Where should I stay in Kyoto for the old town?

Three hotels on this page are in Higashiyama: Capella in the Miyagawa-cho geisha district, Park Hyatt near Ninenzaka and Kiyomizu-dera, and Banyan Tree on a hillside near Kiyomizu-dera. All three are priced as luxury. For something central but less costly, Ace Hotel Kyoto is in Nakagyo.

Is there a less expensive Kyoto hotel on this list?

Ace Hotel Kyoto, in a 1926 Art Deco building in central Kyoto, is listed as expensive while every other stay here is listed as luxury. It is a design hotel with an art-filled lobby, a sunken lounge and a bar, rather than a ryokan with onsen baths.

Kyoto Hotels From TikTok: Ryokan, Onsen Suites and Design Stays

This is a high-end list. Six of the seven Kyoto stays are priced as luxury and the seventh, Ace Hotel Kyoto, as expensive. They split into two kinds. Some are international luxury brands in Higashiyama near Kiyomizu-dera, and others are small traditional stays in renovated townhouses, like a seven-room ryokan with an open-air bath in every room and a culinary inn built around a tempura restaurant.

Hot springs are a theme. Nazuna Kyoto Gosho gives every room a private onsen, Capella has six onsen suites, and Banyan Tree has natural hot spring facilities. The posts are travel guides rather than hotel reviews, so the details here come from each listing: the architect, the room count, what is on site. Three hotels sit in Higashiyama, three in Nakagyo Ward, and Nazuna in Shimogyo.

Written from public posts on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Updated Oct 2026.

Where creators go

Capella KyotoLuxury Hotel
Capella Kyoto is in the Miyagawa-cho geisha district in Higashiyama, designed by Kengo Kuma & Associates as a reworking of traditional machiya townhouses. Six Onsen Suites have private hot spring baths. Guests have access to the restored Miyagawa-cho Kaburenjo Theatre, and there are views of the Higashiyama skyline and the Yasaka Pagoda.
Nazuna Kyoto GoshoHotel
Nazuna Kyoto Gosho is a seven-room ryokan made from two renovated machiya townhouses. Every room has a private open-air onsen, tea and snacks are available around the clock, and breakfast is home-cooked Japanese food. It is a small, quiet alternative to the bigger hotels.
Banyan Tree Higashiyama KyotoLuxury Hotel
Banyan Tree Higashiyama sits on a hillside near Kiyomizu-dera, with 52 rooms, a natural hot spring and bamboo and garden landscaping. Its listing says it has the only Noh stage in a Kyoto hotel. Ryozen, a Japanese restaurant, is on site.
YoshikawaGuesthouse
Yoshikawa on Tominokoji in Nakagyo is a culinary ryokan with tatami rooms, sukiya-style architecture and the Taikyoen garden attributed to Kobori Enshu. The stay centers on its tempura restaurant, which serves tempura-focused kaiseki. Reservations are highly recommended, so book early.
Park Hyatt KyotoLuxury Hotel
Park Hyatt Kyoto is in Higashiyama near Ninenzaka and Kiyomizu-dera, overlooking the traditional cityscape. Its listing highlights Michelin-starred dining at Yasaka, casual meals at Kyoto Bistro, and a spa, fitness center and bathhouse. Choose it if you want the old streets on your doorstep and full hotel service.
Garrya Nijo Castle KyotoBoutique Hotel
Garrya Nijo Castle Kyoto is a minimalist 25-room hotel steps from Nijo Castle, a World Heritage Site. It holds one MICHELIN Key and has a French restaurant cooking with seasonal ingredients. At 25 rooms it is half the size of Banyan Tree.
Ace Hotel KyotoBoutique Hotel
Ace Hotel Kyoto occupies a 1926 Art Deco building in central Kyoto, with an art-filled lobby, a sunken lounge and a Lobby Bar. It is the only stay here priced as expensive rather than luxury, and its central location puts cultural sites within easy reach.

Staying in Higashiyama

Capella, Banyan Tree and Park Hyatt Kyoto are all in Higashiyama Ward, close to Kiyomizu-dera, Ninenzaka and the Yasaka Pagoda. Capella is the one in the geisha district of Miyagawa-cho, Banyan Tree is up on a hillside with a hot spring, and Park Hyatt has the Michelin-starred restaurant.

Ryokan stays

For a traditional inn, the list has two. Nazuna Kyoto Gosho is about private baths, with an open-air onsen in each of its seven rooms. Yoshikawa is about the food, a tempura kaiseki restaurant inside a sukiya-style house with a historic garden.

Good to know

Nazuna Kyoto Gosho has a private open-air onsen in every one of its seven rooms. Capella Kyoto has six Onsen Suites with private hot spring baths. Banyan Tree Higashiyama has natural hot spring onsen facilities on site, set among bamboo and gardens.