How to visit Kinkakuji Temple (or The Golden Pavilion) in Kyoto, Japan! Read our detailed guide including how to get there, costs, our experience, and photography of the beautiful golden temple to help you plan your trip.

Kinkakuji Temple in Kyoto is a UNESCO recognized World Cultural Heritage site and one of the top historical destinations in all of Japan.

People flock from all around the world to gaze upon its stunning gold leaf exterior and pay homage to Zen Buddhism. With a few days scheduled in Kyoto, we knew we had to pay a visit to the magical Golden Pavilion.

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Kinkakuji Temple

WHERE: 1 Kinkakujicho, Kita, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 603-8361, Japan

COST: Admission is 400 yen for adults, about $4.00 USD

TIME: 1 hour*

*Now, let me clarify about the time. Theoretically, you can spend as much or as little time here as you wish. But it took Erica and me about an hour start to finish to admire the temple, get our fill of pictures and videos, and make the full walk around the temple and surrounding gardens. This doesn’t include the time we spent eating desserts outside of the temple either.

Getting There

After a slight learning curve, Erica and I found the Japanese subway system to be very helpful and easy to navigate. From Kyoto Station, it’s about a 13 minute ride on the Karasuma subway line to Kitaōji Station (which costs 260 yen). From there we walked the 2 miles (3.1 km) directly to the temple, which took about 40 minutes.

If you’re not feeling up for a walk, you can take a taxi from this point. Alternatively you can take bus 101 from Kyoto Station that will take you right to the temple, but it is slower than the train and we never really felt comfortable understanding the bus system (40 minute ride for 230 yen).

From wherever your starting point is though, we found Google Maps to be very accurate and reliable for getting around Japan.

Experience at the Temple

Waiting in Line

Once you reach the entrance to the temple you can follow the crowds of people to the ticket line. At least when we came, there was a long, winding line of people including other foreigners such as ourselves and schools of children seemingly on field trips. We were visiting on a weekday, so who can imagine what it would have been like on a weekend. Luckily the line moved pretty quickly and soon enough we had made it to the front and purchased our tickets.

It was crowded.

The only drawback of going to see any other-worldly piece of history is that there are generally hoards of other tourists (like you) all trying to get a glimpse of it. This was also the case with the Kinkakuji Temple.

Just be aware that it will be busy and come with patience. Everyone was vying for a chance to take a photo and selfie with the beautiful structure, with the occasional pushing and shoving… You will have to wait for a spot near the railing to open up to do so as well.

A long line built behind Erica and I after we secured a spot as I hurriedly attempted to capture a video to use. It wasn’t hard to see why people from all corners of the Earth were there to see this temple, however.

But totally worth it.

Kinkakuji Temple, known as the Golden Pavilion, gets its name because its two floors are completely covered in gold leaf. The temple was breathtaking, like something from a dream or fairytale.

In front of the temple is a large pond, with railings on all sides to keep visitors out of the pond and at a respectful distance. The still, glassy water of the pond provided a picture-perfect foreground for the temple.

One of the perks of there being hundreds of people all around you, waiting (mostly) patiently for you to leave so that they can take your spot is that you won’t have any trouble finding someone to take your picture.

It was an extremely sunny, hot, and humid day so please excuse the frizzy hair. But there we are, with perhaps one of the most beautiful things I will ever see!

Once we had our fill of pictures, we have up our spot at the railing and continued along the trail. The path led around the side of the temple and to its backside. The crowds shuffled on along the path, stopping occasionally for another picture. At the back of the Kinkakuji Temple, there is no pond between you and the structure which allows for a much closer look of its golden magnificence.

The Gardens

After you’ve followed the trail around the pond and along the back of the temple, the path then leads past the temple entirely into the temple gardens. Everything is perfectly manicured and peaceful. Alongside the path a small creek trickles by, adding to the peaceful and calm ambiance. The occasional statue sits within the garden and a Buddha statue encourages visitors to throw a coin.

Outside the Temple

The temple itself isn’t the only thing to experience here. After making your way around the temple in an orderly fashion, you are led to a lovely souvenir shop. Erica and I both picked up a few small items to remember this magical temple by. Beyond the shop, there were a number of stands selling food. We were both feeling a bit peckish at this point and decided to indulge. Both of us got a black sesame soft serve ice cream and a stick of sweet soy dango to share. Yum! There is also a gold carat ice cream (I’m guessing in reference to the Golden Pavilion itself) we saw advertised but didn’t end up trying.

Are you planning to visit Kinkakuji Temple in Kyoto?

Are you planning to visit the Golden Pavillion, Kinkakuji Temple, in Japan? I highly recommend it if you’re planning a trip to the Kyoto area! Or have you visited before? Let me know in the comments below.

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Make sure to check out the other posts from my Japan trip. Until then you can watch all the videos from the trip on my YouTube channel. Consider subscribing if you enjoy them! Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions about my experience at the Kinkakuji Temple. Thanks for stopping by my blog. See you again soon!

Other things to do in Kyoto:
First Night in Kyoto: Eating ALL the Desserts (and Gyoza)
Visiting Fushimi Inari-taisha: The Most Magical Place in Kyoto
Trying CoCo Curry in Kyoto + a hidden hipster cafe
Exploring Arashiyama Bamboo Forest in Kyoto, Japan

More awesome things to do in Japan:
10 Things To Do in Japan | One Week in Kyoto & Tokyo