Gion to Kiyomizu-dera Temple walk + the route to make a part of your Kyoto itinerary 🗾 Backpacking Japan travel blog

Hi there!

 

So if you’re looking for a half day excursion in Kyoto, a walk from Gion to Kiyomizu-dera Temple could be perfect!

 

 

If you were to do a point-to-point walk, it might take you around 30 minutes.

But if you include the wandering you’ll do around the areas that are a part of this walk, it’s possible that it’ll take you some (a lot) more time.

And, you’ll want to give yourself some time at your final stop of Kiyomizu-dera Temple too.

 

Gion is a famous district in Kyoto, so it can make a good starting point.

And the Kiyomizu-dera Temple is a famous UNESCO world heritage site in Kyoto, so it can make a good destination!

Along the way, you can make a point to pass by some streets that you might call “classic Kyoto” or “classic Japan,” so it can give you another glimpse into Japanese culture and architecture!

 

You can also do this route in the opposite direction, from Kiyomizu-dera to Gion.

It actually might be a little easier that way, since there’s a hill on this route which would be downhill if you go from Kiyomizu-dera Temple to Gion.

 

Now…

First, the quick list of places that are a part of this walk.

Then, a few more pictures to see if you want to do this Kyoto walk!

 

Places to visit when walking from Gion to Kiyomizu-dera Temple

 

1. Yasaka Shrine

 

2. Chion-in Temple

 

3. Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka streets

 

4. Kiyomizu-dera Temple

 

 

Japanese language tip: TEMPLE

On its own, tera in Japanese means temple.

In this case of attaching to another word, tera usually becomes dera.

So the dera part of Kiyomizu-dera means temple.

When speaking generally of a temple, you may also hear it being referred to as otera.

 

 

Gion to Kiyomizu-dera walk as part of a one day Kyoto itinerary

I made Gion and Kiyomizu-dera Temple a part of my day with an unlimited one day Kyoto bus pass:

• Nijo Castle (+ teahouse)
• Kinkakuji Temple
• Ryoanji Temple
• Gion to Kiyomizu-dera Temple

 

 

Now…

Here’s a bit of what you might see on this Kyoto walk!

 

 

For the visual of this walking route, have a look at this map. This is not the exact walking route, but it will get you started in knowing where to go. Once you are there, you will be able to figure out where you want to walk.

It’s also important to note that there is a closing time for Kiyomizudera-Temple. I most recently went in June 2023, and this was 6pm.

At 6pm, it was not even possible to walk up the steps, and basically all the shops on the street leading up to the temple were closed (if you take the classic walking route).

So at the latest, you should try to get to Kiyomizu-dera Temple by 5:30pm.

Ideally you will have more time, but 30 minutes will at least give you time for a quick walk through.

 

 

Starting in Gion

So for the purpose of this walk, we’ll start at Yasaka Shrine as a convenient landmark!

 

Yasaka Shrine

 

 

Yasaka Shrine to Chion-in Temple

By going to the Chion-In Temple, you’ll be forced to backtrack a little bit.

But this is pretty close to Yasaka Shrine so it’s not too much backtracking.

This might be about a 5 minute walk.

You might also consider stopping by Maruyama Park on your way to the temple.

 

 

 

Chion-in Temple

Once you’ve made it to Chion-in Temple, there’s a bit of walking around that you can do here.

 

 

 

Chion-in to Ninenzaka

Once you’ve finished up walking around the grounds of Chion-in Temple, you can start making your way to the narrow streets of Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka!

It’ll probably take around 10-15 minutes to get there.

 

 

 

Ninenzaka slope and Sannenzaka slope

These 2 streets of Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka are located right near one another.

They are located on a hill, and going from Gion to Kiyomizu-dera, you will be going on a slight incline.

This area can be a good place to do some souvenir shopping or gift shopping with all the little shops around.

It can also be a good area to take in a tea ceremony!

These streets aren’t that long, so if you were to walk straight from the around one end of Ninenzaka to the other end of Sannenzaka, it might take about 5-10 minutes without any stops.

 

 

 

Sannenzaka to Kiyomizu-dera

And then finally, once you’ve made it past Sannenzaka, off you go to the Kiyomizu-dera Temple!

This will be about a 5-10 minute walk.

 

 

 

Kiyomizu-dera Temple

You might end up spending 1-2 hours here.

 

 

 

HAPPY WALKING FROM GION TO KIYOMIZU-DERA TEMPLE!

 

See more of the top tourist spots to visit with one day Kyoto bus pass!