Reaching Kyoto

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.

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.