The Best Areas to Stay in Kyoto

ByJ K Posted on
A nighttime cityscape of Kyoto, Japan, featuring a brightly lit traditional pagoda in the center. Surrounding the pagoda are densely packed buildings, illuminated by city lights. The sky is dark, with faint outlines of distant mountains, while red lights from communication towers and buildings add subtle accents to the urban skyline.
Photo: JK/Artifacts

Choosing the right area to stay in Kyoto is very important but also (thankfully) fairly straightforward.  My top recommendations, explained below, are central Kyoto and the Kyoto Station Area.  Having visited Kyoto multiple times, I have learned the hard way that even a kilometer or two in one direction or another can make a huge difference in terms of convenience and expense.  

To help you avoid my mistakes, below are my recommendations on the best areas in the city to stay.  These recommendations are made based on the items I care most about – namely easy access to the subway system, proximity to key sites, and overall atmosphere of the neighborhood.  Fortunately, most of the centrally-located neighborhoods in Kyoto have both luxury and budget options.  Thus, price likely won’t be a major factor in choosing which neighborhood to stay.

Kyoto station area

A view of Kyoto Tower at dusk, rising above the Kyoto Tower Hotel. The tower is illuminated with red and blue lights, contrasting against the soft purple and blue hues of the evening sky. The cylindrical observation deck near the top glows brightly. In the foreground, a subway station entrance and surrounding buildings are visible, with a few pedestrians walking nearby.
Kyoto Tower. (Photo: JK/Artifacts)

Topping my list of best areas to stay is the Kyoto station area.  I know, I know, recommending the neighborhood nearest the train station may not seem like a bold recommendation.  There are, however, a couple of things that make it a good area to consider.

The first and most obvious is transportation.  From here, you have easy access to the city subway lines as well as the main JR lines.  You can get pretty much anywhere in the city quickly and cheaply.  Day trips to a variety of destinations – Uji, Nara, Osaka – are also very convenient from Kyoto station.    

Where the Kyoto station area loses points is on atmosphere.  The south of the station does have a bit of an industrial feel.  The northern sided, however, is a more bustling district, filled with shops and restaurants.  Here, you will also find Kyoto tower, which has an observation deck offering great views of the city.  Also of interest are the massive temple complexes of Higashi Hongan-ji and Nishi Hongan-ji, both often overlooked but definitely worth a visit.

And if none of these are to your tastes, virtually the entire city is just a short subway ride away.

Central Kyoto (Nakagyo Ward)

Nijo Castle Moat. (Photo: JK/Artifacts)

After Kyoto station, my next recommendation is Central Kyoto.  Here, I’m mostly referring to the eastern part of Nakagayo Ward – that is, the area north of Kyoto station up to the southern edge of the Kyoto Gyoen National Garden.

This is more of a business area, though there is plenty here for tourists as well.  The most prominent attraction is Nijo castle, with its monumental halls and vast gardens.  Definitely worth a visit no matter where you are staying.

There is also lots of shopping (check out the Teramachi walking street), restaurants (including the stalls at Nishiki market), and nightlife (especially around Pontocho alley to the east).

This area also has good transportation links to the rest of the city (though not quite as convenient as around Kyoto Station itself).  If you want to have good access to the subway, try finding a place in the vicinity of the Karasuma Oike station.  

Southern Higashiyama

A bustling street view of Sannenzaka, a traditional stone-paved pedestrian path in Kyoto, Japan. The street is lined with wooden buildings featuring tiled roofs, housing shops and restaurants. Visitors, both locals and tourists, walk along the steep steps, many dressed casually, while some are engaged in shopping or sightseeing. A tree with light green foliage stands prominently to the right, and in the distance, mountains and greenery can be seen under a cloudy sky.
Sannenzaka road in Higashiyama. (Photo: JK/Artifacts)

The heart of the tourist district, Southern Higashiyama is the place to be if you’re looking for atmosphere and want to be within walking distance to some of Kyoto’s top attractions.

Many of the accommodations in this area lie around Gion, best known for its traditional wooden buildings, high-end restaurants, and the Geisha who navigate its alleyways between engagements.

Staying in this area also puts at your doorstep many of Kyoto’s most famous temples – Chion-in, Kodai-ji, and Kennin-ji, among many others.  

Though Southern Higashiyama is hands down the most popular tourist district, there are good, affordable options here.  I stayed in a budget hotel very near to Gion the first time I visited Kyoto.

The only downside of this area is that it’s more difficult getting to other parts of the city if you intend to rely on public transportation.  Depending on where you want to go, you may end up having to budget 30-40 more minutes for subway trips relative to what you might need if you were staying downtown.  On the other hand, it’s quite easy to call taxis from Southern Higashiyama.  If you don’t mind paying the fares, then this neighborhood is about as convenient as other central locations.

Other Options

Not sold on the areas listed above? Below are a few others to consider.

Arashiyama

A serene pathway through the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove in Kyoto, Japan. The path is bordered by bamboo fences and flanked by tall, dense green bamboo stalks that tower overhead, creating a canopy of leaves. The sunlight filters through the foliage, casting soft light onto the narrow paved walkway, inviting visitors into the tranquil forest scene.
Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. (Photo: JK/Artifacts)

There are a cluster of small accommodations in the Arashiyama area on the western edge of the city.  Being here has the advantage of being close to hiking trails into the Arashiyama hills and the well-manicured paths that run along the Katsura River.

There are also a number of notable attractions in Arashiyama, including the Togetsukyo Bridge and the immensely famous Tenryu—ji temple.

Unless these are the chief reasons you are travelling to Kyoto, however, Arashiyama likely won’t be an ideal base for venturing into the city.  Many of Kyoto’s most notable attractions are on the other side of town. Meanwhile, you can easily see most of the major sites in Arashiyama in a day or less.  

You probably also won’t save a lot staying in this area versus a budget location in the city center.  But, if you do find a deal, Arashiyama isn’t bad.  Just be prepared to budget more time to travel back and forth between the city center and your lodging.  

Southeast Kyoto

A view through the famous vermillion torii gates of Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto, Japan. The gates form a tunnel-like passage that extends upward along a stone path, creating a repeating pattern of vibrant orange arches with Japanese characters inscribed on the posts. Trees and natural light peek through the gaps between the gates, adding a serene atmosphere to the scene.
Fushimi Inari. (Photo: JK/Artifacts)

The Fushimi area in southeast Kyoto also has a number of lodging options.  

It’s an area that has a lot going for it.  There is easy access to Kyoto’s main tourist sites just to the north.  You’ll also be quite close to Fushimi-Inari (Kyoto’s top tourist attraction) and Tofuku-ji (my personal favorite Zen temple).

Note that accessing more central areas of the city (such as Pontocho Alley or Nishiki Market) is going to be more of a challenge as there is no direct subway route.  That said, you will be close to the JR’s Nara line, offering easy access to Uji and Nara, both popular day-trip locations.  You can also get to Osaka via the JR’s Keihan line.   

Other Locations

Other parts of the city are a mixed bag.  On my last trip to Kyoto, I stayed in Kamigyo Ward, which runs west from the Imperial Palace.  It is a tidy and quiet area with a good number of restaurant options, though not quite as many as in downtown. It is not, however, very subway accessible, so I ended up relying a lot on taxis.  

Some websites recommend staying in the towns of Kurama or Kibune to the north of the city.  These places aren’t very well connected to Kyoto via public transportation.  The few lodging options in this area are also not very cheap.  You are right next to one of the most popular hiking trails in the area, but you can also do this as a daytrip from the city.

For these reasons, I still recommend looking at Central Kyoto and the Kyoto Station Area first before exploring lodging options in other parts of the city.