Where should you stay in Tokyo?

Quick pick by traveler type

• First visit: Shinjuku. Every line, every budget, late food.

• Budget: Asakusa or Ueno. Hostels, business hotels and small ryokan for less than the west side.

• Nightlife: Shibuya or Shinjuku. Shibuya for bars and the crossing, Shinjuku for Golden Gai and Omoide Yokocho.

• Families: Tokyo Station, Ginza or Ueno. Wider streets, quieter nights, big station lifts, and Ueno Park's museums and zoo.

• Transit-focused (Shinkansen, airports): Tokyo Station or Shinagawa.

• Quiet or romantic: Asakusa near the Sumida River, or the side streets of Ginza once the shops close.

Shinjuku: the most convenient base

What it's like: the world's busiest station, ringed by department stores, office towers on the west side and Kabukicho's entertainment streets on the east. Omoide Yokocho's yakitori lanes and Golden Gai's tiny bars are a short walk, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building's free observation deck is on the west side. Our Tokyo guide calls it the most practical base for this reason.

Who it suits: first-timers, short stays and anyone heading to Hakone or Mount Fuji, since the Odakyu Romancecar leaves from here; see our Mount Fuji day trip guide.

Downside: the station itself is a maze, and choosing the wrong exit can add 15 minutes with a bag. Rooms on the Kabukicho side can be loud late at night. Check which exit your hotel is near and book south or west of the tracks if sleep matters.

Asakusa: old Tokyo and good value

What it's like: the low-rise east, built around Senso-ji, Tokyo's oldest temple, with Nakamise-dori's stalls, side lanes of craft shops and the Sumida River with Tokyo Skytree on the far bank. It is quiet at night, and our 3 days in Tokyo guide calls it the budget-friendly base, with traditional ryokan and hostels.

Who it suits: budget travelers, couples who want Senso-ji before 8am without an early train, and anyone arriving at Haneda, since Keikyu trains from the airport run through onto the Asakusa subway line. Read our Senso-ji etiquette guide for the temple.

Downside: it is not on the Yamanote loop, so Shinjuku and Shibuya are 30 to 40 minutes away by subway. Evenings are early; most of the shopping street closes by early evening.

Ueno: museums, parks and the Narita train

What it's like: Ueno Park with the Tokyo National Museum and Shinobazu Pond, Ameyoko market under the tracks, and the wooden lanes of Yanaka a 15-minute walk north. The Keisei Skyliner reaches Ueno from Narita in about 41 minutes, which makes it the easiest arrival if you fly into Narita; see our Haneda vs Narita guide.

Who it suits: families, museum visitors and budget travelers who want the Yamanote line on the doorstep. Rooms are generally cheaper than on the west side.

Downside: the streets right around the station are busy and a little scruffy after dark, and it is a long ride to Shibuya. Most museums close on Mondays, so do not plan your Ueno day then.

Tokyo Station, Ginza and Marunouchi: polished and central

What it's like: business districts around the red-brick Tokyo Station, the Imperial Palace moat and Ginza's shopping avenues. Every Shinkansen to Kyoto and Kanazawa leaves from Tokyo Station, and the Narita Express reaches it in about 55 minutes.

Who it suits: travelers with early trains, families who want calm streets in the evening, and anyone who values the palace East Gardens on foot. Our Tokyo guide notes Marunouchi and Otemachi are expensive but inside walking distance of the moat and on every train line in the country.

Downside: the highest prices in this list, and the business district is quiet at night and on weekends. Ginza's side streets have good restaurants, but few late ones.

Shibuya: the young, loud option

What it's like: the scramble crossing, Shibuya Sky above it, and a dense grid of bars, music venues and shops. Harajuku and Meiji Jingu are one stop on the Yamanote line, and our Shibuya Sky guide covers the sunset slots.

Who it suits: nightlife, shopping and second visits. It is also convenient for the west side of the city that our how many days in Tokyo plan saves for day 4.

Downside: rooms are small and expensive for what they are, the station is in a long redevelopment, and it is far from Asakusa and Ueno.

Booking advice for Tokyo

Pick the station, not the district. Tokyo neighborhoods are large; the useful number is minutes from your door to a station on the line you will use most. Under 5 minutes is worth paying for.

Room size. Standard doubles at business hotels can be very small. If you have two large suitcases, check the room's square meters and consider luggage forwarding between cities.

Seasons. Cherry blossom (late March to early April) and Golden Week (late April to early May) are the most expensive weeks. Book early for those, and check our cherry blossom forecast guide.

Getting around. Buy a Suica or Pasmo on arrival; our IC card guide covers it.

How many nights, and splitting your stay

Plan 3 to 4 nights for a first trip, more if Tokyo is your base for day trips; see our day trips from Tokyo and Tokyo food guide.

If your flights go in and out of Tokyo, split the stay in two, as we did: 4 days on arrival, then Hakone, the Japan Alps, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima, and 5 more days in Tokyo before moving on to Vietnam. Change neighborhoods between the stays, for example Asakusa first and Shinjuku at the end, so the second feels like a new city. The full route is in our 33-day Japan itinerary, and our next stop is covered in where to stay in Hakone.

Frequently asked questions