Day 8/9 — Kyoto

Japan’s historic capital continues to capture the imagination. The ancient temples, surrounded by their beautiful gardens and built in refined materials, are remarkably well preserved thanks to meticulous maintenance by the Japanese.

We start the visit with the classics on the western side of the city, namely Ryoan-ji with famous stone garden and Kinkaku-ji with the golden pavilion. The banks of the wide river in Arashiyama, are a perfect lunch spot before exploring the Bamboo Grove, Tenryu-ji and the Okochi Sanso Villa.

The second day in Kyoto is dedicated to the eastern side, with Ginkaku-ji the silver pavilion, the philosophers’ path and the imposing Kiyomizu-dera. The afternoon is free to fill in, Kyoto has so much more to offer than art and architecture that we didn’t want to let this pass you by!