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Kinki (Kansai) region

Kyoto

From the Takagamine forest to the Arashiyama riverside, the Higashiyama hills and the station building itself — 13 stays, each one chosen.

Pick a stay

Highlights

Five places worth seeing however many times you have been.

Kinkaku-ji

Kinkaku-ji

The gold-leafed pavilion mirrored in its pond; Kyoto's signature view.

Details
Fushimi Inari Taisha

Fushimi Inari Taisha

Thousands of vermilion torii climbing the mountain path.

Details
Kiyomizu-dera

Kiyomizu-dera

A wooden temple on the Higashiyama hillside, looking over the city.

Details
Arashiyama bamboo grove

Arashiyama bamboo grove

A lane walled with bamboo, near Togetsukyo Bridge and the Hozu River.

Details
Gion

Gion

The old geisha district, its machiya townhouses still standing.

Details
Kinkaku-ji

Kinkaku-ji

The gold-leafed pavilion mirrored in its pond; Kyoto's signature view.

Basics

Open 9:00–17:00

Getting there

  • Kyoto City Bus to the "Kinkakuji-michi" stop

Nearby

Roku Kyoto is within walking distance, per Hilton's own release; Aman Kyoto sits in the same Takagamine forest.

Check hours and fees on the official site

Fushimi Inari Taisha

Fushimi Inari Taisha

Thousands of vermilion torii climbing the mountain path.

Getting there

  • JR Nara Line to Inari Station, right outside (5 min from Kyoto Station)
  • Keihan Line to Fushimi-Inari Station, 5 min walk east
  • City Bus route South-5 to "Inari Taisha-mae", 7 min walk east

Nearby

Five minutes back to Kyoto Station by JR; the classic day continues to Higashiyama (Kiyomizu-dera and Gion).

Check hours and fees on the official site

Kiyomizu-dera

Kiyomizu-dera

A wooden temple on the Higashiyama hillside, looking over the city.

Basics

Gates open 6:00 and close 18:00 (18:30 in July and August). During the spring, summer and autumn evening viewings, last admission is 21:00

Getting there

  • From Kyoto Station: City Bus 206 or 100 to "Gojo-zaka", 10 min walk
  • From Keihan Gion-Shijo: City Bus 207 to "Kiyomizu-michi", 10 min walk

Nearby

Gion is in the same Higashiyama district; walk down through the townhouse streets. Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto is a 15-minute walk away.

Check hours and fees on the official site

Arashiyama bamboo grove

Arashiyama bamboo grove

A lane walled with bamboo, near Togetsukyo Bridge and the Hozu River.

Basics

An open path of about 400 m, from Nonomiya Shrine past Tenryu-ji's north gate to Okochi Sanso

Getting there

  • Randen tram to Arashiyama Station, 10 min walk
  • JR Saga-Arashiyama Station, 13 min walk
  • Hankyu Arashiyama Station, 21 min walk

Nearby

Togetsukyo Bridge and the Hozu River; Suiran is a 5-minute walk from the bridge, and Hoshinoya Kyoto lies upriver, reached by boat.

Check hours and fees on the official site

Gion

Gion

The old geisha district, its machiya townhouses still standing.

Basics

Free to wander. Yasaka Shrine stands at the east end of Shijo; its shrine office is open 9:00–17:00

Getting there

  • Keihan Gion-Shijo Station, about 5 min walk
  • Hankyu Kyoto-Kawaramachi Station, about 8 min walk
  • From Kyoto Station: City Bus 100 or 206 to "Gion"

Nearby

Kiyomizu-dera is in the same Higashiyama district; The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto is within walking distance.

Check hours and fees on the official site

Pick a stay

13 hotels, from a forest hideaway to the station building. Right if you would stay there, left if not this time.

KEEP
SKIP
Takagamine, northern Kyoto — Photo shows the surrounding area, not the hotel
Luxury

Aman Kyoto

Twenty-six rooms hidden in a forest

  • 26 rooms
  • Opened November 2019
  • In the Takagamine forest, about 30 minutes by car from Kyoto Station
Official site Photo shows the surrounding area, not the hotel
KEEP
SKIP
Higashiyama-ku, near the Kyoto National Museum — Photo shows the surrounding area, not the hotel
Luxury

Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto

A 15-minute walk to Kiyomizu-dera

  • Opened October 2016
  • 110 rooms and 13 suites, plus 57 hotel residences
  • 15 minutes' walk to Kiyomizu-dera; 10 by car to Kyoto Station
Official site Photo shows the surrounding area, not the hotel
KEEP
SKIP
Luxury

The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto

On the river, in the middle of the city

  • 134 rooms, opened February 2014
  • On the Kamo River at the foot of Nijo Bridge
  • Gion and Kawaramachi within walking distance
Official site Photo does not show the hotel
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SKIP
Higashiyama hills, next to Kodai-ji — Photo shows the surrounding area, not the hotel
Luxury

Park Hyatt Kyoto

Seventy rooms beside Kodai-ji

  • 70 rooms including 9 suites, opened October 2019
  • Adjacent to Kodai-ji, with views of Yasaka Pagoda
  • Less than 1.5 km from Kyoto Station
Official site Photo shows the surrounding area, not the hotel
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SKIP
Arashiyama, reached by boat from a private landing — Photo shows the surrounding area, not the hotel
Luxury ryokan

Hoshinoya Kyoto

The inn you arrive at by boat

  • You arrive by boat, up the Hozu River
  • 25 rooms in four types
  • From ¥136,000 a night (tax and service included, meals extra) — the official rate on 31 August 2026
Official site Photo shows the surrounding area, not the hotel
KEEP
SKIP
Arashiyama, on the Hozu River near Tenryu-ji — Photo shows the surrounding area, not the hotel
Luxury ryokan

Suiran, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Kyoto

On the Hozu River, five minutes from Togetsukyo Bridge

  • Japan's first Luxury Collection hotel, opened March 2015
  • 39 rooms, 17 with private open-air baths
  • 6 minutes' walk from Randen Arashiyama Station
Official site Photo shows the surrounding area, not the hotel
KEEP
SKIP
Higashiyama, in front of Myoho-in temple and Toyokuni-jinja shrine — Photo shows the surrounding area, not the hotel
Luxury

Six Senses Kyoto

In front of Myoho-in and Toyokuni-jinja

  • 81 rooms and suites, opened April 2024
  • The first Six Senses in Japan — IHG's wellness flagship
  • 10 minutes' walk from Keihan Shichijo Station; 7 by taxi from Kyoto Station
Official site Photo shows the surrounding area, not the hotel
KEEP
SKIP
Nakagyo-ku, 3 minutes' walk from Nijojo-mae Station — Photo shows the surrounding area, not the hotel
Luxury

HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO

Its own hot spring, near Nijo Castle

  • 161 rooms including 22 suites, opened November 2020
  • The spa draws on a natural spring on site
  • No. 46 on The World's 50 Best Hotels 2025
Official site Photo shows the surrounding area, not the hotel
KEEP
SKIP
Kita-ku, in the grounds of Shozan Resort Kyoto, Takagamine — Photo shows the surrounding area, not the hotel
Luxury

Roku Kyoto, LXR Hotels & Resorts

Takagamine, within a walk of Kinkaku-ji

  • 114 rooms, opened September 2021
  • The first LXR — Hilton's top brand — in Asia-Pacific
  • Kinkaku-ji, Koetsu-ji and Genko-an within walking distance
Official site Photo shows the surrounding area, not the hotel
KEEP
SKIP
About 850 m from Kyoto Station — Photo shows the surrounding area, not the hotel
Upper Upscale

Dusit Thani Kyoto

Thai luxury, 850 m from Kyoto Station

  • 150 rooms, opened September 2023
  • Dusit International's debut in Japan
  • Positioned as a blend of Thai and Japanese hospitality
Official site Photo shows the surrounding area, not the hotel
KEEP
SKIP
Hyatt Regency Kyoto — Hotel entrance
Upper upscale

Hyatt Regency Kyoto

Higashiyama quiet, international brand

  • 189 rooms, opened March 2006
  • Walk to Sanjusangendo and the Kyoto National Museum
  • Garden said to date back to the 12th century
Official site Hotel entrance
KEEP
SKIP
Hotel Granvia Kyoto — View from the hotel
Upper upscale (value)

Hotel Granvia Kyoto

Step off the Shinkansen into the lobby

  • Directly inside the Kyoto Station building
  • The hotel's own “Best Rate” plan, from ¥13,450 per person (two sharing, breakfast included) — as published on its official site on 19 August 2026, so read it as the floor
Official site View from the hotel
KEEP
SKIP
Shimogyo-ku, about 6 minutes' walk from Karasuma and Shijo stations — Photo shows the surrounding area, not the hotel
Upscale (value)

Mitsui Garden Hotel Kyoto Shijo

A base for seeing central Kyoto on foot

  • About 6 minutes' walk from the Karasuma and Shijo stations
  • Official site in five languages
  • Most of central Kyoto within minutes
Official site Photo shows the surrounding area, not the hotel

That is every hotel on this page.

Drag a card left or right. Arrow keys work too.

How we chose: segment, suitability for visitors from overseas, and regional spread. Nobody paid to be listed. How we choose hotels

This page was last reviewed on 31 August 2026. Rates and opening information change; please check the property's official site before booking.

A classic one-day route

Fushimi in the morning, Higashiyama at midday, Arashiyama in the afternoon, Gion after dark. In that order it fits one day without rushing.

Morning

Fushimi Inari Taisha

Climb the torii-lined path early, before the crowds build.

Midday

Higashiyama (Kiyomizu-dera and Gion)

Visit the hillside temple, then walk Gion's townhouse streets.

Afternoon

Arashiyama

Finish in the bamboo grove and on Togetsukyo Bridge over the Hozu River.

Evening

Gion and the Kamo River

Back to Kyoto Station by JR from Saga-Arashiyama, then the bus to Gion. Yasaka Shrine is open around the clock; finish along the Kamo River.

Getting there

From the airport

Kansai International or Osaka Itami; both connect to the city by rail and bus.

Around the city

Bus plus subway covers the main areas. The flat centre is popular by bicycle. Shinkansen from Tokyo and Osaka.