Kyoto has more than its historic shrines and temples: markets where you can eat your way through local specialties, and shops with unusual souvenirs. With so much to see, most visitors want to fit in as many places as they can.
This article covers the discount tickets that help with sightseeing in Kyoto and the surrounding region.
It is worth a look if you plan to move around a lot.
If you would first like to know what each area of Kyoto is like, the article below covers that.
Discount Tickets for All of Kyoto City
The map above uses the shortest travel times from Kyoto Station as given by Google Maps. Treat it as a rough guide to where the main sights are and how long they take to reach.
The tickets below can be used across the city of Kyoto.
| Ticket | Price | Period | Trains and buses | Area | Coverage |
| Subway and Bus One-Day Pass | Adult 1,100 yen Child 550 yen | Year-round | Subway · Kyoto City Bus · Kyoto Bus · Keihan Bus · West JR Bus (some routes excluded) | Citywide | Citywide |
| Subway One-Day Pass | Adult 800 yen Child 400 yen | Year-round | Subway | Citywide | Citywide |
| Kyoto Subway & Randen 1-Day Ticket | Adult only 1,300 yen | Sold each fiscal year | Subway · Keifuku Railway (Randen) | Citywide | Citywide plus Sagano and Arashiyama |
| Hankyu Hanshin 1-Day Pass (digital) | Adult only 1,600 yen | Sold each fiscal year | Hankyu · Hanshin · Kobe Rapid Transit Line | Citywide | Central Kyoto to Osaka and Kobe |
| ONE KANSAI Kyoto 3-Way Pass (digital) | Adult only 1,800 yen | Year-round | Keihan · Hankyu · designated JR-West sections | Citywide | Citywide plus Sagano and Arashiyama |
Discount Tickets Mainly for Western Kyoto (Rakusai)
Rakusai has World Heritage sites such as Kinkaku-ji and Tenryu-ji, along with temples and shrines known for their gardens and surroundings: Jojakko-ji, Nonomiya Shrine, Katsura Imperial Villa and Ryoan-ji.
On the Bamboo Grove path you can ride a rickshaw, and the Sagano Romantic Train and the Hozukyo River boat ride pair the scenery with the ride itself.
It suits anyone who likes history, nature, views and sightseeing trains.
Some of the tickets in the table below are shown here.
| Ticket | Price | Period | Trains and buses | Area | Coverage |
| Randen 1-Day Free Pass | Adult 700 yen Child (elementary school) 350 yen | Year-round | Keifuku Railway (Randen) | West | Arashiyama area |
| Randen 1-Day Free Pass × Toei Kyoto Studio Park 1DAY admission set ticket | Adult 3,200 yen Child (6–11) 1,770 yen | Year-round | Keifuku Railway (Randen) plus Studio Park admission | West | Arashiyama area |
| Arashiyama–Sagano Free Pass | Adult only 400 yen | Year-round | Kyoto Bus (sections west of Arisugawa and west of Saga-Arashiyama Station) | West | Arashiyama area |
| Arashiyama–Takao Gurutto Pass | Adult 1,000 yen Child 500 yen | Year-round (valid on the day of purchase) | West JR Bus Takao-Keihoku Line (Kyoto Station to Toganoo) · all Randen lines | West | Arashiyama and Takao |
| Kyoto–Arashiyama 1-Day Pass (digital) | Adult only 1,400 yen | Autumn only | Hankyu · all Randen lines · Kyoto Bus (Arashiyama and Sagano area) | West | Arashiyama area plus Osaka |
| Shuzan Free Pass | Adult 1,850 yen Child 930 yen | Year-round (valid on the day of purchase) | West JR Bus (Kyoto Station to Shuzan) | West and north | Keihoku area |
Discount Tickets Mainly for Eastern and Southern Kyoto (Rakuto and Rakunan)
Rakuto holds many of the temples and shrines that represent Kyoto: Kiyomizu-dera, known at home and abroad; Ginkaku-ji, with its restrained wabi-sabi beauty; Yasaka Shrine of Gion Matsuri fame; Heian Jingu; Nanzen-ji; and the Philosopher’s Path and Okazaki Shrine.
There are also streets worth walking for their own sake: Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka on the way to Kiyomizu-dera, Hanamikoji near Yasaka Shrine, and Gion with its machiya townhouses.
The banks of the Kamo River are where locals go to relax, and the Kamogawa Noryo-yuka terraces in summer are a fixture many look forward to.
Rakunan has Fushimi Inari Taisha with its rows of thousand torii gates, Byodo-in as it appears on the Japanese ten-yen coin, Tofuku-ji with its imposing Sanmon gate, and To-ji, Daigo-ji and Iwashimizu Hachimangu.
The area is also close to places linked to The Tale of Genji, and to Teradaya and the Ryoma-dori shopping street, which saw the closing years of the Edo period.
Both areas suit anyone interested in the temples and shrines that represent Kyoto, and in its old lanes and streetscapes.
Some of the tickets in the table below are shown here.
| Ticket | Price | Period | Trains and buses | Area | Coverage |
| Keihan Kyoto 1-Day Pass (digital) | Adult 1,100 yen Child 550 yen | Year-round | Keihan (Iwashimizu-Hachimangu to Demachiyanagi) · Uji Line · Iwashimizu-Hachimangu Sando Cable | East and south | Gion, Fushimi Inari, Iwashimizu Hachimangu and Uji |
| Keihan Osaka–Kyoto 1-Day Pass (digital) | Adult 1,650 yen Child 830 yen | Year-round | All Keihan lines · Iwashimizu-Hachimangu Sando Cable | East and south | Kyoto to Osaka |
| Keihan Bus IC 1-Day Ticket | Adult 850 yen Child 430 yen | Year-round (sold on board for same-day use; requires ICOCA or PiTaPa) | Keihan Bus in the Osaka and Kyoto area plus the Otsu Hieidaira line (highway, airport limousine and sightseeing buses excluded) | East and south | Eastern Kyoto, Yamashina and Daigo |
Discount Tickets for Northern Kyoto (Rakuhoku)
Rakuhoku holds Mount Kurama and the Kifune River. In summer, kawadoko dining on platforms built out over the water is what people come for.
Kurama-dera, deep among the trees, and Kifune Shrine, where vermilion lanterns stand out against the greenery, are both well known.
Rurikoin opens only in spring, summer and autumn: fresh green in spring, deep green in summer, and moss with autumn leaves in autumn.
It suits anyone with a week or so to spend in Kyoto, and anyone visiting in summer.
Some of the tickets in the table below are shown here.
| Ticket | Price | Period | Trains and buses | Area | Coverage |
| Subway & Eiden Kurama-Kibune Day Pass | Adult only 2,100 yen | Sold each fiscal year | Subway · Keihan (Sanjo to Demachiyanagi) · Eizan Railway | North | Citywide plus Kurama and Kibune |
| Eizan Railway & Keihan Railway 1-Day Pass (digital) | Adult 2,100 yen Child 1,050 yen | Sold each fiscal year | All Eizan Railway lines · all Keihan lines · Iwashimizu-Hachimangu Sando Cable | North and east | Kurama, Kibune and Yase |
| Eizan Railway 1-Day Pass “Ee Kippu” | Adult 1,200 yen Child 600 yen | Year-round | Eizan Railway | North | Kurama, Kibune and Yase |
| Kyoto Rakuhoku Forest and Water Ticket | Adult only 1,800 yen | Year-round (valid on the day of purchase) | Eizan Railway · Kyoto Bus (some sections north of Imadegawa-dori) | North | Karasuma-Imadegawa to Kibune and Kurama Onsen |
| Kyoto Ichijoji Ramen Ticket | Adult only 2,000 yen | Sold each fiscal year | Eizan Railway 1-day pass plus a ramen voucher | North | Ichijoji area |
| Eiden & Onsen Ticket | Adult only 2,200 yen | Sold each fiscal year | Eizan Railway (Eizan and Kurama lines) plus a bath voucher for Kurama Onsen | North | Kurama area |
| Hieizan Free Pass | Adult 3,500 yen Child 1,800 yen | Late March to early December | Eizan Railway (Demachiyanagi to Hieizan-Sakamoto) · Eizan Cable and Ropeway · Mount Hiei shuttle bus · Sakamoto Cable · Kojak Bus | North | Mount Hiei |
| Hieizan Day Ticket | Adult 2,800 yen Child 1,400 yen | Late March to early December | Eizan Railway (Demachiyanagi to Yase-Hieizanguchi) · Eizan Cable and Ropeway · Mount Hiei shuttle bus | North | Mount Hiei |
| Mount Hiei bus 1-day pass | Adult 1,200 yen Child 600 yen | Late March to early December | Mount Hiei Drive Bus run by Kojak Kotsu, Keihan Bus and Kyoto Bus · Mount Hiei shuttle bus | North | Mount Hiei |
Discount Tickets for the Tango Area
The Tango area is about two hours from Kyoto, and both the scenery and the food bring people back.
Amanohashidate is one of the Three Views of Japan and a Special Place of Scenic Beauty, and the usual thing to do is the matanozoki, viewing it bent over and looking back between your legs, from one of the lookouts.
The Ine funaya boathouses along Ine Bay in northern Kyoto, near Amanohashidate, are the other place to see, with fresh seafood and the look of an old fishing village.
It suits anyone who has been to Kyoto several times and wants somewhere quieter, and anyone drawn to old rural landscapes.
Some of the tickets in the table below are shown here.
| Ticket | Price | Period | Trains and buses | Area | Coverage |
| Kyoto Tango Railway One-Day Pass | Adult 2,500 yen Child 1,250 yen | Year-round (excluded: Apr 25–May 10, Aug 10–20, Dec 20–Jan 15) | Kyoto Tango Railway | Tango | Amanohashidate and the Ine boathouses |
| Sea of Kyoto Amanohashidate–Ine Free Pass (1 day / 2 days) | Adult 3,550 yen / 4,550 yen Child 1,780 yen / 2,280 yen | Year-round | Kyoto Tango Railway · buses, sightseeing boats, cable car and chair lift around Amanohashidate · Ine Bay cruise | Tango | Amanohashidate and the Ine boathouses |
Summary
This article has covered the discount tickets that help with sightseeing in Kyoto.
Many of them give unlimited travel in one area for a day, so it is worth matching the ticket to where you are going and when.
The article below covers getting around Kyoto by train, bus, taxi and rental car, along with parking, and suggests the best way to travel in each area.
