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Complete Kyoto: free self-guided audio tour of Kyoto
Complete Kyoto is a free self-guided audio walking tour of Kyoto, Japan: 7 stops in about 2 h 20. The Itinerarly app walks you from one stop to the next and plays a short narrated story when you arrive, in English, French, Spanish, Italian and Chinese.
| Stops | 7 |
|---|---|
| Duration | about 2 h 20, including time at each stop |
| Difficulty | Challenging |
| Distance | about 34.8 km in straight lines between the stops (a little more on foot) |
| Start | Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) |
| Finish | Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion) |
| Price | Free (some sights charge their own entry ticket) |
| Languages | English, French, Spanish, Italian and Chinese |
Temples, bamboo and Zen gardens
The stops, in order
- Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion, is perhaps the most famous image of Japan. This Zen temple, whose two upper floors are entirely covered in pure gold leaf, is mirrored in a reflecting pond dotted with islets and sculpted pines. Built in 1397 as a retirement villa for the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, it became a Buddhist temple on his death.
- Fushimi Inari-taishaFushimi Inari-taisha is the most revered shrine dedicated to Inari, the Shinto deity of rice, fertility and prosperity. Founded in 711, it is world-famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates that form winding tunnels over four kilometres, climbing the sacred mountain. Each gate was donated by an individual or a company in thanks, and the donor's name is inscribed on the back.
- Kiyomizu-deraKiyomizu-dera, the "temple of pure water", has clung to a wooded hillside in eastern Kyoto since the year 778. Its vast wooden terrace, supported by hundreds of pillars assembled without a single nail, juts thirteen metres over the void, offering an unforgettable view of the city and the cherry blossoms or maples depending on the season. From this place comes a Japanese expression meaning to take the plunge, to make a bold decision.
- Gion DistrictGion is Kyoto's most famous geisha district, a maze of lanes lined with wooden tea houses, the ochaya, and traditional restaurants with slatted façades. As night falls, the lanterns light up and, with a little luck, you may glimpse a geiko or a maiko, a trainee geisha in a shimmering kimono, hurrying to an appointment. Hanami-koji street and Tatsumi bridge are among the most photogenic corners in Japan.
- Arashiyama Bamboo GroveThe Arashiyama Bamboo Grove is one of the most enchanting landscapes in Japan. Walking its path, you are swept into a forest of giant bamboo rising vertically to the sky, filtering the light into a soft green glow. When the wind blows, the stalks knock and creak in a murmur so distinctive that it is listed among Japan's "hundred soundscapes to preserve".
- Nijō CastleNijō Castle was built in 1603 as the Kyoto residence of the Tokugawa shoguns, rulers of Japan for two and a half centuries. Behind its moats and walls hides the Ninomaru Palace, a masterpiece of residential architecture, with partitions painted in gold leaf by the Kanō school. Its most famous curiosity: the "nightingale floor", designed to chirp melodiously at the slightest step and thus foil intruders and assassins.
- Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion)Ginkaku-ji, the Silver Pavilion, was built in 1482 as a retirement villa for the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa, grandson of the builder of the Golden Pavilion. Unlike its elder, it was never covered in silver: its name evokes rather the silvery reflection of the moon on its dark walls. More understated, more intimate, it embodies the wabi-sabi aesthetic, the beauty of simplicity and imperfection.
How to take this tour
- Install the free Itinerarly app on iPhone or Android and create a free account.
- Open Guided tours, choose Kyoto, then Complete Kyoto.
- Start whenever you like: the app guides you to Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) and the story plays when you arrive at each stop.
Other audio tours of Kyoto
Planning a whole day? See one day in Kyoto.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the Complete Kyoto tour in Kyoto free?
- Yes. It is one of 3 free self-guided audio tours of Kyoto in the Itinerarly app. Some sights charge their own entry ticket.
- How long does the Complete Kyoto tour take?
- About 2 h 20 for 7 stops, including time at each stop.
- Where does the Complete Kyoto tour start and finish?
- It starts at Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) and finishes at Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion).
- Which languages is the narration in?
- English, French, Spanish, Italian and Chinese, with natural-sounding synthetic voices.