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Lonely Planet Kyoto

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Lonely The world's leading travel guide publisherLonely Planet Kyoto is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Get a panoramic view of Kyoto at Ginkaku-ji, catch a glimpse of geishas in the Gion district, or see Arashiyama's infinite stalks of bamboo; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Kyoto and begin your journey now!Inside Lonely Planet Kyoto Travel Full-colour maps and images throughoutHighlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interestsInsider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spotsEssential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, pricesHonest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks missCultural insights give you a richer and more rewarding travel experience - including culture, history, performing arts, crafts, architecture, gardens, politics, and teaFree, convenient pull-out Kyoto map (included in print version), plus over 28 neighbourhood maps Covers Arashiyama, Sagano, the Kitayama Area, Northern Higashiyama, Southern Higashiyama, Northwest Kyoto, Downtown Kyoto, Central Kyoto, Kurama, Kibune, Ohara, Takao, the Gion district, Kyoto Station Area, and moreeBook (Best viewed on tablet devices and smartphones)Downloadable PDF and offline maps prevent roaming and data chargesEffortlessly navigate and jump between maps and reviewsAdd notes to personalise your guidebook experienceSeamlessly flip between pagesBookmarks and speedy search capabilities get you to key pages in a flashEmbedded links to recommendations' websitesZoom-in maps and imagesInbuilt dictionary for quick referencingThe Perfect Lonely Planet Kyoto, our most comprehensive guide to Kyoto, is perfect for both exploring top sights and taking roads less travelled.Looking for more extensive coverage? Check out Lonely Planet's Japan guide for a comprehensive look at all the country has to offer, or Lonely Planet's Discover Japan, a photo-rich guide to the country's most popular attractions. Written and researched by Lonely Planet.About Lonely Since 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel media company with guidebooks to every destination, an award-winning website, mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet covers must-see spots but also enables curious travellers to get off beaten paths to understand more of the culture of the places in which they find themselves.Important The digital edition of this book may not contain all of the images found in the physical edition.0207Lonely Planet Kyoto is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Get a panoramic view of Kyoto at Ginkaku-ji, catch a glimpse of geishas in the Gion district, or see Arashiyama's infinite stalks of bamboo; all with your trusted travel Planet0101GOODREEBOOLonely Planet Global AE AF AG AI AL AM AO AQ AR AS AT AU AW AX AZ BA BB BD BE BF BG BH BI BJ BL BM BN BO BQ BR BS BT BV BW BY BZ CA CC CD CF CG CH CI CK CL CM CN CO CR CU CV CW CX CY CZ DE DJ DK DM DO DZ EC EE EG EH ER ES ET FI FJ FK FM FO FR GA GB GD GE GF GG GH GI GL GM GN GP GQ GR GS GT GU GW GY HK HM HN HR HT HU ID IE IL IM IN IO IQ IR IS IT JE JM JO JP KE KG KH KI KM KN KP KR KW KY KZ LA LB LC LI LK LR LS LT LU LV LY MA MC MD ME MF MG MH MK ML MM MN MO MP MQ MR MS MT MU MV MW MX MY MZ NA NC NE NF NG NI NL NO NP NR NU NZ OM PA PE PF PG PH PK PL PM PN PR PS PT PW PY QA RE RO RS RU RW SA SB SC SD SE SG SH SI SJ SK SL SM SN SO SR SS ST SV SX SY SZ TC TD TF TG TH TJ TK TL TM TN TO TR TT TV TW TZ UA UG UM US UY UZ VA VC VE VG VI VN VU WF WS YE YT ZA ZM ZW06159781742209951BC13159781742209951BC03159781742208510DGLONELY PLANET AUSTRALIAOP400229.99AUD0123.99CAD0118.95EUR0114.99GBP0122.99USD

Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2012

535 people are currently reading
190 people want to read

About the author

Lonely Planet

3,542 books870 followers
OUR STORY
A beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies and Lonely Planet was born. One hundred million guidebooks later, Lonely Planet is the world’s leading travel guide publisher with content to almost every destination on the planet.

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
Profile Image for s_evan.
315 reviews56 followers
March 9, 2015
Kyoto is a wonderful place to travel to, and this guide helped me get a sense of the lay of the land, see what our options were, and get a few food suggestions too that were worthwhile. Some issues with this guide's descriptions/mapping out (need to flip around a lot) and giving more directions to less accessible/more busing/walking places would gave been helpful. Overall though a great book for a great city!
Profile Image for Tim.
555 reviews25 followers
June 29, 2018
6th edition, 2015. If you are going to Kyoto, you won't regret bringing this along, even if you already have the LP Japan guide. I used both, and while a good amount of the Kyoto book is included in the country guide, this is still worth having. It will fill you in on the major attractions and the neighborhoods of downtown Kyoto, but also some of the places on the outskirts of town, like Arashiyama, where I spent a lovely day.
Profile Image for Redfox5.
1,640 reviews56 followers
July 17, 2019
49 days till Japan! I shall be spending two nights in Kyoto but after reading this, I wish we were spending a little more time there.

This was an informative little guide, that has helped me narrow down some of the top sights I want to visit. I’ve also been using this with TripAdvisor, saving all the places I want to go on there.

Like all of these types of guide book, can get a little dull reading description after description or restaurants and shops, might be best to read this in small bites, rather than tackle it all at once.

I also liked that Kyoto history was included at the back, as I know very little Japanese history. It’s nice to have some background information.

I would recommend this I’d you are planning a trip to Kyoto, helped me get more excited for my trip!
Profile Image for Beata.
60 reviews
May 25, 2018
Super helpful. Good information and great maps of various neighborhood walks. Kyoto is way too full of stuff to be able to pick the essential sights, and I appreciate their highlighting of top pics. I've been to Kyoto before, but this book was still essential for me to plan a good trip.
Profile Image for Tonya Lowery St. John.
128 reviews1 follower
April 5, 2018
This was a very helpful little guide to have as I explored Kyoto. I keep in on my Kindle so it doesn't take up too much space and the search feature is very helpful.
95 reviews1 follower
September 20, 2024
Kyoto by the Seasons and Kyoto’s Top 10 are awesome sections in this Travel Guide:

“…There’s also the Kyoto Heritage Preservation Association’s Autumn Special Exhibit, when 20 or so historic structures generally closed to the public – like Toji’s five-storey pagoda – open their doors…The Autumn Special Exhibit takes place over roughly 10 days in late October and early November (for details see http://www.kobunka.com/).”

“Nishiki Market positively oozes old Japan atmosphere and you can imagine what it was like here before someone decided to attach the word ‘super’ to the word ‘market’.”
Profile Image for Shaunda Penny.
94 reviews5 followers
May 15, 2023
I read the 7th edition (2018), which is the most recent available.
The information is very helpful, and it’s written in a clear but engaging style, all of which I appreciated.
However, since COVID, many of the recommended restaurants are no longer open, and the prices cited for several I looked at have almost doubled.
It’s still a helpful guide, but anyone using it should be sure to confirm current information online before making firm plans.
Profile Image for Bonnie.
317 reviews
January 21, 2018
Interesting - have been to Kyoto & brought back some great memories! Also ,learned some things I wished I would have known about when there.
Profile Image for Caitlin Leivers.
52 reviews
July 27, 2025
i love lonely planet travel books. it was good to have a book devoted exclusively to Kyoto in order to learn more in-depth information.
Profile Image for J C.
84 reviews32 followers
December 18, 2014
Chock-full of practical information, the most useful of all being, to the monetarily shoe-strung me, various costs associated with varying selections of eateries, sleeperies, and activities.

Anything the traveler needs is here. My dad has found the series in general too cluttered but I think it's perfect: There's a short history, bite-sized expositions of local culture and local sights, and dedicated segments to walking tours and nearby excursions. To top it off, a leisurely picture spread awaits for when you get too bogged down in the details -- perfect for before-the-trip fantasizing.
Profile Image for Greta.
59 reviews
March 11, 2023
I'm leaving for Kyoto in less than a month and this reading was essential to give me more than a basic idea of the city I'm going to reside in. Extremely detailed guide with hundreds of details and interesting information. It doesn't take for granted that their readers are ignorant about Japan either, which is very refreshing. Definitely will recommend.
12 reviews
May 5, 2012


I loved how this book was divided into neighborhoods. Most of the info was helpful.
Profile Image for Zina.
201 reviews3 followers
July 3, 2016
Will review this when I'm back from my trip
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews

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