10 Best Luxury Hotels in Kyoto, Japan

The Best Luxury Hotels In Kyoto

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

The Best Luxury Hotels In Kyoto

The Most Exclusive Stays in 2026

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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The Thousand Kyoto

The Thousand Kyoto is a 222-room hotel two minutes from Kyoto Station, designed around Kyoto’s traditional tea houses rather than a generic international style: soft natural tones, wood accents, personal tea sets in every room. Select suites have garden terraces or Kyoto Tower views.

Two restaurants (Japanese at Kizahashi, Italian at Scalae), a tea bar, and a spa with a stone bath, plus curated “Deep Kyoto” experiences like temple meditation sessions if you want the hotel to arrange cultural activities directly.

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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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Dusit Thani Kyoto

Dusit Thani Kyoto combines Thai and Japanese design across 147 rooms near Kyoto Station, the only hotel on this list mixing those two traditions rather than going fully Japanese. Rooms range from a standard Deluxe to a 173 sqm Imperial Suite, with tatami accents and Japanese soaking tubs throughout.

Devarana Wellness runs Thai-Japanese spa treatments, and dining spans Kyoto-ingredient Japanese food at Kōyō to Thai at Ayatana, plus a tea salon led by a Kyoto tea master and a social bar, Den Kyoto.

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Kyoto Shijo Takakura Hotel Grandereverie

Kyoto Shijo Takakura Hotel Grandereverie is a 16-room boutique hotel a minute from Shijo Karasuma, with Nishiki Market, Pontocho, and Gion all walkable. Small enough that it’s run more like a guesthouse than a hotel.

It’s operated by Leaf, a local Kyoto magazine, and the lobby’s Venetian-style mosaics are inspired by Edo-period artist Itō Jakuchū. Staff give personalized recommendations rather than a standard printed guide, since the publisher connection means genuine local knowledge.

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Ace Hotel Kyoto

Ace Hotel Kyoto is built partly into the historic Kyoto Central Telephone Office, connected directly to Karasuma Oike Station, with room types ranging from lofts to tatami suites to twins in the original heritage wing. It’s the only hotel on this list with a Stumptown Coffee Roasters on-site, the first in Japan.

Three restaurants from American chefs, including a rooftop Italian spot, which makes it a distinct pick if you want Kyoto’s craftsmanship (handmade soaps, TEAC turntables in the rooms) alongside an international rather than strictly Japanese dining scene.

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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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Nohga Hotel Kiyomizu Kyoto

Nohga Hotel Kiyomizu Kyoto furnishes its rooms with pieces from local Kyoto artisans (Imabari towels, OSAJI organic bath products) rather than standard hotel-brand amenities, and runs its own art exhibitions and meditation programs rather than just pointing guests toward the city’s.

CICON, the in-house restaurant, cooks Kyoto-sourced ingredients Italian-style over a Josper oven, an unusual pairing worth knowing about if you’re deciding where to eat rather than just where to sleep. There’s also a bakery café and a rooftop bar.

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