01 May 2025
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In Kyoto, where you stay shapes everything. The city's accommodations range from the most traditional ryokan to the most intimate riverside retreats to the most sprawling urban resorts — and each offers a vastly different lens through which to experience Japan's cultural capital.
Below is a look at the MICHELIN Key hotels in Kyoto — the best of the best accommodations, as selected by MICHELIN Inspectors.
Browse by highlight or distinction:
A single Three Key hotel in Kyoto
When a hotel earns Three MICHELIN Keys from the Guide, it’s an indication the hotel is worth a trip all its own — a place worth seeking out despite your current travel plans. These are the very best of the very best, and Kyoto boasts one hotel with the distinction: Hotel the Mitsui Kyoto. Set on historic grounds once belonging to the Mitsui family — one of Japan’s most storied and prominent business families — the hotel provides a level of modern comfort and sophistication — exemplified by its thermal spring spa, MICHELIN restaurant and gorgeous, Japanese-inspired suites — that rivals any new build in Japan.
A varied sense of place
Kyoto sports a pair of Two MICHELIN Key hotels. What they share is a true sense of place. Where they differ is almost everywhere else, each with distinct features that showcase two entirely different sides of the city. Surrounded by 80 acres of forest and gardens, Aman Kyoto's minimalist design prioritizes harmony with its spectacular natural setting in a quiet corner of the city — all while turning authentic Japanese features into the purest luxury.
The Shinmonzen is set in the heart of the historic Gion district. Its sleek look was designed, in part by Tadao Ando, to resemble a classic machiya (wooden) townhouse. An excellent location offers easy access to the city’s renowned sites and temples.
Authenticity meets contemporary luxury
For an authentic ryokan experience, family-owned Hiiragiya consistently delivers — you'll find personalized service as genuine as it was when the inn opened in 1818. For something more intimate, Kifune Ugenta's two suites are set among the Kibune Mountains.
Back in the urban center, The Ritz-Carlton masterfully blends traditional Japanese design with contemporary luxury close to Kawaramachi Street's shopping and dining district. Equally well-known for exceptional service, The Four Seasons offers a a serene oasis built around an 800-year-old heritage pond garden. For families, ROKU KYOTO stands out for its access to what is considered Kyoto's only outdoor natural onsen thermal pool in the foothills of the Takagamine Mountains.
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Hero image: The Mitsui Kyoto — Inspectors' only Three MICHELIN Key selection in Kyoto. © The Mitsui Kyoto
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