If you only visit Kyoto for one day, make sure to visit Kiyomizu-dera. Best visited near dusk for amazing views of Kyoto and the surrounding mountains. Note, it's a long uphill walk to the temple.
The Philosopher's Walk is a pleasant path starting from the Silver Pavilion (Ginkakuji) and dotted with temples and tea houses. Most enjoyable during the Cherry Blossom and Autumn Foliage seasons.
At the top there is only another shrine; nothing more, not even a view. Instead, walk until you can see an overview of Kyoto city. After that, call it a day & visit another historical monument.
Beautiful but best to build into a larger itinerary of the Arashiyama area. It's literally just a short, crowded path through a not-so-big grove so it's not a destination on its own.
Entrance fee is 300 yen. Come late in the afternoon or during sunset when the golden pavilion reflects the sunlight
It's about a 20 minute hike up stairs to the park. Lots of monkeys. You can buy snacks to feed them for $100. At 16:30, they do a mass feeding so all the monkeys run around
The best temple I'd like to recommend. Though admission fee is the highest as ¥1,000 among other major temples, but obviously truly worth it. No regret. In my case, even better than Kiyomizudera.
The best way to get to know a city is through its markets! Nishiki Market is a combination of new and old. Traditional ware and modern boutiques. Skip the departmental stores and come here.
Really great welcome to Kyoto when you walk out of the station to see this. Note where it is in relation to the rest of the city & it becomes a great waypoint for when you're biking all over.
