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Nijo Castle and Karasuma Oike hotels in Kyoto: 5 picked from 773
Approximate, at the rate on 2026-10-02. You pay in yen.
- Where to stay near Nijo Castle: five hotels on the Tozai line, from about ¥4,000
- ANA Crowne Plaza faces the castle; Ace Hotel is linked to Karasuma Oike
- Monterey has a rooftop hot spring; Urban Hotel lets children to 12 stay free
The five
| Best for | Where to book | Score | Weeknight (per person) | Saturday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facing Nijo Castle, with a free bus from Kyoto Station — if you can’t decide | ANA Crowne Plaza Kyoto Check price |
75/100 | ¥11,000–25,000 | ¥14,000–22,000 |
| The cheapest here, with a bath house and free stays for kids | Urban Hotel Kyoto Nijo Premium Check price |
74/100 | ¥4,000–18,000 | ¥7,000–24,000 |
| Rooftop natural hot spring, two minutes from Karasuma Oike | Hotel Monterey Kyoto Check price |
69/100 | ¥12,000–25,000 | ¥16,000–28,000 |
| Kengo Kuma design, linked to Karasuma Oike station | Ace Hotel Kyoto Check price |
68/100 | ¥30,000–69,000 | ¥38,000–94,000 |
| A washer-dryer in every room, two minutes from Karasuma Oike | Tokyu Stay Kyoto Sanjo-Karasuma Check price |
66/100 | ¥9,000–28,000 | ¥12,000–36,000 |
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 2026-11-09). 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.
Facing Nijo Castle, with a free bus from Kyoto Station
Reviews: Rakuten Travel 4.40/5 (1,232)
- Across Horikawa-dori from Nijo Castle, one minute from Nijojo-mae
- A free shuttle bus from Kyoto Station, so no train changes with luggage
- Breakfast rated 4.79
Why it made the five
- One minute from Nijojo-mae station (Tozai line); Nijo Castle opposite.
- Free shuttle bus from Kyoto Station — the only one of the 18 that has one.
- Breakfast rated 4.79; 4.40 across 1,232 reviews; 282 rooms.
- About ¥11,000–25,000 per person on a weeknight, with breakfast.
Getting there: One minute on foot from Nijojo-mae station (Kyoto subway Tozai line); about fifteen minutes by car from JR Kyoto Station and Keihan Sanjo. A free shuttle bus runs from Kyoto Station.
Language and payment: Rakuten’s listing says a few staff handle everyday English, and a few speak a little Chinese and Korean. Visa, JCB, American Express and Diners are among the cards listed. No bath house, so tattoos do not come up.
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Right for: Staying right by Nijo Castle, and getting from Kyoto Station without changing trains.
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Not for: Wanting a bath house.
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Worth knowing: The restaurants get busy at weekends and on holidays; the hotel recommends booking lunch and dinner.
Score breakdown — 75/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★☆☆☆ | The categories Rakuten does show (room and others) average 4.33 |
| Value for money | ★★★★☆ | ¥11,000–25,000 per person on a weeknight (Rakuten, breakfast) — 93% of the median of everything we compared |
| Easy to stay | ★★★★★ | Check-out 11:00; a free shuttle bus from Kyoto Station; one minute from Nijojo-mae on the Tozai line; a few staff handle everyday English; room service. |
| Trust | ★★★☆☆ | 4.4 across 1,232 reviews (Rakuten Travel 1,232) |
| Only here | ★★★★★ | It faces Nijo Castle, and it is the only one of the 18 that qualified with a free shuttle bus from Kyoto Station. |
The cheapest here, with a bath house and free stays for kids
Urban Hotel Kyoto Nijo Premium
Reviews: Rakuten Travel 4.21/5 (1,425)
- Children up to 12 share a bed free, one per bed
- A bath house and sauna, alternating between men and women
- The Senbon Kyu-Nijo bus stop is right outside; Nijo Castle about fifteen minutes on foot
Why it made the five
- About ¥4,000–18,000 per person on a weeknight with breakfast — the cheapest of the five.
- Children up to 12 stay free sharing a bed (one per bed).
- Bath house with sauna; rental bikes from ¥1,000 a day.
- About five minutes from Nijo (Tozai line), eight from JR Nijo; 4.21 across 1,425 reviews.
Getting there: The Senbon Kyu-Nijo city bus and Kyoto bus stop is right outside; about five minutes on foot from Nijo station (Tozai line) and about eight from JR Nijo (Sagano line).
Language and payment: Rakuten’s listing says a few staff speak a little English. Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express and Diners are 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: Families with children, who will use the buses as well as the subway.
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Not for: Wanting to be right beside Nijo Castle.
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Worth knowing: There are no extra beds, and meals for children sharing a bed are paid separately.
Score breakdown — 74/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★☆☆☆ | Room, bath and dinner average 4.34 on Rakuten Travel |
| Value for money | ★★★★★ | ¥4,000–18,000 per person on a weeknight (Rakuten, breakfast) — 36% of the median of everything we compared |
| Easy to stay | ★★★★★ | Check-out 11:00; about five minutes from Nijo on the Tozai line and eight from JR Nijo; children up to 12 share a bed free (one per bed); a bath house and sauna, alternating between men and women; rental bikes from ¥1,000 a day. |
| Trust | ★★☆☆☆ | 4.21 across 1,425 reviews (Rakuten Travel 1,425) |
| Only here | ★★★☆☆ | A bath house, and its listing states plainly that children up to 12 share a bed free. |
Rooftop natural hot spring, two minutes from Karasuma Oike
Reviews: Rakuten Travel 4.49/5 (5,442) · Agoda 8.7/10 (6,571) · 12,013 in total
- Spa Trinite, a natural hot spring with a view on the 13th floor, is free for guests
- Open-air bath and sauna
- 5,442 reviews, the most of the 18
Why it made the five
- Two minutes from exit 6 at Karasuma Oike; five from Shijo and Hankyu Karasuma (exit 22).
- Spa Trinite, a 13th-floor natural hot spring with open-air bath and sauna, free for guests.
- Lift halls locked off by security doors.
- About ¥12,000–25,000 per person on a weeknight, with breakfast.
Getting there: Two minutes on foot from exit 6 at Karasuma Oike (Karasuma and Tozai lines); five minutes from Shijo and Hankyu Karasuma, exit 22; about ten minutes by taxi from JR Kyoto Station.
Language and payment: Rakuten’s listing says a few staff handle everyday English. Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express and Diners are listed. Payment is taken at check-in. The spa is communal and nude in the Japanese way; tattoo rules are not published, so ask when you book.
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Right for: Ending a day of sightseeing in a hot spring.
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Not for: Wanting breakfast in a restaurant — it is served in the convention hall.
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Worth knowing: Spa Trinite closes once a month for a legally required inspection, so check when you book.
Score breakdown — 69/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★☆☆☆ | Room, bath and dinner average 4.35 on Rakuten Travel |
| Value for money | ★★★☆☆ | ¥12,000–25,000 per person on a weeknight (Rakuten, breakfast) — 100% of the median of everything we compared |
| Easy to stay | ★★★★★ | Check-out 11:00; two minutes from exit 6 at Karasuma Oike; Spa Trinite, the 13th-floor natural hot spring, is free for guests; open-air bath and sauna; lift halls closed off by security doors. |
| Trust | ★★★☆☆ | 4.49 across 5,442 reviews (Rakuten Travel 5,442) |
| Only here | ★★★★☆ | The only natural hot spring of the 18 that qualified, a 13th-floor spa with a view that guests use free. |
Kengo Kuma design, linked to Karasuma Oike station
Reviews: Rakuten Travel 4.61/5 (81)
- Designed by Kengo Kuma with Commune Design of Los Angeles
- Inside the Shinpuhkan complex, joined to the station’s south gate
- Check-out at noon
Why it made the five
- Directly connected to the south ticket gate at Karasuma Oike.
- Six minutes, three stops, from JR Kyoto Station on the Karasuma line.
- Rental bikes; check-out 12:00; breakfast rated 4.80.
- 4.61 across 81 reviews; the dearest of the five.
Getting there: Directly connected to the south ticket gate at Karasuma Oike station (Kyoto subway Karasuma and Tozai lines); three stops, six minutes, from JR Kyoto Station on the Karasuma line.
Language and payment: Rakuten’s listing says a few staff speak a little English. Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express and Diners are listed. No bath house, so tattoos do not come up.
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Right for: Making the hotel itself part of the trip.
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Not for: Keeping the cost down, or wanting a bath house.
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Worth knowing: Cancelling from 15:00 two days before arrival costs 100% of the room rate.
Score breakdown — 68/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★★☆☆ | Room, bath and dinner average 4.58 on Rakuten Travel |
| Value for money | ★☆☆☆☆ | ¥30,000–69,000 per person on a weeknight (Rakuten, breakfast) — 257% of the median of everything we compared |
| Easy to stay | ★★★★★ | Check-out 12:00; directly connected to the south gate at Karasuma Oike; three stops and six minutes from JR Kyoto Station on the Karasuma line; rental bikes. |
| Trust | ★★★★☆ | 4.61 across 81 reviews (Rakuten Travel 81) |
| Only here | ★★★★★ | Designed by Kengo Kuma with LA-based Commune Design, and the only one of the 18 joined directly to a station gate. |
A washer-dryer in every room, two minutes from Karasuma Oike
Tokyu Stay Kyoto Sanjo-Karasuma
Reviews: Rakuten Travel 4.13/5 (422)
- Every room has its own washer-dryer
- Some rooms have a microwave and mini-kitchen (ask when booking)
- Where the Karasuma and Tozai subway lines cross
Why it made the five
- A washer-dryer in every room.
- Microwave and mini-kitchen in some rooms, on request.
- Two minutes from exit 6 at Karasuma Oike.
- About ¥9,000–28,000 per person on a weeknight, with breakfast.
Getting there: Two minutes on foot from exit 6 at Karasuma Oike station, where the Karasuma and Tozai lines cross.
Language and payment: Rakuten’s listing says a few staff speak a little English. Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express and Diners are listed, and UnionPay is accepted. No bath house, so tattoos do not come up.
- Right for: A longer stay, doing your washing in the room.
- Not for: Caring about breakfast — guests rate it 3.33.
Score breakdown — 66/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★☆☆☆☆ | The categories Rakuten does show (room and others) average 4.19 |
| Value for money | ★★★★★ | ¥9,000–28,000 per person on a weeknight (Rakuten, breakfast) — 72% of the median of everything we compared |
| Easy to stay | ★★★★★ | Check-out 11:00; two minutes from exit 6 at Karasuma Oike; a washer-dryer in every room; microwave and mini-kitchen in some rooms, on request. |
| Trust | ★☆☆☆☆ | 4.13 across 422 reviews (Rakuten Travel 422) |
| Only here | ★★★☆☆ | The only one of the 18 with a washer-dryer in the room, and some rooms have a mini-kitchen as well. |
Know before you book
- Nijo Castle, the Tokugawa shoguns’ Kyoto residence and a World Heritage site, has its own subway station, Nijojo-mae, on the Tozai line.
- Karasuma Oike is where Kyoto’s two subway lines cross: the Karasuma line runs south to Kyoto Station in about six minutes, three stops, and the Tozai line runs east towards Sanjo and Higashiyama and west to Nijo Castle. Staying near it makes most of the city one ride away.
- Nijo station, two stops west of Karasuma Oike on the Tozai line, is also on the JR Sagano line, which runs out to Arashiyama. Kyoto’s city buses stop all around this side too.
- Walk south from Karasuma Oike and you reach the Shijo shopping streets and Nishiki Market; walk north and you reach the Kyoto Imperial Palace grounds. The area in between is quieter, with old townhouses and small cafes.
- City buses to the big temples get very crowded in peak season. Being on the subway, as all five of these are, lets you skip the worst of it.
- Prices here are per person with breakfast, for two sharing. Kyoto city adds an accommodation tax per person per night; from 1 March 2026 it is ¥200 to ¥1,000 for rooms under ¥50,000, depending on the rate, and it is paid separately at several of these hotels.
How we chose: theme, conditions, scoring
How we chose
- Candidates: every property in Nijo Castle 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: 18
- 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 Nijo Castle, Nijojo-mae, Nijo or Karasuma Oike station 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 17 do not.
What we dropped
| Property | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The Royal Park Hotel Iconic Kyoto | Runner-up (62/100) | 62/100, four points behind the fifth pick. Its reviews average 4.64, but weeknights at about ¥21,000–54,000 per person are 180% of the median, so value took one star, and the scores Rakuten shows for it average 4.48, two stars on quality. |
| Kyoto Brighton Hotel | Outside the theme | 4.78 across 4,107 reviews, but its listing gives eight minutes on foot from Imadegawa and a shuttle bus of about seven minutes from Karasuma Oike — it is not a walk from the stations this guide is about. |
| MAJA HOTEL KYOTO | Outside the theme | 4.46 across 85 reviews, six minutes from Karasuma Oike, but it is a women-only capsule hotel, so it cannot serve every reader. |
| The Royal Park Canvas Kyoto Nijo | Runner-up | 4.46 across 294 reviews, about two minutes from Nijo station with a bath house and gym — but it already appears in our Kawaramachi guide, so we left room for another hotel here. |
| Shizutetsu Hotel Prezio Kyoto Karasuma Oike | Runner-up | 4.42 across 967 reviews and about a minute from Karasuma Oike, but nothing set it apart from the three picks already by that station. |
| 642 hotels | Below the floor | Fewer than 50 reviews, or an average below 4.0. |
Questions visitors ask
Nijo Castle side or Karasuma Oike — which should I pick?
Nijo Castle side if the castle is high on your list or you are heading to Arashiyama on the JR Sagano line: ANA Crowne Plaza is one minute from Nijojo-mae, and Urban Hotel is near Nijo station. Karasuma Oike if you want the most connected base: it is where the Karasuma line to Kyoto Station meets the Tozai line, and Hotel Monterey, Ace Hotel and Tokyu Stay are all within two minutes of it.
How do I get here from Kyoto Station?
Take the Karasuma subway line three stops, about six minutes, to Karasuma Oike — Ace Hotel is joined to the station, and Hotel Monterey and Tokyu Stay are two minutes from exit 6. ANA Crowne Plaza runs a free shuttle bus from Kyoto Station, so you need not change trains with luggage.
Can I get into a hot bath here?
Hotel Monterey Kyoto has Spa Trinite, a natural hot spring with an open-air bath and sauna on the 13th floor, free for guests — though it closes once a month for inspection. Urban Hotel Kyoto Nijo Premium has a bath house with a sauna. Both are communal and nude in the Japanese way and do not publish tattoo rules, so ask first.
We are travelling with children. Which is easiest?
Urban Hotel Kyoto Nijo Premium: children up to 12 stay free sharing a bed, one per bed, and there is a bath house. There are no extra beds, so check the bed count and width, and children’s meals are paid at the hotel. The Senbon Kyu-Nijo bus stop is right outside.
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 ¥4,000 at Urban Hotel Kyoto Nijo Premium to about ¥30,000 at Ace Hotel Kyoto. Kyoto’s accommodation tax comes on top.
Which one would you book?
ANA Crowne Plaza Kyoto: 75 points, the highest score here, one minute from Nijojo-mae with Nijo Castle opposite, a free bus from Kyoto Station, and breakfast rated 4.79. If cost matters most, Urban Hotel Kyoto Nijo Premium starts from about ¥4,000 per person on a weeknight and has a bath house.
Changes
- 2026-11-09 First published. Scored from 773 candidates.