20 Best Hotels in Kyoto, Japan

Our Favourite Stays

If you don’t want to read through all 20, here are four to start with, one per tier, picked for how distinct they are from the rest of the list rather than just a top score.

The Hotel Seiryu Kyoto Kiyomizu

(Luxury Hotel)

• Heritage Architecture
• Rooftop Views
• Signature Cocktails

The Hotel Seiryu Kyoto Kiyomizu is a former elementary school building from 1869, relocated and converted into a 48-room boutique hotel on the Higashiyama hillside. The arched windows and Spanish-tiled roof are original to the school; the interiors are new. It’s one of the few hotels in the area with a direct view of Yasaka Pagoda, which is the main reason it’s worth the higher price over similar boutique options nearby.

There’s a French restaurant on-site, Benoit Kyoto, plus a rooftop bar and an indoor bar, so dinner and drinks don’t require leaving the building. Rooms come with spacious bathrooms and a private bath option if you want to skip the communal one.

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Rc Hotel Kyoto Yasaka

(Comfort Hotel)

• Artistic Design
• Super Comfortable Beds
• Near Kiyomizu-dera Temple

RC Hotel Kyoto Yasaka is a renovated 50-year-old building in Higashiyama, a short walk from Kiyomizu-dera Temple, with views of the Hōkan-ji Pagoda from the upper floors. Each room follows one of three themes (Art, Vegetation, or Folk Handicraft) rather than a standard layout repeated throughout the hotel, which is the main thing that sets it apart from other comfort-tier options in the same neighborhood.

Good pick if you’d rather stay somewhere that feels distinct from a typical hotel room, at the cost of a slightly quieter location than the ones right in the town center.

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Insomnia Kyoto Oike

(Standard Hotel)

• Modern Design
• Sake & Lounge Vibes
• Close to Subway & Museum

Insomnia Kyoto Oike sits close to the subway and a short walk from the Kyoto International Manga Museum, with rooms mixing modern design and denim and Japanese-pattern accents rather than the plain minimalism most standard-tier hotels default to.

The 24-hour lounge is the actual differentiator here: free drinks, pastries, a small library, and sake for a fee, open at any hour rather than just during breakfast service.

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Kyounoyado HANA Nishijin - Kimono no Yado

(Budget Hotel)

• Matcha Welcome
• Serene Balconies
• Affordable, Authentic Stay

Kyounoyado HANA Nishijin is a small guesthouse near Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, walking distance from Kinkaku-ji, with tatami rooms, futon bedding, and some private balconies with garden views. Reviewers consistently mention the hosts by the same detail: being welcomed with matcha and local treats, and getting offered lifts into town, which is unusual hospitality at this price tier.

Shared kitchen and laundry facilities make it a reasonable pick for a longer stay rather than just a couple of nights.

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Where to Stay in Kyoto

Kyoto is spread across several distinct neighborhoods, and which one you base yourself in changes your day-to-day more than the specific hotel does. Here’s a breakdown by area.

Downtown Kyoto: Best for Shopping & Dining

Also known as Kawaramachi, this is Kyoto’s city center: restaurants, bars, and shopping arcades within walking distance of most hotels. Best base if you don’t want to plan transport around meals.

• Nishiki Market: A must-visit for local food, snacks, and souvenirs.
• Ponto-cho & Kiyamachi: Narrow streets filled with lantern-lit bars and traditional restaurants.
• Teramachi & Shinkyogoku: Covered shopping arcades full of everything from trendy shops to traditional goods.

Want to stay in the heart of Kyoto’s shopping and dining scene? Here are some hotels in Downtown Kyoto to consider.

Kyoto Station Area: Best for Transportation Access

Staying near Kyoto Station gives direct access to the bullet train, subway, and buses, useful for day trips to Nara, Osaka, or Arashiyama. It’s more modern than most of Kyoto and has more dining and shopping than the name suggests.

• Kyoto Tower: A local landmark with great views.
• Porta Mall & Isetan: Underground and department store shopping options right at the station.
• Easy access to Shinkansen: Perfect if you’re heading to Tokyo or Hiroshima next.

Need a convenient base for exploring Kyoto and beyond? Check out hotels near Kyoto Station.

Southern Higashiyama: Best for Classic Kyoto Vibes

This is the Kyoto most people picture: cobblestone lanes, wooden teahouses, and temples within walking distance of each other.

• Kiyomizu-dera Temple: An iconic spot with sweeping views over Kyoto.
• Sannenzaka & Ninenzaka: Historic streets lined with traditional shops and cafes.
• Maruyama Park: Especially beautiful during the cherry blossom season.

Looking for a stay that captures Kyoto’s old-world charm? Explore hotels in Southern Higashiyama.

Northern Higashiyama: Best for Art & Culture

Quieter than the southern half, with Zen temples, art museums, and walking paths that see fewer crowds.

• Philosopher’s Path: A tranquil canal-side trail lined with cherry trees.
• Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion): A beautiful Zen temple with landscaped gardens.
• Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art: Great for design and architecture lovers.

Prefer a slower pace and a cultural escape? Browse hotels in Northern Higashiyama.

Kyoto Imperial Palace Area: Best for Peace & Green Spaces

Located north of the downtown core, this neighborhood is residential, calm, and close to large green spaces and historical buildings. A great pick if you’re seeking a quieter stay while still being centrally located.

• Kyoto Imperial Palace: Surrounded by peaceful gardens and walking paths.
• Nijo Castle: A World Heritage Site with night-time light displays in spring and autumn.
• Kamogawa River: Ideal for early morning walks or cycling.

Craving a relaxing stay near Kyoto’s royal history? Have a look at hotels near the Kyoto Imperial Palace.

Arashiyama: Best for Nature & Scenery

Set on the western edge of the city, surrounded by mountains and forest. Best base if you want nature and quiet over easy access to the main temple circuit.

• Bamboo Grove: One of Kyoto’s most iconic photo spots.
• Tenryu-ji Temple: A Zen temple with a landscaped garden.
• Iwatayama Monkey Park: A short hike with a big reward, sweeping city views, and wild monkeys.

Want to stay where nature meets tradition? Check out these hotels in Arashiyama.

Pick the neighborhood first if location matters more to you than any single hotel: the six areas above cover most of what Kyoto offers.

Price Comparison

Rooms for two people in EUR

Luxury Hotels

The Hotel Seiryu Kyoto Kiyomizu

The Hotel Seiryu Kyoto Kiyomizu is a former elementary school building from 1869, relocated and converted into a 48-room boutique hotel on the Higashiyama hillside. The arched windows and Spanish-tiled roof are original to the school; the interiors are new. It’s one of the few hotels in the area with a direct view of Yasaka Pagoda, which is the main reason it’s worth the higher price over similar boutique options nearby.

There’s a French restaurant on-site, Benoit Kyoto, plus a rooftop bar and an indoor bar, so dinner and drinks don’t require leaving the building. Rooms come with spacious bathrooms and a private bath option if you want to skip the communal one.

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Marufukuro

Marufukuro is Nintendo’s original 1889 headquarters, restored and converted into an 18-room hotel, with a new annex designed by architect Tadao Ando added onto the original Showa-era building, once home to the Yamauchi family and Nintendo’s earliest operations. It’s the one hotel on this list with a genuinely unusual backstory rather than just a themed design.

All-inclusive pricing covers meals at the on-site restaurant Carta, drinks, snacks, and a Nintendo-themed library, so the room rate is higher than comparable luxury options but there’s little left to pay for once you’re there.

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Kyomachiya Suite Rikyu

Kyomachiya Suite Rikyu is run by a local husband-and-wife team out of a restored kyomachiya townhouse near Yasaka Pagoda, and the personal touches show: a door handle handmade by the owner’s grandfather, furnishings sourced from Kyoto craftspeople rather than a hotel supplier.

It’s suite-style rather than a standard room layout, which suits a longer stay better than a one-night visit. Several of the amenities used in the rooms are also sold at nearby artisan shops the owners can point you to, if you want to take a version of the stay home with you.

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Ishibekoji Muan

Ishibekoji Muan is a small ryokan on Ishibei-koji, one of the only stone-paved pedestrian lanes left in Kyoto, with just a handful of rooms, each with its own private bath and fireplace. It’s in the middle of southern Higashiyama, close to Gion and Kiyomizu-dera, but the lane itself is closed to through traffic, so it stays quiet despite the location. Best fit for a couple or solo traveler who wants a traditional ryokan setup (tatami, sliding doors, garden views) without the isolation some rural ryokans require.

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BenTen Residences

BenTen Residences is a restored 100-year-old machiya townhouse in Higashiyama, set up for up to 6 guests across three bedrooms rather than a standard hotel room, with a kitchenette and heated flooring added to the original tatami and wooden lattice windows. It’s the only entry on this list built for a group or a long stay rather than a couple, and the price reflects that: you’re renting the whole house, not a room in it.

A private garden with a Japanese maple is visible from the bathroom, which is a genuinely unusual detail rather than standard marketing copy.

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Comfort Hotels

Kyo no Yado Sangen Ninenzaka

Kyo no Yado Sangen Ninenzaka is a six-room ryokan just behind the historic Ninenzaka lanes, close enough to Kiyomizu-dera and Gion to walk to both. Rooms are tatami and futon style, with shared (but well-kept) bathrooms rather than en-suite, which is the main tradeoff for the location and price.

The rooftop terrace looks out over the old town’s rooftops, worth checking before booking if the room itself doesn’t have a view.

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Kyoto Takasegawa Bettei

Kyoto Takasegawa Bettei is adults-only, on a quiet canal near the city center, with each room having its own cypress wood bath rather than a shared one. Beds are set on tatami with soundproof walls between rooms, and entry is by PIN code rather than a front desk check-in, so there’s no fixed check-in window to work around. In-room breakfast is included, delivered hot rather than a buffet you have to go down for.

Good fit for a couple who wants privacy over social hotel spaces; there’s also free private parking if you’re driving, which most central Kyoto hotels don’t offer.

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Kyonoyado Kagihei

Kyonoyado Kagihei has been run by the same family since 1843, a few minutes from Nishiki Market and Gion. Rooms are larger than most ryokans in this price range, with tatami floors and futons, reached through a stone alleyway that’s quieter than the street it opens off.

There’s a communal bath and an optional breakfast, and an 11pm curfew, which is worth knowing if you plan on late nights out, since the inn is set up for couples and solo travelers over groups.

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The General Kyoto Shijou Shinmachi

The General Kyoto Shijou Shinmachi is a few minutes from Nishiki Market and Daimaru, on a side street quiet enough that the central location doesn’t cost you a peaceful stay. Interiors lean modern (warm wood, curved lines) rather than traditional Japanese design, which sets it apart from most of the ryokan-style options on this list.

Room types range from compact Hollywood Twins to larger Deluxe and Japanese-style rooms, and breakfast is optional rather than included.

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Rc Hotel Kyoto Yasaka

RC Hotel Kyoto Yasaka is a renovated 50-year-old building in Higashiyama, a short walk from Kiyomizu-dera Temple, with views of the Hōkan-ji Pagoda from the upper floors. Each room follows one of three themes (Art, Vegetation, or Folk Handicraft) rather than a standard layout repeated throughout the hotel.

Good pick if you’d rather stay somewhere that feels distinct from a typical hotel room, at the cost of a slightly quieter location than the ones right in the town center.

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Standard Hotels

The Blossom Kyoto

The Blossom Kyoto is a short walk from Kyoto Station, with a public bath decorated with a cherry blossom mosaic as its main distinguishing feature over similarly priced hotels nearby. Rooms are minimalist with warm wood accents, and the on-site restaurant serves Kyoto-meets-Kyushu cuisine, a specific regional pairing rather than a generic hotel menu.

The hotel showcases local crafts throughout, Kyo-yaki pottery and Kyo-nui embroidery, if that kind of detail matters to you over just a place to sleep.

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Insomnia Kyoto Oike

Insomnia Kyoto Oike sits close to the subway and a short walk from the Kyoto International Manga Museum, with rooms mixing modern design and denim and Japanese-pattern accents rather than the plain minimalism most standard-tier hotels default to.

The 24-hour lounge is the actual differentiator here: free drinks, pastries, a small library, and sake for a fee, open at any hour rather than just during breakfast service.

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Hotel Goco Stay Kyoto Shijo Kawaramachi

Hotel Goco Stay Kyoto Shijo Kawaramachi is set up more like an apartment than a hotel room: kitchenette, washing machine, and separate sink and bathroom in most rooms, a few minutes from Nishiki Market.

Better fit for a longer stay or a family than a one or two-night visit, since the extra space and self-catering setup are the main things it offers over a standard room at the same price.

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Hotel Emion Kyoto

Hotel Emion Kyoto is near Kyoto Station with room types covering tatami-floor and family-sized layouts, not just standard twins, which makes it one of the more flexible options here for a group with different needs. It has its own sauna, public bath, and hot tub on-site, unusual amenities at this price tier.

The hotel complex also includes shops and restaurants for local crafts and food, so there’s a reason to stay in the building beyond just sleeping there.

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Richmond Hotel Premier Kyoto Ekimae

Richmond Hotel Premier Kyoto Ekimae is a 4-minute walk from Kyoto Station, with MIKIMOTO toiletries and an amenity bar stocked with extras like drip coffee, a step up from the standard minibar setup at this tier. The Premier Lounge offers free afternoon sweets and evening drinks, closer to what you’d expect at a higher price point.

There’s no on-site parking, the one real gap, but the breakfast buffet mixes Japanese and Western options and gets consistently good reviews.

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Budget Hotels

Guest Inn Chita

Guest Inn Chita is a 10-minute walk from Kyoto Station, near Higashi Hongan-ji Temple, with tatami rooms, futons, and yukata robes provided. Bathrooms are shared and downstairs, the main tradeoff for the price.

Reviewers consistently name the host, Kahori-san, as the reason to book here over similar budget guesthouses nearby. Shared kitchen and a small terrace round it out.

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Family Inn Kei

Family Inn Kei is a 13-minute walk from Kyoto Station and closer still to Tofukuji Temple, on a quiet street with a nearby convenience store. Each room has its own kitchen, washing machine, and balcony, which is more self-sufficient than most budget options at this price.

There’s an elevator too, worth noting since many budget guesthouses in older Kyoto buildings don’t have one.

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Kyounoyado HANA Nishijin - Kimono no Yado

Kyounoyado HANA Nishijin is a small guesthouse near Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, walking distance from Kinkaku-ji, with tatami rooms, futon bedding, and some private balconies with garden views. Reviewers consistently mention the hosts by the same detail: being welcomed with matcha and local treats, and getting offered lifts into town, which is unusual hospitality at this price tier.

Shared kitchen and laundry facilities make it a reasonable pick for a longer stay rather than just a couple of nights.

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Ryoso  Chatani

Ryoso Chatani is in Ohara, in the countryside north of central Kyoto, which means it’s the only budget option on this list not walkable to any major sight. What it offers instead: a family-run guesthouse with its own hot spring bath and a shamo chicken sukiyaki dinner made from ingredients raised on the property, a genuine specialty rather than a generic ryokan meal.

Good choice if you want one or two nights disconnected from the city rather than a base for sightseeing; free bike rentals help cover the distance.

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Woman Only Guesthouse Nanohana

Woman Only Guesthouse Nanohana is female-only, in Kawaramachi within walking distance of Gion and Nishiki Market. Room types range from dorm bunks to private Japanese and Western-style rooms, most with shared bathrooms, and there’s a 24-hour front desk, worth knowing if solo safety is a priority.

Straightforward budget pick for a solo female traveler who wants central Kyoto without a mixed-dorm hostel.

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