Kyoto Station or Shijo-Kawaramachi? Eight Hotels Compared

Choosing between Kyoto Station and Shijo-Kawaramachi sounds like choosing a neighborhood, but it starts with the station your train stops at. The Kyoto City Tourism Association lists the Shinkansen and the Haruka airport train as arriving at Kyoto Station, Hankyu at Karasuma and Kyoto-Kawaramachi, and Keihan at Gion-Shijo and Sanjo. After that, the minutes a hotel prints depend on the exit. Kyoto Tower Hotel states 2 minutes from the Central Exit of Kyoto Station, Hotel Vischio Kyoto states 2 minutes from the Hachijo Exit, and downtown, Tokyu Stay Kyoto Sakaiza states 1 minute from a Hankyu exit that Hotel Gracery Kyoto Sanjo counts as 6.

Eight hotels follow: four counted from Kyoto Station gates and exits, and four downtown, around Shijo-Kawaramachi, Gion-Shijo, Karasuma-Oike and Kawaramachi-Sanjo. They run from compact city hotels to a large station hotel, and the walks and room figures are the hotels’ own.

Each double is the smallest room the hotel does not call a single, with one bed 55 inches (140 cm) wide or more. A room named Single / Double would count if listed for 1 to 2 guests. Each twin is the smallest room the hotel calls a twin. Accessible, connecting, bunk, loft, capsule, machiya and ryokan-style rooms are not counted, and neither are rooms restricted to certain guests, such as women-only floors.

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Eight hotels on two sides

As of October 2026, from Hotel Granvia Kyoto (in Japanese): the access page. From Kyoto Tower Hotel: the English access page. From Miyako Hotels (in Japanese): the Kintetsu Kyoto Station access page. From Hotel Vischio Kyoto (in Japanese): the access page. From Tokyu Stay: the Kyoto Sakaiza page. From Granbell Hotel: the Kyoto access page. From Hotel Monterey Kyoto (in Japanese): the access page. From Hotel Gracery: the Kyoto Sanjo access page.

One station, and a downtown counted from several

Kyoto Station. The Kyoto City Tourism Association says: “Kyoto Station is where most people first arrive when traveling to Kyoto.” It lists Toji, Higashi Hongan-ji and Nishi Hongwan-ji as nearby temples, says the JR lines through the area reach Fushimi Inari Shrine, Tofuku-ji Temple and Arashiyama, and says there are many coin-operated lockers and places to check luggage. It also says the area has many large hotels and business hotels, which makes it relatively easy to find vacancies even in peak seasons.

Kyoto Tower Hotel states 2 minutes from the Central Exit (Karasuma Exit). Its directions are to go past the bus terminal, cross at the traffic light in front of the Kyoto Tower Building, then turn left to the hotel entrance. For Shinkansen arrivals it says to head for the Shinkansen Central Exit and adds, “Don’t go to Hachijo Exit or Hachijo East Exit.” Hotel Granvia states in Japanese that it is directly connected to JR Kyoto Station and gives no minutes. It gives a route per gate instead: from the JR Central Exit, the escalator on the right to the 2nd floor, and from the Shinkansen Central gate, right along the north-south passage. From the Kintetsu central gate the route turns left. Miyako City Kintetsu Kyoto Station (都シティ 近鉄京都駅) gives about 1 minute from the Kintetsu and Shinkansen Central ticket gates and does not name an exit.

Hotel Vischio Kyoto states 2 minutes south of the Hachijo Exit. It also names the Kyoto Station Hachijo Exit stop for airport limousine buses, about 2 minutes on foot from the Kansai Airport bus and about 1 minute from the Osaka Itami bus.

Downtown. The same association guide says “The Shijo-Karasuma area is a business district, and the Shijo-Kawaramachi area is a commercial district,” and that “These areas are easily accessible from Kyoto Station using the Kyoto City Subway Karasuma Line.” From Shijo-Kawaramachi, it says, it is easy to walk to Yasaka-jinja Shrine and Gion, and Nishiki Market is nearby. It calls the area especially suitable for dining and shopping. On getting there from Kyoto Station, a separate association page recommends the Karasuma Line and says that taking a city bus to the city center is not recommended because of congestion at the stops, on the bus and on the roads.

Downtown, one station name covers several walks. Tokyu Stay Sakaiza states 1 minute from Hankyu Kyoto-Kawaramachi Exit 9, with a Shinkyogoku-Dori Shijo-Agaru address. Gracery counts 6 minutes from the same Exit 9, from an address east of Rokkaku-dori Teramachi, and Granbell counts 7 minutes from Exit 1B. At Gion-Shijo, Granbell states 2 minutes from Exit 6 and Gracery states 10 from Exit 3. At Karasuma-Oike, Monterey states 2 minutes from Exit 6 and Gracery states 10 from Exit 5. Gracery’s shortest count is 5 minutes, from Exit 5 of ZEST Oike and from Exit 5 of Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae Station. The same exit gives 1 minute for one hotel and 6 for another, so the minutes are worth checking on the hotel’s own page.

As of October 2026, from the Kyoto City Tourism Association: the accommodation areas guide and the Nishiki Market access page. From Kyoto Tower Hotel: the English access page. From Hotel Granvia Kyoto (in Japanese): the access page. From Miyako Hotels (in Japanese): the Kintetsu Kyoto Station access page. From Hotel Vischio Kyoto (in Japanese): the access page. From Tokyu Stay: the Kyoto Sakaiza page. From Granbell Hotel: the Kyoto access page. From Hotel Monterey Kyoto (in Japanese): the access page. From Hotel Gracery: the Kyoto Sanjo page and its access page.

Which stations serve each side

The Kyoto City Tourism Association’s Getting to Kyoto page lists the Tokaido Shinkansen and the JR Kansai Airport Limited Express Haruka as running to Kyoto Station. For Hankyu from Osaka-Umeda it lists Kawaramachi Station, with Karasuma and Kyoto-Kawaramachi as the downtown stops, and for the Keihan Main Line from Yodoyabashi it lists Gion-Shijo and Sanjo. It recommends both private lines to travelers who want to avoid complicated transfers and congestion at Kyoto Station.

The association also says the Shijo-Karasuma and Shijo-Kawaramachi areas are easily reached from Kyoto Station on the Kyoto City Subway Karasuma Line. Among the four downtown hotels, Monterey counts its walk from a Karasuma Line station and Gracery lists Karasuma-Oike Exit 5 at 10 minutes. Sakaiza and Granbell count theirs from Hankyu and Keihan exits, so a stay at Kawaramachi or Gion-Shijo is a walk from the subway or a ride on Hankyu or Keihan. Which one is shorter depends on the hotel’s own exit, so check the minutes for that exit. The Kyoto City Transportation Bureau’s subway timetable (in Japanese) gives the Karasuma Line times for your day.

As of October 2026, from the Kyoto City Tourism Association: the Getting to Kyoto page and the Nishiki Market access page. From the Kyoto City Transportation Bureau (in Japanese): the subway timetable. Hotel walks are from the access sources linked in the first section.

Shinkansen tickets can be bought below ↓

Doubles start between 161 and 280 ft²

Sakaiza is not applicable because Tokyu Stay lists a Superior Twin, a Deluxe Twin and a Stay Premier of 517 ft² (48 m²) with a 47 inch (120 cm) bed, and no bed of 140 cm or wider.

As of October 2026, from Hotel Granvia Kyoto (in Japanese): the Standard rooms page. From Kyoto Tower Hotel: the English rooms page. From Miyako Hotels (in Japanese): the rooms page and the Double page. From Hotel Vischio Kyoto (in Japanese): the rooms page and the Moderate Double page. From Tokyu Stay: the Kyoto Sakaiza room page. From Granbell Hotel (partly in Japanese): the Kyoto room page. From Hotel Monterey Kyoto (in Japanese): the rooms page. From Hotel Gracery: the Kyoto Sanjo rooms page. Not listed means the hotel gives no figure for that item. Bed figures are shown as printed, and where two figures are printed they are read as width first. The inches are converted from centimeters, and the square feet from square meters. Room names in parentheses are the hotels’ Japanese names.

Seven of the eight list a double, and the smallest start between 161 and 280 ft² (15 and 26 m²). Tokyu Stay Sakaiza is the one downtown hotel of the four with no double. Among the four at Kyoto Station, Kyoto Tower Hotel’s 161 ft² (15 m²) room is the smallest in the table, Miyako City’s is 172 ft² (16 m²), Vischio’s is 231 ft² (21.5 m²), and Granvia lists one range of 258 to 280 ft² (24 to 26 m²) for its Standard Double. The three downtown hotels that list a double fall between 188 and 215 ft² (17.5 and 20 m²).

Bed size does not follow room size. Miyako City’s 172 ft² (16 m²) room has a 63 inch (161 cm) bed, in a room only 11 ft² (1 m²) larger than Kyoto Tower Hotel’s 161 ft² (15 m²) room with a 55 inch (140 cm) bed. Gracery’s 63 inch (160 cm) figure and Granbell’s 59 inch (150 cm) width sit in rooms of nearly the same area, 188 to 194 ft² and 188 ft² (17.5 to 18 m² and 17.5 m²). Vischio prints the largest figure, 71 inches (180 cm), and calls it a king-size bed. Granvia and Granbell label the width. Vischio and Gracery print one figure and name no dimension, and the others print two figures. Granvia gives one width range for the whole Standard Double category without saying which rooms have 140 cm and which have 160 cm. Can Two Adults Sleep on a 140 cm Hotel Bed? covers what a 140 cm width leaves each person.

Two more notes go with the rows. Monterey’s list also has a Queen Double at the same 215 ft² (20 m²) with a 63 inch (160 cm) bed, and a Superior Single at that size with a 55 inch (140 cm) bed for 1 guest, which is not counted. Gracery lists a Premium Double at the same size and bed as its Standard Double, and that entry gives 1 to 2 persons where the Standard Double gives no guest count.

Bath type is stated by two of the hotels. Monterey lists a unit bath with a tub for every room type on its list, and Miyako City says every room has a roomier bathtub. The Unit Bath in a Japanese Business Hotel explains what each type means.

Twins: 172 to 323 ft²

As of October 2026, from Hotel Granvia Kyoto (in Japanese): the Standard rooms page. From Kyoto Tower Hotel: the English rooms page. From Miyako Hotels (in Japanese): the Twin page. From Hotel Vischio Kyoto (in Japanese): the Moderate Twin page. From Tokyu Stay: the Kyoto Sakaiza room page. From Granbell Hotel (partly in Japanese): the Kyoto room page. From Hotel Monterey Kyoto (in Japanese): the rooms page. From Hotel Gracery: the Kyoto Sanjo rooms page. Not listed means the hotel gives no figure for that item. The inches are converted from centimeters, and the square feet from square meters.

All eight list a twin, from 172 to 323 ft² (16 to 30 m²). At Kyoto Station they run from Miyako City’s 172 ft² (16 m²) to Granvia’s 280 to 323 ft² (26 to 30 m²), with Kyoto Tower Hotel at 205 to 237 ft² (19 to 22 m²) and Vischio at 231 ft² (21.5 m²). Downtown, they run from Granbell’s 189 ft² (17.6 m²) to Sakaiza’s 258 ft² (24 m²), with Monterey at 237 ft² (22 m²) and Gracery at 248 to 258 ft² (23 to 24 m²).

Miyako City’s two beds are 41 inches (103 cm) each, the smallest figure in the table. Five hotels list 110 cm (43 inches): Kyoto Tower Hotel, Vischio, Sakaiza, Granbell and Gracery. Granvia lists 115 cm (45 inches) and Monterey 120 cm (47 inches), the largest figures here. For two adults who want separate beds, those two give the most bed, and Granvia gives the most floor.

Set against the doubles, the twin is a small step at some hotels and a large one at others. At Miyako City the Double and the Twin are both 172 ft² (16 m²). Granbell’s Moderate Twin is 0.1 m² (1 ft²) larger than its Moderate Double. Monterey’s is 2 m² (22 ft²) larger, and Gracery’s is 5.5 to 6 m² (59 to 65 ft²) larger. Kyoto Tower Hotel’s twin range starts 4 m² (43 ft²) above its double.

Matching the side to the trip

• Big bags and two adults. Granvia’s Standard Twin has the most floor in either table, from 280 ft² (26 m²), and Monterey’s twin lists the largest bed figure, 47 inches (120 cm) each. Kyoto Tower Hotel’s 161 ft² (15 m²) double is the smallest room listed. Lockers are a separate help, and the station area has many coin-operated ones.
• A Shinkansen at both ends of the trip. Kyoto Station, where the Shinkansen stops. Kyoto Tower Hotel and Granvia both give routes from the Shinkansen Central gate, and Tower’s warning not to use the Hachijo exits is the one to remember if you booked Vischio.
• Kansai Airport. The Haruka runs to Kyoto Station. If you take the airport limousine bus instead, Vischio names its Hachijo Exit stop and states 2 minutes on foot from it.
• Osaka on Hankyu or Keihan. The trains end downtown, at Karasuma and Kyoto-Kawaramachi or at Gion-Shijo and Sanjo, and the exits to know are Hankyu Exit 9 and Keihan Gion-Shijo Exit 6.
• Temple days and day trips by JR. Toji and the two Hongan-ji temples are near the station, and the JR lines from there go to Fushimi Inari, Tofuku-ji and Arashiyama.
• Dining, shopping and a walk to Gion. Shijo-Kawaramachi is the area described for that. The minutes differ by hotel even from one exit, 1 at Sakaiza and 6 at Gracery from Hankyu Exit 9, so read the hotel’s own figure.
• Seeing both halves of Kyoto. The Karasuma Line links Kyoto Station with the Karasuma-area stops, and a hotel at Kawaramachi or Gion-Shijo adds a walk or a Hankyu or Keihan ride. Check the minutes for the hotel’s own exit and the Transportation Bureau’s timetable for the train.

As of October 2026, from the Kyoto City Tourism Association, which says Kyoto Station is where most people first arrive, lists the Shinkansen and the Haruka at Kyoto Station, Hankyu at Karasuma and Kyoto-Kawaramachi and Keihan at Gion-Shijo and Sanjo, ties Toji, the Hongan-ji temples and the JR day-trip lines to the station area, mentions the coin-operated lockers, and describes Shijo-Kawaramachi for dining and shopping: the Getting to Kyoto page, the accommodation areas guide and the Nishiki Market access page. From the Kyoto City Transportation Bureau (in Japanese): the subway timetable. Hotel walks and rooms are from the sources linked above.

The short version

1. The trains decide the side. The Kyoto City Tourism Association lists the Shinkansen and the Haruka at Kyoto Station, Hankyu at Karasuma and Kyoto-Kawaramachi, and Keihan at Gion-Shijo and Sanjo.
2. The Kyoto Station hotels state 2 minutes (Kyoto Tower Hotel and Vischio), about 1 minute (Miyako City) or a direct connection (Granvia). Downtown the stated walks run from 1 to 10 minutes depending on the station and the exit.
3. Seven hotels list a double, 161 to 280 ft² (15 to 26 m²) with beds 55 to 71 inches (140 to 180 cm), and all eight list a twin, 172 to 323 ft² (16 to 30 m²).

Cover photo: Kyoto Station concourse by Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.