Photos: Kyoto by Bert Mulder, Pexels License; Madrid by Mert Ocak, Pexels License.
Kyoto or Madrid?
Our verdict in twelve categories, each scored against the same fixed benchmark cities, and the climate month by month, so you can choose for your trip.
Choose Kyoto for
- wellness
- beaches
- culture and sights
What lies behind each score is written up on Kyoto’s own page.
Choose Madrid for
- nightlife
- live music and the arts
- getting around
What lies behind each score is written up on Madrid’s own page.
Scoreboard
Twelve categories on one fixed scale from 0 to 100. The shaded stretch is the gap between the two.
What lies behind each score is written up on the two cities’ own pages: Kyoto and Madrid.
Your match
Pick a travel style or drag the sliders, and both match scores follow your weighting.
Too close to call, level with your weighting
Wins on wellness and beaches with your weighting.
Wins on nightlife and live music and the arts with your weighting.
What matters to you?
When should you go?
Pick your month. The climate figures are measured averages, not a forecast.
Kyoto in July
Madrid in July
Daytime high, °C
Rainfall in the month, mm
Where the figures come from
Kyoto's sunshine is measured 43 km from the centre, at Osaka.
Temperature and rainfall are climate normals, averaged over the years shown. Kyoto: 1971-2000 (sunshine 1991-2020) normals, Kyoto (3.2 km from centre). Madrid: 1991-2020 normals, Madrid (1.7 km from centre).
Before you go
| Measure | Kyoto | Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Official language | Japanese | Spanish |
| Currency | Yen (JPY) | Euro (EUR) |
| Sockets | AB100 V, 50 and 60 Hz depending on the region | CF230 V, 50 Hz |
| Driving side | Left | Right |
| Time zone | UTC+9 | UTC+1, UTC+2 in summer |
| Emergency number | Police 110, fire 119 | 112 |
| Elevation | 51 m | 663 m |
| Main airport | Kansai International Airport (KIX)81 km from centre62 non-stop destinations | Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD)14 km from centre239 non-stop destinations |
| Public holidays this year | 16 days | 12 days |
By the numbers
| Measure | Kyoto | Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| City population | 1,463,723 | 3,506,730 |
| People per km² | 1,768 | 5,801 |
| Museums within 10 km | 77 | 88 |
| UNESCO World Heritage sites within 50 km | 4 | 4 |
| Swim season, months above 21 °C | 5 months | - |
Where else could you go?
Every comparison below shares a destination with this one, so you can follow Kyoto or Madrid somewhere new.