Kyoto Travel Forum

Required time from Kyoto JR station to Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) by Bus?
For example...10 min/20 min/30 min.....or 1 hr./2 hrs....
Please answer like this.....I want to visit Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) but I have time limitation.

Without a traffic jam, 35-40 min by bus.
Click this link, scroll down and you'll see "Route Map" at the bottom. Though you cannot print it out nicely (data size is too big for regular printers), you can check bus routes in Kyoto and transfer between major tourist spots.
http://www.city.kyoto.jp/koho/eng/access/transport.html

are traffic jams common?

Anothet Idea. See four temples in one morning.
Take the Karassuma subway north to Karassuma Oike Sta.
Go west on the Harkyu Kyoto line to Omiya Sta.( warning - some of these trains are express and do not stop at Omiya-If you get on an exprees you do see the city but you will have to return ). At Omiya Sta. get on the Keifu Arashiyama line and go to the last station, Arashiyama.There you can visit Tenryuji. Then take that same LRT line to Omuro Ninnaji Sta. where the Ninnaji Tempel is within a short walk. You can then walk east, 10 min, to Ryoanji. You can then bus or taxi to Kinkajui. Return on the same lines. Start early because you may want more time at each temple.It's a good selection of Temples.