Several private railways also operate within the city. Trains on the Hankyu railway's Kyoto line for Osaka (Umeda) run beneath the city centre from Kawaramachi Station west along Shijo-dori; a branch line heads northwest from Katsura Station in west Kyoto to Arashiyama . Arashiyama is also served by the Keifuku Electric Railway from Shijo-Omiya Station, with another branch line (the Kitano line) looping north. In northeast Kyoto, Demachiyanagi is the terminus for the Eizan line, which covers Shugaku-in Rikyu and Yase-yuen, one of the routes up Hiei-zan . Keihan mainline services start from a separate station in Demachiyanagi and then head south via Sanjo-Keihan to Osaka (Yodayabashi). Finally, trains on the Kintetsu-Kyoto line depart from the south side of Kyoto Station, from where they link into the main Kintetsu network, with services to Nara, Koya-san and Ise.

Kyoto has an excellent bus system which is relatively easy to use. The buses are colour-coded, the majority show their route numbers on the front and the most important stops are announced in English, either on the electronic display or over the loudspeakers. Within the city there's a flat fare of A?220, which you pay on exit. In most cases you enter via the back door, where you may need to take a numbered ticket if the bus is going into the suburbs, though the flat fare still applies within the central zone. The only problem is that most services stop running around 11pm, or even earlier on less popular routes.

Before leaping on board, get hold of the English-language route map from the information offices or the bus terminals. This shows the central zone boundary and routes operated by both Kyoto City Bus (light green with a darker stripe) and the far less comprehensive Kyoto Bus (cream with a red stripe). You'll need to use Kyoto Bus services for Ohara and Arashiyama, but otherwise you can stick to City Bus for the central districts. The main bus terminal is outside Kyoto Station's Karasuma exit. Nearly all City Bus stands are coded: "A" before the stand number indicates buses headed for east Kyoto, and "B" for the western districts. Of several loop lines around the city, the most useful is #206, with stops near the National Museum, Gion, Heian-jingu, Daitoku-ji and Nijo-jo; buses running clockwise leave from stand B-4, anticlockwise from A-2. The other major terminals are at Sanjo-Keihan , in east Kyoto, and Kita-oji in the north. Some loop line buses terminate at Kita-oji, so check with the driver if you're going that way; the stands at Kita-oji are colour-coded red for eastbound buses and blue for westbound.

The bus companies offer a range of discount tickets . The simplest, kaisuken , are booklets of A?220 tickets available at a small reduction at the bus terminals or from the driver in denominations of A?1000, A?3000 and A?5000, valid on all buses. Next up are the one-day passes ( shi-basu ichi-nichi jyoshaken ; A?500) which allow unlimited travel on City Bus services within the central zone; if you want to visit anywhere further out, you just pay for the bit outside the zone. These passes are available at information centres, hotels and bus terminals, but not on the bus itself. To validate the pass, put it through the machine beside the driver when you get off the first bus - after that, just show it as you exit. Finally, there are combined subway and bus passes, either one-day ( shi-basu chikatetsu ichi-nichi jyoshaken ; A?1200) or two-day ( shi-basu chikatetsu futsuka jyoshaken ; A?2000), covering unlimited travel on the subways, City Bus and Kyoto Bus within a wider area marked on the bus maps in white. They're sold at hotels, the TIC, bus terminals, subway information windows or travel agents. You can buy them in advance, though you have to specify a date.

Though traffic in central Kyoto often gridlocks during rush hour, taxis can be useful for hopping short distances. The minimum fare is A?580 for 2km. Renting a bike is a viable option for exploring central Kyoto, though not much use along the eastern hills, where you're better off walking.