honshu35.00° N, 135.78° E
Kyoto
Kyoto was the imperial capital of Japan for more than a thousand years, from 794, and its temples, gardens and wooden streets still hold that history.
A townhouse door at night, Kyoto
- Region
- Honshu
- Our journeys
- Five stay here
- Where we stay
- Hotel The Celestine Kyoto Gion
Our tours stayA day on tourA Custom Tour of Japan
the place
A thousand years of the court, still kept in wood, moss and gold.
Seventeen temples, shrines and a castle in and around the city are inscribed together as a single World Heritage Site, and behind the great names lie the quieter rooms: a raked garden of white sand, a lane of latticed teahouses, a bridge across the river at Arashiyama.
We stay at Hotel The Celestine Kyoto Gion, in the old lanes of Higashiyama, a few minutes on foot from Yasaka Shrine. Kyoto is on The Classic Cherry Blossom Tour of Japan and on the three Honshu journeys of The Private Collection, which give it three nights, and Nara, the older capital, is a day from here.
what we do here
Kyoto, as we show it
Fushimi Inari
The thousands of vermilion torii that climb the hill behind the shrine, walked as far as you wish.
Kinkaku-ji
The Golden Pavilion, its upper floors in gold leaf, standing over its own pond.
The sand garden at Ginkaku-ji Higashiyama
Kiyomizu-dera on its wooden stage, then the stone lanes downhill to Gion, steps from the hotel.
Arashiyama
The bamboo grove on the western edge of the city, and the long wooden bridge across the river beneath it.
Kinkaku-ji Nishiki Market
The long covered food street of the city: pickles, tea, knives and the kitchens of Kyoto.
Gion by evening
A private tea ceremony on the journeys of The Private Collection, and on The Classic Cherry Blossom Tour of Japan, an evening with geiko and maiko in a teahouse room of Gion.
where we stay
Hotel The Celestine Kyoto Gion
A hotel awarded a Michelin Key in 2025, in the preserved machiya streets of Higashiyama, Gion's old lanes at the door.
On The Classic Cherry Blossom Tour of Japan, The Autumn Leaves Tour of Japan and three journeys of The Private Collection
our journeys here
The journeys that stay in Kyoto
- SpringThe Classic Cherry Blossom Tour of JapanUSD $19,500 per personSee the journey
- AutumnThe Autumn Leaves Tour of JapanUSD $19,500 per personSee the journey
- The Private CollectionEssential JapanUSD $18,000 per person, two sharingSee the journey
- The Private CollectionClassic JapanUSD $22,000 per person, two sharingSee the journey
- The Private CollectionDefinitive JapanUSD $26,000 per person, two sharingSee the journey
the japan edition
Reading on Kyoto
- Luxury Kyoto Tours: Kyoto in Blossom, in Maple, and in PrivateThree nights in Gion when the cherry trees are in flower or the maples have turned, or a private tour that gives the city as many days as a party wants.
- Where to Stay in KyotoKyoto is too finely grained a city for accommodation to be an afterthought. The right stay is chosen by district and by rhythm, not by star rating, and it holds true in any season.
- What Is a Geisha? Kyoto's Five Geisha DistrictsA geisha, called geiko in Kyoto, is a professional entertainer trained for years in dance, music and conversation. Five hanamachi keep that training alive in the city, and the oldest of them is not the one most visitors have heard of.
questions
Questions about Kyoto
How many nights do you spend in Kyoto?
Three on the Honshu journeys of The Private Collection: time for the great temples without hurrying, and an evening kept for Gion.
Where do you stay in Kyoto?
At Hotel The Celestine Kyoto Gion, in the preserved machiya streets of Higashiyama, a short walk from Yasaka Shrine and the lanes of Gion.
How do you travel to Kyoto from Tokyo?
By Shinkansen, a little over two hours from Tokyo Station to Kyoto Station. On our tours you travel in the Green Car, and a private car meets the train.
Can you include Nara?
Yes. Every Honshu journey of The Private Collection gives a day to Nara, for Todai-ji and the deer park, and The Classic Cherry Blossom Tour of Japan offers Nara as an extension.
Can Kyoto be part of a custom tour?
Yes. The Custom Tour of Japan is created around your party alone, on your dates, and Kyoto can sit anywhere in it. If you would rather travel independently, the Expert Japan Itinerary plans the days for you.
Kyoto, created for you alone.
The Custom Tour of Japan is created around your party alone, on your dates, and Kyoto can be any part of it. If you would rather travel independently, the Expert Japan Itinerary plans every day for you.