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Most English guides list every way to get around Kyoto and leave you to choose. I lived in Kyoto, so here is the decision instead: take a train or a taxi in the morning, and save the bus for the afternoon. The rest of this page is how that rule plays out for the places visitors actually go, with bus fares and rules checked against Kyoto City's own pages.
What I'd use for each place
| Place | What I'd use | Adult fare, one way |
|---|---|---|
| Arashiyama | JR Sagano Line to Saga-Arashiyama, or the Randen tram | ¥240, about 16 min from Kyoto Station |
| Fushimi Inari | JR Nara Line to Inari Station | ¥150, about 5 min |
| Kiyomizu-dera / Gion | Taxi in the morning, bus in the afternoon | Taxi about ¥1,300–2,000; bus ¥230 |
| Kinkaku-ji | Taxi in the morning; the 205 bus otherwise | Taxi about ¥4,000; bus ¥230 |
The ¥230 is Kyoto City Bus's flat fare. The train and taxi figures come from third-party listings, not the operators, so treat them as estimates.
The bus: good in the afternoon, hard in the morning
Kyoto's buses fill up in the morning with commuters and students, on top of the sightseers. You can usually squeeze on, and if you miss one the next arrives soon, but I would skip the morning bus if you are travelling with small children, older relatives or a suitcase. From the afternoon it is much easier, and it is a good way to reach Kiyomizu-dera, Gion and the east side.
How to ride. On regular city buses you board at the rear door, get off at the front, and pay as you get off at the fare box beside the driver. The flat fare is ¥230 (¥120 for children). The tourist express buses EX100 and EX101 work the other way round: board at the front, pay ¥500 when you get on, and leave by the rear door. Kyoto City's guide lists cash and IC cards (Suica, ICOCA, PASMO, PiTaPa) as accepted. Credit cards, debit cards and the Japan Rail Pass are not accepted.
Don't fixate on the route number. Several different numbers often pass the same stops, so check Google Maps each time and see which buses will actually reach where you are going.
Trains: Arashiyama and Fushimi Inari
Both stations are close to the sights, so the train is the easy choice. For Arashiyama, take the JR Sagano Line from Kyoto Station to Saga-Arashiyama, or the Randen tram. Fushimi Inari is even simpler: JR Inari Station is two stops from Kyoto Station on the Nara Line. Third-party timetable sites give about 16 minutes and ¥240 for Arashiyama, and about 5 minutes and ¥150 for Inari.
Taxis: Kiyomizu-dera and Kinkaku-ji in the morning
These are the two places where the bus is most crowded, because everyone takes it. Kinkaku-ji can be reached by bus from Kyoto Station, but so does everyone else. Kyoto's roads are not badly congested, so a taxi is a reasonable choice, and from Kyoto Station to Kiyomizu-dera it usually takes about 20 minutes in my experience. Third-party estimates put that ride at roughly ¥1,300–2,000, and Kinkaku-ji at about ¥4,000 and 25 minutes. Actual fares and times will vary with traffic.
Passes and IC cards
Older guides say a one-day bus pass pays for itself in three rides. That was the bus-only pass, which Kyoto City stopped selling in September 2023. Today's option is the Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass at ¥1,100 (¥550 for children), valid only on the day you first use it, not for 24 hours. At ¥230 a ride you need at least five bus rides to come out ahead, or fewer if you also ride the subway.
You can ride Kyoto's buses with cash, but you will be sorting out coins as you get off, and a crowded bus is the wrong place for that. An IC card such as Suica or ICOCA makes buses, trains, the subway and convenience stores a single tap, and it works well beyond Kyoto. To keep it on your phone, see our guides to setting up Suica on an iPhone and to Japan's IC cards. If your trip starts in Tokyo, you can also arrange a physical Suica before you arrive.
Start early, and eat away from the sights
The best fix for crowds is the morning. The sun rises early in Japan, so many spots already look good in the early light, and you can finish the popular ones by noon. Restaurants right beside the big sights tend to be expensive and packed, so eat somewhere else. Kyoto is also a very good ramen city, which I cover in Why Kyoto Is One of Japan's Best Ramen Cities. For autumn temple timing, see the Kyoto autumn leaves guide.
Can I pay for a Kyoto bus with a credit card?
No. Kyoto City's guide lists cash, IC cards and passes as accepted, and says credit cards, debit cards and the Japan Rail Pass are not accepted.
Is there a one-day bus pass in Kyoto?
The bus-only pass ended in 2023. The Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass costs ¥1,100 and is valid on the day you first use it, so it pays off from about five bus rides.
Should I take the bus or a taxi to Kiyomizu-dera?
A taxi in the morning, when buses are crowded (about 20 minutes from Kyoto Station in my experience), and the bus in the afternoon.
