Kyoto and Nara in a day: Fushimi Inari, Kiyomizu-dera and Arashiyama

How to choose a tour

What to fit into Kyoto and Nara in one day

The query “Kyoto and Nara in a day” is searched with the question of how to fit in the main things and not collapse by evening. In reality you can combine in a day Fushimi Inari, one of the Kyoto locations and Nara with its deer, but not all three districts of Kyoto.

• Fushimi Inari (Fushimi Inari Taisha). The shrine is open around the clock and entry is free. It is easy to get there from Kyoto: the JR train on the Nara line stops at Inari station only five minutes away. Early in the morning there are almost no people under the thousands of red torii gates. The climb to the top of the hill takes about two hours, and to the viewpoint halfway about 40 minutes.
• Kiyomizu-dera. A temple on a hillside with a wooden terrace, approached along the streets of Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka. It is quieter here in the morning, and in the evening the illumination and the sunset are on. From the bus stops it is about a 15-minute walk uphill.
• Nara. From Kyoto a Kintetsu express runs in 35–45 minutes; the JR Miyakoji Rapid is slower, but suits JR Pass holders. In Nara Park hundreds of tame deer wander, and the Todai-ji temple houses an enormous bronze Buddha, the Daibutsu, in one of the largest wooden buildings in the world. The food for the deer is special shika-senbei crackers; nothing else may be given to the deer.
• Arashiyama. A bamboo grove, Togetsukyo Bridge and the Tenryu-ji temple. For getting to know Kyoto this part is more often worth a separate day; the small-group tour with a Russian-speaking guide covers Arashiyama and Katsuo-ji.

A tour or on your own

If you find your way around Japanese transport well, take an IC card (ICOCA) and travel yourself. A tour is worthwhile when you need to fit in both Kyoto and Nara in one day: the guide knows the opening times, parking and restrictions, and the bus spares you changes. The catalogue below has options with a Russian-speaking guide and small groups.

Which tickets and tours there are

Prices are as of 10 October 2026. Check the contents, language and conditions on the page of the offer you choose.

What else

Compare with a trip to Amanohashidate and Ine. All offers: excursions in Kyoto and Nara.

Restrictions and tips

• No more than three stops. Kiyomizu, Fushimi Inari and Nara together already make a long day. The Golden Pavilion and Nijo Castle are better put on another day.
• Clothing. At the temples you have to walk a lot on steps and gravel, so you need comfortable closed trainers. In summer it is hot and humid, in winter it is cool in the shade of the trees.
• Deer. Do not hide paper and maps in your pockets: the deer bite and tug at a map. Do not feed them anything except the crackers; do not show food or wave it in front of them.
• Best time. Cherry blossom in late March to early April and maples in mid-November are the most beautiful and the most crowded. In other weeks on weekdays it is noticeably emptier.
• Souvenirs and food. Pay for purchases at the temples in cash. The seasonal Hozugawa rafting does not run in winter, and the Sagano train needs a reservation.
• Drones. Flying them is banned over the temples and in Nara Park.

The description is based on Trip.com cards; opening hours and the contents of offers may change.