Nagano City
Family-Friendly Hotels in Nagano City: Zenkoji Temple & Hot Spring Stays
Hotels right outside Nagano Station as a base for visiting Zenkoji Temple, plus a Matsushiro hot spring resort reached by free shuttle bus
7 family-friendly hotels in Nagano City, verified by Kids Stay: 4 with tatami rooms, 3 with crib rental and 4 with English-speaking staff. Every listing is checked against the official hotel website or Rakuten Travel.
When you start looking for a family stay in Nagano City, it is hard to decide what matters more: being close to Zenkoji, the great Buddhist temple that has drawn pilgrims here for centuries, or having a room where the children can get to bed early. Hotels cluster around the Zenkoji exit of Nagano Station, and you can reach the temple simply by walking straight up Chuo-dori, the old approach road. Many families arrive on the Hokuriku Shinkansen, spend the first night near the station, and head out to Togakushi, Matsushiro, or Obuse the following day.
Most of the 7 properties listed here are hotels you can walk to from Nagano Station. Natural Hot Spring Zenko-no-Yu Dormy Inn Nagano has large hot spring baths on the top floor; children ages 0 to 2 sharing a parent's bed stay free, while ages 3 through elementary school pay a facility use fee. Only one co-sleeping child is allowed per bed. At Toyoko Inn Nagano-eki Zenkojiguchi, children of elementary school age and under share a bed and eat breakfast free of charge; there are no shared baths, so bathing happens in the room's own unit bath, which means you can relax even if your child is not yet potty trained. Hotel Nagano Avenue has just two family rooms, with low beds lined up behind a tatami area; the breakfast buffet is half price for elementary schoolers and free for preschoolers, and the building also holds a sauna and bathhouse and a manga library.
If you are traveling with a baby, 3 properties here can lend you a crib. Hotel Metropolitan Nagano, connected directly to the Nagano Station building, lets children ages 0 to 12 share a bed, with one co-sleeping child allowed, and arranges a crib free of charge when you reserve in advance. THE SAIHOKUKAN HOTEL, which stands between Nagano Station and Zenkoji, allows co-sleeping for ages 0 to 6 and lends cribs free, along with Japanese-style rooms for two to five people, children's meal sets, and thermometers and humidifiers on loan. Hotel JAL City Nagano lends baby cots free for children up to age 3 and has deluxe twin rooms that sleep four. Numbers are limited at every one of them, so ask when you book.
For families who want a proper soak, Mercure Nagano Matsushiro Resort & Spa in the Matsushiro district is the one to look at. It sits beside the Nagano Interchange and runs a free shuttle bus from Nagano Station, with Japanese-style and Japanese-Western rooms and co-sleeping allowances that vary by room type. The open-air baths use Matsushiro hot spring water, the lounge has a playroom, and meals are served buffet style with children's dishes added on weekends. In all, 4 properties in this area have Japanese-style rooms, so families who want to spread out on tatami can find one near the station or out in Matsushiro.
Highlights
- checkHotels within walking distance of Nagano Station's Zenkoji exit, with large shared baths and free co-sleeping
- check3 properties lend cribs, 4 have Japanese-style rooms
- checkA free shuttle bus from the station to a Matsushiro hot spring resort with open-air baths and a playroom
Family-friendly features in Nagano City
Recommended hotels (7)
Hotel Metropolitan Nagano
Mercure Nagano Matsushiro Resort & Spa
Dormy Inn Nagano
THE SAIHOKUKAN HOTEL
Hotel JAL City Nagano
Hotel Nagano Avenue
Toyoko Inn Nagano-eki Zenkojiguchi
See all hotels in Nagano City (7)expand_more
Kid-friendly facilities at family hotels in Nagano
Kids Stay checked the official information of 7 family hotels in Nagano and found 19 kid-friendly facilities on site. Here is a sample by category so you can compare facilities before choosing a room.
Baby gear you can borrow(4 hotels, 6 items)
- Dormy Inn Nagano · Children's indoor slippers and children's amenities: Children's indoor slippers are available to borrow at the front desk. Blankets and towel blankets, a range of pillows (feather pillows and memory foam pillows), and disposable chop
- Hotel JAL City Nagano · Baby cot: A baby cot available to borrow free of charge for children up to age 3, making it easier to set up a place to sleep when traveling with a baby or toddler. The number of items avail
- Hotel Metropolitan Nagano · Crib: A crib can be arranged free of charge. Numbers are limited, so inquiring early is necessary. Babies and toddlers cannot be accommodated with bedding, so staying with a baby futon l
- THE SAIHOKUKAN HOTEL · Crib: Children up to age 6 can stay by co-sleeping, and the crib is free of charge. A crib is also listed in Rakuten Travel's room equipment section. The number of children who may co-sl
Kids' meals and baby food(5 hotels, 6 items)
- Mercure Nagano Matsushiro Resort & Spa · Kids' menu at the buffets: Children's dishes are available at the dinner and breakfast buffets. The kids' menu at the dinner buffet appears on weekends only, and the breakfast buffet also has a kids' menu.
- Dormy Inn Nagano · Free after-bath ice cream and yonaki soba: The after-bath ice cream from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m., the after-bath lactic-acid drink from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m., and the yonaki soba (a half-size soy sauce-based ramen) handed out at the f
- Hotel Nagano Avenue · Breakfast buffet: Breakfast is served buffet-style in the restaurant. It costs 1,600 yen, with elementary school children at half price and children under school age free of charge. Dinner is not se
- Hotel Metropolitan Nagano · Private rooms at the restaurants: The Japanese restaurant Shinano and the Chinese restaurant Fanfa have private rooms, an option when you want to eat with children without worrying about other guests. Using a priva
- THE SAIHOKUKAN HOTEL · Kids' meal: The menus at the hotel restaurants include a kids' meal. Dinner is a seasonal kaiseki meal at the Japanese restaurant Kigen Saryo or a course at one of the restaurants, and breakfa
Themed and family rooms(2 hotels, 3 items)
- Hotel Nagano Avenue · Family room: This 27-square-meter room has a tatami space that you step up onto after taking off your shoes, and beyond it a flooring area with two low beds, each 120 centimeters wide. You can
- THE SAIHOKUKAN HOTEL · Japanese-style tatami room: A space with the calm warmth that only tatami brings, for 2 to 5 guests, with children's rates available. It is a room type suited to larger families.
Kids' programs and activities(1 hotels, 2 items)
- Mercure Nagano Matsushiro Resort & Spa · Plan with Chausuyama Zoo admission tickets: Certain accommodation plans come with admission tickets to Chausuyama Zoo (about 20 minutes by car from the hotel), where you can meet red pandas and wombats. Tickets are handed ov
Nearby attractions
Travel tips
Zenkoji is quietest in the morning, and you can also reach it by bus from in front of Nagano Station. The station-front hotels are grouped close together, so dropping your bags before walking the temple approach takes a lot of strain off small legs. On days when you head out to Togakushi, Matsushiro, or Obuse, a car moves you around far more easily, and in winter you will want snow tires and extra time on the roads. Some properties add a local lodging tax on site, so check how payment is handled to avoid surprises at the front desk.
Best season
The cherry blossoms around Zenkoji in spring and the fall colors in Togakushi and Matsushiro are the easiest seasons for walking. Summer is cooler up in Togakushi and Iizuna, both higher than the city center, so you can pair a night in town with a day of outdoor play. In winter, snow settles even downtown, and the roads up into the mountains call for proper equipment and a generous schedule. Rooms near the station are hard to get during the Gokaicho, the once-in-several-years unveiling of Zenkoji's sacred image, and during the major festivals.
Getting there
Nagano Station is about an hour and a half from Tokyo Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen, with direct trains from the Kanazawa side as well. The hotels are gathered on the Zenkoji exit side, and you can walk up Chuo-dori to the temple. By car, the Nagano Interchange is the gateway toward Matsushiro, and some properties run a free shuttle bus from Nagano Station. Reaching outlying spots such as Togakushi or Kawanakajima takes a bus or a car.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which hotels in Nagano City suit families with a baby?
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Hotel Metropolitan Nagano allows children ages 0 to 12 to share a parent's bed and will arrange a crib free of charge when you reserve in advance. THE SAIHOKUKAN HOTEL allows co-sleeping for ages 0 to 6 and lends cribs free. Hotel JAL City Nagano lends baby cots free for children up to age 3. In total 3 properties here can lend a crib, and every one of them has only a limited number available.
Which hotels are close to Nagano Station or Zenkoji?
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Hotel Metropolitan Nagano is connected directly to the Nagano Station building, and Natural Hot Spring Zenko-no-Yu Dormy Inn Nagano and Toyoko Inn Nagano-eki Zenkojiguchi are both a short walk from the Zenkoji exit. THE SAIHOKUKAN HOTEL is a classic hotel standing between Nagano Station and Zenkoji, and its parking is free for guests, which makes it easy for families arriving by car.
Are there hotels with large shared baths or hot springs?
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Natural Hot Spring Zenko-no-Yu Dormy Inn Nagano has large natural hot spring baths on the top floor, and Mercure Nagano Matsushiro Resort & Spa uses Matsushiro hot spring water in its open-air baths. Hotel Nagano Avenue has a sauna and bathhouse inside the building. Hotel Metropolitan Nagano, THE SAIHOKUKAN HOTEL, and Hotel JAL City Nagano have no shared baths, so bathing takes place in your own guest room.
Is there anything for children to do on a rainy or snowy day?
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The lounge at Mercure Nagano Matsushiro Resort & Spa has a playroom where children can play whatever the weather. Hotel Nagano Avenue has a manga library and Natural Hot Spring Zenko-no-Yu Dormy Inn Nagano has its large baths, both good ways to fill time indoors. The Nagano Station building is reachable from the directly connected hotel without stepping outside, so meals and shopping are easy on a wet day.
Do we need a car?
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The stretch between Zenkoji and the area in front of Nagano Station can be covered on foot and by bus, so a trip based near the station works fine without a car. For days out to Togakushi, Kawanakajima, or Obuse you will need a bus or a car, and many families pick up a rental car in front of Nagano Station. Some properties, such as Mercure Nagano Matsushiro Resort & Spa, run a free shuttle bus from Nagano Station.