# Getting to Kyoto and Around It: Haruka, the Airport Bus, City Buses and the Subway > How to get from Kansai Airport to Kyoto by Haruka or the limousine bus, then around the city: the 230 yen city bus fare, subway fares, the 1,100 yen one-day pass, and why bank cards do not work on Kyoto's buses. - Checked against the official source: 2026-11-04 - Official source: [Kyoto City Transportation Bureau, how to ride the city bus](https://www2.city.kyoto.lg.jp/kotsu/webguide/en/bus/howtoride_bus.html) - Web page: https://travelsmarterasia.com/guides/kyoto-from-airport-and-around/ - Publisher: Travel Smarter Asia (https://travelsmarterasia.com/about/) - Some links below are affiliate links (the /go/ addresses). If you buy through one we may earn a commission; it never changes what the guide recommends. --- Kyoto has no airport of its own. Most overseas visitors fly into Kansai International Airport, south of Osaka. Kyoto charges [its own accommodation tax](https://travelsmarterasia.com/guides/kyoto-accommodation-tax/) per person per night. If you stay in Osaka first, [the Osaka arrival guide](https://travelsmarterasia.com/guides/osaka-airport-to-city/) covers the trains from Kansai. ![Infographic, step 1 of 5. Heading to Kyoto from Kansai Airport? JR Haruka: ¥2,700 one way to Kyoto for tickets bought from 1 November 2026, was ¥2,200. Limousine bus: ¥2,800 to Kyoto Station Hachijo exit, child ¥1,400. Children pay half on Haruka, and the purchase date sets the price.](https://travelsmarterasia.com/images/kyoto-from-airport-and-around-infographic-1.png "Step 1 of 5. Illustration by Travel Smarter Asia.") ## Haruka from Kansai Airport JR West announced on 30 October 2026 that Haruka one-way ticket prices rise for purchases made on or after 1 November 2026. The adult one-way price to the Kyoto city zone went from ¥2,200 to ¥2,700. The price depends on the date you buy, and a child pays half. ## The limousine bus to Kyoto Station Kansai Airport Transportation Enterprises runs buses between Kansai Airport and Kyoto Station's Hachijo exit for 2,800 yen one way for an adult and 1,400 yen for a child. From 1 March 2026 it takes contactless credit cards for one-way fares, but on the Kyoto line only on buses run by Kansai Airport Transportation or Hankyu Kanko Bus. ## City buses: one flat fare Kyoto's Transportation Bureau sets a "Flat Fare Zone (excluding Sightseeing Limited Express Bus): Adult 230 yen (Child 120 yen)." Its notice on the same page reads "Credit, debit, and cash cards cannot be used." IC cards such as ICOCA, Suica, PASMO and PiTaPa are accepted. ![Infographic, step 2 of 5. City buses, one flat fare in the city: 230 yen adult, 120 yen child. How to pay: IC cards such as ICOCA, Suica, PASMO and PiTaPa; no credit, debit or cash cards. The flat fare excludes the Sightseeing Limited Express Bus.](https://travelsmarterasia.com/images/kyoto-from-airport-and-around-infographic-2.png "Step 2 of 5. Illustration by Travel Smarter Asia.") Kyoto's sights are spread across bus routes, so most visitors plan each ride on a phone map. [A Saily eSIM set up before you fly](https://travelsmarterasia.com/go/saily) covers that from Kansai Airport onwards. On a longer trip, [top up the same Saily profile](https://travelsmarterasia.com/go/saily) for the next country. ## The subway Subway fares are distance-based: "Adult 220 - 360 yen", and 110 to 180 yen for a child. The subway page says "Credit & Debit cards cannot be used", and that the Japan Rail Pass "cannot be used" on it either. A subway-only one-day ticket costs 800 yen. ![Infographic, step 3 of 5. The subway, fares by distance: 220 to 360 yen adult, 110 to 180 yen child. Subway-only one-day ticket: 800 yen. Credit and debit cards cannot be used, and the Japan Rail Pass does not work here.](https://travelsmarterasia.com/images/kyoto-from-airport-and-around-infographic-3.png "Step 3 of 5. Illustration by Travel Smarter Asia.") ## The subway and bus one-day pass The Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass costs 1,100 yen for an adult and 550 yen for a child. It covers all subway lines and all city bus routes, and it is "Usable on the Day of Activation", not for 24 hours. The date is printed when you first pass through a gate. ## A two-tier bus fare is being considered Kyoto city said on 18 March 2026 that it is considering a resident-priority price on city buses. Its notice gives no amounts and no start date, so the fares above are what you pay today. ![Infographic, step 4 of 5. One-day pass for the subway and city bus together: 1,100 yen adult, 550 yen child. It covers all subway lines and all city bus routes, and is valid on the day you first use it, not for 24 hours. Kyoto is considering a resident price on buses, with no amounts or date yet.](https://travelsmarterasia.com/images/kyoto-from-airport-and-around-infographic-4.png "Step 4 of 5. Illustration by Travel Smarter Asia.") ## Emergency numbers The Japan National Tourism Organization lists 110 for police and 119 for fire and ambulance. Its Japan Visitor Hotline, 050-3816-2787, runs 24 hours a day in English, Chinese and Korean. ![Infographic, step 5 of 5. Emergency numbers, save them before you go: 110 police, 119 fire and ambulance, and the visitor hotline 050-3816-2787, 24 hours, in English, Chinese and Korean.](https://travelsmarterasia.com/images/kyoto-from-airport-and-around-infographic-5.png "Step 5 of 5. Illustration by Travel Smarter Asia.")