A refined Zen retreat with a moss garden and a cone of raked silver sand.
Despite the name, the pavilion was never silvered. The real draw is the meticulous dry-sand garden and the hillside moss walk with views over Kyoto.
A local's tip
Walk the Philosopher's Path from here toward Nanzen-ji, lovely in cherry-blossom season.
Best time to visit
Early morning or late autumn
Getting there
City bus 5, 17 or 100 to Ginkakuji-michi, then a short walk up the approach.
Good to know
- Restrooms
#UNESCO#Autumn Leaves#Photo Spot#Temple#Historic
Plan the whole trip offline
Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion) is one of many places in the Real Japan app — with turn-by-turn directions, nearby spots and full offline maps you can use with no signal.
