Nijo Castle Today

Nijo Castle today

Nijo Castle (officially Nijo-jo Castle, 元離宮二条城) is open every day except December 29–31. The two palaces inside keep their own schedules, so check below before you go.

Today in Kyoto

  • CastleOpen 8:45–17:00Last entry 16:00. Closed only December 29–31.
  • Ninomaru PalaceEntry 8:45–16:10Closed on Tuesdays in January, July, August and December, December 26–28 and January 1–3.
  • Honmaru PalaceReservation requiredEntry 9:30–16:00. Closed on the third Monday of each month and the day after, December 26–28 and January 1–3.

Worked out from the official closed-day rules, in Japan time.

Opening hours and the closed-day calendar

You don't need a reservation — but you do need a ticket.

Buy at the gate, or get an e-ticket in advance to skip the ticket line. Honmaru Palace is the exception: it's reservation-only.

Which ticket to buy Official e-ticket (Japanese)

How busy is it?

Loading

Working out today's estimate.

The rest of today

These are estimates, not live counts.

The number is our crowd score from 0 (empty) to 100 (as busy as it gets), worked out from Google Maps' typical busyness for each day and hour at Nijo Castle, the season and the weather. It is an estimate, not a live count.

Weather at the castle

Loading the forecast for Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto.

Forecast from Open-Meteo. Most of a visit is outdoors, with a long walk on gravel between the gate and the palaces.

The three places to know

Map of Nijo Castle grounds: the East Gate on the east side, Ninomaru Palace just inside it, and Honmaru Palace inside the inner moat to the west, with numbered places and the walking order.
  • 1East Gate (Higashi Ote-mon) & Ticket Office

    The only way in. The ticket office (10 on the map) is outside the moat, just north of the gate. It sells grounds and Ninomaru Palace tickets, not Honmaru Palace tickets.

  • 4Ninomaru Palace

    The main building, with the nightingale floors. Six connected buildings and 33 rooms. National Treasure. No photos inside. Entry 8:45–16:10.

  • 6Honmaru Palace

    Inside the inner moat at the far end, 15–20 minutes on foot from the East Gate. Reservation only, with its own timed ticket.

All 42 places and both palace floor plans

Tap a place to find it on the map, and follow the route through each palace room by room.

Open the full map

Plan your visit

From ¥800TicketsThe three tickets, which one you need, and where to buy each one. 8:45–17:00HoursLast entry times, and a calendar of the days each palace is closed. 18 min from Kyoto StationGetting thereSubway, JR or taxi, timed and compared. Planned for 2027Price change 2027Kyoto City plans ¥2,000 for visitors and ¥1,000 for Kyoto residents.

Last checked: . Source: Nijo-jo Castle official guide and admission fees (Kyoto City Nijo-jo Castle Office). Published by Bag2Gate.