01
Shimogawara, south of Yasaka Shrine · From ¥70,000 · 23 rooms
A hundred-year-old sukiya house and a new annex near Yasaka Shrine
Eleven rooms fill the restored former restaurant and twelve the annex. The restaurant is La Bombance.
On the recordMICHELIN Guide listed · Design press (Wallpaper*)
02
Tominokoji-Rokkaku, Nakagyo · From ¥130,000 · 7-8 suites
Seven suites and a kaiseki counter on Tominokoji
The kaiseki restaurant at this small central-Kyoto ryokan held a Michelin star.
On the recordMICHELIN 2 Keys (2026, to confirm) · Relais & Châteaux
03
Arashiyama, facing the Togetsu-kyo bridge · From ¥120,000 · 21 rooms
Twenty-one rooms facing the Togetsu-kyo bridge in Arashiyama
Ducasse Paris cooks dinner at this owner-led, art-focused independent, which has a riverside garden.
On the recordDesign press (Monocle)
04
Gojo-Kawaramachi, on the Kamo River · From ¥50,000 · 19 plus a machiya annex rooms
Nineteen rooms on the Kamo River, themed on the Tale of Genji
A restored 1891 machiya serves as the annex. Art and poetry from the eleventh-century novel shape the hotel's programme.
On the recordDesign press
05
Shinmonzen-dori, Gion · From ¥40,000 · 7 rooms
Seven rooms on Gion's antiques street, run by the owner
Furnished with East Asian and European antiques, it has a long reputation among returning guests.
On the recordGuidebook staple (Condé Nast Traveller readers)
06
Gion Shirakawa · From ¥100,000 · 5-6 rooms
A former Gion teahouse on the Shirakawa, reached by its own footbridge
The okami runs five or six rooms, with kaiseki dinners and a stone bath.
On the recordGuidebook and press staple
07
Yoshida-yama, Sakyo · From ¥100,000 · 5 rooms
Built in 1932 for an imperial-family branch, now five rooms
The house mixes shoin style with stained glass and has a hillside garden. Its former study is now a café.
On the recordHeritage villa
08
Gokomachi-Shijo, by Nishiki Market · From ¥90,000 · 7 rooms
An 1801 inn on Gokomachi-Shijo, by Nishiki Market
Seven rooms sit behind a kaiseki restaurant at the front.
On the recordRegistered Tangible Cultural Property