Kyoto Itinerary with Kids

As part of our 10-day trip to Japan, we decided to keep it simple and make our second and final stop in Kyoto. This was an easy train ride after our first four nights in Tokyo with our kids. We’ve learned through our travel that minimizing switching cities and hotels when you have little kids takes some of the stress out the trip logistics. We are able to minimize packing and repacking, keeping travel days to a minmum, and maximizing day trips that allow us to explore more areas but return to our home base.

So after a very quick two hour bullet train ride from Tokyo (without needed to bring our luggage!) we arrived in Kyoto, where we would spend our last five nights of our trip.

Day 1: Arrival in Kyoto

We arrived at Kyoto station just after noon. Despite flagging some of the popular spots near Kyoto station (Honke Daiichi-Asahi for famous ramen) we were anxious to get to our hotel and stopped at McDonald’s in the train station to keep the kids content while we hopped on the metro to Karasuma Oike station. After a 17 minute train ride and about 10 minute walk, we arrived at our hotel, The Hotel Mitsui, Luxury Collection.

After unpacking and settling in the hotel, we took a walk east to the Kamo River, stumbling upon Teramachi market, then walked through Pontocho Alley which is lined with tons of bars and restaurants and some very traditional Japanese architecture.

We eventually ended up at Yakiniku MARUTOMI for dinner, a family-friendly barbecue spot inside one of the shopping center “food courts” (though not quite like American food courts, more just a collection of restaurants). The kids ended up asleep in the stroller while we enjoyed a sampling of several types of Japanese steak that we grilled, while looking out over the city. This ended up being one of my favorite meals of the trip.

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped in Nuunu of Instagram fame – a store that features all local artists at affordable prices. We were able to snag a painting as a souvenir just before they closed. (Note: the store is inside the Kyoto Takashimaya S.C. T8 department store on the 4th floor, having previously moved from the first floor.)

Day 2: Arashiyama & Sannezaka

It’s recommended to get to Arashiyama Bamboo Forest as early as possible to beat the crowds. However we got a slow start and enjoyed the amazing breakfast buffet at our hotel, so despite the very quick train ride we didn’t arrive until about 10 a.m. and it was already quite crowded. The paths through the forest were fairly stroller friendly and mostly paved. We ended up walking further into Arashiyama Park and walking up to the observation deck, which was certainly worth the trek up the hill with the stroller.

From there, we headed back down the hill to the river, passing the popular %ARABICA Coffee (there was a long line) and heading across the river to the Monkey Park. We had heard that this park was up a lot of stairs and is not stroller friendly (you can leave the stroller at the bottom) but by this point the kids had fallen asleep in the stroller and the 20 minute uphill climb didn’t quite seem worth it. (My youngest didn’t love the pig cafe so I was fairly certain she would not like the monkeys anyway.) Instead, we spotted a line of food trucks along the river here and indulged in a beer and sampling of the various foods while the kids slept and we admired the views of the river. We tried the famous cheese coin, a hamburger fish, fried chicken, a potato tornado, and local beer. I also got sweet potato sticks and fresh strawberries for the kids when they woke up. I had no regrets about missing the monkeys!

Afterwards we walked back to the train station through the town which had a number of shops and restaurants that we would have probably perused if we weren’t already so full. Although I did stop for some matcha on the way back to the hotel at Usagi.

After a quick regroup at the hotel we headed out for dinner, stopping at stores along the way. We arrived at Chao Chao for gyzoa, which is notorious for having a long line. (We had checked out the line the day before when we walked by.) We had strategically planned to get there at 4:00 pm since they open at 4:30 pm. There was absolutely no line at 4:05 pm during peak tourist season (April) so we headed to the nearby playground on the river. When I returned at 4:15 pm, the line had grown and we ended up waiting an hour. Lesson learned – get there at 4:05 and you will be first in when they open at 4:30 pm! Despite the long wait, the gyoza were worth it (although there are likely less touristy spots that are equally as good).

We had a bunch of different gyoza, and the kids tried a few but also enjoyed their french fries!

Since we had such an early dinner we were able to enjoy our in-room onsen when we got back to the hotel.

Day 3: Osakda (day trip)

Instead of staying in Osaka, we decided to just do a day trip. (The trains are so efficient the two cities are connected by a 14 minute train.) From our hotel we decided to walk to Karasuma station to grab the Hankyu line to Osaka-Umeda. There is a special garaku train that runs on the Hankyu line on weekends and holidays, but unfortunately we were there on a normal weekday. We arrived at Osaka-Umeda (the station just across the street from Osaka station) and explored the busy area near the train station before hopping on the metro to Dotonbori street for some street food lunch.

We had a cheese coin, egg tart from Lord Stow’s Bakery, and some shrimp tempura. We also stopped in a local arcade so my kids could play the claw machines. (It took about 30 minutes and $20 to finally win a tiny stuffed animal, but as I reminded my husband: we were paying for the experience!) We walked back to the train station through Hozenji Yokocho, a gourmet cobblestone alley lined with restaurants.

We had originally planned to have dinner at Okonomiyaki &Teppanyaki Bonkuraya Dotombori, a family-friendly teppanyaki restaurant. (Teppanyaki is typically fancy, and not always great for kids so this was a rare find.) However we were ready to turn in early so after a quick transfer back at Osaka-Umeda, we returned to Kyoto and had dinner in the hotel. The hotel’s Italian restaurant, FORNI, offered a highly-rated Omakase pasta selection which was delicious, and had kid-friendly meal options as well.

Day 4: Fushimi Inari Taisha

We had originally planned to do another day trip to Nara, but we were all feeling as though Kyoto had so much to see and rearranged our itinerary to see Fushimi Inari shrine on the fourth day. We had reserved e-bikes the day before through Kyoto Eco Trip which delivered the bikes to our hotel. (Our hotel actually offered complimentary bikes, but we required two child seats.) We did a one-day rental with delivery and pickup at our hotel and it was incredibly easy and affordable. They supplied a map and gave us some general directions on how to get to Fushimi Inari by bike.

Overall, the ride was pretty seamless until we approached the shrine. We did not leave as early as we had hoped we would, so the crowds became overwhelming and we had to walk the bikes the last block to the main entrance where the bike parking lot is. We knew Fushimi Inari is not stroller-friendly, and was part of the reason we chose to bike here instead of take the train. (You can leave your stroller in the bike parking area if needed.) I do wish we had arrived a bit earlier to enjoy a little more space.

We then biked up to Sannezaka but I had forgotten that this area is filled with pedestrian streets so we were not able to bike. This should have been saved for a different day, as this neighborhood is very scenic with lots of adorable local shops. So we continued on to Maruyama Park where we grabbed some lunch. This park is bike-friendly but it was very hot and crowded so we headed back to the hotel where I enjoyed some mom time at the hotel’s onsen while the kids napped.

For dinner we took the suggestion of the hotel concierge for some ramen at Menya Yukou. It was a short walk from the hotel so we didn’t need to bring the stroller (which is hard to fit in tiny ramen spots). Because it’s well-known there was a line but we waited only about 15 minutes and were seated upstairs where there were tables suitable for kids (although no high chairs). The ramen was good and very authentic (there were mostly locals here) but like many of the places in Japan, I’m not certain if it warranted a line out the door compared to other lesser-known spots. But the kids enjoyed their sides of ramen (which we told them was spaghetti).

Day 5: Nishiki Market

On our last full day, we decided to take it slow. We started with a leisurely stroll to the playground at Misayama Park. We then continued to Nishiki Market for lunch where we did some food crawling, and also some shopping. I grabbed some matcha to bring back, and some cookies and candies for gifts. We did some more shopping and then continued to relax at the hotel for bit.

For dinner we chose to stay near the hotel, and tried Marufuku for Izakaya (they were booked), and then Ebisugawa Gyoza Nakajima but there weren’t any tables available. (It was then that we discovered the playground directly across the street from here!) We decided to keep it simple and eat at Pizzeria La Balena so that the kids could have some familiar food. It wasn’t the most authentic last meal in Japan, but it was delicious!

Day 6: Departure

On our final day we indulged in the amazing buffet breakfast, then went to 7-11 to grab some snacks on the go. Pro tip: head to your local convenience store to use up your Suica card balance!

We had arranged a car service to pick us up and bring us to Osaka airport. This was a bit longer than taking the train, but way easier to have door to door service and it offered car seats.

We arrived in plenty time for our flight at KIX, and used up our last dollar of the Suica cards and spare change at the airport vending machines.

Side note: Many people will return to Tokyo on their last day(s) and then depart to the U.S. from there. But Osaka airport (KIX) has several flights to the west coast of the U.S. which I found much more efficient than having to spent another day traveling back to Tokyo. I was very grateful we had booked flights from KIX to SFO for a short layover before continuing to New York.

We left Japan filled with amazing memories of this super family-friendly destination, and we can’t wait to go back!

Tldr; Tips for Kyoto with Kids

• Popular spots like the Bamboo Forest and Fushimi Inari are best visited as early as possible to avoid crowds. This is especially important during peak tourist season.
• The Bamboo Forest is stroller-friendly but the park has some hills leading up to the Arashiyama viewpoint (but it’s worth it!); Fushimi Inari is not stroller friendly but you can park strollers in the bike parking area. (Note: Philosopher’s Path is not stroller-friendly or bike-friendly so we opted to skip it completely for our itinerary.)
• Renting a bike with a child seat is a great way to see the city without a stroller! Note that certain neighborhoods like Sannezaka are pedestrian-only.
• Osaka is a very short train ride from Kyoto and can be done as a day trip. Nara is also an easy day trip by train.
• Many of the Instagram-famous restaurants have long lines but are not necessarily better than some of the lesser known spots. If committed to a famous spot, arrive 20 minutes before they open to be the first seated. (Some smaller joints are counter-only so check ahead if they have tables where small kids can sit.)
• The food courts inside of the shopping centers have some high-quality restaurants that are family-friendly. Our favorite was Yakiniku MARUTOMI.
• Osaka airport (KIX) is just outside of Kyoto and flies to several west-coast cities in the U.S. which may be much more time-efficient than returning to Tokyo for your departure.