It connects Katsura and Arashiyama on the west side of the city, linking the area along the line to the Hankyu Kyoto Main Line that extends east to central Kyoto and south to Osaka.

[1] Trains on the line mainly use 4-car Hankyu 6300 series electric multiple unit trains, which were originally built for limited express services on the main line from 1975 and refurbished for Arashiyama Line services from 2009.

The line opened as 1435mm gauge dual track electrified at 1500 VDC in November 1928.

One line of the dual track was removed in 1944 for metal collection as part of the Japanese war effort.

While the entire line is single track, both the intermediate stations are equipped with crossing loops.