27 Best Hotels in Kyoto, Japan

Tucked away in the hills not far from the Golden Pavilion, Aman Kyoto is one of the city's finest establishments, surrounded by an expansive forest garden of green moss-covered lawns and cobbled stone footpaths. The 26 rooms at this secretive, luxurious retreat have a tasteful Japanese aesthetic and include large hinoki wood bathtubs. Service is personal but never overbearing, and the two on-site restaurants, spa, and hot springs all exude top-end luxury.

Founded in 1818 to accommodate provincial lords visiting the capital, this elegant inn is well known for its restrained and subtle beauty. The private hallway leading to each room's doorway makes all the accommodations feel like suites. The seven rooms in the modern wing have private gardens, even on the upper floor, and are equipped with cedar baths. Rooms in the older wing set the standard for quiet elegance, with exquisitely sculpted wooden details and in some cases gold-leaf sliding doors. In traditional ryokan style, meals are served in your room by a kimono-clad attendant. Hiiragiya has an annex a few blocks away with more affordable prices.

Located at Kyoto Station, the hotel is noteworthy for its good service and fusion of ultramodern design and traditional Japanese style. The spacious Western-style rooms have broad desks, separate tea areas, and bathrooms with big soaking tubs. A stroll between the hotel's north and south towers affords a great view from within the glass walkway.

Directly opposite the Kyoto National Museum and next to the famous Sanjusangen-do Temple, this is one of Kyoto's premier hotels, offering spacious tasteful rooms. Room interiors are exquisitely designed with soothing colors and garden views for south-facing rooms. The multilingual staff are knowledgeable and most helpful. The garden-view Japanese restaurant specializes in kaiseki dining.

One of the city's best hotels, the Kyoto Brighton has an elegant design, and its staff display a thorough dedication to gracious, efficient hospitality. Glass elevators whisk guests up from the central atrium to large rooms with separate sleeping and lounging areas. Some rooms have outside terraces with city views. Bilingual concierges are on hand to help you plan your sightseeing. The on-site Hotaru restaurant merits a visit; the resident chef won a contest on the popular cooking show Iron Chef. The sweets in the lobby's café are also worth checking out. Free shuttle bus to station runs every 20 minutes.

Along the scenic Kamo River with views of the Eastern Mountains, the Ritz-Carlton provides world-class luxury in a Japanese milieu, with subtle lighting, artistic ornamentation, and a renovated century-old estate used for dining. The rooms are spacious and well appointed in the upscale chain's grand tradition. Some suites even have private gardens. The restaurants include ones serving Western and Japanese cuisine.

Founded by the Okazaki family more than 300 years ago and now run by the 11th generation, this hotel is justly celebrated for its hospitality, sumptuous but subdued decor, impeccable service, and splendid gardens. Dignitaries, presidents, and royalty have all been guests here. Every room is unique, furnished with superb antiques from the family collection and equipped with a fragrant cedar bath. Other amenities include a library and an elegant gift shop. The kaiseki ryori meals are prepared with skill and style.

This midcentury yet traditional inn is within walking distance of the downtown shopping area and has authentic sukiya-zukuri style (teahouse architecture): the rooms have views of the landscaped garden. Each tastefully decorated room has a cypress-wood bath. As at most ryokan, the room rate includes two excellent meals. Guests are served kaiseki ryori, including the specialty tempura, in their rooms. Custom meals are available for vegetarians and vegans.

Some of the rooms at this Western-style chain property have great views of Nijo Castle, which sits directly across the street, but though reasonably well appointed, they and the public areas are strictly standard issue and hardly atmospheric. In summer the breeze wafting through the popular rooftop beer garden is as exhilarating as are the nighttime city views.

Nestled in the foothills of the Eastern Mountains, the Four Seasons is a seven-minute walk from the Kyoto National Museum and some of Kyoto’s popular temples. All rooms offer views of the forested hillsides and Myoho-in Temple. An outside-dining deck overlooks the pond, a part of the 800-year old estate and stroll garden.

Murals, art objects, and custom-made furniture by local artists enliven every room and even the public hallways of this boutique hotel on an antiques shop–lined street in the heart of Gion. Its sister hotel (Hotel Gion Misen) is within a block on Shinmonzen-dori.

This chic downtown pied-à-terre successfully combines traditional ryokan elements—sliding paper screens, tatami rooms—with some unexpected boutique-hotel touches like the contemporary room design and the lobby aromas that change with the season (citrus when it's cool outside, mint when it's warm). One definite break with tradition is that you can opt for a plan that includes no meals.

Although this hostel is best known as a backpacker getaway, the modern architecture, smart facilities, multilingual staff, and central location make it a great find, as do the two cheap double rooms with ensuite baths. The rooms are a good value for those who have low budgets but still want perks like free Wi-Fi, plentiful computer terminals, and a lovely courtyard. K's House is located north of Shichijo-dori and west of the Takase River.

If the beauty of Arashiyama inspires you to spend the night in the area, consider this resort whose draws include its kimono-clad staff, modern amenities, multicourse meals, and spacious hot springs a short walk from the monkey park. In addition to the communal areas, there are five private thermal-water pools guests may use, three of them invitingly open-air. Other perks include complimentary ice-cream bars after your bath or massage.

Situated just across the road from the Imperial Palace and gardens, the Kyoto Garden Palace is a classically styled yet unfussy hotel, offering excellent Japanese hospitality plus quiet, clean, and comfortable rooms. The two excellent ground floor restaurants are great spots for lunch or dinner, and both have views of the serene interior garden. East-facing rooms overlook the famous palace and grounds.

This unpretentious ryokan welcomed its first guest, a monk from the nearby Higashi-Hongan-ji Temple, in 1884. The innkeepers are welcoming, the rooms, most of which have private baths, are pleasant, and the temple-facing location provides a special atmosphere. Ask about the studio apartments on the top floor for extended stays. After renovations, the interior has lost some of its 19th-century authenticity, though the improved convenience is worth it.

Directly south of Kyoto Station, this refurbished hotel is more convenient than glamorous. Rooms are of standard size and comfortable enough but pretty much devoid of style. There are several restaurants and bars within, so you won't lack for food and drink. This is a decent place if you are on a package tour or if you can't find a room in this price range elsewhere.

In a neighborhood with many traditional buildings, this ryokan that's an easy distance from the city center has a welcoming staff and serves delightful kaiseki (multicourse meals). Dining takes place in a downstairs room, and there's a comfortable lounge with computer terminals and laptop ports. The large Japanese-style public baths (separate areas for men and women) stay open late, so taking a late-night dip is no problem, though Japanese guests generally bathe before the evening meal. The rooms are comfortable but not exceptional.

Adjacent to the Imperial Palace and its park, this reasonably priced hotel has extended-stay rates. The multilingual concierge and location midway between two subway stops on the Karasuma Line compensate for the small but adequate rooms, some of which have the bonus of a kitchenette. The waiters at the restaurant are often foreign students working their way through college. The outdoor seating at the café is a nice perk, and a rare one in any Japanese city.

Directly across from the Kyoto International Conference Hall, nestled in a forest setting, this grand hotel will make you feel like visiting royalty. Rooms are spacious, with views of lush greenery on both sides, some facing the nearby mountains and others the inner garden. Demonstrations of the tea ceremony take place in the teahouse beside the garden pond upon request. The chef of the French-themed Beaux Sejours restaurant is one of city's most talented practitioners. The Kokusai Kaikan subway station is a few minutes away by foot.

One of Kyoto's major hotels, recognized for its excellent service and restaurants, the Rihga Royal is a five-minute walk from Kyoto Station, making it an especially fine choice for those with early train connections. Although it is a Western-style hotel, paper shoji windows and Japanese textiles lend atmosphere to the rooms. Four-person family rooms are available for larger groups. Kyoto's only revolving restaurant crowns the building, offering splendid views of the city; there are four other on-site restaurants. The staff members are trained to make you feel like a VIP.

A bit of a miniature miracle, the Ryokan Seryo is in the semirural village of Ohara, near the Sanzen-in Temple. The rooms are spacious with views of beautiful gardens and access to natural hot-spring baths in the rooms. Breakfast and the kaiseki dinner includes mountain vegetables and seasonal specialties like wild boar stew in winter, and is served on a veranda overlooking the koi pond. Two new rooms have outdoor baths with memorable mountain views. The hotel is a 70-minute bus ride from Kyoto Station or from buses leaving from the Kokusai Kaikan subway station, 20 minutes away.

Its chic interiors have enabled this boutique hotel near the Imperial Palace to gain a foothold in this competitive market with individually designed suites, each the unique creation of a different renowned local or international interior designer. The styles range from traditional, with sliding doors painted with gold leaf, to ultramodern, with everything in ethereal whites. In a popular one, diaphanous white curtains halo the walls and bed. If your suite isn't to your taste, if at all possible the staff will move you to one that is. The rooftop bar has fine city views, and you can dine under the stars in the courtyard.

The original wooden structure of an industrialist's traditional estate was renovated into the river-view dining room of this gorgeous woodsy hotel, one of Kyoto's most upscale properties. The cuisine is nouvelle Japanese served French-style. As with the other facilities here, the restaurant's feel is old countryside resort but with modern hotel conveniences. The Suiran is along the Hozu River, one of Kyoto's main waterways.

Some rooms at this hillside hot-springs resort outside Kyoto proper have their own rotemburo (outdoor hot tub) overlooking a private garden, but gender-separated communal baths are available to all guests, and meals are included with your room. Though the building's facade is nondescript, the Japanese-style lobby's garden path–like approach and sliding paper door suggest Old Kyoto. Seasonal ingredients form the basis of kaiseki meals that can include crab, sukiyaki, and, in winter, wild boar. The scenic way to get here is aboard the Sagano Torokko train that leaves from Saga Torokko Station in Arashiyama.

At the foot of the Philosopher's Path and near the temple and shrine-filled Okazaki area, the renovated Westin Miyako is only minutes from major attractions. Separate cottages with Japanese-style rooms are available, and the views from the restaurants take on a magical quality at night when city lights are twinkling. For several decades this was the queen of Kyoto's hotels and the top choice of visiting celebrities, but newer high-end properties have eclipsed it.

This ryokan feels very "Japanese," and what it lacks in big-hotel amenities it makes up for in atmosphere, albeit with some limitations, including some shared-bath rooms, that may not appeal to all travelers. A traditional ryokan, Yachiyo is in a quiet, verdant part of town close to the Heian Jingu Shrine and the National Museum of Modern Art. The least expensive rooms share bathrooms. If you prefer, you can have breakfast and dinner in your room instead of the restaurant.