Kyoto or Kanazawa? Which Should You Visit?

Kanazawa is often called Little Kyoto, leading some to suggest you skip Kyoto on your trip and head to Kanazawa instead. But is this really a good idea? Our guide helps you decide.

Article by Helen Foster. Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links. See our Affiliate Disclosure.

What to Expect From Kyoto

Kyoto is the historic capital of Japan and is steeped in tradition, though it’s surrounded by a modern city.

It’s everything you expect from traditional Japan, with red and gold shrines, pagodas, rows of wooden houses and the chance that a geisha (geiko) might appear around any corner.

It’s also full of headline sights that you’ve seen in a million social media shots or tourism campaigns, and even smaller spots you stumble across can blow you away.

Sightseeing in Kyoto can feel shrine/temple heavy – partly because there are over 2,000 of them in the city, but also because the ones here are some of the most important and jaw-dropping in Japan.

With so many big sites you feel you must see, it can be hard to justify spending time at smaller sights or the city’s many museums and other attractions; this can lead to Kyoto feeling a bit like an exercise in ticking boxes if you’re not careful.

Move away from just seeing the main sights, though, and you’ll find something to please every member of the family – from the chance to wear a kimono, visiting the amazing new teamLab Biovortex Kyoto or embracing your inner train geek at the Kyoto Railway Museum.

The biggest downside of Kyoto is that it can get very busy – especially around the headline sights.

What to Expect From Kanazawa

Kanazawa has much in common with Kyoto – it’s also a modern city, with traditional areas dotted around it.

The sights may be less well known, but being slightly more under-the-radar means there are fewer visitors, and they don’t all congregate in one place – although you certainly won’t be the only tourist about if you visit the pretty Higashi Chaya district in the middle of the day. 

Kanazawa has fewer iconic attractions, but the must-see sights it does have are quite varied – you can hop between historic areas, gardens, art galleries, and the seafood market – and you can also easily fit all of them into a short trip. This can make it feel more like you’ve ‘done’ the city than Kyoto, which takes far longer to cover.

Kanazawa has some interesting shrines, but they are more understated than in Kyoto; however, this means you won’t feel as if your trip is one long temple/shrine odyssey.

There’s also a strong creative element to Kanazawa, with lots of crafty classes on offer – you’ll find this in Kyoto too, but with so many headline sights, it can feel hard to dedicate time to them. Kanazawa’s smaller size makes it easier to allow some time to sit and make something other than memories!

How to Decide Between Them

So what does this mean for you when deciding between Kyoto vs Kanazawa? Here’s what I think you need to consider to make the right choice for you.

Are You Hoping to Avoid Crowds?

This is the main argument for skipping Kyoto and visiting Kanazawa instead, and it is a valid suggestion.

Many places in Kyoto can be incredibly busy. Although, as we pointed out in our guide to avoiding the crowds in Kyoto, it is possible to find places with few other tourists if you’re willing to get off the well-travelled path of Kiyomizu-dera, Fushima Inari Taisha and the Arashiyama bamboo forest. So don’t discount the idea of visiting it entirely just because it’s busy.

Kanazawa can also be busy – but mostly around Higashi Chaya or Kenrouken garden when the day trippers and tour groups arrive – come here early or just before the shops close, and you’ll see far fewer people. Other areas tend to attract fewer tourists, and you can find yourself completely alone in some smaller shrines and temples.

If you really want to avoid crowds, pick Kanazawa. If you are happy to manage them, go to Kyoto and adapt your plans to avoid the biggest bottlenecks.

How Many Days Do You Have?

Kyoto will take longer to explore than Kanazawa.

I think you need at least four days in Kyoto to see all the main sights, especially if you are trying to manage crowds by visiting the busiest sights early in the morning or later at night or if you are also trying to head to some less well-known sights.

Conversely, the main sights in Kanazawa can easily be done in two days – you could even take a good crack at most of it in one day in Kanazawa if you absolutely have to.

If your time is limited and you want to feel as if you have seen the sights in a city, not just scraped the surface, visit Kanazawa – and save Kyoto for your next trip when you have more time.

If you decide to ignore that but only have limited time in Kyoto, here’s how to visit Kyoto’s three biggest sights in one (busy) day.

Which is Easier to Reach From Tokyo?

It’s actually pretty even.

It will take you 2 hours and 11 minutes to reach Kyoto on the Shinkansen from Tokyo – and it costs 13,970 yen in an unreserved seat.

Kanazawa takes a little bit longer – 2 hours and 38 minutes – and costs a tiny bit more, 14,180 yen.

However, both are simple journeys with no changes and regular train departures, so this probably isn’t the biggest deciding factor when working out which to visit.

Which is Easier to Reach from Osaka?

This one is a no-brainer – if you’re flying into Osaka rather than Tokyo, Kyoto is just 80 minutes away from the airport on a direct train. It will cost you 3390 yen. There is also a limousine bus that takes the same amount of time and costs just 2800 yen.

Conversely, Kanazawa is over three hours away from Kansai International Airport, and the journey costs 10,090 yen.

Kyoto wins this one.

Which Has Cheaper Hotels?

Both cities offer accommodation for every budget – and have plenty of hotel choices. But is one significantly cheaper than the other?

To compare, I looked at hotels in each city from three parent companies, ANA Crowne Plaza, Onyado Nono and Hotel Nikko. I compared the rack rate for the same weeknight in February 2026 and chose the entry-level room for two.

ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel Kyoto was $233, while the ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel Kanazawa was only $118

Onyado Nono Kyoto Shichijo Natural Hot Spring was AU$215 per night, while the Onyado Nono Kanazawa was AU$244 for the same night.

Hotel Nikko Kanazawa was AU$218 per night, while the Hotel Nikko Princess Kyoto was AU$260

So, with that limited sample, Kanazawa might be a smigden cheaper – but good discounts on the dates you actually want to travel could change all of that.

Are you Visiting Between December and February?

Kyoto is cold in winter, the average high is 8-14°C during the day, but 0-3°C at night, but you’ll rarely get settling snow in the main tourist areas.

Kanazawa is a little colder during the day – the average high is 6-8°C, and the nighttime low is 1-4°C. It’s also not uncommon to see settled snow in Kanazawa in winter – they even protect the trees in the famous Kenrouken garden from it.

If you want to try and see snow without heading to the ski fields, Kanazawa might be a good option – if you’re trying to avoid it, head to Kyoto. 

Are You Visiting in July or August?

Kyoto summers can be oppressively hot. Temperatures last year topped 36 °C on most days.

Conversely, Kanazawa has cooler summers – the average temperature is around 30 °C.

Neither place is cool, but if you’re here during the summer, Kanazawa may be more comfortable than Kyoto.

Where Else Do You Want to Visit?

Both Kyoto and Kanazawa are well placed for taking day trips, so the one you choose may depend on where else most interests you.

From Kyoto, it’s easy to reach Nara, Osaka, Uji, Ine and Amanohashidate, Lake Biwa or even Hiroshima in a very long day.

From Kanazawa, the obvious place to visit is Shirakawago, the village of pretty pointed houses, which is an 80-minute drive away. You can also visit Kaga Onsen, Toyama, Takaoka and the Noto Peninsula by train, or, Takayama by bus.

Having done a lot of these day trips, if you want to get away from people, base yourself in Kanazawa. I didn’t see any other Western tourists in Takaoka, and saw just a handful of other people in Toyama. Shirakawa-go and Takayama are busier but not compared to, say, Nara.

Does Japan Intimidate You a Bit?

This may sound like a strange title, but one reason I don’t really enjoy my trips to Kyoto is I find it a bit impenetrable and intimidating in places – I have walked up and down Pontocho Alley about six times and I’ve still never eaten there as I find the places so unwelcoming with their closed doors and screened off windows – I prefer it when I can see into a restaurant.

There are some friendly places in Kyoto – Shinkyogoku Shopping Street is a bit more open, but Kyoto is still not my favourite place to travel for this reason.

Kanazawa felt far less intimidating – I could see into most places, and I dined out a lot – it helped that I stayed in a good location with enough restaurants nearby for me to pick and choose. People also aren’t so over tourists in Kanazawa as they can be in Kyoto.

Are Shrines and Temples Your Happy Place?

Then, go to Kyoto – do not pass go, do not think about changing your plans, book the ticket now.

There are thousands of them to visit, and while Fushimi Inari Taisha and Kiyomizu-dera draw the crowds, even some of the lesser-known temples and shrines in Kyoto are incredible.

Don’t miss Otagi Nenbutsu-ji with its carved stone figures; Shimogamo Shrine, which is full of quirky little touches, also has one of the most beautiful main halls I’ve seen in Japan. I also marvelled at the carved-dragon ceiling at the tiny Takio Shrine, the dragon painting at Kennin-ji and the beautiful moss garden at Saiho-ji – I could go on and on.

There are some interesting shrines in Kanazawa, but they don’t compare to the jaw-droppers in Kyoto.

Are You Interested in Samurai or Geisha?

Kyoto is famous for its geisha (or geiko as they are known there) culture, and it’s one of the few places where you might see a geiko or maiko wandering around the streets at night. 

If this interests you, definitely take a tour of Gion. I did this one and, despite its budget price, I learned heaps.

However, Kanazawa also has a geisha culture, with three old geisha areas to explore – you can also visit geisha shows and tea ceremonies here. This one lets you meet two geiko and ask them questions.

But Kanazawa also has a strong samurai and Ninja history, with Nagamachi, the old samurai district, having a completely different feel from the wooden streets of both Kyoto and Kanazawa’s geisha districts.

Both are great choices if you are interested in the geisha side of Japanese culture, but, for samurai and ninja sights, go to Kanazawa.

Do You Have Mobility Issues?

Kyoto’s sights are spread out, and the trains don’t reach them that easily. This can mean a lot of walking, taxis or getting on Kyoto’s increasingly overcrowded buses.

The old streets of Kyoto, its steps, stairs and hills can also make traversing the sights a bit tricky if you have some level of mobility problems – I still haven’t seen the bamboo forest in Kodaiji temple as I missed the entrance, and I couldn’t face walking back up the hill to find it when my leg was in pain.

Kanazawa is flatter and the sights are more compact – and in most areas, there’s not an extra temple on every corner enticing you inside and adding to your step count!

Because the distances are small here, it can be cheaper to use taxis – and there’s also a tourist-friendly looped bus service that will help you travel around most of the main sights.

The other buses in Kanazawa are plentiful, but I admit the fact that some use kanji rather than numbers can make it a bit tricky to work out where you’re going. Make sure you have internet access if you’re using them to check you’re going the right way.

My Opinion on Kyoto vs Kanazawa

Hopefully the above questions helped you decide which might fit your likes, dislikes and plans best, but if not, what do I think is the best option?

Having been to Kanazawa once and Kyoto four times (I think), I’ll be honest, I don’t think Kanazawa is a replacement for Kyoto.

I think the headline ‘this city is better than Kyoto’ is a good hook for social media creators, but I’m not sure it’s going to give you a better holiday to believe them! 

There’s a reason Kyoto draws the crowds; it’s iconic. Yes, perhaps some of the main sights are now victims of their own success, but even if you didn’t set foot in one of these, you could still easily have an amazing time in Kyoto. And, I don’t really like Kyoto!

This doesn’t mean I didn’t thoroughly enjoy Kanazawa – probably more so than Kyoto for some of the reasons discussed above, and while it’s a fantastic extra stop, or a brilliant place for your second trip to Japan, it’s simply not Kyoto.

So, what should you do? Personally, I think you should do both. If you have two weeks in Japan, it’s completely possible to spend four days exploring Tokyo, then move on and spend five days travelling through Central Japan via Kanazawa, Takayama and Shirakawa-go and then have four days to see Kyoto – with a couple of days left over for travel.

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