Where to Stay in Kyoto with Limited Time!

Where to stay in Kyoto with limited time! As a working traveler, we only had about 8 days in Japan with two of those being in Kyoto. When you only have a few days in a city as great as Kyoto, it REALLY helps to be in walking distance of great sites!

If you’ve read my other articles about where to stay in Osaka and Tokyo, I may sound like a broken record.

But whereas someone who has a week in a city can stay outside of the city a little and have plenty of time to see everything, someone with two days needs to be more centrally located in order to explore efficiently!

While you will have to take public transportation to get to the highlights of Kyoto on the outskirts of the city, a lot of the incredible temples and streets can be within walking distance if you stay in the right area!

Here is the best, most central place to stay, what its like to stay in a Ryokan in Kyoto, plus a couple of quieter alternatives.

So, which of the areas is best to stay in?

As I mentioned, a lot of the great temples and streets with traditional architecture that are must-sees for first-time visitors can be walkable from the right areas.

The best areas to stay in for walkability are:

Gion District– The most centrally located district and home to the most “must-see” sites, especially for first time visitors!

Higashiyama Ward- Gion district is part of Higashiyama ward, but this ward also has other parts than can be good alternatives.

Ponto-cho– This is near the “newer” portion of Kyoto, but still holds traditional charm.

The most central district that gets you within walking distance of the largest number of Kyoto sites is the Gion district in the Higashiyama ward.

Gion district is home to the Hōkan-ji Temple (aka Yasaka Pagoda) and the popular streets of Yasaka-dori Street and Ninenzaka Street where you will find the most traditional, wooden architecture in Kyoto.

From here you are also within walking distance to the incredible Kiyomiza-Dera Temples.

All of these are popular sites to visit and its recommended to see them either early morning or in the evening, so being within walking distance to them will really help!

Sites within or close to Gion District

If you are wanting to stay in a traditional ryokan while in Japan, Kyoto is a great spot to do it. In Kyoto you will find the largest number and variety of ryokans.

We wanted to stay in one while in Japan and opted to do it in Kyoto for the above reasons!

However, I will say we wanted the experience of sleeping on the traditional futons, but we also were more keen to have a private restroom rather than public.

We stayed at Gion Shinmonso Ryokan that offered private rooms with private restrooms, had an excellent location with a short walk from Kyoto Station and within walking distance of the best sites in the Gion District (15 minute walk from Yasaka Pagoda, for example!)

Want an Accommodation Recommendation?

Gion Shinmonso Ryokan!

We stayed at Gion Shinmonso, which was clean, and though the futons were admittedly hard, it was a good experience!

Book a Room!

If you don’t know, ryokans are traditional Japanese accommodations that have traditional onsens or sentos, which are Japanese bathhouses.

Some of them have private rooms with public restrooms only, but some offer private rooms with private bathrooms as well.

Most of the onsens are public, but some offer private options that can be booked.

Traditionally, swimsuits are not allowed in the Japanese onsens due to them being considered unclean. Going into the onsens naked is common practice for the Japanese who are completely un-phased by the nakedness.

However, if you aren’t so keen on this, you can often book a private onsen. Just make sure your ryokan of choice can accommodate this!

Hotel Option in the Gion District

Do know, though, that a traditional ryokan is probably going to come with a higher price tag. So, if you want to stay in the Gion district for a cheaper price, a normal hotel may be a better option for you.

With that being said, Gion district during popular times of the year (cherry blossom season, autumn foliage season, etc), no matter what type of accommodation, is going to be pricey.

My advice is to book sooner rather than later, because even as I write this in April of 2025, hotels in October of 2025 are booking quick and getting expensive!

Hotel I would Choose in Gion District: Kyoto Gion Hotel

• This is a reasonably priced hotel with a great location in Gion district!

Gion, in my opinion, is the best place to stay in Kyoto if you only have a short amount of time, espeically if it is your first time in Kyoto.

However, it is also the most popular area to stay, which means more people and higher prices.

So, if you would like either less people and/or lower prices, here are some alternative areas to stay (that are still pretty centrally located.)

Higashiyama Ward

Gion district is IN Higashiyama ward (more the northwestern side of Kigashiyama), but there are also other parts of Higashiyama ward that can be a little quieter. This ward will keep you central, but another portion may be quieter.

Hotels I would Choose From in Higashiyama Ward:

• Saka no Hotel Kyoto– This is a really nice hotel that is in the southern Higashiyama Ward near the Kiyomizua-Dera Temples and Yasaka Street. However, it is a few streets off the beaten path, so may be a quieter option.
• M’s Inn Higashiyama– This is a more affordable option that isn’t quite as centrally located, but definitely still within walking distance of Gion and the nearby temples

Ponto-cho

Ponto-cho is located in the newer portion of Kyoto. It isn’t quite as close to the main streets and temples of central Kyoto, but it has shopping, loads of restaurants and still some traditional streets that are within walking distance.

Ponto-cho doesn’t have a LOT of hotel options because it is a smaller area in Kyoto, but you can find hotels that are near to it in the newer portion of Kyoto as well.

Hotels I would Choose From in Pont-Cho:

• Izutsu Hotel Takasegawa Bettei– A nice hotel located in the center of the Ponto-cho area of Kyoto.
• Hotel Musse Kyoto Shijo Kawaramachi Meitetsu– A more affordable option that isn’t directly in the Ponto-cho area, but is within a short walk of the area. Located near the main shopping road.

Anything on the Outskirts of Kyoto?

As you can see on the map, there are multiple other areas you can stay in including Fushimi, near the famous Fushimi Inari Taisha (1,000 Gate Temple) and Arashiyama near the famous Arashiyama Bamboo Forest.

However, both of these are quite a distance from central Kyoto (Arashiyama further than Fushimi) and have less hotel and restaurant options than central Kyoto. But if you want to get away from the crowds, these are good options to do so.

I wouldn’t put these in the top three areas to stay in Kyoto if you have limited time in Kyoto, especially if its your first time and you want to see the main sites and temples in central Kyoto, though.

If you are headed to Kyoto for just a few days and its your first time in Kyoto, I think its worth paying up to stay in a central location near the Gion District. It really puts you within walking distance of a lot of the beautiful places in Kyoto.

Plus, you will be close to public transportation to get to the sites that are further from central Kyoto more efficiently. Thus, allowing you to maximize your time in Kyoto better!

How to spend 2 days in Kyoto!