Central Kyoto's main shopping, dining, and nightlife district sits in the rectangle bounded by Shijō and Sanjō east-west and Karasuma and the Kamo River north-south. The area was the historic merchant quarter and is still the densest commercial zone in the city: long covered arcades (Teramachi, Shinkyōgoku), Nishiki Market down a narrow side street, Daimaru and Takashimaya department stores on Shijō, and a network of small alleys (Tachiuri-nishi, Kiya-machi) packed with bars and restaurants between Kawaramachi and the river.
The streets are at their best from late afternoon onwards. Walk Shijō east into Gion across the river for the geisha district, or south down Pontochō for the riverside dining alley. Most of the Kyoto subway connects here; the Hankyū and Keihan lines on either side make it the most useful base for evenings out.