Gion and Higashiyama
Ideal for: couples, culture
Traditional lanes, teahouses and temples. Very busy during the day.
Kyoto
The former imperial capital, with its temples, gardens and traditional lanes.
Plan your stay in Kyoto
Best areas to stay in Kyoto
Around Kyoto Station
Ideal for: train travel, short stays
The most convenient for arriving by Shinkansen and day trips (Nara, Osaka).
Downtown (Shijō, Kawaramachi)
Ideal for: first visit, solo
Restaurants, shops and a covered market, halfway between the station and Gion.
Arashiyama
Ideal for: quiet stays
West of the city, with its bamboo grove and riverside. Further from the centre.
Practical info about Kyoto
Kyoto is explored on foot, by bus, metro and train. The best-known sites are very busy: visit them early in the morning.
In Gion, respect residents’ peace: some private lanes are closed to visitors or to photography: follow the signs. Kyoto is also a good base for Nara and Osaka, both reachable by train.
What to see in Kyoto
- Fushimi Inari and its thousands of red torii gates (early in the morning);
- Kiyomizu-dera and the lanes of Higashiyama;
- the Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji);
- Gion, the teahouse district;
- Arashiyama and its bamboo grove;
- day trips: Nara and its deer, Osaka.
Tokyo is about 2h10 away by Shinkansen. All our tips in Travel in Japan.