How to get from Kansai Airport to Kyoto: the Kyoto Access Ticket

The kansai airport in Osaka it is one of the most important gateways to Japan. Lots of airlines operate there with lots of international routes and one of them is probably yours. In fact, it was where we arrived on the first two trips to Japan, and both times we preferred to go directly to Kyoto from there. If that is your plan, we will tell how to get from Kansai airport to Kyoto and which one is it the cheapest way: the Kyoto Access Ticket.

What is the Kyoto Access Ticket?

It is not a direct train or bus, it is not even a single ticket, it is actually a transport combination to go from Kansai airport to Kawaramachi station in Kyoto. Of course, there are toooooodas the ways that there are to make this tour this is the cheapest, although not the fastest or most comfortable.

The total journey takes approximately 1 hour and a half, and consists of these sections:

• Kansai Airport → Tengachaya Station (Nankai Line)
• Tengachaya Station → Awaki Station (Sakaisuji Line)
• Awaki Station → Kawaramachi Station (Hankyu Kyoto Line)

IMPORTANT: if you have the JR Pass There are other more interesting alternatives to get to Kyoto from Kansai airport included in this rail pass. At the end of the article we will tell you about them.

How much does it cost and where to buy the Kyoto Access Ticket?

The price of this combo ticket to go from Kansai Airport to Kyoto is 1,250 ¥, (about € 10).

To buy it, when you are in the hall of the Kansai airport you will have to go to the train station, for this simply follow the indications. Once there you will see lots of machines, offices of various train companies, people everywhere … a bloody mess! What you have to be very clear if you are going to use this ticket is that it is about the NANKAI company (different for example from the JR), so go directly to their office, which is to the right of the automatic machines.

Once inside you will be able to see this and other tickets advertised to reach different nearby points, such as Kobe or Nara. At the counter you will have to pay in cash (they do not accept a card) and they will give you a folded card on which you will see the map of the route you have to do, and inside you will have two tickets:

• Red is for use on the Nankai line, that is, for the first train.
• The green one is for the subway (Sakaisuji Line) and the Hankyu Kyoto Line, that is, for the following two routes.

How to go from Kansai to Kyoto with the Kyoto Access Ticket?

Now the real mess begins. Pay close attention because it can be quite complicated! Here are the step-by-step instructions:

At the Kansai airport station

You will have to go through the turnstile with the first ticket and go to platforms 1 or 2 (this is better to ask when buying the ticket so that there are no doubts) and there take the train NANKAI LINE to go in the direction of Namba. BEWARE, do not take the express train that also passes through these platforms and does not stop at Tengachaya!

At the Tengachaya station

When you arrive, you will have to go through the turnstiles (there you must enter the ticket that you have already used to pass) and without leaving the station you will have to go to the metro line SAKAISUJI LINE (It is an Osaka subway line), which is basically going straight ahead, but pay attention to the signs that are indicating you. When you arrive at the turnstiles, you must make use of the second ticket that will be valid for the rest of the journey to Kyoto. So look for the train heading Tenjimbashisuji.

Both the express and normal trains pass through here, you can get on any of them, but the normal ones end the journey at Tenjimbashisuji station and you will have to get off and wait on it for the next express train and go to Awaji.

At Awaji Station

It will be the last transfer to be made and it is simple, just walk a few steps to the platform in front of it and wait for the line train HANKYU KYOTO MAIN LINE in direction to Kyoto-Lawaramachi, which is the last stop and your final destination.

Our experience in the Kyoto Access Ticket

The truth is that it was a bit confusing, although in the end we managed not to be wrong. However, we had to use it on a daily day at rush hour (it was about 7 in the afternoon) and the trains went to the top. We with our backpacks on our backs, without seats, walking like a headless chicken through the stations … Anyway, it was a bit of an Odyssey.

Would we do it again? Yes, it is by far the cheapest way to get from Kansai airport to Kyoto. Of course, we would do it as long as it was not at rush hour.

Alternatives to go from Kansai airport to Kyoto

There are other alternatives to the Kyoto Access Ticket to go from Kansai to Kyoto, these are the most interesting:

• Take the train Ltd. Exp. Haruka, which goes straight to Kyoto station. It takes around 1 hour and 15 minutes and costs ¥ 3,230. More info.
• Use multiple train / metro line combinations (They are a crowd) making a transfer at a station in Osaka and from there to Kyoto.
• Settle for him Kansai-Airport Limousine bus which is taken outside the airport and arrives at the Sanjo Keihan station, in the Gion district. It takes just under 2 hours and costs ¥ 2,600. More info.
• If you do not have a budget problem and you are traveling in a group, you have the option of booking the private transfer. More info.

These are the options you have for Getting from Kansai Airport to Kyoto, and how to do it with the Kyoto Access Ticket, the cheapest way. We hope it will be useful for you, and if you know other options, you already know: comment to the song!

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