The best things to do in Kyoto

1.Kiyomizu-dera

A hillside temple with a wooden stage built out over the trees, looking across the city.

Tip: It opens at 6am. Go at opening time to have the stage almost to yourself.

2.Sannenzaka and NinenzakaFree

Stone-paved lanes of wooden shops and tea houses running down from Kiyomizu-dera towards Yasaka Shrine.

Tip: Come early in the morning or after the shops close for photos without the crowds.

3.Gion and HanamikojiFree

The geisha district, with wooden teahouses along Hanamikoji Street and the willow-lined Shirakawa canal.

Tip: Photography is banned in the private side lanes off Hanamikoji. Never stop or photograph geiko and maiko.

4.Yasaka ShrineFree

Gion's shrine, at the top of Shijo Street, hung with hundreds of lanterns that are lit in the evening.

Tip: It's open day and night, so it makes a good last stop after dinner in Gion.

5.Nanzen-ji

A large Zen temple complex with a huge wooden gate and a red-brick aqueduct from the 1890s in its grounds.

Tip: The grounds and the aqueduct are free; you only pay for the gate and the sub-temples.

6.The Philosopher's PathFree

A 2 km canal-side walk lined with cherry trees, from near Nanzen-ji up to Ginkaku-ji.

Tip: It's at its best in early April and in mid to late November, for the cherry blossom and the autumn leaves.

7.Ginkaku-ji

The Silver Pavilion, a former shogun's retreat with a raked sand garden and a moss garden walk.

Tip: The pavilion was never covered in silver; the garden is the reason to go.

8.Heian ShrineFree

A bright orange shrine behind one of Japan's largest torii gates, with a large garden at the back.

9.Fushimi Inari TaishaFree

Thousands of orange torii gates winding up Mount Inari, two stops from Kyoto Station on the JR Nara line.

Tip: It's open 24 hours. The crowds thin out after the Yotsutsuji crossing, about halfway up.

10.Tofuku-ji

A Zen temple famous for its wooden bridge over a valley of maple trees.

Tip: It's one of the busiest places in Kyoto in November, when the leaves turn red.

11.Sanjusangen-do

A temple hall 120 metres long holding 1,001 standing statues of the goddess Kannon.

Tip: Photography is not allowed inside the hall.

12.To-ji

Japan's tallest wooden pagoda, five storeys high, a short walk from Kyoto Station.

Tip: On the 21st of every month, a large flea market fills the temple grounds.

13.Nishiki Market

A narrow covered market street of more than 100 food stalls, known as Kyoto's kitchen.

Tip: Eat at or beside the stall you bought from: eating while walking is discouraged here.

14.PontochoFree

A lantern-lit alley of restaurants and bars between the Kamo River and Kiyamachi Street.

Tip: From May to September, restaurants build wooden platforms over the river for open-air dinners.

15.Nijo Castle

The Kyoto residence of the Tokugawa shoguns, with painted screens and floors that squeak like birds when walked on.

Tip: It's closed for a few days a year, mostly in winter and midsummer; check the calendar before you go.

16.Kyoto Imperial PalaceFree

The emperor's former residence, in a large park in the city centre, open to visitors without booking.

Tip: Entry is free. It's closed on Mondays.

17.Kinkaku-ji

The Golden Pavilion, covered in gold leaf and reflected in its pond, in the north-west of the city.

Tip: There's no train nearby: take a bus or taxi, and combine it with Ryoan-ji, a short walk away.

18.Ryoan-ji

The most famous Zen rock garden in Japan: 15 stones on raked white gravel, seen from a wooden veranda.

Tip: From the veranda you can never see all 15 stones at once, wherever you sit.

19.Arashiyama Bamboo GroveFree

A path through a tall bamboo forest on the western edge of Kyoto, next to Tenryu-ji.

Tip: Go at sunrise. By 9am the path is packed shoulder to shoulder.

20.Tenryu-ji

Arashiyama's main Zen temple, with a 14th-century garden and pond set against the hills.

Tip: The garden's north gate leads straight into the bamboo grove.