How to Get from Kansai Airport to Kyoto (KIX to Kyoto) 

You’ve landed at Kansai Airport, your hotel is in Kyoto, and you want the quickest way there, what it costs and whether you need to buy anything before you reach the ticket gate.

For most people the answer from Kansai Airport to Kyoto is the Haruka, a direct train to Kyoto Station in about 1 hour 20 minutes for ¥3,060 (£16) at the standard fare, and a good deal less than that if you sort one ticket before you fly.

I’ve used a Suica card for every train and bus on my Japan trips and swear by it, but tapping through with one is exactly how first-timers come up short on the Haruka, because there is a second ticket people don’t know they need.

There is also a visitor fare that takes about a third off the standard price, a bus that keeps going after the last train has gone, and a booking rule on the way back that is the opposite of what you learn on arrival. I show you how to get those three right and make this a very easy journey.

Kansai or Itami: check which airport you are at

Osaka has two airports and both get called Osaka airport. Kansai International (KIX) is the one built on an island in Osaka Bay and it is where international flights land, so if you’ve flown in from the UK you are at KIX and this is the right article. Itami (ITM) sits north of the city and handles the domestic flights. Itami to Kyoto is a separate limousine bus and a different journey, not covered here.

Watch out for hotel directions or booking emails that just say ‘Osaka Airport’. Instead, check the three-letter code on your boarding pass before you plan anything.

Disclaimer: This article may feature affiliate links. If you click these links, and choose to book with that hotel or company, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I appreciate the support that allows me to continue providing this information

The quick answer: which option to take

For KIX to Kyoto, my recommendation is that you take the Haruka. It is direct, it gets you to Kyoto Station, and with the visitor ticket it costs less than the bus. The one time I’d switch is a late landing: the last Haruka leaves the airport at 22:16, while the last bus leaves Terminal 1 at 23:20 and reaches Kyoto Station at 00:45.

All times are from Kansai Airport Station or the bus stop, not from the aircraft door. Fares are one adult, one way.

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How to get from the plane to the trains and buses

Kansai Airport Station is on the second floor and connects directly to Terminal 1 and to the Aeroplaza building. It is a shared station: JR West on one side, Nankai on the other. For Kyoto you want JR.

Terminal 1

Leave arrivals, go up one floor and follow the signs for the railway station. The bus stops for Kyoto are outside on the first floor, with ticket windows next to them.

Terminal 2

Terminal 2 has no railway station. From outside the terminal, take the free shuttle bus to Aeroplaza, which takes 7 to 9 minutes, then go up to the second floor for the station. The Kyoto limousine bus does pick up at Terminal 2, but only from 09:37 onwards, so an early Terminal 2 arrival going by bus also needs the shuttle across to Terminal 1.

JR or Nankai: choosing the right gate

Both operators sell tickets from machines in the same concourse. JR serves Kyoto, Osaka and Shin-Osaka. Nankai serves Namba in Osaka. If you buy at a Nankai machine, the ticket will not get you through the JR gate.

My Top Tip! To save time on arrival and get to your onward transport as quickly as possible have your Visit Japan Web QR code ready before you land.

The Haruka: the direct train to Kyoto Station

The Haruka is JR West’s airport limited express. It leaves from the JR side of Kansai Airport Station and goes to Tennoji, Osaka, Shin-Osaka and Kyoto Station without a change. About 30 trains a day go in each direction, and there is luggage space in every carriage, so a big case is not a problem.

Fare, time and where it stops

JR West puts the airport to Kyoto Station time as about 1 hour 20 minutes. The standard adult fare is ¥3,060 (£16) for a non-reserved seat or ¥3,590 (£19) for a reserved seat in the ordinary car. It stops at Tennoji, Osaka and Shin-Osaka on the way, so this is also the train for anyone splitting the trip and sleeping in Osaka first.

Time about 1 hr 20 min • Cost typical ¥3,060 (£16)

What ticket you need

A Haruka ticket is two things added together: the basic fare for the distance, which is ¥1,860, and a limited express charge on top, which is ¥1,200 for a non-reserved seat.

That is important because an IC card only pays the basic fare. I’ve used a Suica for every train and bus on my Japan trips and it makes life much easier, but if you tap through the gate with one and sit down on the Haruka, you still owe the express charge. Buy the express ticket from the JR machine before you board, or use one of the tickets below that includes it. If you’re weighing up a rail pass for the wider trip, I’ve done the sums on whether the JR Pass is worth it.

Cost ¥1,860 basic fare plus ¥1,200 express charge

The discount Haruka ticket for overseas visitors

JR West sells a Haruka One-way Ticket for overseas visitors at ¥2,200 (£12) for an adult and ¥1,100 (£6) for a child, airport to Kyoto. It covers the basic fare and the express charge, and you can sit in a reserved seat in the ordinary car at no extra cost. You need a foreign passport and Temporary Visitor status, which is what a UK holidaymaker gets stamped in on arrival.

The catch is where you buy it. This ticket is not sold in Japan. You either book it on JR West’s own online reservation site before you fly and collect it from a station machine with your passport, or you buy the WEST QR version through a travel agent and scan the QR code straight at the gate.

Klook sells the QR version, which is the one I recommend because there is nothing to collect. You get it immediately on your phone.

One more rule: the ticket is for a single journey to Kyoto, so if you get off at Osaka on the way it becomes invalid.

First and last Haruka of the day

The first Haruka leaves Kansai Airport at 06:30 on weekdays and 06:40 at weekends, reaching Kyoto at 08:02. The last leaves at 22:16 and reaches Kyoto at 23:32. If you miss that one, the bus section below is your answer.

If you do land after about 21:30, you’ll likely find the 22:16 too tight once immigration is done. Instead, head for the bus stops on the first floor, where departures continue for another hour.

Slower and cheaper trains, and which one suits where you are staying

JR rapid trains via Osaka Station

The Kansai Airport Rapid Service is a normal commuter train to Osaka Station in about 1 hour 5 minutes, where you change to a Special Rapid on the JR Kyoto Line for about 30 minutes to Kyoto Station. No express charge applies, so an IC card covers the whole thing, and the fare is the ¥1,860 (£10) basic fare. You save about ¥1,200 against the standard Haruka fare and only about ¥340 against the visitor ticket, for a change of trains with your cases and commuter seating.

Time about 1 hr 40 min • Cost ¥1,860 (£10)

Nankai trains for central and eastern Kyoto

Nankai’s Airport Express goes from the other side of Kansai Airport Station to Tengachaya in southern Osaka for ¥970 (£5). From Tengachaya you take the Sakaisuji subway line and then either the Hankyu line to Kyoto-Kawaramachi, in the middle of the shopping and restaurant streets around Shijo, or the Keihan line to the Gion side of the river. Two changes, ordinary commuter trains and no luggage space, and the onward fares depend on your final station, so check the exact fare and time for your stop on a route planner before you commit.

Which train for where you are staying

If you haven’t booked a hotel yet, my guide to where to stay in Kyoto sets out how the areas differ, and it changes which of these you want.

Staying near Kyoto Station, or anywhere with an easy subway or taxi link from it: Haruka. Staying around Shijo, Kawaramachi or Gion with one small bag each and a taste for figuring out transfers: the Nankai route drops you closer. Staying anywhere with two big cases: Haruka, then a taxi from the station.

My Top Tip! The Nankai route on your first jet-lagged evening with two big cases is a mistake I’d recommend against trying.

The limousine bus

The Kansai Airport limousine bus to Kyoto is another no-changes option. Your cases go in the hold, you sit down, and about 1 hour 25 to 30 minutes later you’re at the Hachijo exit on the south side of Kyoto Station. The bus stops once on the way, at Highway Kyotanabe, which you can ignore.

Fare, time and where it drops you

An adult single is ¥2,800 (£15) and a child single is ¥1,400 (£7). A return is ¥5,100 (£27) if you use it within 14 days, which saves ¥500 on two singles. The drop-off is the Hachijo side of the station, opposite the Avanti building. If your hotel is on the north side, near the Karasuma exit and Kyoto Tower, you walk through the station concourse to get there.

Time 1 hr 25 to 30 min • Cost ¥2,800 (£15)

Boarding at the airport

Buses leave from the stops outside the first floor of Terminal 1, with the first at 06:45 and the last at 23:20, and from Terminal 2 between 09:37 and 23:07.

No reservation is needed in this direction: buy at the ticket windows or machines by the stops and board the next bus. Buses to Itami, the other Osaka airport, use the same stop area, so read the destination on the board before you get on. If you prefer you can book your tickets in advance to save searching for tickets when you land.

Taxis and door-to-door shuttles

These are three different taxi type options at three very different prices, and the reason to use any of them is the same: no Kyoto Station to hotel leg with your luggage. I personally strongly recommend the train, then the bus, then this, but if you’re arriving at an awkward time or are a large group it can be easier to pre book.

Metered taxi

The airport’s own estimate for a metered taxi to Kyoto Station is about ¥38,800 on the meter plus ¥4,360 in bridge and expressway tolls, so about ¥43,000 (£227) in total for a journey of around 1 hour 40 minutes. Between 22:00 and 05:00 the fare goes up 20 per cent. Unless there are four of you and the alternative is a night at the airport, this is not the one to choose.

Time about 1 hr 40 min • Cost about ¥43,000 (£227) including tolls

Shared shuttle

The Yasaka Airport Shuttle is a shared minibus that takes you from the Terminal 1 counter to your hotel door anywhere in Kyoto City for ¥4,300 (£23) per person, and single travellers can book it. The challenge is that you need to reserve by 12:00 two days before you travel. It drops other passengers on the way, so allow longer than the train.

Cost ¥4,300 (£23) per person

Private transfer

MK Taxi’s flat-rate airport service is a booked private car at a fixed price per vehicle, from ¥23,800 (£125) between the airport and Kyoto Station’s Hachijo exit, with expressway tolls on top. Bigger vans are available for larger groups, and English-speaking drivers on request. Split between four people that beats four visitor Haruka tickets plus a taxi from the station, and nobody carries a bag.

If you would rather book in English and see the price in pounds before you commit, Klook’s Kansai Airport transfers cover the same journey, with vehicle sizes from a five-seater up to a minibus.

Cost from ¥23,800 (£125) per vehicle, plus tolls

Landing late at night

The order of last departures from Kansai Airport is the whole answer here.

What is still available after 22:00

The last Haruka leaves at 22:16 and gets to Kyoto at 23:32. The last Kyoto bus leaves Terminal 1 at 23:20 (Terminal 2 at 23:07) and arrives at Kyoto Station at 00:45. So a 21:00 landing usually still makes the train, a 22:00 landing means the bus, and a landing after about 22:45 means you’ll likely miss both once immigration and bags are done..

Arriving after the last bus

Once the bus has gone, the options are a pre-booked MK flat-rate car, a metered taxi at the night rate, or a bed at the airport.

I recommend considering The Hotel Nikko Kansai Airport, which is in the Aeroplaza building, connected to Terminal 1. Staying the night and a morning Haruka from 06:30 is a far better start to Kyoto than a taxi at over ¥50,000 on the night rate.

Going back to Kansai Airport

I’ve been in and out of Kyoto Station by train on my own trips, and the thing to sort before you leave the hotel is which side of the station you need: the airport bus goes from the Hachijo side, the Haruka from the JR platforms inside.

Haruka from Kyoto Station

The first Haruka leaves Kyoto at 05:45 and reaches the airport at 07:10, and you can check the day you’re travelling on JR West’s route finder. The last leaves at 20:30 and arrives at 21:59. The fare is the same as the way in, and the overseas-visitor ticket is sold for this direction too at ¥2,200, one per passport per trip.

Bus from Kyoto Station

This is where the rule flips. Buses to Kansai Airport from Kyoto are reservation only, unlike the ones from the airport. The first leaves at 04:30 and reaches Terminal 1 at 06:07, useful for an early flight before the first train, and the last leaves at 21:10. Book through the Keihan Bus reservation centre on 075 682 4400 or the Hassha Alright Net booking site, and pick up at the Hachijo-guchi stop opposite the Avanti building, where the ticket window takes credit cards.

Two watch-outs on the way back

The Itami bus first. The same stop area serves both airports, and Osaka Airport on the sign means Itami, not Kansai. Read the board for Kansai Airport or KIX before you load your bags.

If you take the JR rapid train to the airport instead of the Haruka, it divides at Hineno with part of the train continuing to Wakayama. JR West’s instruction is to sit in one of the first four carriages for Kansai Airport. The Haruka does not split, which is one more reason to pay for it on the day you have a flight to catch.

Kansai Airport to Kyoto FAQ

Is there a Shinkansen from Kansai Airport to Kyoto?

No. The airport has no Shinkansen station. The Haruka stops at Shin-Osaka, which does, but switching there means a change with your luggage and a new ticket for a train that ends at the same Kyoto Station. The Shinkansen between Osaka and Kyoto is worth knowing about for later in your trip, not for this leg. Stay on the Haruka.

Does the JR Pass cover the Haruka?

Yes, for ordinary reserved and non-reserved seats. Exchange or collect your pass at the JR ticket office at Kansai Airport Station before you board. It is not worth buying a pass for this leg alone when the visitor ticket is ¥2,200.

What is the cheapest way from Kansai Airport to Kyoto?

Of the fares verified here, the JR rapid route via Osaka Station at ¥1,860. It saves ¥340 against the visitor Haruka ticket and costs you a change of trains. For most people that is not a good trade.

Can I use a Suica or ICOCA card for the airport trains?

Yes for the rapid trains, the subway and Kyoto’s buses, and I’ve used a Suica for all of that on my trips. On the Haruka the card only covers the basic fare, so you need the express ticket as well.

Is Kansai Airport the same as Osaka airport?

Not quite. Kansai International (KIX) is the international airport on the island in the bay. Itami (ITM) is the domestic airport north of the city with its own bus to Kyoto. If you flew in from the UK, you’re at KIX.