Best Family Hotels in Kyoto 2026: Where to Stay with Kids

The thing that surprised me most about Kyoto was how early the crowds arrive. I spent the best part of a week there, and it taught me the city rewards planning, which is exactly why choosing the right family hotel in Kyoto is important.

At the big sights “early” means before 8am: get to Fushimi Inari or Arashiyama at 6 or 7 and you’ll have it close to empty. Turn up at 10 and you’ll be shuffling along with everyone else. If you want the sights planned out, my two-day Kyoto itinerary groups the best together, but this guide is about the other half of the puzzle: where to sleep.

Picking a family hotel in Kyoto isn’t as easy as it may seem. Plenty of rooms that call themselves “family rooms” are built for two adults and a small child sharing a bed. Japanese hotels price by the number of people rather than beds, and the things that make a trip easier with kids (a kitchenette for breakfast, a washing machine, a layout where the children can sleep without you tiptoeing) aren’t always obvious from the listing photos.

This is why I’ve written the article, to help with options that don’t have you scouring through lots of listings. Below are twelve family hotels in Kyoto I recommend booking, sorted by area, budget and group size, so you can pick with confidence.

Short on time? My top three family hotels in Kyoto

These are three hotels you can’t go wrong with if you’re short on time

• Easiest base: MIMARU Kyoto Station. An aparthotel by the station, making day trips easy.
• Most kid-focused: PLAY!! RESI STAY. Themed rooms and play areas built for active under-8s.
• Best for a big family: Cross Hotel Kyoto. Rooms that stretch to five, six or seven.

My Top Tip! The bit people get wrong is choosing the hotel before the area. Work out where you want to stay first, based on the kind of trip you want to have, then look at the relevant hotels in that area.

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Disclaimer: This article features affiliate links. If you click these links, and choose to book with that hotel or company, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I appreciate the support that allows me to continue providing this information.

Best areas to stay in Kyoto with kids

Kyoto is compact compared to Tokyo, but the area you pick still makes a difference. Here’s how I’d think about it as a first-timer with kids.

Downtown (Kawaramachi and Shijo) is my favourite for a shorter visit. It’s central, easy to get around, close to a bit of everything, and good value, with the most hotels, restaurants and transport on your doorstep. This is the part of the city around Nishiki Market, the long covered food street we went back to several times. If you’ve got three or four days, I recommend you stay here. For the bigger picture on neighbourhoods beyond families, this sits alongside my full guide to the best areas to stay in Kyoto.

Kyoto Station is the practical pick if your trip is built around day trips to Nara, Osaka or further out. It’s where you need to go for a day trip to Nara and the deer park, and you’re trading a little atmosphere for the ability to roll a pram straight off the train and into your hotel, which counts for a lot with tired kids after a day travelling.

Higashiyama is the quieter, temple-side option, traditional streets and slower mornings. Gion sits in this part of the city, and it felt different to anywhere else we went in Japan, different architecture, beautiful streets, a really special feel in the evening. It’s lovely.

One more to consider, but only if you’re staying for a longer time in Kyoto. When I go back, I’ll do a night or two in Arashiyama, the green, riverside side of Kyoto with some special hotels. It wouldn’t be my pick on under four days though, you’d lose too much of the trip to the commute.

My Top Tip! If you want those quiet, empty photos at the big sights, the earlier start the better. We were there the week after Golden Week and didn’t find it offensively busy, as some people say, at all, but that was down to timing and planning, not luck. It’s worth checking the best time of year to visit Japan before you lock in dates.

The apartment-style picks: kitchenettes, space and themed rooms

An aparthotel is a hotel room with a small kitchen built in, so it works like a compact apartment. For families they’re often ideal: room to spread out, separate sleeping areas for kids, somewhere to heat milk or make a quick meal, and usually a washing machine. These are the best ones I’d consider.

MIMARU Kyoto Station

Always my top recommendation, which you will know if you’ve read my Osaka and Tokyo family hotel guides, they repeatedly get great reviews. This one is right by Kyoto Station, so day trips are easy, and the rooms are proper apartments with a kitchenette, separate bath and toilet, and layouts that sleep four to six without anyone bedding down on a dining bench. I haven’t stayed myself. But everyone I’ve sent to Mimaru, in Osaka and Tokyo as well as Kyoto, has come back over the moon. One special feature for kids (or big kids!) is the Pokémon rooms, giant Snorlax on the bed and all.

Booking.com rating 9.4 • Cost from around ¥32,000 (about £170) CHECK AVAILABILITY

My Top Tip! The Pokémon rooms book out months ahead, and most Japanese hotels only open their booking calendar six months before the date. Get your dates in the diary and book the moment that window opens.

PLAY!! RESI STAY

If you’ve got young, busy children, this is arguably the most kid-focused place in the city. The rooms are themed (forest, sea, sweets), the bunk beds are built like dens, and there are bouldering walls and play areas on the floors so the kids can burn off energy while you get ready in peace. It’s up near Nijo Castle and the Imperial Palace gardens, with Marutamachi subway station about 8 minutes’ walk away. The Forest and Sweets rooms have a kitchen and sleep up to five. Watch out for the check-in, it’s at a separate office near Kyoto Station, not the building you’re sleeping in. Instead, note the address before you arrive so you’re not wheeling cases to the wrong door.

Booking.com rating 8.9 • Cost from around ¥24,000 (about £125) CHECK AVAILABILITY

22 Pieces

A smart, modern aparthotel a short walk from Kyoto Station, with a kitchenette and rooms that sleep up to five. The clever bit is the borrow-for-free cupboard at reception: projectors, board games, even bikes. One point to consider, there’s no washing machine in the room or the building, though there’s a laundrette round the corner.

Booking.com rating 9.3 • Cost from around ¥28,000 (about £150) CHECK AVAILABILITY

Oakwood Hotel Oike Kyoto

For my money the best value on this list. Of its 120 rooms, 16 are studio apartments with a proper kitchen (microwave, rice cooker, big fridge with freezer) and an in-room washer-dryer, ideal if you want to self-cater. The standard hotel rooms don’t have those, but there’s a shared coin laundry by reception. It’s across from Nishiki Market with a 24-hour front desk, and many rooms are accessible, so it’s a strong pick if anyone in the party uses a wheelchair.

Booking.com rating 8.9 • Cost from around ¥24,000 (about £125) CHECK AVAILABILITY

Hotel Imagine Kyoto

A small, design-led hotel just five minutes’ walk from Kyoto Station, with only 13 rooms and a different feel to the chain options. The rooms are Japanese-Western style and big by Kyoto standards, over 35 square metres, with proper beds alongside a raised tatami area where you can lay out futons for extra family members. That makes it a flexible pick for families of five or six who want space and a bit of Kyoto character rather than a standard hotel box. There’s a shared kitchen lounge off the lobby for heating food and making coffee, a rooftop terrace.

Booking.com rating 9.3 • Cost from around ¥26,000 (about £135) CHECK AVAILABILITY

The full-service mid-range hotels

If you’d rather have more hotel, a pool, a proper breakfast, a front desk that does everything, these are the family-sized options that won’t blow the budget.

Hotel Granvia Kyoto

The selling point is simple: it’s built into Kyoto Station. After a long-haul flight, or on a trip full of day trips, stepping off the train and into the lift is worth a lot with tired kids. The Family rooms are a good size at 62 square metres and sleep up to five, there are nine places to eat in the building, and children aged 6 and under stay free sharing a bed or using a crib. There’s an indoor pool and sauna, but note they’re for over-18s only, so not one for the kids. Rooms are on the older side but spacious and quiet.

Booking.com rating 8.9 • Cost from around ¥38,000 (about £200) CHECK AVAILABILITY

Cross Hotel Kyoto

The pick for bigger families who want to be in the thick of downtown. It’s in Kawaramachi, walking distance to Nishiki Market, with rooms that can fit five, six, even seven people depending on the type. Young children eat free at the breakfast buffet, which adds up nicely over a few mornings.

Booking.com rating 9.2 • Cost from around ¥42,000 (about £220) CHECK AVAILABILITY

Good Nature Hotel Kyoto

Central Kawaramachi, connected to the Takashimaya department store, with big modern rooms and a lot of amenitiest including free pushchair loans. It also runs a Welcome Baby plan. One specific point worth knowing, it’s a great strong choice for gluten-free families if you tell them ahead, which is rare and useful if that’s your situation. Worth noting there are no cribs here, so if you need one this isn’t the pick.

Booking.com rating 9.2 • Cost from around ¥42,000 (about £220) CHECK AVAILABILITY

The Royal Park Hotel Kyoto Umekoji

This could make it on my list for location alone if you’ve got train-mad or younger kids. It’s next to Umekoji Park’s big playground, the Kyoto Aquarium and the Kyoto Railway Museum, one stop from Kyoto Station, with a free guest public bath (a Japanese-style bathhouse) and Shinkansen-themed elements, the Shinkansen being Japan’s bullet train.

Booking.com rating 9.1 • Cost from around ¥30,000 (about £160) CHECK AVAILABILITY

RIHGA Royal Hotel Kyoto

I’ll be straight, the score is the lowest on my list and some reviews grumble about a so-so breakfast. But as we’ll as being a good price, it has two things families want: an indoor pool open year-round (extra fee, children must be 3 and toilet-trained) and a free shuttle to Kyoto Station, plus connecting and triple rooms. Clean with good size rooms but avoid booking it if you want something fancy.

Booking.com rating 8.3 • Cost from around ¥26,000 (about £135) CHECK AVAILABILITY

The top-end treat

Two fantastic options if you are after a really special stay in Kyoto

Hyatt Regency Kyoto

In the leafy Higashiyama district, a 10-minute bus ride from the station and a walk from Kiyomizu-dera temple. There’s a lovely garden with koi the kids can watch and a free maiko performance (a maiko is an apprentice geisha) that families can sit in on. Some of the biggest rooms on this list and very friendly staff. Standard rooms suit two adults plus a cot, while the larger Corner Deluxe rooms give a family more space. 

Booking.com rating 8.8 • Cost from around ¥60,000 (about £315) CHECK AVAILABILITY

Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto

The nicest hotel on this list by some distance. It’s built around an 800-year-old garden and pond, and it works well for families: a welcome activity box for the kids, a playroom for ages 3 to 8, yukata robes (light cotton dressing gowns) in children’s sizes, a kids’ menu and the service you’d expect at this level. It’s not cheap, but you get everything you pay for.

Booking.com rating 9.4 • Cost from around ¥150,000 (about £790) CHECK AVAILABILITY

Kyoto family hotels at a glance

A quick note on the prices below: they’re indicative, not live quotes. Kyoto rates jump in cherry blossom season and autumn, so confirm yours for your actual dates and book as far in advance as possible.

Map of the family friendly Kyoto hotels

What to know about booking a Kyoto hotel with kids

As I mentioned at the beginning, there are a few Japan specific quirks that catch people out, this is what to watch out for:

• Japanese hotels often expect children to share a bed with a parent, and rooms are sold by the number of people, not just the number of beds. Check how many beds a room actually has before you book, not just the headline capacity.
• Cots and cribs are common but frequently capped by age, in some hotels at 24 months, in others at 12. If you need one, confirm it by email before you book rather than assuming.
• You have to declare everyone staying in the room, small children included. This isn’t box-ticking, staff need an accurate headcount for earthquake evacuation. It’s one of a few customs worth reading up on, my guide to the etiquette that catches first-timers out covers the rest.
• Booking usually open about six months out, if you’re searching before that and not getting many results, it’s likely that, not that the hotel is full. Check again closer to six months before you arrive.

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Kyoto family hotel FAQs

How many nights should you spend in Kyoto with kids?

Three to four nights suits most first-time families. That’s enough for the headline sights at a pace kids can handle, without trying to cram it all into a rushed day or two. If you want to add Arashiyama as a second base, give yourself five nights or more so you’re not losing days to the commute. If you’re still mapping the wider trip, my two-week Japan route shows how Kyoto fits around Tokyo, Osaka and the rest.

Are Kyoto hotel rooms small for families?

Often, yes. A standard double room is around 18 to 20 square metres, smaller than most families expect coming from the UK. That’s exactly why I’ve created this list and the apartment-style picks above are worth a look: they give you a separate sleeping area and room to spread out that the standard hotel rooms simply don’t have.

Do you need connecting rooms, or will one room work?

For two adults and one or two younger kids, a single family or apartment-style room usually does the job, especially one with a layout that closes the children’s beds off from yours. Once you’re five or more, look at connecting rooms or the bigger suites. Cross Hotel and the larger Mimaru family rooms are built for exactly this.

Is a ryokan a good idea with young children?

A ryokan (a traditional Japanese inn with tatami-mat floors and futon beds) is a lovely thing to do, but I wouldn’t book one for your whole stay with little ones. One or two nights is plenty. They get pricey, and the novelty can wear thin over a longer stretch with young kids in tow.

Is Kyoto easy to get around with a pram?

Mostly, yes, but the buses get packed at peak times and aren’t much fun with a pushchair. Use the subway and trains where you can, and pick a hotel somewhere central so more of your day is on foot. Kids under 6 generally ride free on the trains unless they take up a seat, which is also worth weighing up when you decide whether the JR Pass is worth it for your trip.

So where would I book?

If you want the short version, Mimaru Kyoto Station is my default for a first family trip, it ticks the most boxes and the chain has never let down anyone I’ve sent. Choose downtown if you’ve got three or four days and want everything close, or right by Kyoto Station if you’re building the trip around day trips, like the easy hop over to the best routes from Kyoto to Osaka. Save Arashiyama and the Four Seasons for a longer or more special visit.

If Kyoto is one stop on a bigger family trip, I’ve done the same hotel-by-hotel pick for family-friendly hotels in Osakaand the best family hotels in Tokyo, so you can sort all three bases the same way. More than the hotel, though, the trip is reliant on timing in the day. Plan your early starts, book the rooms you want the day they open, and Kyoto with kids is far more manageable than its reputation suggests.