Park · Kamigyo
Kyoto Gyoen National Garden 京都御苑
The vast open park around the Kyoto Imperial Palace, with gravel avenues, lawns, old aristocratic house sites and some of the city's earliest cherry and plum blossoms.
About
Kyoto Gyoen covers about 65 hectares in the centre of the city, of which the Imperial Palace and Sento Palace take up only part. The rest is a free public park of wide gravel avenues, groves of pine and zelkova, ponds and lawns where locals walk dogs, cycle and picnic. Look for the weeping cherry near the Konoe residence site, which blooms in late March ahead of most of Kyoto, the plum grove in February and March, and the Kaninnomiya residence and Shusui-tei teahouse, small historic buildings open to visitors. It is the easiest place in central Kyoto to find space and quiet.
Highlights
- Wide gravel avenues and lawns around the Imperial Palace
- Early weeping cherries at the Konoe residence site
- Plum grove in late winter
- Kaninnomiya residence and other aristocratic house sites
Tips
- The gravel is tiring for wheeled luggage and strollers: use the paved strips at the edges.
- Combine with a free Imperial Palace visit (check the palace's own hours).
- Enter from Sakaimachi Gate on Marutamachi-dori for the main southern approach.
Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09
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Open in the appNearby
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