Neighborhood 48H guide
Gion & Higashiyama: Where to Stay & What to Do in 48 Hours
Geisha streets, Yasaka Shrine and Kiyomizu-dera.
Gion is Kyoto’s old entertainment district east of the Kamo River; south and uphill, Higashiyama’s stone lanes climb past Kōdai-ji to Kiyomizu-dera.
Photo gallery
Photo: Martin Falbisoner · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: DXR · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Why stay here
The classic Kyoto streets and temples at your door, best before and after the day crowds.
Who it's for: First-timers and romantics.
Pros
- Atmosphere
- Temples on foot
- Evening walks
Cons
- Very crowded by day
- Pricey
- Hilly lanes
48H in Gion & Higashiyama
Temples, lanes.
07:00 – Kiyomizu-dera
Go early, before tour groups.
10:00 – Kōdai-ji
Zen gardens and a bamboo grove.
18:00 – Yasaka Shrine
Lanterns at dusk, then Gion’s streets.
Named recommendations
Real places with links to their official site or a Maps place page. We do not invent hours, prices, or ratings.
See / do
See / do
Kiyomizu-dera
Kiyomizu 1-294
Hillside temple with its wooden stage over the trees.
Photo: Martin Falbisoner · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →See / do
Yasaka Shrine
Gionmachi Kitagawa 625
Gion’s shrine, at the top of Shijō-dōri.
Photo: DXR · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →See / do
Kōdai-ji
Shimokawara-cho
Zen temple with gardens and lit autumn and spring evenings.
Photo: Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →
Where to stay
Specific named properties—not vague city-wide searches. Expedia stays use tracked Creator links; others open the hotel's official site.
Roam48 may earn a commission when you book a stay through Expedia or Vrbo links on this page, at no extra cost to you. All commercial stay links use rel="sponsored nofollow".
Hotel · Expedia
OMO5 Kyoto Gion by Hoshino Resorts
Gion
Hotel near Yasaka Shrine and Kawaramachi Street.
Check rates on Expedia →
Vacation rentals
Prefer an apartment or whole home in this neighborhood? Browse Vrbo listings for Gion & Higashiyama.
Under Japan’s Private Lodging Business Act, private homes rented to guests (minpaku) must be notified to the local government and can host guests for at most 180 nights a year. Kyoto City asks visitors to stay only at licensed accommodation and publishes a list of licensed places. Book only listings that show a minpaku notification number or a hotel/inn licence.
Browse vacation rentals in Gion & Higashiyama on Vrbo →Other ways to spend 48 hours in Kyoto
- Downtown & Kawaramachi — Nishiki Market, Pontochō and the shopping arcades.
- Karasuma & the Imperial Palace — The palace park and the manga museum.
- Nijō Castle — The shogun’s castle and an old imperial garden.
- Kyoto Station — Shinkansen, Kyoto Tower and the national museum.
- Fushimi — Ten thousand torii and the sake breweries.
- Arashiyama — Tenryū-ji, the river and the scenic railway.
- Okazaki & Northern Higashiyama — Heian Jingū, museums and the Silver Pavilion.