Is the Kyoto Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass Worth It? (The ¥700 Bus Pass Is Gone)
The famous ¥700 Kyoto bus day pass no longer exists. The replacement costs ¥1,100 and covers subway too. Here is the break-even math, when to just tap your IC card instead, and the routes where you should avoid the bus entirely.
This page contains affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change what we recommend.
Short version: The ¥700 bus-only pass was discontinued in 2023 and stopped working in March 2024; any guide still recommending it is out of date. The current Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass is ¥1,100 (child ¥550). City buses are a flat ¥230, so you break even on the fifth ride. A full temple-hopping day gets there easily; a relaxed day with two or three hops does not. For many first-timers, an IC card plus a couple of trains is both cheaper and faster.
Current Kyoto passes (2026 prices)
| Pass | Adult | Child | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass | ¥1,100 | ¥550 | All Kyoto City Bus routes in the flat-fare zone, both subway lines, some Kyoto Bus, Keihan Bus and West JR Bus routes |
| Subway & Bus 2-Day Pass | ¥2,000 | ¥1,000 | Same, two consecutive days |
| Subway 1-Day Pass | ¥800 | ¥400 | Karasuma and Tozai subway lines only |
| (Old) Bus 1-Day Pass ¥700 | Discontinued | Sales ended Sept 2023, invalid since April 2024 |
Single fares: city bus ¥230 flat (central zone), subway ¥220 to ¥360 by distance.
The passes are paper tickets, not loaded onto an IC card. On the bus, feed it into the reader on your first ride and show the printed date to the driver after that. On the subway, put it through the gate.
Where to buy: subway station ticket machines, the Bus Ticket Center outside Kyoto Station (north side, near the bus terminal), tourist information centers, and from bus drivers (cash, and they sometimes run out).
Break-even math
| Rides in a day | Pay-as-you-go (bus ¥230) | Pass |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | ¥690 | ¥1,100 |
| 4 | ¥920 | ¥1,100 |
| 5 | ¥1,150 | ¥1,100 |
| 6 | ¥1,380 | ¥1,100 |
| 8 | ¥1,840 | ¥1,100 |
Mixing in subway rides at ¥220 to ¥360 moves the break-even point to roughly 4 or 5 rides. Realistically:
- Pass is worth it: Kyoto Station → Kinkaku-ji → Ryoan-ji → Kiyomizu-dera → Gion → Kyoto Station. Five or six rides, you save a few hundred yen and never fumble for change.
- Pass is not worth it: a day in Arashiyama, a day at Fushimi Inari plus Gion, or any day where you walk most of the time. Two or three rides, IC card wins.
Small bonus: pass holders get minor discounts at a few dozen temples, museums and shops. Rarely more than ¥100 off, but it exists.
The bigger question: should you be on the bus at all?
Kyoto’s buses are the city’s weak point. They are slow, they fill up at every major stop, and in peak season (cherry blossoms, autumn leaves, Golden Week, weekends) a 20-minute ride can take 45. The city discontinued the cheap bus pass specifically to push visitors onto trains and the subway.
For the big-name sights, there is almost always a rail option that is faster, more predictable and takes IC cards:
| Destination | Skip the bus, take | From |
|---|---|---|
| Fushimi Inari | JR Nara Line, 5 min to Inari Station (¥150) | Kyoto Station |
| Arashiyama | JR Sagano Line, 15 min to Saga-Arashiyama (¥240), or Randen tram from Shijo-Omiya | Kyoto Station / Shijo |
| Gion, Kiyomizu-dera, Yasaka Shrine | Keihan Line to Gion-Shijo or Kiyomizu-Gojo, then walk 10–15 min | Anywhere on Keihan (incl. Osaka) |
| Nishiki Market, Pontocho, downtown | Hankyu to Kyoto-Kawaramachi, or subway Karasuma Line to Shijo | Osaka / Kyoto Station |
| Nijo Castle | Subway Tozai Line to Nijojo-mae | Kyoto Station via Karasuma Line, change at Karasuma-Oike |
| Ginkaku-ji, Philosopher’s Path | Bus is still the practical option (routes 5, 17, 32, 100-series) | Kyoto Station / Demachiyanagi |
| Kinkaku-ji, Ryoan-ji | Bus (routes 12, 59, 101/102/204/205) or taxi; no train nearby | Kyoto Station / Kitaoji subway |
The north-west (Kinkaku-ji, Ryoan-ji) and the north-east (Ginkaku-ji) are the only major areas where the bus is genuinely the best public option. If your day is built around those, buy the pass. If it is built around Fushimi Inari, Arashiyama and Gion, do not.
Taxi tip: for a group of three or four, a taxi from Kinkaku-ji to Ryoan-ji or from Kyoto Station to Kiyomizu-dera is often ¥1,500 to ¥2,500 total, barely more than four bus fares and far less painful with luggage or children.
Suitcases on buses
Technically allowed, practically awful. Kyoto buses have narrow aisles and no luggage space, and locals will resent you. Use the Hands-Free Kyoto luggage delivery counters at Kyoto Station, a coin locker, or a taxi. See Luggage Forwarding in Japan: Send Your Bags Ahead.
Visiting Kyoto from Osaka: which pass?
If you are based in Osaka and day-tripping, the Kyoto 1-Day Pass does not cover the train from Osaka. Options:
- IC card for everything. Simplest. Osaka–Kyoto by Hankyu is ¥410 each way, Keihan ¥430, JR ¥580. Plus a few ¥230 buses or ¥150–¥240 trains inside Kyoto. A typical day comes to ¥1,500 to ¥2,000.
- Kansai Thru Pass (2-day ¥4,800 / 3-day ¥6,000): unlimited rides on non-JR private railways, subways and buses across Kansai, including Hankyu, Keihan, Kintetsu, Nankai, Osaka Metro and Kyoto City Bus/Subway. Worth it only if you are doing two or three heavy day-trip days back to back (Osaka → Kyoto → Nara → Kobe). It does not cover JR, so no Haruka, no JR to Fushimi Inari.
- Keihan or Hankyu 1-day Kyoto tourist tickets: both companies sell combined Osaka–Kyoto round-trip plus in-Kyoto passes for roughly ¥1,000 to ¥1,500. Good value if you are already going to be on that line. Check the current product names at the station; they change seasonally.
Kansai Thru Pass on Klook (pick up at Kansai Airport or Osaka)
Decision in 20 seconds
- Staying in Kyoto, doing Kinkaku-ji + Ginkaku-ji + Kiyomizu-dera in one day → buy the ¥1,100 pass.
- Staying in Kyoto, doing Fushimi Inari, Arashiyama, or mostly walking → IC card.
- Based in Osaka, one Kyoto day → IC card, take Hankyu or Keihan to the Gion side.
- Based in Osaka, three consecutive day trips to different cities → look at the Kansai Thru Pass.
Make sure your IC card is sorted before you get to Kyoto: ICOCA, Suica and Mobile IC Cards in Kansai.
FAQ
Can I load the Kyoto pass onto my Suica or ICOCA? No. It is a paper ticket.
Does the pass cover the Raku buses? The Raku tourist bus routes are part of Kyoto City Bus and are covered. Note that some routes were reorganized; check the current map at the Bus Ticket Center.
Does it cover buses to Ohara or Kurama? No. Those are outside the flat-fare zone. Pay the difference or use an IC card.
Is the 2-day pass worth it? Only if both days are heavy bus days. Two separate 1-day passes cost ¥2,200 versus ¥2,000, so the saving is small and you lose flexibility.
Can I buy it in advance online? Some vouchers are sold through travel platforms for airport pickup, but buying at a subway station on the day is just as easy and there is no shortage.
Sources: Kyoto City Transportation Bureau fare and pass information (2026); JR West, Hankyu, Keihan fares; Kansai Thru Pass official site. Prices confirmed October 2026.