Kansai International Airport 2 hr 12
Ninna-ji (45 min)
This historic Buddhist temple featuring picturesque gardens & a 5-story pagoda was founded in 886. Kinkaku-ji (48 min)
Historic, tranquil temple with a gold-leaf facade set amid landscaped gardens & a reflecting pond. Kurama-dera Temple (56 min)
Historic Buddhist temple set on a mountainside, with access via a cable car or up hundreds of steps. Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama (48 min)
Popular area atop Mt. Arashiyama for viewing wild macaque monkeys & sweeping city views. Kitano-temmangū Shrine (50 min)
Historic 10th-century shrine with gardens & an annual tree-blossom festival & tea ceremony. Arashiyama (49 min)
Winding, lush venue showcasing a host of monkeys plus a scenic bamboo forest & water vistas. Tenryuji Temple (48 min)
This 1300s Zen temple at the foot of mountains features teahouses & serene, expansive gardens. Mount Kurama (55 min)
Known as the birthplace of reiki, this mountain features a hiking trail with temples & shrines. Toei Kyoto Studio Park (46 min)
Theme park & movie set featuring a replica Edo-period village with traditional buildings & streets. Mount Atago (36 min)
Prominent mountain offering forested hiking trails & a Shinto shrine on the summit with city views. Kamigamo-jinja (48 min)
This historic 7th-century Shinto shrine complex is full of trees & set on the banks of a river. Okochi Sanso Garden (53 min)
Elegant, tranquil Japanese gardens with scenic views & a tea house serving matcha & sweets. Kifune Shrine (52 min)
Intimate Shinto shrine with a verdant mountainside setting, reached by a lantern-lined path. Ryōan-ji (45 min)
On the scenic grounds of this 15th-century temple is a famous Zen rock garden & a yudofu restaurant. Daikakuji Temple (44 min)
Temple, formerly a royal villa built in 814, with a pond & traditional landscape & rock gardens. | 
