Kyoto Passes: Which Transport Pass to Buy in 2026
Which Kyoto pass pays off in October 2026: the ¥1,100 subway and bus day pass, ICOCA, Kansai Mini Pass and more, with what each covers and what has ended.
For most visitors staying inside Kyoto, the Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass at ¥1,100 is the one that can pay off, and only on days with about five rides. Everything else on the list is for travel beyond the city or for a specific line. Two regional passes have just ended their sales. JR-West says Kansai Area Pass sales ended on 30 September 2026, and the Surutto Kansai pass on Kyoto’s tourism list, the Kansai Railway Pass Lite, had a sales period that ran to the same day.
Prices and rules below were read on the operators’ and the Kyoto City Tourism Association’s pages in October 2026. Check them before you buy, since several passes are sold only for set periods and they don’t all stay on sale.
Inside Kyoto
Kyoto City’s flat bus fare is ¥230 for adults, and the Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau lists three one-day passes.
| Pass | Price (adult) | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass | ¥1,100 | All subway lines, all City Bus routes, and Kyoto Bus, Keihan Bus and West Japan JR Bus on listed routes |
| Bus 1-Day Pass | ¥700 | City Bus, Kyoto Bus and West Japan JR Bus, flat fare zones only |
| Subway 1-Day Pass | ¥800 | All subway lines |
Does the Kyoto City bus one-day pass still exist? Yes. As of October 2026 the Transportation Bureau lists the Bus 1-Day Pass at ¥700 as well as the Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass at ¥1,100, and the tourism site lists the Subway & Bus pass as sold all year.
The maths. At ¥230 a bus ride, the ¥700 Bus pass beats single fares from the fourth ride. The ¥1,100 combined pass beats them from the fifth ride on buses alone, and subway rides cost ¥220 to ¥360 by distance, so a mix gets there sooner. The pass isn’t valid for 24 hours. It works only on the day it’s first used. It also carries discounts at about 50 places, and at Nijo Castle it cuts entry from ¥800 to ¥700. Not every route is covered. The Subway & Bus pass leaves out the Keihan Bus Mt Hiei lines and the Kyoto Bus route towards Kibune, among others.
Two catches. The sightseeing Express buses EX100 and EX101 cost ¥500 a ride, and the city says an extra fee applies when you board the late-night bus with a pass. Kyoto travel tips covers how the buses work.
Smaller passes sold by the tourism site, with the lines they cover:
- Kyoto City Subway and Randen 1-Day Pass costs ¥1,300. It’s sold 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, valid any day until 30 April 2027.
- Kyoto/Arashiyama 1-Day Pass (digital) costs ¥1,400 and covers Hankyu, the Randen and Kyoto Bus in the Arashiyama and Sagano areas. Its autumn sales period is 1 October to 20 December 2026.
- Keihan Railway Kyoto 1-Day Pass (digital) costs ¥1,100 and runs between Iwashimizu-Hachimangu and Demachiyanagi and on the Uji Line.
- KYOTO SIGHTSEEING PASS (Keihan) is ¥1,100 for one day or ¥1,300 for 24 hours, digital only. It’s for foreign visitors on a short stay, who show a passport at purchase, and it covers the Keihan Main Line between Iwashimizu-Hachimangu and Demachiyanagi and the Uji Line.
Cards: ICOCA and the other IC cards
An IC card isn’t a pass, but it’s the easiest way to pay on trains and buses. JR-West’s Original Design ICOCA costs ¥2,000, including a ¥500 deposit. It’s sold to foreign visitors with a non-Japanese passport and temporary visitor status, at the JR ticket office at Kansai Airport Station, one per person. Kyoto City buses take ICOCA, Suica, PASMO and PiTaPa, and the Transportation Bureau accepts them as well as one-day passes. Kyoto’s tourism site lists the Kansai One Pass as another option, a ¥3,000 IC card with a ¥500 deposit that works on the Kansai railway network and has no expiry date.
Passes for the wider Kansai region
| Pass | Price | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| JR-West Kansai Area Pass | ¥2,800 for 1 day up to ¥7,000 for 4 days | Sales ended 30 September 2026. Passes bought by then stay valid |
| JR-West Kansai Mini Pass | ¥3,000 for 3 days | Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Nara and Universal Studios Japan on JR Rapid and Local trains. Haruka and other limited expresses cost extra |
| JR-West Kansai WIDE Area Pass | ¥12,000 for 5 days | Includes reserved seats on the Haruka and the Sanyo Shinkansen between Shin-Osaka and Okayama. Not the Tokaido Shinkansen |
| Kansai Railway Pass Lite (Surutto Kansai) | ¥5,200 for 2 days, ¥6,500 for 3 days | Sold 25 March to 30 September 2026. Doesn’t cover JR, the Kyoto subway, the Randen or buses |
| ONE KANSAI / Kyoto Mankitsu 3-Way Pass | ¥1,800 for 1 day | Keihan, Hankyu and JR between Osaka and Kyoto, bought through the KANSAI MaaS app |
| Keihan Kyoto-Osaka Sightseeing Pass | ¥1,650 for 1 day, ¥1,850 for 24 hours | For foreign visitors on a short stay, digital only, all Keihan lines |
The Kansai Mini Pass and the WIDE Area Pass need a foreign passport and temporary visitor status. The tourism site’s Kansai page doesn’t list a pass called the Kansai Thru Pass.
Is the Kansai Mini Pass a good buy for Kyoto? Only if you’re riding JR a lot. For three days at ¥3,000 it covers JR-West Rapid and Local trains in the Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe and Nara area, and you’ll find the Osaka to Kyoto options in Osaka to Kyoto. It doesn’t cover the Kyoto subway or buses.
The Japan Rail Pass. It’s for travel across Japan, not for Kyoto and Osaka alone. Japan Rail Pass holders can’t ride the Nozomi or Mizuho shinkansen without buying a special ticket. You’ll find the price on japanrailpass.net.
Which pass for which trip
- For a few days in Kyoto, staying central, pay by IC card and buy the Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass only on days you’ll ride five times or more.
- For Fushimi, Gion and Uji by train, the Keihan one-day pass suits days on those lines, and the itinerary shows which days those are.
- For an Arashiyama day, the Kyoto/Arashiyama 1-Day Pass in its autumn sales period, or the Subway and Randen pass.
- For Kyoto, Osaka and Nara on JR, the Kansai Mini Pass.
- From the airport, the airport guide has the Haruka ticket and the limousine bus.
Passes and your plans
Before you buy, write down the days and the stops, then price them in what Kyoto costs. How many days and when to go change which passes apply. The map shows how far apart your stops are, and events and this weekend show what’s on. For a base near the lines you’ll use, see where to stay in Kyoto.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a Kyoto bus pass?
Yes. The Bus 1-Day Pass is ¥700 and the Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass is ¥1,100, both from the Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau.
Is the Kyoto Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass good value?
It pays off from about five rides at ¥230 each. Fewer than that, pay by IC card.
Do I need an ICOCA in Kyoto?
No, but it saves coins. Suica, PASMO and PiTaPa work on Kyoto City buses too, so use one you already have.
Is the Kansai Thru Pass still sold?
Kyoto’s tourism site doesn’t list a pass by that name. The Surutto Kansai pass it lists, the Kansai Railway Pass Lite, ran its sales period to 30 September 2026.
Is the JR-West Kansai Area Pass still available?
No. JR-West says sales ended on 30 September 2026. Passes bought by then remain valid for their period.
Places in this guide
Photos show the actual places, licensed under Creative Commons and credited to their photographers.
Coffee House Jittoku Photo: Keisuke Mutoh 
Enryaku-ji Photo: Maechan0360 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0) 
Adashino Nenbutsu-ji Photo: Zairon / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0) 
Demachi Masugata Shopping Street Photo: 妖精書士 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) 
Uji Photo: Tetsuhiro Terada 
Nara Photo: Tetsuhiro Terada 
Aburacho Photo: Richard, enjoy my life! 
Chion-in Photo: Christian Kadluba Find hotels in Kyoto
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