this during the weekend in Kyoto without the crowds.

Photography tip: wait for gaps in the crowd before taking photos. Also, heads up – people will watch what you’re doing and copy your shots, so be subtle if you’re after something unique. But also, don’t be that person creating content whilst blocking everyone’s path. Be considerate. I took some good photos but it wasn’t my priority, I wanted to take in the experience.

☕️ Morning: Coffee at Vermillion Espresso Bar (8am-9am)

After the pre-sunrise journey to Fushimi Inari, and doing all those steps up to the top and back, we desperately needed caffeine.

Vermillion Espresso Bar revived us with wonderful, strong coffee. Perfect pit stop if you need a lift via an oat flat white.

🫖 Late Morning: Pottery Shopping & Ceramics Studio Browsing (10am)

Time to rest your weary legs and admire some locally-made pottery. Browsing Japanese ceramics ended up being one of my favourite parts of our week in Kyoto. We particularly liked some of the pottery stores near the DoubleTree by Hilton Kyoto Higashiyama (where we stayed for two nights) and fell in love with two nearby shops.

First, Pottery Shop Toutensei Kawasaki, where we picked up ceramic gifts for friends, including a gorgeous sake bottle, artisanal tea cups, and small plates. They speak great English in there and can help you out with tax-free shopping if you have your passport and plan to spend over a certain amount!

Right next door is Maeken – an even more incredible genuine traditional crockery shop with beautiful Kyoto ceramics made by local artisans. The owner is super knowledgeable and keen to help you find what you want.

We bought the most delicately crafted teacups we’d ever seen.

We had to leave before our wallets sustained any more damage!

🍡 Afternoon: Nishiki Market & Shinkyogoku Shopping Street (2pm)

Next up, it’s time for you to explore Nishiki Market – Kyoto’s famous food market.

It’s very touristy but still worth visiting during your weekend in Kyoto for the sheer variety of local ingredients, pickles, sweets, and street food. Though if you get claustrophobic, you may want to plan accordingly!

We didn’t eat much, as it was super overwhelming in there, but we did pick up some strawberry-cream mochi which was 10/10. Again, there are many other markets to explore in Kyoto, but Nishiki is worth seeing just for the vibes.

If you love street eats, definitely consider doing the top-rated Kyoto Night Foodie Tour in Gion (9+ dishes +6 Sake tastings).

After that, get ready for more walking and browsing! Around the corner is Kyoto Shinkyogoku Shopping Street

🍣 Evening: Dinner at KURA Conveyor Belt Sushi (6:30pm)

We knew we wanted some classic conveyor belt sushi and sashimi to hit the spot, so we headed to KURA Sushi.

You’ll need to take a ticket and wait, but the line moves quickly!

The sushi was incredible and reasonably priced between four of us.

We had crab, fatty tuna belly, seared tuna belly, mackerel, salmon, and sea urchin. So good.

 

🍦 Night: Matcha Ice Cream & Temples (8:30pm)

Dessert was back at Kyo Ha Matcha De Kimeru (told you we went back multiple times), then we visited Kenninji Temple.

Once it got properly dark, we walked to Sannenzaka again to take photos and enjoy the beautifully quiet, moonlit atmosphere. This is peak weekend in Kyoto vibes.

Day 3: Arashiyama, Vintage Shopping & Unagi Delights

🎋 Early Morning: Arashiyama Bamboo Grove & Arashiyama Park (6am)

Another early start for Arashiyama Bamboo Grove! Get there for 6am if you can.

It’s not super busy that early, so you’ll get to enjoy the forest in peace for a bit before people come flooding in.

If you ask my honest opinion, the bamboo grove is very overtouristed and quite a bit overhyped, but if you haven’t been before, it’s a fun experience. However, if you’re pressed for time in Kyoto, or can’t stand ‘Insta-famous spots’, I’d say it’s not worth going all the way to Arashiyama just for this unless you’re a photographer or content creator who absolutely needs *the shot*.

If you want a quiet alternative to Arashiyama in Kyoto, check out Tenryu-ji or Adashino Nebutsuji Temple instead. Both offer beautiful bamboo forest dupes without the chaos!

One of the most beautiful things about going to Arashiyama was actually getting to explore Arashiyama Park and admire the burbling Katsura River from the park viewpoint. We walked back along the river up to the bridge and headed back to downtown Kyoto.

🍵 Morning: Totaro Matcha & Japanese Historical Culture (8:30am)

Once we got into town, we decided we needed some caffeine and a pick-me-up – so we hit the super popular Totaro Matcha. The matcha was really good here – we tried the sweet rice balls glazed in brown sugar syrup too. Delicious.

There are brilliant coffee shops all around this area if you want to cafe-hop too.

Next up is either a museum visit or temple run. You have a couple of options depending on what takes your fancy!

You can check out Kyoto National Museum over in Higashiyama Ward, which is one of Japan’s most prestigious museums packed with paintings, calligraphy, sculpture, Samurai armour/weapons and more. Allow two hours for the museum visit! There’s a cafe there too.

Another brilliant option would be Sanjūsangendō Temple, a Buddhist temple known for its 1,001 life-sized wooden statues of the goddess Kannon). The temple is awe-inspiring and speaks to both the extraordinary craftsmanship and religious devotion that are so embedded in Japanese culture. Photographs aren’t permitted inside the shrine, which means you can better soak up the serene atmosphere. Well worth a visit.

If you’d rather stay outdoors, go and enjoy nature at Shōsei-en Garden, a temple garden from the 1600s that has tea houses and a large pond. You can spend an hour strolling through the walking paths! If you’re here in fall the foliage will be stunning. If you’re there in cherry blossom season, I can imagine it’ll be even more beautiful! This isn’t a ‘must-do’ by any means, but it’s a nice place to escape the crowds.

🍜👘 Afternoon: Soba Noodle Lunch & Thrift Shopping in Kyoto (12pm)

There are so many fantastic hole-in-the-wall places to eat. We found a couple of places we wanted to try, but as it was so busy we decided to try out somewhere reasonably well rated but tucked away.

We found a soba place where a couple of locals were eating lunch. It hit the spot!

Next up is to explore all the vintage and secondhand shopping in Kyoto.

Kyoto has an incredible fashion scene – one that rivals Tokyo. Excitingly there are so many unique and well-stocked vintage boutiques, thrift shops, and secondhand consignment streetwear stores across Kyoto.

Vintage shopping was such a fun way to spend part of our 4 days in Kyoto. Especially because one of my friends was on the hunt for some vintage Chanel earrings (she was successful at 2nd Street!). Some thrift stores in Kyoto I recommend you hit up include:

🍚 Evening: Explore Traditional Gion & Have A Classic Unagi Dinner (7pm)

Head over to Shinbashi-dori for a glimpse of traditional Gion. It looks like an era film round here.

You can do a walking tour to find out more about the history, or head over to Shirakawa Canal on the parallel road. Gion Shinbashi Bridge and Yamato-bashi Bridge are normally packed with photographers but they’re both worth admiring.

This is a lively and historically rich area to explore as the sun sets. Stroll around and soak it all in – lots of great izakayas and coffee shops are in this area too if you fancy a drink before dinner!

Now for the dinner. Time for you to have some unagi, also known as freshwater eel.

I recommend you book dinner at Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa Kyoto Gion Branch. This is a beautiful specialist restaurant tucked into a traditional building along Shinbashi-dori and they served hands down one of if not THE best meals of my entire Japan trip!

I love unagi and this family-run place has been around for decades. We had to book months in advance, so bear this in mind for your 4 days in Kyoto. There are two locations – make sure you book the right one.

The itself restaurant was founded in 1932. The Gion branch exudes that ‘Gion atmosphere’ both in location and service. Their eel is famous because they grill it quickly over high heat, which results in crispy, fragrant skin and plump melt-in-your-mouth meat. So good.

Check out their website for reservations. Best unagi I’ve ever had. Nearly cried tears of joy while eating!

Day 4: Day Trip to Uji or Nara from Kyoto

Kyoto is a brilliant base for day-tripping. If you have extra time beyond your 4 days in Kyoto, or have a morning free before travelling later in the evening, definitely consider taking a day trip before heading onto your next destination. I’d recommend the following:

• Uji I really love matcha, so we decided to day trip to Uji. It’s the tea capital of Japan and worth visiting if you’re into tea culture. Though prepare for some serious caffeine overload! Check out my Day Trip to Uji post for details. The day involved a traditional matcha ceremony, exploring different cafés, and visiting Byōdo-in Temple (which is on the back of the Japanese 10 yen coin)!
• Nara – I didn’t personally make it to Nara (not enough time during our weekend in Kyoto), but the Nara deer, deer park and Todaiji Temple are supposed to be well worth the visit.
• Osaka – Just 30 minutes away by train. Perfect for street food and urban energy if you need a break from temples – though as a slow travel advocate I’d recommend spending at least a weekend in Osaka, like I did. One day is just too hectic to enjoy Osaka properly!

4 Days In Kyoto: Is It Long Enough?

Kyoto rewards those who dig a bit deeper beyond the obvious tourist trail. Yes, go and visit Fushimi Inari and Arashiyama if it’s your first time to Kyoto.

But also take time to wander around, find that perfect matcha café, browse pottery shops stocked with local artisans, eat conveyor belt sushi with perfectly seared tuna, and wander moonlit temple streets after dark.

4 Days in Kyoto Itinerary: Essential Travel Tips

With Kyoto, I know for a fact I could spend months here and still find new corners to fall in love with. So don’t stress about seeing everything during your 4 days in Kyoto!

Focus on quality over quantity, wake up early for the famous spots, and leave room for wandering.

Here are some additional travel tips for first timers in Kyoto:

• Wake up early – I can’t stress this enough. The 5am wake-ups were brutal but made all the difference between serene temple visits and suffocating crowds that drain you out.
• Book restaurants in advance – Especially places like Yondaime Kikukawa. Popular spots fill up months ahead.
• Bring layers – May mornings were freezing, afternoons were warm. Temperature shifts throughout the day.
• Get an IC card – Makes transport infinitely easier during your weekend in Kyoto.
• Venture off the main streets – The best experiences are often down quiet side streets away from tour groups.
• Don’t overschedule – This itinerary is packed but flexible. If something isn’t working, skip it. Your weekend in Kyoto should be enjoyable, not exhausting.
• Prepare for crowds – Kyoto is popular for good reason. Accept this, plan around it with early mornings, and don’t let it ruin your experience.

4 Days in Kyoto Itinerary: Travel Guide for First Timers

I really hope this 4 days in Kyoto itinerary was useful! I’ve aimed to give you temples, incredible food, matcha adventures, pottery shopping, and quiet moments that make travel magical. The early mornings are rough but worth it. The crowds are real but manageable with smart timing. It’s all about timing.

Other than that, if you’re heading to Kyoto… wake up early, eat well, and don’t stress about ticking every box. Safe travels!

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