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Hotels near Kyoto Imperial Palace: 5 picked from 773
Approximate, at the rate on 2026-10-02. You pay in yen.
- Hotels near Kyoto Imperial Palace: five by Marutamachi, Imadegawa and Jingu-Marutamachi
- Noku Kyoto is a minute from Marutamachi; Hyatt Place is joined to exit 6
- Kyoto Garden Palace faces the Hamaguri Gate from about ¥7,000; Diamond Kyoto Society has a bath house
The five
| Best for | Where to book | Score | Weeknight (per person) | Saturday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Next to the Imperial Palace, 1 minute from Marutamachi — if you can’t decide | Noku Kyoto Check price |
86/100 | ¥11,000–27,000 | ¥12,000–33,000 |
| West of the Imperial Palace, the best-reviewed of the seven | Kyoto Brighton Hotel Check price |
75/100 | ¥28,000–52,000 | ¥47,000 |
| Facing the palace’s Hamaguri Gate, 1 pm check-out | Kyoto Garden Palace Check price |
70/100 | ¥7,000–16,000 | ¥12,000–33,000 |
| By the Kamo River, bath house and sauna | Diamond Kyoto Society Check price |
66/100 | ¥9,000–13,000 | ¥12,000–13,000 |
| Directly connected to Marutamachi station exit 6 | Hyatt Place Kyoto Check price |
60/100 | ¥14,000–49,000 | ¥18,000–59,000 |
Prices are the cheapest per person found on Rakuten Travel for Wednesdays and Saturdays between 2026-11-18 – 2027-01-09, for 2 adults in one room (checked 2026-11-11). They move daily — the link shows live prices.
The booking links go to Agoda, which shows today’s price and lets you pay in your own currency. Its price can differ from the Rakuten Travel figures above.
Next to the Imperial Palace, 1 minute from Marutamachi
Reviews: Rakuten Travel 4.64/5 (71)
- Beside the Kyoto Imperial Palace, about a minute from exit 4 of Marutamachi station
- Exit 5 has the lift, if you are carrying luggage
- 81 rooms; breakfast is served in the restaurant
Why it made the five
- About one minute on foot from exit 4 at Marutamachi; use exit 5 for the lift.
- Next to the Kyoto Imperial Palace.
- 4.64 across 71 reviews, the second-highest average of the seven.
- About ¥11,000–27,000 per person on a weeknight with breakfast; ¥12,000–33,000 on a Saturday.
Getting there: About one minute on foot from exit 4 of Marutamachi station (Kyoto subway Karasuma line); exit 5 has a lift.
Language and payment: Rakuten’s listing says a few staff speak a little English. Visa, JCB, American Express, Diners Club and Mastercard are listed. No bath house, so tattoos do not come up.
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Right for: Staying right by the palace, a minute from the station.
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Not for: Only 71 reviews, and Rakuten shows almost no category scores for it.
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Worth knowing: The car park closed in September 2024; drivers have to use nearby coin parking.
Score breakdown — 86/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★★☆☆ | Rakuten shows no category scores, so this is our own baseline rating |
| Value for money | ★★★★★ | ¥11,000–27,000 per person on a weeknight (Rakuten, breakfast) — 79% of the median of everything we compared |
| Easy to stay | ★★★★★ | Check-out 11:00; about one minute from exit 4 at Marutamachi (lift at exit 5); next to the Kyoto Imperial Palace; barrier-free rooms and wheelchairs to borrow. |
| Trust | ★★★★☆ | 4.64 across 71 reviews (Rakuten Travel 71) |
| Only here | ★★★☆☆ | Next to the Imperial Palace and a minute from Marutamachi, with a 4.64 average, the second-highest of the seven. |
West of the Imperial Palace, the best-reviewed of the seven
Reviews: Rakuten Travel 4.78/5 (4,107) · Agoda 8.9/10 (5,298) · 9,405 in total
- In a quiet residential street west of the palace, five minutes on foot from Kyoto Gyoen
- A shuttle bus runs from near exit 2 of Karasuma Oike, about seven minutes
- Check-out at noon; restaurants, a bar lounge and room service
Why it made the five
- Eight minutes on foot from Imadegawa, or about seven minutes by shuttle bus from near exit 2 of Karasuma Oike.
- 4.78 across 4,107 reviews — the highest average and the most reviews of the seven.
- Rental bicycles at ¥1,700 each, back by 19:00.
- 182 rooms; about ¥28,000–52,000 per person on a weeknight with breakfast.
Getting there: Eight minutes on foot from Imadegawa station (Kyoto subway Karasuma line), or about seven minutes by shuttle bus from near exit 2 of Karasuma Oike station.
Language and payment: Rakuten’s listing says a few staff speak near-native English, and a few speak a little Chinese and Korean — the only one of the seven to list fluent English. Visa, JCB, American Express, Diners Club and Mastercard are among the cards listed; PayPay, LINE Pay and transport IC cards are also accepted at the hotel. A deposit or card imprint may be taken at check-in.
- Right for: Wanting the surest reviews here, and staff who speak English well.
- Not for: Wanting to step out of the station into the lobby: it is eight minutes on foot.
Score breakdown — 75/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★★★☆ | Room, bath and dinner average 4.72 on Rakuten Travel |
| Value for money | ★☆☆☆☆ | ¥28,000–52,000 per person on a weeknight (Rakuten, breakfast) — 200% of the median of everything we compared |
| Easy to stay | ★★★★★ | Check-out 12:00; eight minutes from Imadegawa, or a shuttle bus of about seven minutes from Karasuma Oike exit 2; a few staff speak near-native English; five minutes to Kyoto Gyoen; rental bicycles. |
| Trust | ★★★★★ | 4.78 across 4,107 reviews (Rakuten Travel 4,107) |
| Only here | ★★★★☆ | 4.78 across 4,107 reviews is the highest average and the largest count of the seven, and it is the only one whose listing says staff speak fluent English. |
Facing the palace’s Hamaguri Gate, 1 pm check-out
Reviews: Rakuten Travel 4.30/5 (1,672)
- On Karasuma-dori, opposite the Hamaguri Gate of the Imperial Palace
- Ask at check-in and check-out moves from 11:00 to 13:00 free (some plans excluded)
- Japanese and Western restaurants; rental bicycles
Why it made the five
- From about ¥7,000 per person on a weeknight with breakfast — the cheapest of the five.
- From exit 2 of Marutamachi, turn left and walk to the north-west corner of the third traffic light.
- Four subway stops from Kyoto Station, two from Shijo.
- 4.30 across 1,672 reviews; 99 rooms.
Getting there: From exit 2 of Marutamachi station (Kyoto subway Karasuma line), turn left; the hotel is on the north-west corner of the third traffic light. Four stops from Kyoto Station.
Language and payment: Rakuten’s listing says a few staff speak a little English. Visa, JCB, American Express, Diners Club and Mastercard are among the cards listed. No bath house, so tattoos do not come up.
- Right for: Slow mornings, and a walk in the palace park before breakfast.
- Not for: No bath house, and English is listed only as a little from a few staff.
Score breakdown — 70/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★☆☆☆☆ | Room, bath and dinner average 4.26 on Rakuten Travel |
| Value for money | ★★★★★ | ¥7,000–16,000 per person on a weeknight (Rakuten, breakfast) — 51% of the median of everything we compared |
| Easy to stay | ★★★★★ | Check-out 13:00 if you ask at check-in (some plans excluded); three traffic lights from exit 2 at Marutamachi; opposite the Hamaguri Gate; rental bicycles; Japanese and Western restaurants. |
| Trust | ★★☆☆☆ | 4.3 across 1,672 reviews (Rakuten Travel 1,672) |
| Only here | ★★★☆☆ | It faces the Hamaguri Gate of the Imperial Palace, and check-out can be pushed to 13:00 free. |
By the Kamo River, bath house and sauna
Reviews: Rakuten Travel 4.16/5 (56)
- A members’ hotel by the Kamo River that takes ordinary bookings through Rakuten
- A bath house and sauna, and a breakfast buffet built on local produce
- Bags held before check-in and after check-out, and luggage delivery can be arranged
Why it made the five
- About five minutes on foot from Jingu-Marutamachi (Keihan line); about ten from Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae.
- A bath house and sauna.
- About ¥9,000–13,000 per person on a weeknight with breakfast, and ¥12,000–13,000 on a Saturday.
- 4.16 across 56 reviews; 64 rooms.
Getting there: About five minutes on foot from Jingu-Marutamachi station (Keihan line); about ten minutes from Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae (Kyoto subway Tozai line).
Language and payment: Rakuten’s listing says a few staff speak a little English. Visa, JCB, American Express, Diners Club and Mastercard are among the cards listed. The bath is communal and nude in the Japanese way; tattoo rules are not published, so ask when you book.
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Right for: A big hot bath after a day of walking, at a low price.
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Not for: Only 56 reviews, and the facilities score 3.88.
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Worth knowing: A members’ hotel with a midnight curfew (24:00).
Score breakdown — 66/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★☆☆☆☆ | The categories Rakuten does show (room and others) average 4.21 |
| Value for money | ★★★★★ | ¥9,000–13,000 per person on a weeknight (Rakuten, breakfast) — 66% of the median of everything we compared |
| Easy to stay | ★★★★★ | Check-out 11:00; about five minutes from Jingu-Marutamachi; a bath house and sauna; bags held before check-in and after check-out; luggage delivery and sightseeing taxis arranged; rental bicycles and coin laundry. |
| Trust | ★☆☆☆☆ | 4.16 across 56 reviews (Rakuten Travel 56) |
| Only here | ★★★☆☆ | A members’ hotel by the Kamo River that you can book as a guest, with a bath house, a sauna and luggage delivery. |
Directly connected to Marutamachi station exit 6
Reviews: Rakuten Travel 4.11/5 (80)
- Joined to exit 6 of Marutamachi, about seven minutes by subway from Kyoto Station with no change
- No walking outside in the rain or with a suitcase
- Gym and bar lounge; some rooms have a mini kitchen (on request)
Why it made the five
- Connected to exit 6 of Marutamachi station on the Karasuma line.
- About seven minutes by subway from JR Kyoto Station.
- Check-out 12:00; fitness room, bar lounge and coin laundry.
- 239 rooms; about ¥14,000–49,000 per person on a weeknight with breakfast.
Getting there: Connected to exit 6 of Marutamachi station (Kyoto subway Karasuma line), about one minute on foot; about seven minutes by subway from JR Kyoto Station.
Language and payment: Rakuten’s listing says a few staff speak a little English. Visa, JCB, American Express, Diners Club, Mastercard and Discover are among the cards listed. No bath house, so tattoos do not come up.
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Right for: Getting from Kyoto Station to the room without a change or a walk outside.
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Not for: 80 reviews averaging 4.11 — the most modest rating of the seven.
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Worth knowing: Rakuten says guests under 18 cannot book; a parent or guardian has to make the booking.
Score breakdown — 60/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★☆☆☆ | The categories Rakuten does show (room and others) average 4.32 |
| Value for money | ★★★☆☆ | ¥14,000–49,000 per person on a weeknight (Rakuten, breakfast) — 100% of the median of everything we compared |
| Easy to stay | ★★★★★ | Check-out 12:00; connected to exit 6 of Marutamachi on the Karasuma line; about seven minutes from JR Kyoto Station by subway; fitness room; mini kitchen and microwave in some rooms (on request). |
| Trust | ★☆☆☆☆ | 4.11 across 80 reviews (Rakuten Travel 80) |
| Only here | ★★★☆☆ | The only one of the seven joined to a station exit, seven minutes from Kyoto Station with no change. |
Know before you book
- The Kyoto Imperial Palace stands inside Kyoto Gyoen, a large public park of gravel avenues and old trees in the middle of the city. The park is free to walk through, and it is the quietest stretch of central Kyoto.
- Marutamachi and Imadegawa are neighbouring stops on the Karasuma subway line, at the south-west and north-west corners of the park. Marutamachi is about seven minutes from Kyoto Station with no change of train.
- Jingu-Marutamachi is on the Keihan line, east of the park across the Kamo River. Keihan trains run south along the river to Gion-Shijo, which makes this side handy for Gion and Higashiyama.
- This is a residential and government district rather than a nightlife one. Restaurants and bars thin out after dark; Kawaramachi and Shijo are a short ride south.
- Three of these places set a time limit on late arrivals: one has a midnight curfew, one locks its front door from midnight to 6 am, and the ryokan takes its last check-in at 19:00. Each hotel’s entry says which.
- Prices here are per person with breakfast, for two sharing. Kyoto city adds an accommodation tax per person per night that depends on the rate; Noku Kyoto’s listing puts it at ¥200 to ¥4,000, paid at the hotel.
How we chose: theme, conditions, scoring
How we chose
- Candidates: every property in Kyoto Imperial Palace listed on Rakuten Travel — 773
- Passed the review filter (counts and averages on Rakuten Travel, the one site that lists every property in the area): 131
- Met every condition below: 7
- Kept: five, each the best at something different
Where the facts come from
- Facts: Rakuten Travel property information (in some articles, each hotel’s own site too)
- Prices: Rakuten Travel live availability, Wednesdays and Saturdays over eight weeks
- Reviews: the count and average on Rakuten Travel, as given in each hotel’s Trust row. Agoda’s reviews are shown under each hotel name for reference only and do not count towards the score
Conditions (all of them, not most of them)
- In Rakuten Travel’s Kyoto district B — Kawaramachi, Shijo-Karasuma, Nijo Castle and the Imperial Palace
- At least 50 reviews on Rakuten Travel, averaging 4.0 or better
- The cheapest rate falls between ¥6,000 and ¥50,000 per person per night
- The listing names Marutamachi, Imadegawa or Jingu-Marutamachi station, or the Kyoto Imperial Palace, in its access details
Scoring
Five criteria, one to five stars each, weighted to one hundred points. Every star says where the number came from.
- Quality20 pts
- The average of the scores Rakuten Travel publishes for the room, the bath and the food.
- Value for money25 pts
- The cheapest breakfast-inclusive rate against the median of the hotels we compared.
- Easy to stay30 pts
- Minutes from the station, a bath house, and check-out time.
- Trust20 pts
- Review counts and averages published by Rakuten Travel.
- Only here5 pts
- What this hotel has that the other six do not.
What we dropped
| Property | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sekichou Shokikuen | Runner-up (57/100) | 57/100, three points behind the fifth pick. Its 72 reviews average 4.16, one star on trust, and the room, bath and dinner scores average 4.27, one star on quality; at ¥15,000–25,000 per person it sits at the median, so value did not make up the gap. |
| HOTEL KADO GOSHO-MINAMI KYOTO | Runner-up (56/100) | 56/100, four points behind the fifth pick. Weeknights at about ¥19,000–27,000 per person are 136% of the median, so value took one star, and its 4.35 across 206 reviews and category average of 4.48 gave two stars each on trust and quality. |
| Hotel Okura Kyoto | Outside the theme | 4.71 across 2,308 reviews, but its listing gives access from Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae, where it is joined to the station, and names none of the palace stations. |
| Amiya | Could not be checked | A one-room machiya townhouse rated 5.0 across 106 reviews, about ten minutes from Marutamachi — but no rate came up in our search, so we could not confirm it fits the price condition. |
| Petit Hotel Kyoto | Could not be checked | 4.25 across 354 reviews, ten minutes from Imadegawa, but no rate came up in our search, so we could not confirm the price condition. |
| 642 hotels | Below the floor | Fewer than 50 reviews, or an average below 4.0. |
Questions visitors ask
Marutamachi, Imadegawa or Jingu-Marutamachi — which should I pick?
Marutamachi if you want the easiest trip from Kyoto Station: it is on the Karasuma subway line, about seven minutes with no change, and Noku Kyoto, Hyatt Place and Kyoto Garden Palace are all by its exits. Imadegawa, one stop north, is for Kyoto Brighton Hotel, eight minutes’ walk. Jingu-Marutamachi is east of the park on the Keihan line, across the Kamo River, and suits Gion and Higashiyama; Diamond Kyoto Society and Sekichou Shokikuen are there.
How do I get here from Kyoto Station?
Take the Karasuma subway line to Marutamachi, about seven minutes and four stops. Hyatt Place Kyoto is joined to exit 6, Noku Kyoto is a minute from exit 4 (lift at exit 5), and Kyoto Garden Palace is three traffic lights from exit 2. For Kyoto Brighton Hotel, ride one stop further to Imadegawa, or use its shuttle bus from near exit 2 of Karasuma Oike.
Is there a hot bath?
Diamond Kyoto Society has a bath house and sauna. Sekichou Shokikuen, the ryokan, has a bath house using Komyoseki, an artificial hot spring. Both are communal and nude in the Japanese way and do not publish tattoo rules, so ask first. HOTEL KADO GOSHO-MINAMI KYOTO has a private hinoki cypress bath in every room.
I arrive late. Is that a problem?
At some of these, yes. Diamond Kyoto Society has a midnight curfew. Sekichou Shokikuen takes its last check-in at 19:00. HOTEL KADO GOSHO-MINAMI KYOTO accepts check-in until 25:00 (1 am) but locks its front door from midnight to 6 am, so you use your room key. Noku Kyoto and Hyatt Place ask you to call if you will be later than planned.
How much do these cost?
The table shows the cheapest price per person with breakfast, for two sharing, from Rakuten Travel’s availability search for Wednesdays and Saturdays between 18 November 2026 and 9 January 2027. Weeknights start from about ¥7,000 at Kyoto Garden Palace up to about ¥28,000 at Kyoto Brighton Hotel. Kyoto’s accommodation tax comes on top.
Which one would you book?
Noku Kyoto: 86 points, the highest score here, a minute from Marutamachi and next to the Imperial Palace, from about ¥11,000 per person on a weeknight. If cost matters most, Kyoto Garden Palace starts from about ¥7,000, faces the Hamaguri Gate and lets you check out at 13:00.
Changes
- 2026-11-11 First published. Scored from 773 candidates.