osaka-kyoto-nara travel advise

Hi. I am going to Japan for the very first time in July and will be staying at Shinsaibashi the entire week. We plan to take the train to Kyoto (3 days) and Nara (1 day).
We are considering to get a 2 x 2 day or 1 x 3 day Kansai through pass. Is this the cheapest way to go? But then again, is that the fastest way to travel to and from Osaka? do the trains run 24 hours?
I am confused about all the different train lines and different slow/fast/JR train types. So any advice would be appreciated!

Is this the cheapest way to go?

For Kyoto, maybe yes. For Nara, maybe not.

-The round trip between Shinsaibashi to Western Kyoto by Hankyu Railway costs about 1,200yen.
-The round trip between Shinsaibashi to Eastern Kyoto by Keihan Railway costs about 1,200yen.
-The round trip between Shinsaibashi to Nara by Kintetsu Railway costs about 1,500yen.

For Kyoto, you will use subway. So I think Kansai Thru Pass(3days) will pay off.
For Nara, you will mainly walk. So I think Smart IC card will come cheaper.

is that the fastest way to travel to and from Osaka?
Depends on which part of Kyoto you go.

do the trains run 24 hours?
No, trains stop running at midnight.

transportation between Kyoto and Osaka
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2363.html

All you need to know about inter-city transportation in Kansai Region is:

Osaka-Kyoto is connected by JR, Hankyu and Keihan.

Roughly, JR for southern, Keihan for eastern and Hankyu for western part of Kyoto.

Once you reach Kyoto, you will have and need more variety of railway service such as 2 subway lines.
http://www.kyotokyoto.jp/about_kyoto/images/transport/r...


Osaka-Nara is connected by JR and Kintetsu. In your case, Kintetsu is both cheaper and faster.

Three train lines go to Kyoto from Osaka.
1) JR line goes to Kyoto station. Kyoto station is located at southern Kyoto. It takes 30 or 40 minutes by rapid train (shin-kaisoku) and costs 540 yen, from Osaka to Kyoto.
2) Hankyu line goes to central Kyoto, Karasuma or Kawaramachi.
It takes 50 minutes by limited express and costs 390 yen, from Umeda to Kawaramachi.
3) Keihan line goes to Eastern Kyoto, for example Gion. It takes 50 minutes by limited express and costs 400 yen, from Yodoyabashi to Gion-Shijo.

To ride trains of JR or Hankyu you should go to Umeda first, by subway.
To ride Keihan's train you should go to Yodoyabashi first, by subway.
(It takes about 10 minutes from Shinsaibashi to Umeda or Yodoyabashi and costs 230 or 200 yen)

To Nara:
The most convenience way is to take Kintetsu line, probably. Go to Namba first, by subway (or by walking). (It takes few minutes and costs 200 yen by subway, from Shinsaibashi to Namba.) Please note. Kintetsu�fs station is underground.
It takes 40 minutes by express and costs 540 yen, from Osaka-Namba to Kintetsu-Nara.
If you need to take JR you should go to Osaka station. It takes 50 minutes and costs 780 yen by rapid train, from Osaka to Nara.

all the posts before mine are right. to help you visualize them please click on A-Z at the very top then click on travel then on Kyoto then, down the page on.Kyoto on access and orientation near the map. Another page will open with a map of trains, metros etc .for Kyoto and links to train to/ from Osaka and other places.
The A-Z section has lots of incredibly useful info on everything about Japan. it should be compulsory reading!!

hi thanks for all the answers!

i have 3 days to spend in kyoto and 1 day in nara. is sagano highly recommended? what about fushimi? somebody recommended taking this train:
http://www.sagano-kanko.co.jp/timeline2009.html

will this cover most of the must-see kyoto sights? i still want to go to himeji but i think time is really tight. i want to leave a whole day for osaka still. i dont want to rush but i want to see as much as i can in kyoto. Any advice would be helpful! Thanks!

If you're going next month, you may still have a chance to "see" Himeji Castle. It will undergo major renovation later this year and work will last for more than 4 years. During the restoration period the castle will be covered by a giant roofed scaffloding.

The Fushimi-Inari shrine on the JR line Kyoto-Nara is my favorite of all the shrines. but be prepared to walk up and down the mountain for a couple of hours. There about 1500-1600 shrines and temples in Kyoto so only choose a few per as you can't see them all

is sagano highly recommended?

I would call it "recommended", but not "highly recommended". There is better.

what about fushimi?

It is one of the highest rated attractions in all of Japan. Highly recommended.

somebody recommended taking this train:
http://www.sagano-kanko.co.jp/timeline2009.html

It is nice, but if you have only three days in Kyoto, I don't recommend it, unless you like seeing a nice river valley.

will this cover most of the must-see kyoto sights?

The train? No, it does not cover any Kyoto sights expect a river valley at the outskirts of Kyoto.

if we only have 3 days in kyoto, including fushimi, what would be your suggested itinerary?
thanks for your advice