Kyoto: areas, places and hotel prices

Kyoto was founded as Japan's capital in 794 and remained the imperial capital until 1868. Seventeen temples, shrines and castles in and around the city form the UNESCO World Heritage site Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto. Central Kyoto is laid out on a grid of named streets, with the Shijo-Kawaramachi downtown about 2.5 km north of Kyoto Station.

Your dates

01Where to stay

Areas at a glance

Area Median per night Kyoto StationminShijo-Kawaramachi crossingminYasaka Shrine (Gion)min Best for
Kyoto Station area京都駅周辺 US$293 5 min20 min25 min
  • First visit
  • Budget
  • Families
Shijo-Karasuma and Karasuma-Oike四条烏丸・烏丸御池 US$283 12 min12 min20 min
  • First visit
  • Budget
  • Families
Kawaramachi and Pontocho (downtown)河原町・先斗町 US$376 20 min5 min12 min
  • First visit
  • Nightlife
Gion祇園 US$541 25 min10 min5 min
  • First visit
  • Luxury
Kiyomizu-Gojo and southern Higashiyama清水五条・東山 US$397 20 min15 min15 min
  • First visit
  • Quiet
Okazaki and Northern Higashiyama岡崎・北東山 US$534 30 min20 min15 min
  • Quiet
  • Families
  • Luxury
Arashiyama and Sagano嵐山・嵯峨野 US$239 30 min40 min45 min
  • Quiet
  • Luxury
Nijo Castle area二条城周辺 US$243 20 min20 min25 min
  • Budget
  • Quiet
  • Families
Imperial Palace and Demachiyanagi京都御所・出町柳 US$375 25 min20 min20 min
  • Quiet
  • Families
Fushimi Inari and Fushimi伏見稲荷・伏見 US$228 15 min25 min25 min
  • Budget
  • Quiet
Kitano and Kinkaku-ji (north-west)北野・金閣寺 US$431 45 min40 min45 min
  • Quiet

02Guides

Guides for Kyoto

03Map

Places on the map

Shrine 8

Temple 25

Garden 5

Museum 8

Market 2

Street 9

Viewpoint 1

Nature 7

Landmark 9

Food 1

Nightlife 1

Shopping 4

Getting there

From Kansai International Airport, the JR Haruka limited express reaches Kyoto Station in about 70 minutes, with departures every 30 minutes; direct airport buses take about 100 minutes. From Osaka Itami Airport, limousine buses run to Kyoto Station in about 55 minutes. From Osaka, JR special rapid trains link Osaka Station and Kyoto Station in about 30 minutes, Hankyu limited express trains link Osaka-Umeda with Karasuma and Kyoto-Kawaramachi in about 40 minutes, and Keihan limited express trains link Yodoyabashi with Sanjo in about 50 minutes. From Tokyo, the Tokaido Shinkansen takes about 2 hours 20 minutes by Nozomi and about 2 hours 40 minutes by Hikari.

Getting around

Kyoto has two subway lines: the Karasuma Line runs north to south under Karasuma-dori through Kyoto Station, and the Tozai Line runs east to west and meets it at Karasuma Oike. Hankyu trains run under Shijo-dori from Kyoto-Kawaramachi towards Osaka, with a branch to Arashiyama via Katsura. The Keihan Main Line follows the Kamo river through Gion-Shijo and Kiyomizu-Gojo to Fushimi-Inari but does not stop at Kyoto Station. JR lines from Kyoto Station serve Arashiyama (Sagano Line) and Fushimi Inari (Nara Line), and the Randen tram links Omiya and Kitano-Hakubaicho with Arashiyama. Few sights are next to a station, so city buses fill the gaps, but they are small, often crowded near major sights and slowed by traffic; large suitcases should not be taken on board. IC cards such as ICOCA work on almost all trains and buses. The centre is flat, so cycling works well, especially along the Kamo river, though Kinkaku-ji is about 8 km and Arashiyama about 10 km from Kyoto Station.

Sources · Verified 24 September 2026