Inside Kyoto

A Kyoto Travel Guide

The Best Luxury Ryokan in Kyoto 2026

These are the best high-end ryokan in Kyoto. For a true luxury ryokan experience you cannot go wrong with any of these. I’ve personally inspected all the places on this list.

Shorai room with garden view at Tawaraya Ryokan.
Shorai room at Tawaraya Ryokan © Chris Rowthorn.

A Note on Booking Luxury Ryokan

Some luxury ryokan are hard to book online. However, several of Kyoto’s truly outstanding luxury ryokan can now be booked easily online, and I list those first below. For most international travelers, these are the places I recommend most strongly.

My Top Luxury Ryokan Picks

Scroll down for details on these ryokan.

Luxury Ryokan That Can Easily Be Booked Online

Seikoro

Streetview of entrance to Seikoro Ryokan.
Seikoro Ryokan © Jun Kitayama.

Seikoro is the ryokan I recommend to many of my consulting clients. Once you step into the secluded entryway, it’s like you’ve stepped into another world. The Seikoro is a classic ryokan with almost flamboyant decorative touches that recall art nouveau. All rooms look over lovely gardens and have fine wooden bathtubs.
Pros: Attentive service, lovely décor, comfortable with foreign guests.
Cons: Gojo-dori location is somewhat inconvenient (but it’s close to a subway station and within walking distance of Kiyomizu-dera and Gion).
:: More Info on Seikoro.
:: Check Availability, Pricing and Guest Reviews for Seikoro at Booking.com and Agoda.com.

Nazuna Kyoto Gosho

Nazuna Kyoto Gosho deluxe king room.
Nazuna Kyoto Gosho deluxe king room.

This stylish boutique ryokan combines traditional Kyoto aesthetics with a more contemporary luxury feel. The staff is attentive and the entire place feels intimate and tranquil. It’s a short walk from the wonderful Imperial Palace Park and also close to a subway station.
Pros: Wonderful rooms, great meals.
Cons: A bit of a walk to downtown.
:: More Info on Nazuna Kyoto Gosho.
:: Check Availability, Pricing and Guest Reviews for Nazuna Kyoto Gosho at Booking.com or Agoda.com.

Nanzenji Sando Kikusui

Exterior streetview of Nanzenji Sando Kikusui.
Nanzenji Sando Kikusui © Chris Rowthorn.

Nestled down a quiet lane near Nanzen-ji Temple, Kikusui is a fine ryokan that boasts easy access to the sights of both northern and southern Higashiyama, as well as a convenient location near the Tozai subway line. This is an excellent choice for travelers who want a ryokan experience without sacrificing modern luxury comforts. The food here is excellent.
Pros: Very comfortable rooms, great food.
Cons: Less traditional than some places.
:: More Info on Nanzenji Sando Kikusui.
:: Check Availability, Pricing and Guest Reviews for Nanzenji Sando Kikusui at Booking.com or Agoda.com.

Yuzuya

Guest room in the Yuzuya ryokan.
Yuzuya guest room.

Located directly beside Yasaka-jinja and Maruyama-koen, in the heart of Southern Higashiyama and steps from Gion, this magical ryokan offers traditional rooms and some excellent Kyoto kaiseki cuisine. If your priority is walking directly out into Kyoto’s most atmospheric sightseeing district, few ryokan can match this location.
Pros: One of the best locations in Kyoto and great food.
Cons: Expensive.
:: More Info about Yuzuya.
:: Check Availability, Pricing and Guest Reviews for Yuzuya at Booking.com or Agoda.com.

Other Luxury Ryokan

Tawaraya

Guest room in the Tawaraya ryokan.
Tawaraya guest room © Chris Rowthorn.

Tawaraya isn’t just the best ryokan in Kyoto – it may be the best ryokan in Japan. It’s a magical sanctuary that you’ll never want to leave. The service is supernaturally good here: they know what you want before you do. This is the place to sample the Japanese ryokan experience. See my detailed write-up of A Night at Tawaraya (with lots of photos) to help you get a feel for what to expect from staying at Tawaraya.
Pros: Perfect service, lovely gardens, beautiful rooms, superb food, convenient downtown location.
Cons: Expensive, can be tricky to book.
:: More Info about Tawaraya.
:: Read Guest Reviews of Tawaraya at TripAdvisor.

Hiiragiya

Exterior streetview of the entrance to Hiiragiya ryokan.
Hiiragiya © Chris Rowthorn.

Located directly across the street from the Tawaraya, the Hiiragiya is a polished ryokan thoroughly at home with foreign guests. There are immaculate rooms in the new wing, but I like the wabi-sabi patina of the rooms in the old wing.
Pros: Great food, excellent service, beautiful gardens, convenient downtown location.
Cons: Less intimate in scale than some other inns, service can be inflexible.
:: More info about Hiiragiya Ryokan.
:: Read Guest Reviews of Hiiragiya at TripAdvisor.

Ugenta

Exterior streetview of the entrance to Ugenta ryokan.
Ugenta © Chris Rowthorn.

All the way up in the tiny hamlet of Kibune (one valley over from Kurama and its famous temple), Ugenta is a rare find. The inn is divided into two exquisite units (and they only accept two groups per evening). One side is Western-style – all smooth wood and modern furnishings – the other is traditional Japanese – with sublime old Japan touches. Both units have indoor baths and private outdoor baths that face the mountainside. This would be a brilliant spot for a romantic getaway (and it’s just 30 minutes by taxi from Kyoto).
Pros: Giant apartment-size private units, all the mod cons, the latest in Japanese design, great food, impossibly quaint village location.
Cons: Nothing to do in the village at night (but you’d be crazy to want to leave the inn, so this doesn’t really matter).
:: More Info about Ugenta.
:: Read Guest Reviews of Ugenta at TripAdvisor.

Hoshinoya

Hoshinoya guest room and view of gardens.
Hoshinoya.

No ryokan in Kyoto comes close to Hoshinoya for dramatic approach: a private boat will whisk you up the Oigawa River to a boat landing, where the staff will greet you and escort you to your room. Surrounded by greenery, overlooking the rushing waters of the river, this place feels like a completely different world from Kyoto, but a quick trip back down the river brings you to the bustling Arashiyama tourist district. The design here is modern Japanese and the feeling is of extreme privacy.
Pros: Magical river approach, fantastic riverside setting, slick modern design.
Cons: A long way to downtown.
:: More Info about Hoshinoya.
:: Read Guest Reviews of Hoshinoya at TripAdvisor.

Yoshida Sanso

Entrance to Yoshida Sanso ryokan.
Yoshida Sanso entrance © Chris Rowthorn.

Like the name suggests, this superb ryokan is located up on Yoshida-yama, a beautiful hill in the northeast part of town. The rooms here are beautiful and the food is wonderful, but the location is the real attraction here: walk out the door and in a few minutes, you’ll find yourself in some of Kyoto’s most beautiful (and seldom visited) temples.
Pros: Stunning location, beautiful front garden, warm service.
Cons: A fair distance from downtown.
:: More Info on Yoshida Sanso.
:: Read Guest Reviews of Yoshida Sanso at TripAdvisor.

For a general introduction to Kyoto ryokan, see our Kyoto Ryokan page. In addition to the luxury ryokan listed here, be sure to check out our Best Mid-Price Ryokan in Kyoto and Best Budget Ryokan in Kyoto lists.

Another great way to experience Kyoto-style living is to stay in a machiya (traditional Kyoto townhouse), which combines the best aspects of a ryokan and a vacation rental.

Where Are These Places Located?

See these places on our Kyoto Google map:
  • Open the Kyoto map
  • You will see the list of places on the left hand side. (Click the 3-line icon in the top left corner if not). Scroll down or use the map search (the magnifying glass icon) to find the place you want.
  • Click the name of the place in the list. Its location pin will be highlighted on the map.
  • Map pins are color coded - BLUE: Hotels | VIOLET: Ryokan | PINK: Places to Eat | YELLOW: Things to See and Do
  • If you're using the map on your phone, open the map and then search for the name of the place. The map will then zoom in on its location.

More Kyoto Ryokan Info

Best Luxury Ryokan In Kyoto

Popular Kyoto Ryokan
Yuzuya RyokanRyokan YachiyoClassic RyokanMore Info
Yuzuya RyokanYuzuya RyokanRyokanMore Info
Yuzuya RyokanHirashin RyokanModerate PriceMore Info
Yuzuya RyokanNishiyama RyokanModern and CentralMore Info

Best Mid-Price Ryokan In Kyoto

Best Budget Ryokan In Kyoto

Kyoto Vacation Checklist


Kyoto District Map

Click a Kyoto District for detailed info on attractions, places to eat and accommodation


Chris Rowthorn

About InsideKyoto.com and Chris Rowthorn

  • Chris Rowthorn is the co-founder of InsideKyoto.com and has an unparalleled travel knowledge of Kyoto spanning three decades. Chris has written or commissioned and edited every page on the Inside Kyoto website.
  • A former author of Lonely Planet Kyoto and Lonely Planet Japan guidebooks, Chris is also the director of the Kyoto walking tour company Chris Rowthorn Tours, and Japan Travel Consulting, where you can get bespoke travel advice for your Japan trip.
  • InsideKyoto.com has been cited by the New York Times and The Times of London, among many other publications and websites.


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