Top Rated Attractions in Kyoto

Kyoto Cycling Tour Project is a service that takes you around the Japanese metropolitan city, Kyoto. Travelers can rent bikes from here, for the day. They provide a variety of bicycles to suit your needs. They also offer guided tours around the city. These follow a specific route; the most popular bring the Ginkakuji Silver Cycling Tour or the ride Kinkaku Arashiyama. The guides are energetic and have a lot to say about the city.

A famed Kyoto landmark, the Fushimi Inari Shrine is an eccentric, exhilarating, and unmissable Japanese attraction. The striking site features thousands of sacred, bright orange Shinto gates known as torii, which line the hillsides and create spectacular tunnels. It was established in 711 AD as the headquarters for shrines dedicated to the fox deity, Inari, who was believed to bring agricultural prosperity. Modern businesses now sponsor the building and the upkeep of its large wooden torii to bring about continued success.

With origins dating back more than 1200 years, Kiyomizu-dera is a timeless shrine to the Buddhist faith associated with the Hosso School. Recognized by UNESCO as part of the larger Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto UNESCO World Heritage Site, this temple complex has a rich cultural and historical legacy that's tied to the city of Kyoto. The Main Hall with its tall pillars and pagoda roof is a beautiful example of traditional temple architecture and soars above the grounds overlooking the verdant hillside. The temple's Shinto Jishu Shrine is very popular for those seeking love who come to pray for success in finding a suitable partner. Translating as 'Temple of Pure Water', the complex also features a waterfall revered for its sacred health-giving waters.

Surrounded by lush foliage and overlooking a tranquil pond in the heart of Kyoto, the stunning Kinkaku-ji is an iconic Zen shrine built in the 14th Century. Originally constructed as a retirement villa for shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the gilded villa became an iconic religious entity after the former's death. Part of a larger complex, the gleaming shrine is the only surviving element of this former retirement estate. Despite being ravaged by fire twice during the destructive Onin War and later having suffered a fiery fate at the hands of a schizophrenic monk, the temple was restored to its former resplendent glory in 1955. The most striking part of this serene shrine is the upper gold-paneled floors that shine in the mellow sun, and the ethereal reflection of its form in the pond below. The first floor promises the utmost calm, an almost palpable aura that radiates from the statues of the Shaka Buddha and Yoshimitsu that are placed here. The second floor is a secret sanctum shielded from the eyes of the common public, where the Kannon Bodhisattva rests in peaceful meditation, encircled by idols of Four Heavenly Kings. Designated a National Special Historic Site, the vivid beauty of the Kinkaku-ji attracts scores of visitors from both Japan and the world.

Light filters through towering bamboo stalks and casts a fey glow and moving shadows over the path that winds uphill through the forest. The Arashiyama Bamboo Grove is one of Kyoto's most famous sights and people breathe in the crisp air and walk through the verdant tunnel to appreciate the peace and serenity as the world fades away. At the end of the path, at the crest of the hill lies the Okochi-Sanso Villa, an elegant home that once belonged to Okochi Denjiro, a famous actor. Nestled amidst the undulating slopes, this villa and garden are spectacular.

Nijō-jō (Nijo Castle) is an ostentatious display of might built for the first Shogun of the Edo Period, Tokugawa Ieyasu. The castle is fortified by huge walls, moats and towers which exude military prowess. The magnificent visage gives way to equally-elegant interiors, including the wooden nightingale floors that squeak when stepped, designed thus to ensure that no intruder could pass without inadvertently announcing his presence even at night. Inside, the artists of the Kano School have lavished walls, doorways and screens with elegant paintings. The castle grounds are further enlivened by a tapestry of scenic elements including a placid pond, the lovely Ninomaru Gardens, and breathtaking groves of cherry blossoms. Having found its due place on the prestigious list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the castle is a majestic illustration of not just architectural excellence, but also the social and cultural significance it commanded during its heyday.