The quieter central and northern districts around the Imperial Palace and Nijo Castle — leafy, residential streets of traditional machiya townhouses, close to the subway. Calm and local, an easy ride to the sights and the downtown; a peaceful, more authentic base away from the tourist crush.
A look around
What you’ll be living next to. Swipe through.
€120–220
typical per night in Japan
The sensible middle
Typical prices for Kyoto — neither steal nor splurge.
Where it sits
The circle is Central Kyoto and roughly a 10-minute walk around it.
How far is everything?
From the middle of this area to the city's headline sights — pick your own on the city page and these become your list.
- Nishiki Market23 min walk1.9 km
- Gion & the geisha district8 min taxi2.6 km
- The Higashiyama lanes11 min taxi3.5 km
- Kiyomizu-dera12 min taxi3.9 km
- Ginkaku-ji & the Philosopher's Path12 min taxi4.0 km
- Fushimi Inari Shrine18 min taxi6.1 km
- Tenryu-ji & its garden22 min taxi7.4 km
- The Arashiyama Bamboo Grove23 min taxi7.6 km
On your doorstep
What you’re living next to if you stay here.
- 4.Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) — A three-storey temple pavilion sheathed in gold leaf, mirrored in the still pond before it and set in an exquisite garden — perhaps the single most beautiful building in Japan. Small and always busy, but unforgettable; dazzling in sunshine, and magical dusted with snow. A quick but essential visit.
- 9.Nijo Castle — The lavish fortified residence of the shoguns when they visited Kyoto — moats and walls around ornate palace halls with painted screens and famous 'nightingale floors' that chirp underfoot to warn of intruders, set in beautiful gardens. A grand, atmospheric glimpse of samurai-era power; a UNESCO site in the centre.
- 14.The Imperial Palace & park — The former residence of Japan's emperors, in a huge gravel-and-garden park in the centre of the city — grand ceremonial gates and halls, free to visit, set in wide grounds that are a lovely, uncrowded place to walk, cycle and picnic. A calm, spacious slice of imperial history in the heart of Kyoto.
When are you staying?
Booking.com & Airbnb open searched to Central Kyoto; flights via Google Flights.