Japan
Kyoto
Kyoto was the capital for more than a thousand years, and its temples, gardens and old wooden streets are best seen early in the morning and again in the evening, when the day visitors have gone.
Our places are spread across the city: traditional ryokans in the centre, such as Tawaraya on Fuyacho; hotels in Higashiyama below the temples; and quieter stays on the edges, from Hoshinoya Kyoto, reached by its own boat up the Arashiyama gorge, to Miyamasou in the Hanase mountains to the north. We know 21 places to stay here, 9 of them ryokans. At Fufu Kyoto, every room has its own hot-spring bath.
How to choose
For a first ryokan, with dinner in the room
Tawaraya: kaiseki in your room, at an inn run by one family for 300 years
For a hot spring in the city
HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO, a Luxury Collection Hotel & Spa: a hot-spring bath from its own spring, opposite Nijo Castle
For the river at Arashiyama
Hoshinoya Kyoto: reached by its own boat up the Oi river
With children
The Hotel Seiryu Kyoto Kiyomizu: families welcome, under-13s free sharing a bed, below Kiyomizu-dera
For the food
Miyamasou: tsumikusa cooking of foraged plants, river fish and game, in the Hanase mountains
Which area
Where to stay in Kyoto, area by area →When to go
The cherry blossom in late March and early April and the maples in mid to late November are the most beautiful weeks and by far the most crowded, so rooms should be held well ahead; July and August are hot and humid, and January and February are cold but quiet.
How long
Three or four nights, as the centre of a first trip, with a day or a night in Nara.
Getting there
The Tokaido Shinkansen runs from Tokyo to Kyoto in about 2 hours 15 minutes, and the Haruka express from Kansai airport takes about 75 minutes.
Ready to stay here?
Tell us where and when. Our team in Japan books the room we would choose, at the inn’s own rate, settles your requests with the inn, and stays in touch before and during your stay. Price and cancellation terms are confirmed with you first.
Already have an itinerary in mind?
Have it reviewed for USD 85Ryokans and hotels
Nijo, Kyoto
HotelHOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO, a Luxury Collection Hotel & Spa
ホテル ザ ミツイ キョウト
Entered by a 1703 gate, opposite Nijo Castle
Nanzenji, Kyoto
RyokanFufu Kyoto
ふふ 京都
Hinoki baths by the canal at Nanzen-ji, next to Murin-an
Saga-Tenryuji, Kyoto
HotelSuiran, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Kyoto
翠嵐 ラグジュアリーコレクションホテル 京都
Baron Kawasaki's 1899 villa on the Hozu River by Tenryu-ji
Kawaramachi Oike, Kyoto
HotelHotel Okura Kyoto
ホテルオークラ京都
A hotel since 1890 on the Choshu domain's old residence
Okazaki, Kyoto
HotelHotel Okura Kyoto Okazaki Bettei
ホテルオークラ京都 岡崎別邸
In a Hongan-ji temple precinct, fitted by Kyoto craft heirs
Arashiyama, Kyoto
HotelMuni Kyoto
MUNI KYOTO
Rooms facing the Togetsukyo bridge, French in kaiseki form
Nakagyo, Kyoto
AubergeTHE HIRAMATSU KYOTO
THE HIRAMATSU 京都
A Meiji kimono draper's machiya, with pine garden and kura
Gion, Kyoto
HotelImperial Hotel, Kyoto
帝国ホテル 京都
Inside the walls of Gion's 1936 Yasaka Kaikan theatre
Tominokoji-Rokkaku, Kyoto
RyokanKanamean Nishitomiya
要庵西富家
Eight rooms, each with its garden, in an 1873 sukiya house
Seikanji Ryozan-cho, Kyoto
HotelBanyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto
バンヤンツリー・東山 京都
A Noh stage by Kengo Kuma, and Higashiyama's hot spring
Myohoin Maekawa-cho, Kyoto
HotelFour Seasons Hotel Kyoto
フォーシーズンズホテル京都
Shakusui-en, a Heian pond garden, and its tea house
Nakahakusancho, Kyoto
RyokanHiiragiya
柊家
Edo-period rooms, Sanchi Ogawa's stained-glass baths
Arashiyama, Kyoto
RyokanHoshinoya Kyoto
星のや京都
By its own boat up the Oi river to a 17th-century villa
Higashiyama, Kyoto
HotelSix Senses Kyoto
シックスセンシズ 京都
Choju-giga animals and bathhouses, opposite Toyokuni Shrine
Kiyomizu, Kyoto
HotelThe Hotel Seiryu Kyoto Kiyomizu
ザ・ホテル青龍 京都清水
A 1933 primary school on the slope below Kiyomizu-dera
Nanzen-ji, Kyoto
RyokanKyoto Nanzenji Garden Ryokan Yachiyo
南禅寺 八千代
Seven hinoki baths open to an Ogawa Jihei garden
Hanase, Kyoto
RyokanMiyamasou
美山荘
A mountain temple's 1892 lodging, cooking gathered plants
Omuro, Kyoto
RyokanNinnaji Shorinan
仁和寺 松林庵
A house inside Ninna-ji, the temple yours from dusk to dawn
Okazaki, Kyoto
HotelShinsho-an
眞松庵
Four suites on the Nanzen-ji approach, by referral only
Fuyacho Sanjo, Kyoto
RyokanSumiya Ryokan
炭屋旅館
Tea gatherings in two tea rooms; matcha on the 7th and 17th
Fuyacho Aneyakoji, Kyoto
RyokanTawaraya
俵屋旅館
One family's inn for 300 years, a Junzo Yoshimura wing
Also in Kyoto, from our guide
Hotels we have stayed in that are not on our own Japan list, most of them international brands. Each opens its page in the guide.
On our wishlist
Hotels we have yet to stay in but want to, and book for clients. Ask us about any of them.
Takagamine, Kyoto
HotelAman Kyoto
A secret garden north of the city that a textile collector spent decades laying out and never built on.
Miyagawa-cho, Kyoto
HotelCapella Kyoto
Kengo Kuma's low-rise take on the machiya in the Miyagawa-cho geisha district, beside the restored Kaburenjo theatre; opened March 2026.
Gion, Kyoto
HotelThe Shinmonzen
Tadao Ando on the Shirakawa canal, nine rooms, run by the Grill family of Vienna.
Higashiyama, Kyoto
HotelPark Hyatt Kyoto
On the Higashiyama slopes near Ninenzaka and Kodai-ji, among the old lanes of Kyoto's temple quarter.
Kinugasa, Kyoto
HotelROKU KYOTO, LXR Hotels & Resorts
In Rakuhoku, the wooded hills of north-west Kyoto, with a thermal pool filled from a natural hot spring.
Sample trips through Kyoto
Routes we have drawn up that stay in Kyoto: starting points for a trip we build around your dates and pace.
6 nights · Any season
A short first trip: Tokyo, a night in a Kaga ryokan, and Kyoto
Six nights for a first visit: Tokyo, then the Hokuriku Shinkansen to a ryokan in the hills of Kaga for one night of baths and kaiseki, and on to Kyoto.
10 nights · Spring
A first trip: Tokyo, Hakone and Kyoto, and a night train by the sea
The classic first journey through Japan, from the capital to a hot-spring ryokan in the hills and on to the old capital.
13 nights · Any season
A first two weeks: Tokyo, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Nara and a ryokan in Hakone
Thirteen nights for a first visit, with six of them in ryokans: Tokyo, then GranClass on the Hokuriku Shinkansen to a four-suite inn in Kanazawa, four nights in Gion, two in Nara Park and two at the end in a ryokan in the Hakone hills, a car ride from the airports.
13 nights · Autumn
Two weeks in autumn: Tokyo, Nikko, Kyoto and the Inland Sea
A route that follows the autumn leaves south and west: a garden hotel in Tokyo, the Spacia X to the shrines of Nikko, then Kyoto by Nanzen-ji and Arashiyama, a restaurant inn in Kurashiki and Shigeru Ban's villas on the Inland Sea facing Miyajima.
9 nights · Autumn leaves
Kyoto in depth, by neighbourhood, and two nights in Nara
Kyoto taken one district at a time: a ryokan in the old centre near Higashiyama, a hotel on the river at Arashiyama, then a garden hotel opposite Nijo Castle.
7 nights · Autumn and winter
Nara, Higashiyama and Ise-Shima: the Shimakaze to Amanemu
A trip from the old capitals to the coast of the Kii peninsula: an inn in the forest behind Kasuga Taisha, a hotel on the Higashiyama hillside, then Kintetsu's Shimakaze to Amanemu above Ago Bay.
9 nights · Spring or autumn
The Inland Sea by train and ferry: Sasayama, Kurashiki, Naoshima and Matsuyama
From Kyoto west through the castle town of Sasayama and the canal quarter of Kurashiki to the art island of Naoshima, then across to Matsuyama in Shikoku.
Beyond the hotel
Private and out-of-hours ways into Kyoto, arranged by our team in Japan. Ask about any of them with your stay.
Tea ceremony · Omuro
Ninna-ji with a monk, then private tea
Matcha in Ogata Kenzan's tea room, never open to the public
MoreLess
One party is taken round Ninna-ji by one of its monks, including the Kondo hall, which is normally closed to the public. Then Sokei Tsutsui, a full professor of the Urasenke school with over 40 years' practice, serves matcha and wagashi in Ryokaku-tei, a tea room from Ogata Kenzan's house that is an Important Cultural Property and not open to the public. The tea room has no heating or cooling, so in extreme heat or cold another room is used.
Tea ceremony · Kamigyo
Enshu tea in an old townhouse
Draw water at a shrine, then koicha from Tyas Sosen, all in English
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A private ceremony in the upstairs tea room of an old townhouse near the Imperial Palace, given in English by the owner, Tyas Sosen. He is a Belgian-born master of the Enshu school, which teaches the warrior style of tea. It begins with a walk to Sugawarain Tenmangu to draw water, then a lesson in etiquette, and ends with koicha (thick tea) made from organic, pesticide-free leaves.
Temple access · Higashiyama
Kiyomizu-dera at dawn with a monk
Three hours from 6 a.m., into areas normally closed, before the crowds
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A three-hour early-morning walk through Kiyomizu-dera led by the monk Shoin Onishi, with an English interpreter, including areas normally closed to visitors. It runs from 6 a.m., before the temple fills. It is arranged through Hotel The Seiryu Kyoto Kiyomizu, beside the temple, which we book.
Zazen · Higashiyama
Zazen in a temple closed to the public
An hour with a monk in Gesshin-in's main hall, for your party alone
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An hour of zazen and breathing practice with a monk in the main hall of Gesshin-in, a sub-temple that is not open to the public and was a base for the samurai who broke from the Shinsengumi. The session is for your party alone and ends with a talk by the monk.
Zazen · Gion
Zazen over a Kennin-ji temple garden
A sub-temple from 1358 at the edge of Gion, the whole space for one party
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Zazen overlooking the garden of Ryosokuin, a Kennin-ji sub-temple founded in 1358 at the edge of Gion. The private option books out the whole temple space for one party.
Craft · Higashiyama
Incense, flowers and tea
Arrange flowers, 'listen' to incense and make tea with Miki Takeuchi
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A private two-hour session with Miki Takeuchi, a teacher of the Kodo Sanpin Oeda school and an ikebana artist: arranging seasonal flowers, 'listening' to aromatic wood in the incense ceremony, then preparing your own tea.
Guide · Okazaki
Murin-an with its head gardener
An hour in a Meiji garden that borrows the Higashiyama hills, interpreted
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An hour in Yamagata Aritomo's Meiji-era garden with Murin-an's head gardener from Ueyakato Landscape, with English interpretation, for up to ten people. The gardeners who keep the garden explain how it borrows the Higashiyama hills.
Rickshaw · Arashiyama
A rickshaw through Arashiyama
Pulled from Togetsukyo Bridge on a route set to your day
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A jinrikisha pulled by a guide through Arashiyama from the stand at the north end of Togetsukyo Bridge, where Ebisuya began in 1992. Routes can be set to the client's day.
River boat · Arashiyama
A private boat down the Hozu gorge
Poled by the river's boatmen from Kameoka, six reclining seats
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A fully private boat down the Hozu gorge from Kameoka to Arashiyama, poled by the river's boatmen, with six reclining seats for up to eight guests. An interpreter, Kyoto cuisine and drinks can be added.
Tea farm · Wazuka
A private tea farm visit in Wazuka
Walk the hillside tea fields with the farm's own team, on dates you choose
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A guided visit to the hillside tea fields of Wazuka, in Kyoto's southern tea country beyond Uji, with the farm's own team. The farm runs it privately on dates of your choosing, or tailored for guests who cannot manage the steep slopes.
Tables worth the effort
The places we have been first, then the counters worth the effort. Many book only by telephone, by introduction or on set dates; we book them for you.
Bar · Shimogyo
Bar Rocking Chair
Cocktails by the fire in a 100-year-old machiya, from World Bartender Kenji Tsubokura
Kaiseki · Maruyama Park
Mizai
Hitoshi Ishihara's three-star kaiseki inside Maruyama Park, one 6 p.m. start
Kappo · Gion
Gion Sasaki
Hiroshi Sasaki's three-star counter, every guest starting together
Kaiseki · Ginkaku-ji
Soujiki Nakahigashi
Two stars for wild plants the owner gathers himself, at a twelve-seat counter
Kaiseki · Higashiyama
Kikunoi Honten
Kaiseki in tatami rooms below Yasaka Shrine, three stars for seventeen years
Kaiseki · Nanzen-ji
Hyotei
The old kaiseki house at Nanzen-ji, three stars for seventeen years
Kaiseki · Nakagyo
Ichishi Soden Nakamura
A three-star ryotei serving set kaiseki in private rooms
Kaiseki · Hanase
Miyamaso
A mountain inn's foraged cooking, raised to three stars in 2026
Kaiseki · Higashiyama
Kodaiji Wakuden
Two-star kaiseki served only in six private rooms by Kodai-ji
Kaiseki · Arashiyama
Kyoto Kitcho Arashiyama
Kaiseki in seven private rooms of a sukiya house by Togetsukyo Bridge
Tempura · Nakagyo
Tempura Yoshikawa
An eight-seat tempura counter inside the Yoshikawa ryokan
Sweets · Gion
Kagizen Yoshifusa
The old Gion confectioner's tearoom, for kuzukiri and seasonal sweets
Tea house · Uji
Tsuen
Uji tea at the Uji Bridge since 1160, a short walk from Byodo-in
Collections for Kyoto
Elsewhere in Japan
Q&A
In the centre or in Higashiyama, so the old streets are a walk away. Tawaraya, Hiiragiya and Sumiya Ryokan are on Fuyacho in central Kyoto; the Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto, Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto and Imperial Hotel, Kyoto, in Gion, are among the temples of Higashiyama.
Central Kyoto's old ryokans are not hot-spring inns: Tawaraya, Hiiragiya, Sumiya Ryokan and Kanamean Nishitomiya have wooden tubs of ordinary water. For hot-spring water in the room, Fufu Kyoto has a hinoki hot-spring bath in every room by Nanzen-ji, and Suiran and HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO have one in some rooms.
The Hotel Seiryu Kyoto Kiyomizu, Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto and Suiran let under-13s stay free sharing a bed, and the Imperial Hotel, Kyoto gives free cots. Hotel Okura Kyoto Okazaki Bettei and Shinsho-an take guests 12 and over only, and Sumiya Ryokan children from 6.
Most of our Kyoto ryokans have no shared baths, so the question does not arise. HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO may ask you to cover tattoos in its spring bath, and Hotel Okura Kyoto does not allow them in its pool, sauna or baths.