Kyoto Family Hotels: Ryokan or Hotel, Where to Stay and Rooms for 5
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Note: Counts such as "more than 500 properties" come from the facility data of hotels listed on Kids Stay (as of October 2026, not the total number of hotels in Japan)
Planning Kyoto with kids usually starts with a simple question that turns out to be hard: where should we stay? Kyoto has station hotels, apartment hotels, onsen ryokan and whole machiya townhouses, and it is easy to end up comparing all of them at once. The fastest way through it is to narrow down in the order "area, then your child's age, then room size". This guide does exactly that, using only facts verified on each hotel's official site or Rakuten Travel listing.
Find Kyoto hotels where kids share the bed free
Find Kyoto hotels where kids share the bed free
Filter Kyoto hotels to those where young children can share your bed at no charge, then choose your area and group size.
hotelOur pick
An apartment hotel near Nijo Castle where every room has a kitchen and a washer-dryer, with free crib rental and rooms with bunk beds. Kids share the bed free (confirm the upper age with the hotel), a room that sleeps five is confirmed, and Rakuten Travel guests rate it 5.0 (41 reviews).
Choose by area, then age, then room size
Kids Stay lists 45 hotels in Kyoto Prefecture, and 15 of them have a confirmed room that sleeps five. More than 20 offer free co-sleeping for young children, 22 have a tatami room, and 23 lend cribs. Start with the area.
- Kyoto Station side suits families arriving by Shinkansen. Several hotels are a 2- to 8-minute walk from the station, and some are apartment-style with kitchens
- Central Kyoto (Nijo Castle, Karasuma, Kawaramachi and Higashiyama) suits families who want to walk out to Nijo Castle, Nishiki Market or Gion. Three of the hotels featured here have a natural onsen
- Arashiyama suits families who want a slower, scenic stay. The picks here have large rooms or a whole house to yourselves
- Ryokan and machiya stays suit families who want tatami, a Japanese bath and meals served in a calmer setting
Then look at your child's age, and finally at how many beds you need.
Kyoto Station side, easy arrivals by Shinkansen
The simplest choice for a first trip. You walk a few minutes from the train with the stroller and luggage, and you are done for the day.
Miyako Hotel Kyoto Hachijo
A large hotel a 2-minute walk from the Hachijo exit of Kyoto Station, with family rooms for up to 6 guests, connecting rooms and tatami rooms. Children through elementary school share the bed free (one child per bed, meals charged separately), and cribs are available. Rakuten Travel guests rate it 4.39 (7,559 reviews), and rates start from about ¥69,000 for two adults.
hotelSleeps 5
Family rooms for up to 6, free co-sleeping through elementary school, and a 2-minute walk from Kyoto Station.
MIMARU Kyoto STATION
An apartment-style hotel a 2-minute walk from the Hachijo East Exit of Kyoto Station. Every room is over 40 square meters with a bunk bed and a full kitchen, and you can borrow a crib, bed guards and a stroller. Rates start from about ¥93,000 for two adults.
hotelKitchen in room
Over 40 square meters with a bunk bed and a full kitchen, a 2-minute walk from the Shinkansen side of Kyoto Station.
Glanz Kei Kyoto Station
A family condominium a 5-minute walk from the Hachijoguchi exit, next to Aeon Mall Kyoto. The units are 55 square meters, with a kitchen, a washing machine and a crib, so it works well for longer stays with babies and toddlers. Rakuten Travel guests rate it 4.89 (59 reviews).
hotelCrib available
55 square meter units with a kitchen, a washer and a crib, next to a shopping mall.
DoubleTree by Hilton Kyoto Station
A 266-room city hotel a 5-minute walk from the Hachijoguchi exit. Children aged 5 and under share the bed free, cribs are free to borrow, and bed guards are available. There are meals for toddlers, and you may bring your own baby food. Rated 4.53 by Rakuten Travel guests (43 reviews), from about ¥54,000 for two adults.
hotelKids share the bed free
Free co-sleeping for ages 5 and under, free cribs and bed guards, a 5-minute walk from the station.
Central Kyoto around Nijo, Karasuma and Higashiyama
Closer to the sights, with a subway or train station a short walk from each hotel, and a wide price range from a business hotel to a luxury stay.
MIMARU Kyoto Nijo Castle
Within walking distance of Nijojo-mae Station on the Tozai Line, along Horikawa-dori. Every room has a kitchen and a washer-dryer, cribs are free, and there are rooms with bunk beds and tatami rooms. There are craft activities for kids, and rooms for five from about ¥79,000.
hotelSleeps 5
Kitchen, washer-dryer and bunk beds near Nijo Castle, rated 5.0 by Rakuten Travel guests (41 reviews).
Hotel Monterey Kyoto
A 2-minute walk from Exit 6 of Karasuma Oike Station, with a natural onsen spa on the top floor. Children who have not started elementary school share the bed free (one child per bed), cribs are available, and there are toddler meals. Rated 4.5 by Rakuten Travel guests (5,377 reviews), from about ¥34,000 for two adults.
hotelKids share the bed free
A top-floor onsen and free co-sleeping for preschoolers, from about ¥34,000.
Super Hotel Kyoto Shijo Kawaramachi
A business hotel about a 4-minute walk from Hankyu Kyoto Kawaramachi Station, with a natural onsen communal bath. Co-sleeping for preschoolers and the breakfast buffet are free, and children's tableware and chairs are provided. Nishiki Market, Yasaka Shrine and Gion are within walking distance. Rated 4.35 by Rakuten Travel guests (3,791 reviews), from about ¥39,000 for two adults.
hotelSleeps 5
Free breakfast, a natural onsen and a room for five from about ¥44,000.
The Westin Miyako Kyoto
A luxury hotel in Higashiyama, a 2-minute walk from Keage Station, close to Nanzenji Temple and the Philosopher's Path. It has a natural onsen spa and an indoor pool, and cribs are free to borrow. Co-sleeping is free (check the upper age with the hotel, meals charged separately), and a free shuttle runs from Kyoto Station. Rated 4.71 by Rakuten Travel guests (2,960 reviews), from about ¥129,000 for two adults.
hotelCrib available
Free cribs, an onsen spa and a free shuttle from Kyoto Station.
Arashiyama, a scenic base with room to spread out
Kyoto's riverside hot spring district. Kids Stay lists 4 hotels here, and nearby Saga adds whole-house rentals.
Looking for a Kyoto onsen with kids? Arashiyama is the place to start. The two Arashiyama onsen ryokan in this guide, Kyoto Arashiyama Onsen Kadensho and Arashiyama Onsen Hanaikada, both have private-hire baths your family can use on its own, five at Kadensho and an open-air one at Hanaikada. That takes much of the worry out of a first soak with small children. You will find them in the ryokan section below, while the two picks right here are chosen for space. In central Kyoto, Hotel Monterey Kyoto's top-floor spa is a shared natural onsen, and The Westin Miyako Kyoto also has a natural onsen spa. For a whole hot spring town, Arima Onsen and Kinosaki Onsen in Hyogo are two more Kansai options.
The GrandWest Arashiyama
A 10-room hotel about a 5-minute walk from Hankyu Arashiyama Station. Every room is 53 square meters or more. Tatami, a kitchen, toddler meals, kids' activities and stroller rental are all verified. Rated 4.58 by Rakuten Travel guests (147 reviews), from about ¥49,000 for two adults, and a room for five from about ¥53,000.
hotelSleeps 5
Rooms of 53 square meters or more with a kitchen, a short walk from Hankyu Arashiyama.
Tanimachikun Hoshiya Danzan
A whole-house machiya rental in Saga, about 10 minutes by bus to Arashiyama and Toei Kyoto Studio Park. The nearest station is JR Saga-Arashiyama. The house sleeps 1 to 6 guests, with a tatami room and a kitchen, and all four plans have child rates. Rated 5.0 by Rakuten Travel guests (31 reviews), with the whole house for five from about ¥51,000.
hotelTatami room
A whole machiya for up to 6, with a kitchen and child rates on every plan.
mapFind family-friendly hotels in Kyoto and Arashiyama
Browse every Kyoto and Arashiyama hotel Kids Stay has verified, area by area
Family-Friendly Hotels in Kyoto: Stations, Machiya, Tatami Rooms
From station-side hotels that make a great sightseeing base to machiya townhouses where you live like a local, and inns with tatami rooms where everyone can rest
Family-Friendly Hotels in Arashiyama: Kyoto's Riverside Hot Spring Retreat
Kyoto's most scenic district, with hot springs and Kyoto cuisine the whole family can enjoy
Kyoto or Osaka as your base (and when Tokyo or Nara fits)
Kyoto vs Osaka with kids is less of a choice than it looks, because the two cities are close. JR Special Rapid trains link Kyoto Station and Osaka Station in about 30 minutes, and the Shinkansen reaches Shin-Osaka in about 15 minutes. The real question is where you want to wake up on your busiest days.
- Stay in Kyoto for temples, gardens, tatami rooms, ryokan and machiya, and a slower pace
- Stay in Osaka if Universal Studios Japan (USJ) or the Kaiyukan aquarium is the main event, with Kyoto as a day trip
- Split the stay if you want both, for example a few nights in Kyoto and then Osaka for the park day
The USJ day. If USJ is on the plan, sleep in Osaka the night before. From Kyoto the trip takes close to an hour each way, usually with a change in Osaka, which is a long start before a full park day with small children. Hotel Universal Port is about a 4-minute walk from USJ and has a confirmed room for five. Hotel Keihan Universal Tower is an official USJ hotel right by Universal City Station, with family rooms for up to 6 guests and free co-sleeping for preschoolers (one child per adult). For these and family hotels in Namba and Umeda, see our Osaka family hotels guide.
Luggage and how many nights. Every hotel change means repacking the stroller, the diaper bag and the suitcases, so with small children two longer stays usually beat four short ones. If you split, the Kyoto Station side keeps the move short, since Miyako Hotel Kyoto Hachijo and MIMARU Kyoto STATION are a 2-minute walk from the station. Units with a washing machine, such as Glanz Kei Kyoto Station, let you pack fewer clothes, and hotels that lend cribs and strollers lighten the load further. See our guide to hotels with baby gear rentals.
Adding Nara or Tokyo. Nara is under an hour by train from either city, so it works well as a day trip without changing hotels. If Tokyo is part of the trip, Kyoto is a little over two hours away on the Nozomi Shinkansen, and flying into Tokyo and home from Kansai Airport, or the reverse, saves a long ride back. See the Tokyo family hotels guide and which Shinkansen car and seat to book with a baby. For how many days to give Kyoto, with 1 to 3 day plans, read our Kyoto with kids itinerary.
Ryokan, machiya or hotel with kids
Will a ryokan make things easier or harder with small children? Three features decide it.
Tatami rooms. With futons on a tatami floor there is no high bed to roll off, and toddlers can crawl freely. Kids Stay has verified tatami rooms at 22 Kyoto hotels, and not only at ryokan. Miyako Hotel Kyoto Hachijo and MIMARU Kyoto Nijo Castle have them too, so you can get the floor without giving up a station location.
In-room dining. With a baby or toddler, dinner in your room makes for a calmer evening. Among hotels, Miyako Hotel Kyoto Hachijo also has in-room dining verified.
Private baths. A shared onsen can be tricky with small children, so a bath just for your family helps a lot. Only 4 Kyoto hotels in Kids Stay have a verified private onsen bath, and the two Arashiyama ryokan below are among them. Hotel Monterey Kyoto's top-floor spa and Super Hotel's communal bath are natural onsen too, but shared.
If your kids are under 3, a hotel with a tatami room can be an easy middle ground. Once children can enjoy a bath and a longer dinner, a ryokan starts to pay off. For a side-by-side look, read the hotel vs ryokan comparison, and before the first family soak, the onsen debut guide.
Kyoto Arashiyama Onsen Kadensho
An onsen ryokan a 1-minute walk from Hankyu Arashiyama Station. Five private-hire baths are free and need no reservation, so the whole family can bathe together. There are children's meals and shared portions from the adults' dishes, plus tatami rooms and late checkout. Rated 4.47 by Rakuten Travel guests (1,980 reviews), from about ¥76,000 for two adults.
hotelPrivate bath
Five free private-hire baths and kids' meals, a minute from the station.
Arashiyama Onsen Hanaikada
An Arashiyama onsen ryokan about a 5-minute walk from Hankyu Arashiyama Station, without crossing Togetsukyo Bridge. It has a private-hire open-air bath the whole family can use, and Kyoto kaiseki is served in your room. Rates for co-sleeping and for babies' and toddlers' meals and bedding are listed in detail. Rated 4.18 by Rakuten Travel guests (311 reviews), from about ¥57,000 for two adults.
hotelIn-room dining
A family-use open-air bath and kaiseki served in the room.
Mibu Doudan Momiji
A whole-house machiya rental in Mibu, a 6-minute walk from Hankyu Saiin Station, for 2 to 6 guests. It has tatami rooms, a kitchen and a Kiso hinoki cypress bath, and meals can be served in the house. Co-sleeping is free through elementary school, up to 2 children per room (meals charged separately). Rated 5.0 by Rakuten Travel guests (27 reviews), with the house for five from about ¥83,000.
hotelKids share the bed free
A whole townhouse with tatami, a kitchen and free co-sleeping for up to 2 children.
Rooms that sleep four or five
Kids Stay has confirmed a room that sleeps five at 15 Kyoto hotels. Among the picks in this guide, these rooms for five start from:
- Super Hotel Kyoto Shijo Kawaramachi, central Kyoto, from about ¥44,000
- Tanimachikun Hoshiya Danzan, Saga near Arashiyama, from about ¥51,000 (whole house)
- The GrandWest Arashiyama, Arashiyama, from about ¥53,000
- MIMARU Kyoto Nijo Castle, central Kyoto, from about ¥79,000
- Mibu Doudan Momiji, central Kyoto, from about ¥83,000 (whole house)
- Miyako Hotel Kyoto Hachijo, Kyoto Station, from about ¥104,000
- MIMARU Kyoto STATION, Kyoto Station, from about ¥136,000
- Arashiyama Onsen Hanaikada, Arashiyama, from about ¥165,000
Glanz Kei Kyoto Station also has a confirmed room for five. Prices are sample one-night rates and change by season and date. For how Japanese hotels handle a fifth guest, see our guide to family of 5 hotels.
By your child's age
Under 1
Look for a free crib and a place to prepare bottles or baby food. Glanz Kei Kyoto Station and MIMARU Kyoto Nijo Castle have a kitchen and a crib, and DoubleTree by Hilton Kyoto Station lets you bring your own baby food. Our baby food travel guide covers what to pack.
Ages 1 to 2
This is the age of falling out of bed. Bed guards are available at DoubleTree by Hilton Kyoto Station and both MIMARU hotels, and a tatami room at Miyako Hotel Kyoto Hachijo means no high bed to roll off. Hotel Monterey Kyoto has toddler meals and free co-sleeping for preschoolers.
Ages 3 to 5
Kids start to enjoy the bath and the food. Kadensho's children's meals and free private-hire baths fit well, and The GrandWest Arashiyama has toddler meals and kids' activities. Check the free co-sleeping cutoff, since at DoubleTree it ends after age 5.
Elementary school
Free co-sleeping runs through elementary school at Miyako Hotel Kyoto Hachijo, and at Mibu Doudan Momiji for up to 2 children per room. Bunk beds at the two MIMARU hotels and kids' activities at The GrandWest Arashiyama keep older kids happy.
FAQ
What is the best neighborhood to stay in Kyoto with kids?
There is no single best one, so match it to how you travel. The Kyoto Station side is easiest for Shinkansen arrivals, central Kyoto around Karasuma, Kawaramachi and Higashiyama puts Nijo Castle, Nishiki Market and Gion within reach, and Arashiyama gives you more space and family-only onsen baths at its ryokan. The area sections above compare the picks, and the Kyoto and Arashiyama area pages list every verified hotel.
Do kids stay free at Kyoto hotels?
It depends on the hotel and the age. Among the picks here, free co-sleeping ends after age 5 at DoubleTree by Hilton Kyoto Station, at school age at Hotel Monterey Kyoto and Super Hotel Kyoto Shijo Kawaramachi, and after elementary school at Miyako Hotel Kyoto Hachijo. Meals are often charged separately. See child rates and co-sleeping in Japan.
How many kids can share our bed for free?
Often only one per bed. Miyako Hotel Kyoto Hachijo and Hotel Monterey Kyoto allow one child per bed, and Mibu Doudan Momiji allows up to 2 children per room. With two young kids, a room that sleeps four or five is often simpler.
Can we get a crib in Kyoto?
Yes, at more than 20 Kyoto hotels in Kids Stay. DoubleTree by Hilton Kyoto Station, MIMARU Kyoto Nijo Castle and The Westin Miyako Kyoto lend them free. Request one when you book. Our travel baby bed guide covers the alternatives.
Tatami or beds with small children?
Futons on tatami leave no high bed for a toddler to roll off. Beds are easier if your baby sleeps in a crib. Hotels such as Miyako Hotel Kyoto Hachijo offer both tatami rooms and family rooms.
Start with one area
Pick Kyoto Station for easy arrivals, central Kyoto for the sights, Arashiyama for space, or a ryokan or machiya for tatami and a family bath. Then match your child's age and count the beds. If USJ is on your list, add a night or two in Osaka.
Find Kyoto hotels by feature
Find Kyoto hotels by feature
Start from the Kyoto area list and narrow down by free co-sleeping, cribs, tatami rooms or kitchens.
Find Kyoto hotels where kids share the bed free
Find Kyoto hotels where kids share the bed free
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