Gion
The old geisha district, wooden machiya houses, lantern-lit lanes, and the most atmospheric streets in Japan after dark. Central and traditional. The classic, evocative stay.
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Why Kyoto, and why now.
Kyoto holds Japan's old soul, a thousand years of temples, gardens, and tea houses, but it gives them up only to the traveler who beats the crowds. Arashiyama's bamboo grove is sublime at seven and a scrum by ten. The trick to Kyoto is rising early and staying close, so the famous sites are yours before the day-trippers arrive from Osaka.
The city sits on an old grid, low and walkable, with the temples gathered in the eastern and northern hills. Stay central, near the river or the old Gion district, and the best of Kyoto is a short walk or a quick taxi away at dawn.
Guide
Top neighbourhoods
Higashiyama
The eastern temple district, Kiyomizu-dera, the slopes of preserved lanes, and gardens at every turn. Walkable to the major sites. Stay here to be among the temples.
Downtown
Nakagyo, the central grid around the Nishiki market and the Kamo river, restaurants, shopping, and easy transit. Convenient and lively. The practical base for first-timers.
Arashiyama
The bamboo grove and the western hills, riverside temples and a slower pace, but removed from the centre. Best as a dawn visit, or a quiet ryokan stay away from the city.
Seasonality
Best time to visit Kyoto
Early April for cherry blossom and November for the autumn maples are spectacular and packed, so book two to three months ahead and expect peak rates. Late May, June outside the rains, and September are quieter and still lovely, with better value. Avoid the humid heat of July and August if you can, which is also when rooms are cheapest. For the calmest mix of weather and price, target late September or early October.
Before you go
Travel tips
- 01Start at dawn. The famous temples and the bamboo grove are serene at seven and overwhelmed by ten.
- 02Stay one night in a traditional ryokan with a kaiseki dinner. It is the experience Kyoto does best.
- 03Buy a bus and subway pass, but walk Higashiyama. The temple district is best on foot.
- 04Reserve top kaiseki restaurants well ahead, often through your hotel. The best counters do not take walk-ins.
- 05Respect Gion's residents. Photographing geiko and maiko on private streets is now restricted, and rightly so.
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