Tour Shisen-do, Manshu-in & Shugakuin

I read about this walk from Shisen-do to Manshu-in and then onto Shugakuin in the 2010 November Kyoto Visitor Guide http://www.kyotoguide.com/ver2/walking/walking-shisendo-.htm
It doesn't mention how long will the walk take. Would anyone be able to give me approximate time please? I would like to visit Shugakuin and since I need to book the tour there I need to plan for the correct arrival time at Shugakuin to be on time for the tour.

Hi Melanie,

i can�Lt help you exactly because i haven�Lt done this walk before. But i am planning it for my stay in Kyoto in a couple of days. First you can check the distances with google street view, which gives you an idea of how long the route will be.
Another point is, do the route in the opposite way - so i will do. First visit Shugakuin Villa, and then the temples. So i can spend so much time in the temples as i like without having pressure of being at a certain time at the villa. You may also have time to visit Enkoji and Konpuku-ji, which are really close to Shisendo.
And it should be possible to enjoy the landscape although walking form north to south. I will often stop taking pictures, so that should not be a great disadvantage.
And it could be useful to print out a detailed map of this area, as there are a lot of very little streets (my impression from Street View)
Greetings,
Michael

Hi Michael,

That is what I thought of doing too if I get to visit Shugakuin. North to South instead. I found 2 walking guides with map for this route. There are so many places to visit that now I don't feel so bad if my application to Shugakuin fails. Then I will just skip the Imperial Villa.

According to my Kyoto Walking Guide, the walking distance between Shugakuin and Shisendo is 20 minutes as the crow flies, but I would allow at least 30 for the winding streets. This might be a case when a taxi ride would be a safer option after spending a half day on foot in one of the two areas.

Not to get too pluggy, but the link below will take you to some more travel info on Shisendo. At the bottom of the page are links to reviews of Shugakuin and other places close to Shisendo. If you do the walk, I'd be curious to hear your impressions.

http://www.travisbelrose.com/Site/Directions_To_Shisendo.html

The walking guide says "a few short hours" and Google Maps says it can be done in 49 minutes, so add on the time to see the three locations and you are looking at 2-4 hours, depending on your walking speed and time spent at locations.

Here is a map of the walk I put together based on the directions given (assuming I got it right):

http://tinyurl.com/3yp4epd

I just re-read the original post and think I misinterpreted the question. If you wanted to know how long the entire walk is, I would allow a half day (4 hours) for Shisendo and area and another half day for Shugakuin. I believe the Shugakuin walk is 1 1/2 hours, but I'm also allowing for travel and eating time.

Thanks, everyone for the marvelous feedbacks. Originally I found a walk south to north and that allows unobstructed view of the mountain all the way since walking north you face the mountain. But that would be difficult if joining the Shugakuin tour. So the best is still north to south after the Shugakuin tour so no pressure to be anywhere. But perhaps if I can't join the tour I will do the northward walk...

Mel