When we first began planning our 12-day Japan family vacation, we had originally planned to split our time equally between Tokyo and Kyoto. As we did more research, we were surprised to learn how incredible the Kyoto hiking is, so we eagerly decided to create a 7-day itinerary for Kyoto with kids.
Kyoto is world-renowned for its cultural attractions, but there are also many fun outdoor things to do in Kyoto with kids. What made Kyoto perfect for our family trip is that there are many opportunities to combine culture with hiking.
Traveling with kids is all about finding a balance of activities which keeps everyone happy. Our family vacation in Kyoto included cultural highlights, outdoor activities and some entertaining & developmental activities for the kids.
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Our 7-Day Itinerary for Kyoto with Kids
To help you plan your own family trip to Japan, here are the details of our 7-day Kyoto itinerary with kids:
Day 1 of our Family Trip to Kyoto
Fushimi Inari Shrine
Despite being our fifth full day of our Japan family vacation, our baby was still suffering from jet lag. Given we were all up before 6 am, it was the perfect day to visit one of the most popular things to do in Kyoto in hopes of beating the crowds.
The Fushimi Inari Shrine is open 24-7 and has no admission fee. It is not only the most important shrine in Kyoto but it is also one of the top attractions in Japan.
With thousands of brilliant orange and black torii gates lining the trail up the Inari mountain, Fushimi Inari Shrine is a kid-friendly Kyoto attraction your kids will never forget!
We arrived at the Fushimi Inari Shrine by subway shortly after 8 am. We were amazed to see that it was already starting to get busy, even this early in the morning!
After passing the main temple buildings, we started our amazing family journey through the famous torii gates. The trail started with stairs, which seem to go on forever… oh so many, many stairs….
We didn’t break away from the crowds until we passed the Yotsutsuji intersection. Here you’ll enjoy a place to rest with nice views of Kyoto. You can also buy some ice cream here to reward your kids for their efforts.
The Yotsutsuji intersection is also the point where most people turn back. Beyond this point, it’s a peaceful, beautiful Kyoto hike. Well, at least it might be peaceful… our baby decided to throw a tantrum near the top of the hike.
A nice woman from a nearby teashop invited us in and it cheered him right up! This is typical of the hospitality the Japanese people offered our kids throughout our family vacation in Japan.
After completing the Fushimi Inari hike, we were shocked at how busy it was getting. We’re glad we arrived so early!
Not including time on the subway, we were able to complete our 3.3 mile (5.4 km) hike in 2.5 hours.
If you only have a few days and are wondering what to do in Kyoto with kids, the Fushimi Inari Shrine is a must-do.
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If you enjoy family hikes in beautiful locations don’t miss our post on the best easy hikes in Kyoto!
On our way home we grabbed some take-away sushi from Ganko Sanjo Honten, a few minutes west of the Sanjo bridge. We went back to the bridge and walked down to the riverside park for a quick family sushi picnic before heading back to our Kyoto rental apartment for the kid’s nap.
Directions to Fushimi Inari Shrine
Day 2 in Kyoto with Kids
Many of the top things to do in Kyoto with kids are found in a tight cluster on the map. We spent a pleasant morning exploring them on a self-guided walking tour of Kyoto.
Shinbashi Dori
Today we had a pretty aggressive plan to visit some of Kyoto’s best temples. The kids woke up early again, so we got an early start to our outing.
We started our second day of our family vacation in Kyoto with a walk down Shinbashi Dori, which some claim is the most attractive street in all of Asia. Not having visited every street in Asia, we can’t confirm if that’s true but we could easily imagine how beautiful it would look during the cherry blossom season.
Getting to experience Shinbashi Dori before the crowds arrived was a real treat. Sometimes jet lag has its upside!
Gion – The Geisha District
Next our family walked through Gion, Kyoto’s most famous geisha district via Hanamikoji-dori.
Your chances of seeing a geisha are highest if you visit Gion at night. Visiting Kyoto with kids meant we weren’t likely to get to see a geisha. We were content to enjoy a visit to Gion when we had it pretty much to ourselves (look how empty the street was!).
We have accepted the fact that we won’t be able to experience everything when traveling with small children – but we don’t mind, knowing we will likely return someday! Plus, avoiding the huge crowds is a big bonus!
Directions to Gion – the Geisha District
Recommended Tour
If you’d prefer not to do a self-guided tour of Kyoto, you can take a private Kyoto tour with a local.
Kiyomizu-dera Temple
Next we walked to Kiyomizu-dera, one of the most popular things to do in Kyoto. We walked there through the temple-filled park which begins at Hiroshiyama Temple.
Kiyomizu-dera’s biggest attraction is its wooden stage. Here you can enjoy stunning views of cherry blossoms or maple trees (depending on the season) plus views of Kyoto.
Behind the main hall are other shrines and the Otowa Waterfall. Around the entrance of the main hall are many other structures, like Sanjunoto Tower (a three storied pagoda below).
We opted to admire the temple from the outside, but we didn’t go inside as we’d be too rushed.
Directions to Kiyomizu-dera Temple
Higashiyama District
Turning back towards our Kyoto apartment, we walked down the charming, but busy paths of the Higashiyama District. The narrow lanes of the Higashiyama District give a feel for traditional Kyoto and are filled with wooden building, shops and cafes.
Visiting this popular shopping street in Kyoto with kids is a fun, non-temple activity. Kids will love the bright colors, the unique toys and souvenirs and plentiful ice cream for sale.
Directions to Higashiyama District
Maruyama Park
Maruyama Park is one of the best places to see cherry blossoms in Kyoto in spring. This beautiful park is a great place to go in Kyoto for kids. They can burn off some energy chasing pigeons and watching the carp in the pond. There are plenty of spots to stop for a snack or feed your baby.
Chion-in Temple
Our next stop was the Chion-in Temple, but after a few pictures we headed on our way. The kids were getting pretty tired by this point, so we opted to take a break from our temple hopping and give them a nap.
Our self-guided walking tour of Kyoto from Shinbashi Dori to the Chion-in Temple was about 4.6 miles (7.5 km) and took us about 3.25 hours.
Shoren-in Temple
After the kid’s well-deserved nap, we walked back to the Shoren-in Temple. Visiting the Shoren-in Temple was a two-part tour: one part was indoors where you had to take your shoes off and the other was a beautiful garden walk.
The garden had a small trail to follow through it, including a modest bamboo forest. This is a wonderful spot for a family-friendly walk in Kyoto.
One of the most fun activities for kids in Kyoto is in the garden. They can ring a very large bell with a large battering ram on a rope (with their parent’s help of course!).
Family Photoshoot
A family photoshoot is an excellent way to preserve memories from your trip! Get $25 off your first Flytographer photo shoot.
Day 3 of our Family Holiday to Kyoto
Kurama to Kibune Hike
Almost halfway through our 7-day Kyoto itinerary with kids, we decided to get out of town and enjoy the scenic Kurama to Kibune hike.
Getting to Kurama on the Eizan Railway is half the fun! The train ride from the Demachiyanagi subway station to Kurama is an interesting trip through the northern suburbs of Kyoto. Before long, the train leaves Kyoto and enters a beautiful mountain valley.
Once at the Kurama station, we entered the Buddhist Temple complex to begin our hike. The hike to the main temple Kurama-dera was very steep upwards – way too steep for small kids without assistance. We were grateful for our backpack carriers!
The Kurama to Kibune hike is a beautiful walk through dense, old growth forest. Thankfully, there are many small temple buildings and shrines along the way which give you an excuse to stop and rest.
Kibune is a charming little mountain town with a few shops and restaurants.
From here you have the option of hiking back up the mountain and down to Kurama station. An easier option is to take a bus from Kibune to Kibuneguchi Station, where you hop back on the Eizan Railway back to Kyoto.
The hike from Kurama to Kibune was just over 2 miles (3.2 km) and took us around 2 hours to complete (including stops).
Read More
We love hiking with our family no matter where we go. Before your family trip to Kyoto be sure to read our tips for hiking with kids and our recommended hiking gear for kids.
Day 4 in Kyoto with our Children
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
Our first stop of Day 4 in Kyoto was the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest; an easy, flat walk through a dense bamboo grove.
To be honest, the eastern side of the walk wasn’t that great. The bamboo forest wasn’t deep enough and you could see through to the other side (which kind of ruins the effect).
But the western side of the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest was awesome – really a special place. It’s an easy, stroller-accessible family walk which was one of our favorite things to do in Kyoto with children.
Directions to the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
Kameyama Park
Most people turn back when the Kyoto bamboo forest path ends, but we continued south into Kameyama Park. There is an amazing viewpoint of the Katsura River running through the mountain valley. The park also has little covered areas with benches and a large kids playground.
At the southernmost end of the park you meet up with a beautiful, stroller friendly river walk. The river itself is stunning with its blue color and the maple covered mountain on the opposite side.
Once at the end of the river we walked across the bridge to a little island for lunch. There are plenty of covered places to stop for lunch on the island.
Monkey Park Iwatayama
Next we took the steep 20 minute hike up to the Monkey Park Iwatayama.
At the top of the hike there is a small enclosed area where you can feed the monkeys from inside a building with fenced windows. Outside of the enclosed area, the staff monitor the monkeys and chase the aggressive ones away.
We usually shun attractions where you feed wildlife, but sometimes we make compromises to entertain our kids and teach them about nature.
There is a playground near the top of the hike, so if your kids don’t want to leave the monkeys, you can use the playground as bait.
Strollers are not allowed on this hike. Parking is available at the ticket counter.
Directions to Monkey Park Iwatayama
Read More
Kids still need time to play, even on family vacations! Give your little one some time to play at these Kyoto playgrounds near tourist attractions.
Day 5 of our Kyoto Family Holiday
Daimonji Hike
Today we hopped on a bus and headed for the Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion) Zen temple which was modeled after Kyoto’s Golden Pavilion.
Despite getting there before it opened, there were already several hundred of school kids waiting to get in, so we elected to do the Daimonji hike first.
The trailhead is conveniently located behind the Ginkakuji temple. The round-trip hike to the Diamoniyama viewpoint is 2.5 miles long (4 km) and takes roughly 40 minutes.
The hike was, as we have found on all our Kyoto hikes, very enjoyable with dense trees and birdsong the whole way. Depending on the day, you can get some pretty incredible views of Kyoto from the top!
Ginkakuji Temple
After our hike, the Ginkakuji Temple (also known as Higashiyama Jisho-ji) was still just as busy as before.
The best feature of the Ginkakuji Temple was the sand cone at the beginning of the walk. The monks maintain a perfectly sculpted cone of sand meant to symbolize Mt. Fuji.
The sculpted cone was approximately 5 feet tall with not a single grain of sand was out of place! The gardens are amongst the most beautiful we’ve seen in Kyoto and even the hundreds of school kids couldn’t ruin the zen-like feeling.
The gardens are visited by following a dedicated path which goes up into the trees. Note, this path is not stroller friendly.
Directions to Ginkakuji Temple
Walk the Philosopher’s Path
Following our visit to the Ginkakuji Temple, we stopped for some matcha (green tea) ice cream, a popular Japanese flavor. We then took a short family-friendly walk to the Philosopher’s Path.
The Philosopher’s Walk is so named as it was used by Japan’s most famous philosopher to meditate during his daily commute.
The Philosopher’s Path follows a picturesque canal and is a perfect family-friendly walk in Kyoto. Alongside the canal are trees that would make it stunning during Kyoto’s cherry blossom season or when the fall colors are in full swing.
The Philosopher’s Path is a large stone path which takes approximately 30 minutes to walk and can be accessed easily from the Ginkakuji Temple.
Directions to the Philosopher’s Path
Day 6 in Kyoto with Kids
Daigoji Hike
On day 6 of our 7-day Kyoto itinerary with kids, we planned to hike up to the temple complex on the mountain behind the Daigoji Buddhist temple.
The Daigoji hike was one of the hardest Kyoto hikes on our trip. The trail starts out as mostly steps then turns into switchbacks. There were plenty of benches (or fallen over trees) to stop at along the way for a rest.
The Daigoji Buddhist temple complex was fun to explore and we found some benches to stop at for a snack. There was a great view at the highest temple and we were fortunate to see many maple trees just starting to turn their fall colors.
Directions to the Daigoji Temple Hike
Golden Pavilion (Kinkakuji)
As is often the case traveling with small children, both of ours fell asleep unexpectedly in their backpack carriers during the hike. This made a midday nap unlikely, so we changed our plans for the rest of the day.
Given it was a warm sunny day, we felt it was the perfect day to visit the Golden Pavilion (Kinkakuji).
Kinkakuji is one of the most popular things to do in Kyoto. It was incredibly busy, so we were happy to take our pictures, do the quick stroll through the gardens and make our way home. We were glad we made the trip, but we were also happy we hadn’t planned an entire day around it.
Near the entrance of the Golden Pavilion there are toilets and benches to give the kids a snack. The path through the grounds is not great for strollers because of the stairs and crowds, but if you do bring a stroller, make sure it is a lightweight one.
Directions to the Golden Pavilion
Day 7 of our Kyoto Itinerary
Nishiki Market
No hiking for today! The forecast was for rain today and truthfully, after carrying our kids around so much our legs needed a break. We decided to let the kids play before heading to the covered Nishiki Market.
On our walk to the Nishiki Market, we crossed the Kamo River by using the path of stepping stones, found just north of the Nijo bridge. This is a unique and super fun thing to do in Kyoto with kids.
The indoor Nishiki Market was a ton of fun, making it a perfect rainy day activity in Kyoto for kids. It was a mix of everything from delicious food stalls, to vegetable stores, to stores selling souvenirs to stalls with live fish, octopus, etc.
The market is stroller friendly, but the dense crowds may be an issue.
Directions to the Nishiki Market
Kodomo Mirai Kan
After a well-deserved nap, it was still pouring rain so we treated them to a visit to an indoor play area. Komodo Mirau Kan is a very fun thing to do on a rainy day in Kyoto with kids!
During our 7-days in Kyoto with kids, we struggled to find suitable play opportunities for a crawling 14-month old. We were very excited to discover Kodomo Mirai Kan; a free indoor play place for kids 6 and under.
Our kids were the only foreigners there, but they were welcomed and had fun playing with the local kids.
Directions to Komodo Mirai Kan
Wondering what else to eat in Japan? Don’t miss this post on 25 Foods you Must Try in Japan!
Where to Stay in Kyoto with Kids
When starting to plan your family trip, it can be hard to decide where to stay in Kyoto with kids. It’s a reasonably large city and it’s main attractions are geographically spread out.
But, this uncertainty can be turned into an advantage by giving you a wide variety of neighborhoods to choose from. Our advice is to find a Kyoto hotel or vacation rental in a location within easy walking distance of the subway.
We stayed in a two-bedroom Kyoto vacation home rental near the Sanjo-Keihan subway station. From here, we were able to easily get around Kyoto and see all the main sights and hikes.
When looking for a family-friendly hotel in Kyoto, we recommend using Booking.com. We use them ourselves as we find their Top Picks for Families very useful.
If you prefer to cook some of your own meals and do some laundry, try getting a Kyoto vacation home rental as we did.
As you can see, we loved our time in Kyoto. It’s a great city for families who love culture and the outdoors. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Our Travel Journal for Kids
Based on our family travels, our kids helped us design this Travel Journal for Active Kids! This engaging travel journal encourages kids to document their adventures, spark creativity, and stay entertained on the go – grab yours now on Amazon!
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Celine Brewer is a dedicated family travel blogger with a profound passion for helping families create unforgettable adventures together. Her blog blends captivating travel narratives with practical tips for family-friendly destinations and enjoying active travel with kids. As a mother of two, she understands the unique challenges of traveling with children and offers valuable insights to empower parents.
When Celine isn't traveling with her husband and two kids, she's either working on one of her three travel sites (Family Can Travel, Baby Can Travel and Travel Banff Canada) or out enjoying the majestic Canadian Rockies her family calls home.