Luxury holidays in Kyoto

When to go

The sakura are at their pinkest from March to April; the maple leaves are at their loveliest in October.

Getting there

• Planes

  International hub Osaka Airport (www.osaka-airport.co.jp) is the closest to the city; frequent flights arrive here from Tokyo and KLM flies from London Heathrow via Amsterdam; arrivals from the US stopover in Hong Kong. You could also fly into Kansai (www.kansai-airport.or.jp), whose claim to fame is that it’s never lost a single piece of luggage.

• Trains

  Arrive at futuristic Kyoto Station or Randen Arashiyama Station. The speedy Shinkansen bullet trains will get you here from Tokyo in around two-and-a-half hours.

• Automobiles

  If you’re driving from Tokyo, the journey to Kyoto takes around five hours; you may need to factor in tolls.