Landmark

Katsura Imperial Villa

Katsura, Kyoto

Address
Katsura Misono, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto 〒615-8014 京都市西京区桂御園

Source: kyoto-gosho.kunaicho.go.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.

The white paper screens and dark eaves of the shoin buildings at Katsura Imperial Villa beside a moss lawn
Photo: ☆Tomoaki Ueda☆ / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)

Katsura Imperial Villa was built in stages over almost 50 years from 1615 by Prince Toshihito and his son Toshitada, and since fire never reached it, the buildings still look as they did then. The path around its big, irregular pond twists and turns so you never see the whole garden at once, and four tea pavilions sit along the way.

Nearest station Katsura (Hankyu Kyoto Line)
Cost ¥
Time needed 1 hour
Best time Spring

Insider tip

You can only go in on a staff-led tour of about an hour, ¥1,000 for adults, free for ages 12 to 17, and children under 12 aren't allowed. English tours for overseas visitors start at 9:20, 11:20, 13:20 and 15:20, plus 16:20 from March to September. Apply online from the first day of the month three months ahead, or line up at the gate from 8:40 for the walk-in Japanese tours. Bring your passport.

What the guides say about Katsura Imperial Villa

You only get into Katsura Imperial Villa on a staff-led tour of about an hour, ¥1,000 for adults, free for ages 12 to 17, and children under 12 aren't allowed. English tours start at 9:20, 11:20, 13:20 and 15:20, plus 16:20 from March to September. Apply online from the first day of the month three months ahead, or line up at the gate from 8:40 for the walk-in Japanese tours, and bring your passport. It's closed on Mondays (Tuesday when Monday's a holiday) and from 28 December to 4 January. It's a 20-minute walk from the east exit of Hankyu's Katsura station, where you can change for the Arashiyama Line to Matsuo Taisha, the sake brewers' shrine, right by Matsuo-taisha Station.

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View on the interactive map Google Maps directions

Nearby

Saiho-ji Temple · 2.7 km away Saiho-ji is Kokedera, the moss temple, and Muso Soseki laid out the first form of its garden in the 1300s (the Ashikaga shoguns modelled the Golden... Matsuo Taisha Shrine · 2.9 km away Hata no Imiki Tori built the first hall of Matsuo Taisha at the foot of Mount Matsuo in 701, before Kyoto became the capital, and since the late... Kyoto Railway Museum Museum · 2.9 km away A railway museum next to Umekoji Park that opened on 29 April 2016, with steam locomotives still in working order. Shimabara Sumiya Museum · 3.1 km away Sumiya is the last surviving ageya, an Edo-period banquet house where hosts fed and entertained guests with taiyu and geiko sent over from the okiya. Umekoji Park Park · 3.1 km away Umekoji Park is 13.7 hectares of lawns, play areas and woods a 15-minute walk west of Kyoto Station, open since 1995, with the aquarium in its... Rokusonno Shrine Shrine · 3.2 km away Rokusonno Shrine was built in front of the grave of Minamoto no Tsunemoto, a grandson of Emperor Seiwa whose descendants include Minamoto no Yoritomo...

Good to know

What is the address of Katsura Imperial Villa?
Katsura Misono, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市西京区桂御園).
How do I get to Katsura Imperial Villa?
The nearest station is Katsura (Hankyu Kyoto Line). Katsura Imperial Villa is in Katsura, Kyoto.
How much does Katsura Imperial Villa cost?
Katsura Imperial Villa is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
How long do you need at Katsura Imperial Villa?
Plan for 1 hour.
When is the best time to visit Katsura Imperial Villa?
Spring.

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