Kyoto-imperial palace & philosopher path

I'll be in kyoto in mid may with my husband & 2yr old toddler. As we only have 2 days in Kyoto, am deciding which attractions I should go to. Can't pack it too tight as I need to factor in some nap time for my girl. I will also be taking a half day trip to himeji castle.

Here are the ones I've selected:
-Nijo castle (1hr)
-Kiyomizudera (1hr)
-imperial palace
-Kinkaku-ji (1-2hrs)
-Ryoanji temple (1hr)
-Gion district - one evening
-philosopher's path (quick look at the Ginkakuji & Nanzenji)

Is it true that only way to visit the imperial palace has to be a guided tour by the imperial household agency? Is the imperial palace worth visiting vs the other attractions?

Since I won't be going during the cherry blossom period, is the philosopher's path still worth going? Ginkakuji & Nanzenji are not must-sees for me, I'm including them more because of philosopher's path. so if philosopher's path not worth going then I'll probably skip those 2 places.
Any advice?

IMHO the Imperial Palace could be skipped. You do need reservations, and you only can see the outside of the buildings. Not too pleasant if it happens to rain. Nijo is the better choice.
The Philosopher's Path is pleasant, cherry blossoms or not.
Remember to factor in transportation time when you're planning your route.

i'm not sure about the imperial palace as I've never been there. But I believe there are other place worth more to see such as the Nanzenji and Kiyomizu especially in Autumn and Spring. And don't forget Arashiyama also. I agree with Tay. Do factor in your travel time when planning the route. Btw, here are some of the pic which I took last autumn :D
http://blog.rojakstyle.com/category/japantrip
Hope this can be some reference for ya. Have fun OK :D

According to the web site, children under 12 are not permitted on the Kyoto Imperial Palace tours.

Good point, Rootles. And in the same vein it would be a good idea to check age limits at other places you plan to visit.

under 18 are allowed in the Kyoto Imperial Palace when accompanied by an adult. See https://sankan.kunaicho.go.jp/english/index.html

For the Sento Palace and imperial villa's different rules apply.

I must have been thinking of another site. I know for some sites, no minors are permitted, even with parent. But at imperial palace in Kyoto, under 18 can go accompanied by over 20.

We were just there a week ago and Ginkakuji (Silver Temple) is under reconstruction. Although the grounds are lovely, I would skip it.

I just did a tour of the Imperial Palace in Kyoto a few weeks ago. As others have said you have to be on a guided tour; you cannot wander around on your own. I found the tour guide very difficult to understand so I got absolutely nothing from what he was saying. I also found the palace guards that follow the tour group annoying as they would herd the group along yelling "enough pictures, move along". The tour I was on had 100-150 people and everyone was trying to get pictures so obviously it was slow. I don't know why they were rushing us, the tour is supposed to last an hour and ours lasted 45 minutes at the most.

Personally I hate guided tours, I prefer taking my own time and seeing the things that interest me so I could never recommend the Imperial Palace tour to anyone.