With some 2000 religious sites - 1600 Buddhist temples and 400 Shinto shrines; as well as palaces; gardens and architecture; Kyoto is one of the best preserved and most culturally distinguished cities in Japan.

Among the most famous temples are Kiyomizu-dera; a magnificent wooden temple supported by pillars off the slope of a mountain; Kinkaku-ji; the Temple of the Golden Pavilion; Ginkaku-ji; the Temple of the Silver Pavilion; and Ryoan-ji; famous for its rock garden. The Heian Jingu is a Shinto shrine; built in 1895; celebrating the Imperial family and commemorating the first and last emperors to reside in Kyoto.

Three special sites have connections to the imperial family: the Kyoto Gyoen area including the Kyoto Imperial Palace and Sento Imperial Palace; homes of the Emperors of Japan for many centuries; Katsura Imperial Villa; one of the nation's finest architectural treasures; and Shugaku-in Imperial Villa; one of its best Japanese gardens.

The 'Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto' are listed by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. These include the Kamo Shrines (Kami and Shimo); Kyo-o-Gokokuji (To-ji); Kiyomizu-dera; Daigo-ji; Ninna-ji; Saiho-ji (Kokedera); Tenryu-ji; Rokuon-ji (Kinkaku-ji); Jisho-ji (Ginkaku-ji); Ryoan-ji; Hongan-ji; Kozan-ji and the Nijo Castle; primarily built by the Tokugawa shoguns. Other sites outside the city are also on the list.