Inside Kyoto

A Kyoto Travel Guide

Best Ryokan Near Kyoto

You don’t have to go into the depths of the Japan Alps to find soothing countryside ryokans. In fact, there are several superb ryokan within two or three hours of Kyoto, and some only half an hour away. So if you want to add a rural break to your trip, look no further: These are our favorite ryokans near Kyoto.

Nishimuraya Honkan
Nishimuraya Honkan

Kyo Yunohana Resort Suisen (Kameoka, Kyoto Prefecture)

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For pure relaxation, soothing hot spring baths and excellent food, this ryokan is hard to beat. It’s in Kameoka, which is just over the mountains on the west side of Kyoto. It’s 20 minutes by train from Kyoto Station and then a short shuttle bus ride. It’s so close you could actually explore Kyoto from here, but it feels like worlds away.

Kyo Yunohana Resort Suisen
Kyo Yunohana Resort Suisen

Japanese Ryokan Seryo (Ohara, Kyoto Prefecture)

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The village of Ohara is about 30 minutes by bus north of Kyoto in the Kitayama Mountains. It’s always been one of our favorite day trips out of Kyoto, particularly to enjoy the foliage in Sanzen-in Temple. Once the daytrippers go home, the village is extremely quiet. Seryo sits on a hill just outside Sanzen-in. It’s a great ryokan that has been updated with modern comforts. The food is incredible and the rates are very reasonable once you consider the meals you’re getting. This is the perfect place for your first ryokan experience.

Japanese Ryokan Seryo
Japanese Ryokan Seryo

Kigusuriya (Miyama, Kyoto Prefecture)

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For the rustic ryokan experience, Kigusuriya is a welcoming ryokan in Miyama, the thatched-roof area in the mountains north of Kyoto. If you’ve got a rental car and want to see the rural side of Japan, Kigusuriya would make a brilliant base for a night or two. It’s about 90 minutes north of Kyoto by car.

Kigusuriya
Kigusuriya

Ryokan Sumiya Kihoan (Kameoka, Kyoto Prefecture)

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Another great ryokan in Kameoka is Sumiya Kihoan, which is famous for having hosted John Lennon and Yoko Ono many years back. It’s a relatively modern ryokan with some amazing baths and great food. Given its proximity to Kyoto, it makes a great choice for those who are short on time and just want to add a one-night ryokan experience to their Kyoto stay.

Ryokan Sumiya Kihoan bath
Ryokan Sumiya Kihoan bath

Nishimuraya Honkan (Kinosaki, Hyogo Prefecture)

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Just 2.5 hours north of Kyoto by direct express train, Kinosaki is our favorite onsen town near Kyoto. The grande dame of Kinosaki ryokan is Nishimuraya Honkan. Everything is perfect, from the meals that feature the seafood of the Japan Sea, to the spacious rooms, to the private onsen tubs overlooking gardens in some of the rooms. For a relaxing splurge, you cannot beat Nishimuraya.

Nishimuraya Honkan
Nishimuraya Honkan

Onishiya Suishoen (Kinosaki, Hyogo Prefecture)

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Suishoen is one of the best ryokan values in Kinosaki. It’s a semi-traditional building built around a beautiful garden. The meals are wonderful (particularly the crab in winter) and the baths are blissfully relaxing. It’s a short walk from the town center, but they’ll whisk you downtown any time you want in a mock London cab.

Onishiya Suishoen
Onishiya Suishoen

Tsukihitei (Nara City, Nara Prefecture)

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Sure, Nara is an easy daytrip from Kyoto, but there’s something magical about staying in the city once the tourists have gone home. Hidden in the Kasuga Primeval Forest above Nara Park, this place feels like another world and time. Don’t be surprised if you spot a deer wandering by while you soak in the tubs.

Tsukihitei
Tsukihitei

Momijiya Bekkan Kawa No Iori (Takao, Kyoto Prefecture)

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A mere 45 minutes by bus from Kyoto Station in the Kitayama Mountains, the village of Takao is one of our favorite spots for hiking, foliage viewing and just escaping from the city. Nestled on a hillside above the clear waters of the Kiyotaki-gawa River, Momijiya Bekkan is a hidden sanctuary. There are nice Japanese-style rooms in the main building, but the real jewels here are the private detached cabins with private bath tubs on decks overlooking the river and the maple leaves. The ryokan offers dinners with geisha in the main dining area during some seasons.

Momijiya Bekkan Kawa No Iori
Momijiya Bekkan Kawa No Iori

Kayoutei (Yamanaka Onsen, Ishikawa Prefecture)

(View on ryokancollection.com)
Kayoutei is a sublime beauty with everything you want from a top-flight ryokan: delicious kaiseki meals and private onsen (hot spring) baths. Some rooms here have their own private tubs on decks looking out over a bubbling stream. It’s just two hours by direction train from Kyoto Station.

Kayoutei
Kayoutei

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