5 Days in Kyoto — The Student Edition

A day-by-day Kyoto itinerary that won’t destroy your bank account. Temples, street food, hidden spots, and how to do it all for under $50 a day.

I studied abroad in Osaka for a semester, and Kyoto became my weekend escape. Over six months, I visited more than thirty times — enough to know which experiences are worth the hype, which are tourist traps, and how to see the best of the city without spending like a tourist. This is the five-day itinerary I’d give my best friend.

The budget breakdown: You can do Kyoto on about $40–55 per day if you stay in hostels, eat where locals eat, and skip the overpriced tourist restaurants on the main drags. Here’s roughly how it breaks down:

• Accommodation: $15–25/night (hostel dorm)
• Food: $15–20/day (mix of convenience store meals, street food, and one sit-down)
• Transport: $5–8/day (bus pass or bike rental)
• Temples/activities: $5–10/day (many temples are free or under 500 yen)

Getting Around: Bus Pass vs. Bike

Before we dive into the itinerary, let’s talk transport. You have three real options:

Kyoto Bus One-Day Pass (700 yen / ~$5) — covers most city buses and gets you to nearly every major sight. Worth it if you’re hitting 3+ destinations in a day. Buy it at the bus information center outside Kyoto Station.

Bike rental (800–1,000 yen/day / ~$6–7) — my personal favorite. Kyoto is flat, bike-friendly, and cycling between temples feels like being in a Studio Ghibli movie. J-Cycle near Kyoto Station rents decent bikes. Just remember: park only in designated areas or you’ll get a ticket.

Walking — Kyoto is surprisingly walkable if you’re staying centrally. The Higashiyama district (Gion, Kiyomizu-dera area) is best explored entirely on foot.

Skip the subway unless you’re going to/from Kyoto Station. It only has two lines and doesn’t reach most of the good stuff.

Day 1: Fushimi Inari — The Early Bird Strategy

Morning (6:00 AM – 10:00 AM)

This is the most important advice in this entire guide: get to Fushimi Inari at sunrise. I mean it — 6 AM, first light. The shrine is open 24/7 and there’s no entrance fee. At sunrise, you’ll have the famous torii gates almost entirely to yourself. The light filtering through thousands of vermillion gates with nobody else around is genuinely magical. By 9 AM, it’s a selfie-stick obstacle course.

The full hike to the summit takes about 2 hours at a relaxed pace. There are small tea houses along the way where you can grab a rest and an inari sushi (the fried tofu kind — fitting, since this is the shrine that made it famous). The summit view of Kyoto is beautiful but not the main attraction — the journey through the gates is the point.

Afternoon (12:00 PM – 5:00 PM)

Head to Tofuku-ji Temple (just two stops north on the Keihan Line). It’s one of Kyoto’s great Zen temples with an incredible rock garden, and it’s way less crowded than the famous ones in northwest Kyoto. Entry is 500 yen.

Then walk north into the Higashiyama district. Wander the narrow streets of Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka — yes, they’re touristy, but the preserved wooden architecture is genuinely beautiful. Pop into the small shops selling pottery, incense, and Japanese sweets.

Dinner

Ramen at Shin-Fukusaikan near Kyoto Station. A massive bowl of rich shoyu ramen for 750 yen. This place has been open since 1946 and it shows — in the best way. No English menu, but pointing works fine.

Day 1 budget: ~$35

Day 2: Arashiyama — Bamboo, Monkeys, and River Views

Morning (7:30 AM – 12:00 PM)

Take the bus to Arashiyama (about 40 minutes from central Kyoto). Same rule as Fushimi Inari: arrive early. The bamboo grove is spectacular at 7:30 AM and a claustrophobic nightmare by 11 AM.

Walk through the grove slowly. Listen. The sound of wind through bamboo is unlike anything else — there’s a reason Japan’s Ministry of Environment listed it as one of the “100 Soundscapes of Japan.”

From the grove, walk uphill to Iwatayama Monkey Park (550 yen entry). It’s a 15-minute hike up, and at the top there are about 120 wild Japanese macaques just living their best lives. You can buy peanuts to feed them (through a wire mesh — they’re wild animals, after all). The hilltop also gives you a panoramic view of the entire city.

Afternoon (1:00 PM – 5:00 PM)

Walk along the Hozu River and cross the iconic Togetsukyo Bridge. Rent a rowboat if the weather’s nice (1,500 yen for 30 minutes — a splurge, but a memorable one).

Visit Tenryu-ji Temple (500 yen) — the garden here is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the finest examples of borrowed scenery (shakkei) in Japan. The garden uses the Arashiyama mountains as a backdrop, blending nature and design seamlessly.

Dinner

Grab okonomiyaki at one of the small restaurants near Arashiyama Station. Kyoto-style okonomiyaki is thinner and more delicate than the Osaka version. Around 800–1,000 yen for a filling meal.

Day 2 budget: ~$40

Day 3: Markets, Geisha District, and Night Kyoto

Morning (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM)

Nishiki Market is Kyoto’s 400-year-old kitchen, a narrow covered arcade stretching five blocks and packed with vendors selling pickles, tofu, fresh fish, mochi, matcha everything, and snacks you’ve never seen before. Go hungry.

What to eat at Nishiki:

• Dashimaki tamago (rolled omelet) — 300 yen. Get it from the stall near the eastern entrance.
• Yuba (tofu skin) — a Kyoto specialty. Try it fresh; it’s silky and delicate.
• Tako tamago — a whole baby octopus with a quail egg stuffed inside its head, on a skewer. Looks bizarre, tastes amazing. About 400 yen.
• Matcha soft serve — everywhere, and everywhere good. 350 yen average.

Budget about 1,500 yen ($10) for a full market grazing lunch.

Afternoon (1:00 PM – 5:00 PM)

Walk south to Gion, Kyoto’s most famous geisha district. Wander Hanamikoji Street and the surrounding alleys. If you’re lucky, you might spot a maiko (apprentice geisha) heading to an appointment in the late afternoon. Please don’t chase or block them for photos — it’s become such a problem that some streets have been closed to tourists.

Visit Kennin-ji Temple (600 yen), the oldest Zen temple in Kyoto, right in the heart of Gion. The twin dragon ceiling painting is jaw-dropping. Sit in the tatami room overlooking the rock garden and just breathe.

Evening (6:00 PM – 9:00 PM)

Walk along the Shirakawa Canal in Gion as the lanterns come on. This is peak atmospheric Kyoto — willow trees, stone bridges, wooden tea houses reflected in the water.

For dinner, find a teishoku restaurant (set meal restaurant) — you’ll get rice, miso soup, a main dish, and pickles for 800–1,200 yen. Look for places with plastic food displays outside and a line of locals.

Day 3 budget: ~$45

Day 4: Nara Day Trip — The Deer Are Free, the Temple Is Not

Getting There

Take the Kintetsu Railway from Kyoto Station to Kintetsu Nara Station (about 45 minutes, 760 yen each way). It’s cheaper and more convenient than JR for this route.

Morning (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM)

Walk from the station into Nara Park, where over 1,000 wild deer roam freely. They’re considered sacred messengers of the gods in Shinto tradition. You can buy deer crackers (shika senbei) for 200 yen and feed them. Fair warning: they know exactly how the transaction works and will bow to you for crackers. Some are also pushy little monsters who will headbutt you if you’re too slow. It’s hilarious.

Head to Todai-ji Temple (600 yen) — home to the largest bronze Buddha statue in the world. The building that houses it is one of the largest wooden structures on Earth. It’s genuinely awe-inspiring regardless of your religious background. The scale just doesn’t compute until you’re standing in front of it.

Afternoon (1:00 PM – 4:00 PM)

Most tourists leave after Todai-ji, which means the rest of Nara is delightfully empty.

Walk to Kasuga Taisha Grand Shrine (free for the grounds, 500 yen for the interior). The approach path lined with 3,000 stone and bronze lanterns is one of the most photogenic walks in all of Japan. Twice a year, during Mantoro Festival, all 3,000 lanterns are lit simultaneously.

If you have energy, explore Naramachi, the old merchant quarter. Tiny streets, traditional wooden houses converted into cafes and craft shops. Get a kakinoha-zushi (sushi wrapped in persimmon leaf) — it’s a Nara specialty and costs about 500 yen for a set.

Dinner

Eat in Nara before heading back. The area around Kintetsu Nara Station has excellent cheap restaurants. Try udon — Nara-style is thicker than usual and incredibly comforting. About 600 yen for a bowl.

Day 4 budget: ~$45

Day 5: Tea Ceremony, Hidden Temples, and Saying Goodbye

Morning (9:00 AM – 11:00 AM)

Book a tea ceremony experience — this is the one “tourist experience” I’d recommend splurging on. Camellia Garden near Kennin-ji offers a 45-minute ceremony in English for about 3,000 yen ($20). You’ll learn the basics of chanoyu (the Way of Tea), whisk your own matcha, and eat a seasonal wagashi sweet. It’s meditative, beautiful, and gives you context for everything you’ve been seeing all week.

Late Morning (11:00 AM – 1:00 PM)

Now for my favorite part — the temples that aren’t in any guidebook’s top ten.

Shisen-do Temple (500 yen) in the northeastern foothills. A poet’s retreat from the 1600s with a raked sand garden and the most peaceful atmosphere I’ve found anywhere in Kyoto. There are rarely more than a handful of visitors. Sit on the wooden veranda, listen to the shishi-odoshi (deer scarer) clack rhythmically, and understand why people dedicated their lives to Zen.

Afternoon (2:00 PM – 5:00 PM)

Walk to Honen-in Temple (free). Tucked under a thatched gate and canopy of maple trees, this tiny temple feels secret even though it’s only a 10-minute walk from the busy Philosopher’s Path. The moss-covered grounds and seasonal sand art between the entrance gates change with each visit.

If time allows, walk the Philosopher’s Path itself — a 2km canal-side path lined with cherry trees (or in autumn, blazing maples). It connects several temples and is best walked slowly, without a destination in mind.

Final Dinner

Treat yourself to kaiseki-style bento at Giro Giro Hitoshina — a casual kaiseki restaurant where multi-course Japanese haute cuisine is served in a relaxed, affordable setting. Courses start around 4,000 yen ($27) and it’s worth every yen as a final night splurge. Reservation strongly recommended.

Day 5 budget: ~$55

Student Tips That Actually Save Money

• Convenience store meals are not shameful. 7-Eleven, Lawson, and FamilyMart in Japan have genuinely excellent onigiri (150 yen), sandwiches, and bento boxes. A convenience store breakfast of onigiri + canned coffee costs about 300 yen ($2).
• Carry a reusable water bottle. Tap water in Kyoto is excellent. Buying plastic bottles adds up fast.
• Get an IC card (ICOCA or Suica) at Kyoto Station. It works on all buses and trains and saves you from fumbling for exact change.
• Free temple tip: Fushimi Inari, Kiyomizu-dera’s grounds (the building costs extra), and many neighborhood shrines are free. You don’t have to pay to experience Kyoto’s spiritual side.
• Student discounts exist but aren’t always advertised. If you have an International Student Identity Card (ISIC), show it everywhere and ask.

Final Thoughts

Kyoto rewards patience and early mornings. The city that most tourists experience — crowded, expensive, Instagram-filtered — is not the real Kyoto. The real Kyoto is a 6 AM walk through vermillion gates in total silence. It’s a bowl of udon in a restaurant with no English sign. It’s sitting alone in a temple garden while the rain falls and understanding, just for a moment, why someone would spend their whole life practicing one single thing until it becomes art.

You don’t need money to experience that. You just need time, good shoes, and an alarm clock set earlier than you’d like.