4-Star Hotels in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan

The Urban Hotel is really good. There's one on Shijo and one on Gojo, and I've stayed at both. They're excellent. When I come to Kyoto, I usually choose this brand. They are very clean, and both locations have a large public bath, which I really love.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I had a wonderful stay at Tokyu Stay Kyoto Sanjo-Karasuma. The location is excellent—situated in a quiet and pleasant Kyoto neighborhood while being just a short walk from Karasuma Oike Station, making it easy to get around the city. There are also plenty of cafés, restaurants, convenience stores, and shopping areas nearby. The staff were exceptionally friendly, welcoming, and always happy to help. Check-in and check-out were smooth, and the service throughout my stay was excellent. The room was clean, comfortable, and thoughtfully equipped. Having a washer-dryer and microwave in the room was especially convenient for a longer stay. Despite the central location, the hotel was peaceful at night, allowing for a good night’s sleep. Overall, Tokyu Stay Kyoto Sanjo-Karasuma was the perfect base for exploring Kyoto. I would definitely stay here again and highly recommend it to anyone visiting the city.

The room's cleanliness was, as always, excellent, and it was quite spacious. We booked a twin room, and the beds could be pushed together. However, the bathroom was exceptionally small, making it difficult to place toiletries, including cups and razors, freely. There's a self-service laundry room and an ice machine. The room only provides two bottles of water, and there's no water purifier. Although the bathroom sign indicates the water is drinkable, it actually has a strong chlorine smell, which persists even after boiling. This isn't very practical for those accustomed to bottled mineral water or water purifiers in their home country. All toiletries were provided, but I have two main complaints: the toothpaste came in a tiny 2x1 cm paper sachet, which was incredibly inconvenient – small, hard to tear open, and difficult to squeeze out. It was quite an experience! Secondly, unlike the first hotel we stayed at, there were no bath salts provided. Transportation is extremely convenient, with Kyoto Station directly across the street. Check-in was also easy, and our luggage was automatically stored by the front desk upon arrival.

I stayed for 4 nights from January 4 to January 8, 2026. From the hotel, you can walk to Nijo Castle in about 10 minutes. There are many small convenience stores nearby (7-Eleven and the like), as well as two large supermarkets — Life is open until midnight, which is a huge plus. You can buy nice gifts for friends and family late in the evening without wasting daytime hours. The transportation access is great too: within a few minutes' walk there's a subway station and a JR line (convenient for coming from the railway station), and right next to the hotel there's a bus stop. This is important because Kyoto's sights are scattered all over the city, and you often need to use public transport or taxis. Speaking of taxis. Twice I asked the reception to call me a taxi, and both times the staff helped me — a huge thank you to them! It was especially important on the first day: thanks to a taxi, I made it to Kiyomizu-dera Temple in time and explored it without rushing. Check-in was very quick, and the staff explained where everything was. The room was quite spacious — or maybe it just felt that way. I comfortably unpacked my suitcase and took out everything I needed without feeling cramped. The room had all the essentials, and there were kettles near the elevator that you could take to your room if needed. I did, and had some tea before bed (on the first floor, you can grab a free tea bag if you don't have your own). The air conditioner worked for both cooling and heating — which was very useful on some evenings. Honestly, I only used the hotel to sleep, and it was perfectly fine. Every morning, breakfast is served on the first floor. To be honest, I expected something simple since the room rate was quite affordable. That's why the breakfast was such a pleasant surprise! My eyes wandered every morning at the variety of delicious food! A huge selection. Every day I had rice with various toppings, amazing salmon, cod, and various vegetables (the okra here was especially good). There's a small smoking room on the first floor with good ventilation. My overall impression of the hotel is extremely positive. I will definitely stay here again on my next visit to Kyoto.

Delightful. My room had its own Zen garden outside on the 5th floor. I wanted to experience a traditional Tatami mat room. Bed was made for me at 7PM. Due to age a bit hard to turn on/off the lights since I had to get up to turn them on and off. Japanese bath was splendid as well. Spotless. Enjoyed a 6 course dinner - was unbelievably good.

We stayed at Hotel Gracery Kyoto for two nights and overall had a very comfortable stay. The hotel has two sections, and we stayed in the South building. The room was very clean, and the space was used efficiently, which is typical for Japan. The bathroom layout was a bit unusual. The toilet and shower are separate, which is convenient, but the toilet cubicle itself is extremely small. The shower is positioned in an odd space between the bath and what seems to be the shower floor, and the shower head cannot be adjusted up or down. That said, the water pressure and temperature were excellent, which made up for the layout. Bottled water was provided on the first day, which was appreciated. The TV, however, was very limited with only Japanese channels and no access to Netflix or other streaming services. The location is excellent. The hotel is right by Nishiki Market and surrounded by shops and restaurants, with multiple subway lines nearby. There are also many fantastic local restaurants in the area, which we highly recommend, especially when the market gets overwhelmingly busy. The hotel provides a wide range of amenities in the lobby, including face wash, toner, lotion, razors, combs and mouthwash. While convenient, the large amount of individually packaged items does not feel particularly environmentally friendly. We checked out the breakfast one morning but decided not to purchase it as it was 2750 yen per person, and there are plenty of better and more affordable options nearby. The staff were very friendly and welcoming, and we also appreciated that the hotel offers free umbrella use on rainy days, which was a thoughtful touch. One downside was the room cleaning timing. We left early in the morning and only returned after 3pm, but the room was still being cleaned when we got back. We were asked to wait around 30 minutes, which was quite inconvenient after a long day when we wanted to rest, shower and freshen up before heading out again. Overall, a clean and well-located hotel with a few minor design quirks and service timing issues, but still a very pleasant stay.

Superb experience in Nohga. Everything here has been curated very carefully, you can tell the people or group behind this whole hotel concept really put in so much thought for their guests. Absolutely loved my entire stay here. I eat breakfast at their bakery every morning. Love their customisable bagels, mortadella sandwich, salted bun and cinnamon mochi donut. Chocolate mochi donut was a little too sweet. Americano and matcha latte were great. Thoroughly enjoyed their rooftop bar every night (opens till 12am). Awesome vibes, very romantic atmosphere. Staff are sweet, gives heat packs and blankets to keep us warm. Warm cocktails are a must during winters. You can order any random cocktails and they all taste so good. The distance from the train station to this hotel is quite a distance but I think the overall experience you get in this hotel makes the walk a worthwhile one. Def recommending this hotel to my friends who wanna come to Kyoto.

The hotel's location is super convenient; it's just a few minutes to Kyoto Station, whether you're heading to a tourist spot or catching the Shinkansen. However, make sure to confirm the correct exit from Kyoto Station beforehand – I went the wrong way the first time without navigation. Each floor has a water dispenser, ice maker, and vending machine, which is very handy.

Room was clean and spacious enough for two people. There was also a table with two chairs in the room, which was very convenient for me to work at during the evenings. The staff were very kind and helpful. Complimentary amenities were available in the common area, and guests could request pajamas from the reception desk. I forgot to bring a plug adapter and asked to borrow one from the receptionist. Fortunately, they had one available and lent it to me free of charge. The location is convenient, about a 7–8 minute walk from Sanjo Station and the Kamo River. It is also close to a bus stop, about a 5-minute walk away, making it easy to get to Gion. The breakfast offered a good variety of options. There were both Japanese and international dishes, and the quality was good and well-prepared. I enjoyed staying and just realised I didnt take any photos of the room but nutto during breakfast…🤣

Great hotel room, spacious and comfortable . Beds were soft and the toilet was big with two separate places to shower , sink and the toilet itself . Remember to close the window of the bathtub otherwise people can see you taking a shower (even it is far distance).  The onsen was great with sauna, cold onsen, outdoor natural hot springs and indoor.  The negative point is that every floor they have smoking área and the smell of cigarette was in my room every night . We had to turn on the a/c and the air purifier and in the next day ask staff to keep the windows opened for ventilation . The location is privileged just ten minutes walking from the train station.   There are supermarkets nearby and it is quite convenient to eat around , with meals of all ranges of prices .