Where to stay in Fukuoka: the best neighbourhoods and hotels

Hakata Station is where the shinkansen from Osaka and Tokyo pulls in and where trains fan out across Kyushu, so if day trips are on the cards, sleep here. The station itself is a small city of shops and restaurants, and Fukuoka Airport is just two stops away on the subway, one of the shortest airport transfers you will ever make.

The area is practical before it is pretty, but the hotels are excellent and the old temple quarter is only a short walk north. Hotel Nikko Fukuoka is three minutes from the station by underground passage; the b hakata is four minutes away; Nest Hotel Hakata Station sits among small temples; and the Oriental Hotel has seven restaurants under one roof. Tenjin is a few minutes away by subway.

Between the station and the river lies the Hakata of old. Kushida Shrine, the spiritual home of the city's great summer festival, hides among low streets of temples and townhouses, with the Hakata Machiya Folk Museum close by. Next door, in cheerful contrast, is Canal City Hakata, a curvy, colourful shopping and entertainment complex built around an artificial canal.

This is the most rounded place to stay in Fukuoka: walkable to the station one way and to Nakasu and Tenjin the other. The Grand Hyatt is the top address, within easy walking distance of Canal City and Kushida Shrine. The Canal City Fukuoka Washington is inside the complex itself, three minutes from Kushida Shrine subway station, and the Mitsui Garden Hotel Fukuoka Gion and EN Hotel Hakata are both steps away.

Nakasu is a sliver of an island between two rivers, and after dark it is the brightest place in Kyushu: stacked signs, tiny bars, late-night ramen and reflections wobbling in the water. Along the riverbank the yatai set up for the evening, a handful of stools each, serving ramen, skewers and beer to whoever squeezes in.

It is lively rather than rowdy, and it sits exactly halfway between Hakata and Tenjin, so everything is walkable. Hotel Il Palazzo is the design pick, a boutique hotel within ten minutes' walk of both Canal City and the Tenjin underground mall. Dukes Hotel Nakasu and the Mitsui Garden Hotel Fukuoka Nakasu are on the Hakata side, and Zonk Hotel Nakasu is a short walk from Canal City. Light sleepers should ask for a high floor.

Tenjin is where Fukuoka shops, eats and meets its friends. Department stores tower over the main crossroads, a long underground mall runs beneath them, and the side streets are packed with izakaya, coffee shops and small boutiques. Keep walking west and you reach the castle ruins of Maizuru Park and the lake at Ohori Park, the city's favourite place for a stroll.

Hotels here are modern and good value. The Best Western Plus Fukuoka Tenjin-minami is surrounded by stylish bars and cafés and close to Kego Shrine; the JAL City and Ark Hotel Royal are dependable central choices; and the Quintessa suits those who want to be among the restaurants. Pick Tenjin if evenings matter more to you than early trains.

West of Tenjin, Fukuoka opens out onto Hakata Bay. Seaside Momochi is a planned waterfront district with a man-made beach, Fukuoka Tower and the huge dome where the city's baseball team plays. The streets are wide, the sunsets are long, and the pace is a world away from Nakasu.

The Hilton Fukuoka Sea Hawk is the landmark, with sweeping views over the bay and the city. The Residential Suites has an outdoor pool and bicycles to rent, and further west the small Hotel Marinoa Resort sits by the Marinoa City outlet mall, with free parking. You will need the subway or a bus to reach the centre, which is the trade-off for all that space.

Kitakyushu sits at the very top of Kyushu, facing Honshu across a narrow strait, and makes an easy add-on to Fukuoka by bullet train. Its hub is Kokura, a working city with a reconstructed castle at its centre. The treat is Mojiko, a port district of handsome old brick and stone buildings known as Mojiko Retro.

In Kokura, the Rihga Royal has an indoor pool and five restaurants, and the Daiwa Roynet and Crown Palais are close to the station. Premier Hotel Mojiko stands right by the Mojiko Retro waterfront, a few minutes by car from the Karato fish market across the water.