Kyoto area by area

Where to stay
Recommended accommodations in Kyoto

Ryokan
Recommended ryokans in Kyoto

Arashiyama quiet area away from the city center, home to many important temples and other attractions

Central Kyoto the commercial heart of the city

Fushimi Inari famous Shinto shrine from which start the paths to go up the nearby hill

Gion the "geisha district", one of the areas where you can "breathe" an atmosphere of ancient Japan

Higashiyama (center) "old style" area of Kyoto near the famous temple Kiyomizudera

Higashiyama (south) the south of the famous Higashiyama district, where you can find the Sanjusangendo and the Kyoto National Museum

Imperial Park immense Imperial Park surrounding the Kyoto Imperial Palace

Kyoto Station modern and very lively area around the main station of the city

Kurama and Kibune
two small towns in the mountains north of Kyoto, connected by a path through the woods and temples

Mount Hiei
a mountain near Kyoto, in the midst of its forests there is an important Buddhist temple, the Enryakuji

Nijo Castle the castle of the city

Northern Kyoto the large northern area, where there are some of the most famous temples of the city

Ohara quiet rural area just outside of Kyoto where there are some interesting temples

Oharano
another rural area, south of Kyoto, with some temples almost unknown to tourists

Okazaki the area around the Heian Shrine, considered the "cultural center" of Kyoto because some museums are located there

Philosopher's Walk
a path along a canal surrounded by cherry trees, with some interesting temples nearby

Uji
the "japanese capital of green tea", a small town south of Kyoto, rich in history

Guided tours, activities and other things to do

If you are planning a trip to Japan and you want to do something more than just visiting famous places and monuments, we suggest you to use Rakuten Travel Experiences.

How to use Rakuten Travel Experiences

Rakuten Travel is a very useful website to enrich your travel experience, especially if you are going solo or it's your first time in Japan.
Because of the language barrier (and more), in Japan it is very difficult to interact with the locals and to get off the tourist track.
Thanks to Rakuten Travel you can find a lot of interesting and sometimes unique guided tours and activities all over Japan (and not only in Japan), that you would otherwise never be able to enjoy.
But there's more: on Rakuten Travel you can also buy tickets for several famous attractions, events, transportation and other useful services for tourists. Last but not least, you can reserve a table in hundreds of restaurants.

Some examples

• You can buy tickets in advance to visit some very popular attractions and skip the queue at the ticket office, such as the Tokyo Tower, the Tokyo Sky Tree, Tokyo Disneyland or Universal Studios Osaka
• You can book unique and funny tours and activities, like driving around Tokyo or Osaka on a go-kart dressed as Super Mario, or dueling with real Sumo Wrestlers
• You can learn about traditional Japan, for example by joining a tea ceremony in Kyoto or by attending a crash course on Japanese Calligraphy
• You can reserve your table in a lot of cafes and restaurants, for example one of the legendary 3-star Michelin restaurants in Japan, or crazy cafes like a unique Owl Cafe in Tokyo or one of the many and nowadays worldwide famous maid cafes
• ...

Take a look at Rakuten Travel Experiences

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