Kyoto trip

I've been looking at Kyoto day trips and excursions. We're only staying 3 days in Kyoto, so wondered whether we'd be better to take guided tours or to find my own way around. All suggestions gratefully accepted.
Thanks

It might be better to join guided tours if you wanna view as many as possible.
Or World Heritages should be the best start to sample authentic Japanese archetectures, if you travel by yourself.

http://www.pref.kyoto.jp/visitkyoto/en/theme/sites/shrines/w...

Kyoto is easy to navigate yourself:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2158.html

Thanks for your help

Hi.Having just returned from Japan inc Kyoto i found that i never once needed to use a guided tour and had NO problems. If you can, try to take in Tenryuji Temple ( and its surroundind shopping and eating area )its said to be the most important Zen Temple in Kyoto. also the Kennin-ji Temple, the Kiyomizu-dera (buddist temple that i LOVED)and take in the Gion area of Kyoto too.You can find info on all these places on the net. Happy holidays
ps If you only have time for one think about the Kiyomizu-dera temple its fantastic and the surrounding area is full of tradition ..

As soon as you arrive in KYOTO, if you want to know anything about trip in-out of the city go to the main JR Kyoto station. The tourist office is on a mezzanine, on the side where the giants stairs are. The staff is great(they speak English)

My suggestion would be to spend day 1 and 3 in Kyoto itself (Kiomizu and the streets nearby are very interesting indeed)and on day 2 you could visit the Fushimi Inari shrine in the morning. The walk up a hill in the forest, under thousands of red torii, is a must-do (10 minutes train ride from the JR kYOTO STATION on the Nara line)and Arashiyama in the afternoon (different line but same station). This would give you a glimpse of 2 small towns.

An alternative to Fushimi would be Nara. Nara deer park is a lot of fun and is adjacent to Todaiji which is a must see. If you spend the day there, it's a short train ride to Horyuji to see the world's oldest wooden buildings. Another possibility is Uji to see the Byodoin, and Japan's oldest Shinto shrine - Ujigami Jinja. Just walking along the park area next to the Uji River is worth doing. We're putting too much on your plate, but you have a huge amount of choices. At night, Gion Corner in Kyoto is worth doing because it showcases examples of many Japanese performance arts.

I'm stunned by how helpful everyone is. Thank you so much

The reason we can positively recommend these attractions in Kansai is that they are peerless, invaluable National Treasures of Japan.(^_^)/

If you have time, I can recommend a visit to Ohara, this is a rural area near Kyoto (about 1 hour by bus from Kyoto JR station). It's a great place with many temples and some of them a very very old. There are also many small restaurants and places where you can eat a snack. Personally, this is one of my favorites !

The way to get around Kyoto, check the PASSSES section


http://www.city.kyoto.jp/koho/eng/access/transport.html