Garden · Kitayama / Sakyo

Kyoto Botanical Garden 京都府立植物園

Japan's oldest public botanical garden, 24 hectares on the Kamo river with a huge glass conservatory shaped like Kinkaku-ji's roof and Mt. Kitayama, and 12,000 plant species.

About

Opened in 1924, the Kyoto Prefectural Botanical Garden is the oldest public botanical garden in Japan. It has around 12,000 species across themed areas: a cherry garden of 180 trees, a European-style rose garden with fountains, a natural forest preserving the original vegetation of the Kamo basin, a bamboo garden, a lotus pond and a Japanese plant section. Its conservatory, one of the largest in Japan, is modelled on the silhouette of Kinkaku-ji and Mt. Kitayama, and holds tropical plants, giant water lilies and rare orchids. Since April 2025 admission covers the garden and the greenhouse with a single ticket. It is a favourite of locals for picnics and is lovely in all seasons, especially the cherries in early April and the roses in May and October.

Highlights

• Giant conservatory in the shape of Kinkaku-ji and Mt. Kitayama
• Cherry garden of around 180 trees
• European rose garden in May and October
• Natural forest of the Kamo basin
• Riverside location on the Nakaragi-no-michi path

Tips

• Admission now includes the conservatory: since April 2025 there is one ticket.
• Walk along the Nakaragi-no-michi cherry path just outside the west wall.
• Kitayama Station exit 3 is right at the north gate.
• Picnicking on the lawns is allowed.

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

Nearby

• Kyoto Concert HallLive Music & Karaoke · 470 m away
• Hide ZushiSushi & Seafood · 850 m away
• Shimogamo ShrineShrine · 1.3 km away
• Kamigamo Shake-machiPhoto Spot · 1.4 km away
• Kamigamo ShrineShrine · 1.7 km away
• Daitoku-ji and SubtemplesTemple · 1.8 km away
• Hanaore ShimogamoSushi & Seafood · 1.8 km away
• Takaragaike ParkPark · 1.8 km away