On our first day in Kyoto, after a few hours strolling through NIshiki Market, we took a taxi and headed directly to Nijo Castle. One of the seventeen historical monuments in ancient Kyoto, Nijo Castle was designated as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1994.
(SEE ALSO: Tracking the UNESCO World Heritage sites that you’ve visited)
How to get to Nijo Castle Kyoto
From Kyoto Station, take the Karasuma Subway Line to Karasuma-Oike Station and transfer to the Tozai Line to Nijojo-mae Station. The entrance of Nijo Castle is just a short walk from there. The whole trip takes about 15 minutes and costs 260 yen. Alternatively, the castle can be reached from Kyoto Station by Kyoto City Bus numbers 9, 50 or 101 (15-20 minutes, 230 yen one way). And of course, depending where you are coming from, taxi might be the fastest way to get there.
Entrance to Nijo Castle is to the lower right of the picture where P (parking) is indicated. Only a short walk from the subway station.
Nijo Castle hours, fees and budgeted time for visit
The castle is open from 8:45am to 5pm, with admission closing at 4pm. It is closed on Tuesdays in January, July, August and December, plus December 26 through January 4. Entrance fees (cash only) are 600 yen per adult, 350 yen for middle and high school students and 200 yen for elementary students. There is English audio guide available for 500 yen.
Nijo Castle can be divided into three areas: the Honmaru Palace, the Ninomaru Palace, various support buildings and the traditional Japanese gardens connecting the two palaces. The entire castle grounds and the Honmaru are surrounded by stone walls and moats.
Karamon Gate, the entrance to the Ninomaru Palace.
Ninomaru Palace
Unlike Ninomaru Palace, Honmaru Palace is not regularly open to visitors. There are four parts in the complex, living quarters, reception and entertainment rooms, entrance halls and kitchen area, all connected by corridors and courtyards. The wood panels on the buildings were really quite impressive.
Honmaru Palace (both pictures above and below)
Besides its large Japanese gardens, the castle’s outdoor places is also populated by more than 400 cherry and plum trees of different varieties, as well as maple, ginkgo and other trees that offer brilliant colors during the fall season. Unfortunately, during our visit to Nijo Castle in February, there wasn’t much to see. So one hour was more than enough for us to walk through the castle leisurely. I imagine during the cherry blossom season or in the fall, the castle would look very different and much prettier. I will have to save it for a return trip in the future.
Garden at Nijo Castle
Have you ever visited Kyoto’s Nijo Castle? Leave your experience in the comments.
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
I’ve visited the castle and honestly found it to be one of the less-impressive sites in Kyoto. It felt more “restored” than “preserved”. Even though the castle is hundreds of years old, it didn’t feel like a trip back in time. I visited in April, and the castle’s landscapes are better at that time, but Kyoto is full of beautiful landscapes.
All that being said, it’s one of the few sites that are walking-distance from Kyoto’s downtown area, so it’s easy/cheap enough to pop in and check out.
I like to visit Nijo Castle, but it is true that this is from the Edo peroid and not as old as some other things in Kyoto. And there are a lot more than 17 ancient monuments in Kyoto. But it is true that Nijo Jo is one of the 17 monuments listed in the UNESCO designation. Actually some of the attractions in the 17 are much older than Nijo Jo.
If you are interested in handmade Japanese knives then you should visit Shigeharu. His shop is about a 5 minute walk from the Nijo Castle. This the oldest knife maker in Kyoto and his shop dates back to the Kamakura period (1190-1329). The owner does not speak much English, but we were able to communicated just fine. I brought back a nice handmade Santoku knife which he engraved with my name. By far the best souvenir from my 2 week Japan trip.
Cool! How did you bring the knives back? just in checked luggage?
Yup. Just put them in my checked luggage. You could also send them back to yourself in the mail.