Airport
Despite its modernization, Kyoto still has no airport and is serviced by the Kansai International Airport , which is the closest international gateway to the city and is located just south of Osaka .

From the airport, you can get to the city either by express train (a 75-minute trip which costs around ¥3490) or by limousine bus (a 100-minute trip which costs around ¥2300). Both have regular trips to the city once or twice every hour. There is also a local train to Kyoto which costs a few hundred yen and is the cheapest ride from the airport.

Meanwhile, domestic flights are serviced by the Itami Airport in Osaka . From there, you can take the airport limousine bus to Kyoto which runs three times every hour and costs around ¥1280 for an hour-long trip.

Plane
Since Kyoto still has no airport, the best way to fly into the city is via the Kansai International Airport , the closest international gateway to the city located just south of Osaka .

From the airport, you can get to the city either by express train (a 75-minute trip which costs around ¥3490) or by limousine bus (a 100-minute trip which costs around ¥2300). Both have regular trips to the city once or twice every hour. There is also a local train to Kyoto which costs a few hundred yen and is the cheapest ride from the airport.

Meanwhile, domestic flights are serviced by the Itami Airport in Osaka . From there, you can take the airport limousine bus to Kyoto which runs three times every hour and costs around ¥1280 for an hour-long trip.

Train
From Tokyo , there are two bullet trains (Shinkansen) that travel to the JR Kyoto station: the Nozomi trains, with average travel time of 2¼ hour, and Hikari trains, with average travel time of 2¾ hours because it makes more stops. Cost is around ¥13520.

From the Kansai region, you can take the JR Shinkaisoku, which is just as fast as the bullet train, but for the price of a local train. It has stops at Himeji , Kobe and Osaka .

From Osaka and Kobe , you can take the Hankyu and Keihan lines, which are less expensive alternatives. From Nara , you can take the Kintetsu line.

Bus
Since Kyoto is a major city, numerous buses service the city from many locations around Japan . Buses travel during daytime or overnight.