Where to stay in Kyoto

Main station: Kyoto Station. You can pick Kyoto as the city you stay in on this site.

Areas to stay

• Kyoto Station
  Hotels near Kyoto Station (Google Maps)
• Kawaramachi / Gion
  Hotels near Kawaramachi / Gion (Google Maps)
• Karasuma Oike
  Hotels near Karasuma Oike (Google Maps)

Day trips from Kyoto

• Fushimi Inari TaishaKyoto · within 20 kmThousands of orange torii gates form tunnels up a forested mountain. Open all day and night.
• Kiyomizu-dera TempleKyoto · within 20 kmA wooden temple stage built out over a hillside, with views across Kyoto.
• Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion)Kyoto · within 20 kmA pavilion whose upper two floors are covered in gold leaf, reflected in a still pond.
• Todaiji TempleNara · 20–60 kmA giant bronze Buddha inside one of the world's largest wooden buildings.
• Arashiyama Bamboo GroveKyoto · within 20 kmA path through towering green bamboo, near the famous Togetsukyo Bridge.
• DotonboriOsaka · 20–60 kmOsaka's neon-lit canal street of giant signs and street food — takoyaki, okonomiyaki and more.
• Gion & HanamikojiKyoto · within 20 kmKyoto's geisha district around Yasaka Shrine, with teahouse-lined lanes south of Shijo and the willow-lined Shirakawa canal.
• Nara ParkNara · 20–60 kmOver 1,500 free-roaming deer that bow for rice crackers, among ancient temples and shrines.

Distance is a straight line from the station, not travel time.

See this month's day trips →

Onsen towns nearby

• Arima Onsen Hyogo
  One of Japan's oldest hot spring towns, famous for its rusty-brown 'gold' water, just behind Kobe.
• Sakakibara Onsen Mie
  An old spa praised by Sei Shonagon in The Pillow Book as 'Nanakuri no yu'. Pilgrims bathed here to purify themselves before visiting Ise Jingu, and its clear alkaline water is known for leaving skin smooth.

All onsen towns by month →

From the airport

• Kansai International Airport (KIX): JR Limited Express Haruka, about 1 h 15 min to Kyoto Station.

Getting around

• Osaka 15 min · Tokaido Shinkansen (Nozomi)
• Nagoya 35 min · Tokaido Shinkansen (Nozomi)
• Kanazawa 1 h 45 min · Hokuriku Shinkansen + Ltd. Exp. Thunderbird (change at Tsuruga)

Fastest regular service on the official timetable. A flight time is the scheduled time between the airports; add the trip to the airport.

Next city

• Kyoto → Osaka (15 min) → Okayama (45 min) → Hiroshima (35 min)
• Kyoto → Kanazawa (1 h 45 min) → Nagano (1 h 5 min) → Tokyo (1 h 15 min)

Example routes along these connections; the time of each leg is in brackets.

Use Kyoto as your base →