Kyoto photographs beautifully, which is exactly why its most famous spots get overwhelmed by mid-morning. A little planning goes a long way.
Go early or go late
Fushimi Inari’s torii gates are open 24 hours. Arriving before 7am or after sunset means having whole stretches of the mountain path nearly to yourself.
The temples worth the detour
Arashiyama gets the bamboo grove crowds, but nearby Otagi Nenbutsu-ji — a quiet temple with hundreds of individually carved, moss-covered stone statues — rarely has more than a handful of visitors.
Where to eat
Nishiki Market is touristy but genuinely good for a first pass; for a quieter meal, the counter-seat udon shops in the backstreets near Gion serve some of the best noodles in the city without the wait.