Best Luxury Hotels Kyoto

Kyoto has some of the best luxury hotels in the country, with both Japanese and international brands to choose from. Here are our top picks for Kyoto luxury hotels, all personally inspected and ranked in order of preference.

If you’re interested in our criteria for ranking Kyoto hotels, skip to the end of this article for details.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto

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The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto has the best location of any hotel in town: It’s right on the Kamo-gawa River and just steps from downtown. The rooms are spacious and comfortable, many with sweeping views of the river and the Higashiyama Mountains. It’s a superb choice and gets top honors on this list.

Hyatt Regency Kyoto

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The Hyatt Regency Kyoto offers excellent, spacious rooms, great on-site restaurants, attentive service and a relatively convenient location. It’s a reliable choice for a relaxing stay in Kyoto. And, it costs a fraction of what the Ritz and the Four Seasons cost.

Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto

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The Four Seasons is a hidden sanctuary in Southern Higashiyama. It boasts a stunning building and grounds and some fantastic rooms. It’s the most expensive hotel on this list.

Kyoto Hotel Okura

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The Kyoto Hotel Okura is a fine hotel with extremely reasonable rates and an unbeatable downtown location (it’s directly connected to the Kyotoshiyakusho-mae subway station in the middle of downtown). It’s highly recommended.

Hotel Granvia Kyoto

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The Hotel Granvia Kyoto is an excellent hotel located directly above Kyoto Station, making it the city’s most convenient hotel for transport connections. Rooms are on the large side and well kept and there are countless restaurants with a few minutes of the lobby. It’s a great choice, especially for those who want to explore the rest of central Japan but be based in Kyoto.

Saka Hotel Kyoto

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Located just down the hill from Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Saka Hotel is a hidden gem in Kyoto. It’s a ryokan-style hotel, with finely appointed Japanese rooms, great bathtubs and excellent food. And, the rates are so low, we almost placed it in the mid-range bracket.

Mimaru Kyoto Shinmachi Sanjo

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Travelling with kids? These Japanese-style apartment/suites are just the ticket. They’re within walking distance of downtown and they’ve got all you need for a comfortable stay with the whole gang.

Hotel The Celestine Kyoto Gion

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With a great location in Southern Higashiyama, the Celestine is a small-scale luxury hotel with a bit of a boutique feeling. The rates are lower than average for hotels in this class.

The Thousands Kyoto

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Just steps from the front of Kyoto Station, the Thousands, which opened in 2019, is a beautiful hotel with spacious rooms and excellent service. It’s also much cheaper than most of the entries on this list.

Suiran

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If you want the feeling of being away from it all and surrounded by soothing natural scenery, the Suiran is a great choice. It overlooks the Hozu-gawa River in Arashiyama. It’s a trek to the rest of the city, but that might be a plus for some people.

Westin Miyako Kyoto Hotel

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The Westin Miyako is a good hotel in a commanding location, near a subway station (Keage Station on the Tozai Line) and right between both the Northern and Southern Higashiyama sightseeing districts. It can be a bit busy and some of the rooms need refreshing, but it’s a good value.

Genji Kyoto

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Located on the south side of Kyoto Station, this apartment-style hotel has spacious rooms that are great for families. If you don’t mind the location, it’s a great choice and the rates are much lower than most of the places on this list.

Genji Kyoto Hotel

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A reasonably priced luxury hotel not far from the Kyoto Gosho (Imperial Palace), the Kyoto Brighton Hotel is often overlooked but deserves a mention for its excellent restaurant, large rooms and capable staff. It’s the cheapest entry on this list.

Park Hyatt Kyoto

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With immaculate Japanese style and a location in the heart of the Southern Higashiyama sightseeing district, the Park Hyatt is perfect for a special stay in Kyoto. Walk out the door and immediately find yourself on one of the city’s most picturesque lanes — ideal for romantic evening strolls. This is honeymoon material.

Ryokan — Kyoto’s Luxury Traditional Accommodation

If you’re going to visit Kyoto, the heart of traditional Japan, you really should try a night in a good ryokan (traditional Japanese inn). When our friends, family or clients visit Japan, we often recommend that they spend one night in a ryokan for the experience and then move to a hotel for convenience. See our Kyoto Ryokan page for full details.

Machiya — Vacation Rentals in Traditional Kyoto Houses

Another great option for those who can afford luxury rooms is to stay in a traditional Kyoto machiya, or townhouse. See our Kyoto Machiya page for full details.

How Do We Choose the Best Hotels in Kyoto?

Kyoto is awash with accommodations, so how do we choose the best ones? Here are our criteria:

• Location: We only choose places that are well located, usually downtown or near Kyoto Station, occasionally in Southern Higashiyama. These are the most convenient locations to be based in Kyoto (for more details, see Where to Stay in Kyoto).
• Personal inspections: We personally inspect EVERY place on this list (and many others which don’t make the cut).
• Feedback: We get a lot of feedback from InsideKyoto users and from guests at our tour company, Chris Rowthorn Tours.
• Value: We compare the prices of these places to others of similar rank in Kyoto. Only those that are a great value make the list.

In short, the places on this list are places that we recommend to our own family and friends when they visit Kyoto.

Kyoto Hotel Guide

• Where To Stay In Kyoto
• The Best Places To Stay In Kyoto
• Best Kyoto Hotels For Sightseeing
• Kyoto Hotels Overview
• Best Luxury Hotels in Kyoto
• Best Mid Range Hotel in Kyoto
• Best Budget Hotels in Kyoto
• Best Kyoto Hotels For Families
• Best Boutique Hotels in Kyoto
• Best Value Hotels in Kyoto
• Kyoto Hotel Bargains
• Kyoto Ryokan
• Kyoto Vacation Rentals

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