JR Rail Pass good for intra-city travel?

I know the JR Rail Pass is great for traveling from city to city in Japan.

But would the Rail Pass allow us to travel easily within the cities of Tokyo and Kyoto?

Or would the Sucia cards be a better option?

Not really, because a lot of travel inside Tokyo is better by subway, and within Kyoto buses are more convenient, and neither of these options are covered by the JR pass. Also intra-city travel is relatively inexpensive so the JR pass does not pay for itself unless you do some long hops as well, at least as far as Kyoto and back for a 7-day pass.

sira, are you sure about buses in kyoto. i read the jr pass CAN be used...

Sira is right. Buses in Kyoto are mainly operated by Kyoto City or some private companies, not by JR. JR Pass is not usefull in central Kyoto.

Sumisu, you can use the JR pass in Kyoto on JR lines going to the Fushimi Inari shrine, to Arashiyama and other places but these could be considered suburban lines. Withing the city of Kyoto buses are much more practical to go from temple to temple and a 1 day bus pass only cost Y 500. CHECK the JR lines within Kyoto at http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2363.html and you will see they only cover a small area of the city.

are you sure about buses in kyoto. i read the jr pass CAN be used...

There is only one single JR bus line in Kyoto, which can be used with the Japan Rail Pass. It goes from Kyoto Station via Nijo Station and Ryoanji to Takao and beyond. All other buses cannot be used with the Japan Rail Pass.

For Tokyo, JR covers many many places within Tokyo, there are some places that are not covered by JR trains, but many major tourist sites are accessible via JR trains so the JR pass can be used there.

JR pass is good when combined with inter city travel.