Kyoto Garden Palace

Japan , Kyoto
KYOTO, 605 Tatsumae Cho Shimochojamachi Agaru Karasuma Do
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100 reviews shown

10/10

Exceptional

14 Feb 2026

Gary

Clean and courteous staff

10/10

Exceptional

16 Jan 2026

Mason

Increíble location … across the street literally from Kyoto Gyoen Park … one of the most enchanting in the city. Excellent quality mattresses and pillows and very good staff and a lovely lobby.

8/10

Excellent

29 Nov 2025

Kyoko

Wish to have a little more space in the room. Desk counter space is minimal to be able to comfortably put my cosmetics, skin care and hair care stuffs. Also the bathroom is unit bathroom that no counter space at all. I gave 4stars because location and food was excellent.

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

16 Nov 2025

Rosanne

I enjoyed that the breakfast alternated between Western and Japanese - that way I was pushed to try something I might not have tried. It was delicious and restaurant staff was lovely

10/10

Exceptional

16 Nov 2025

Rosanne

Staff was very helpful, clean, cozy room, lovely breakfast, good location

10/10

Exceptional

27 Oct 2025

Ernest

The staff was very nice and very friendly and helpful as they all are in Japan.
The location of the hotel is very central so we were able to go into different directions for a lot of the tourist attractions that we wanted to hit.
The area is safe and quiet and peaceful and right across from the imperial Palace.
I liked everything about this hotel, except
The pillows
The pillows in many hotels in Japan feel like you are sleeping on padded bricks. I am not exaggerating, and I mentioned it to the gentleman in the front desk and he recommended that I wrap the padded bricks with bath towels.
Now they felt like padded bricks wrapped with bath towels

Friends_and_family Friends

8/10

Excellent

27 Oct 2025

Ernest

I found the location to be central. I was able to go in any direction, not too long of a drive and be where I wanted to be. We had spent the night before ArashiYama at a Ryokan.
The staff there is very pleasant. The place is kept up nicely and very clean.
It’s across the street from the imperial Palace so that was quite nice
The pillows were very very uncomfortable. Many places in Japan, the pillows are stuffed with rice and they are very uncomfortable. I had requested nicer pillows and was there weren’t any other kind and a good idea would be to wrap the pillow in bath towels.
Other than that, everything was very nice

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

26 Oct 2025

Charles

Very kind staff snd great location beaide the imperial palace. Peacefull at night

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

15 Oct 2025

Jenny

Loved it so much, we'll be back.
A big call out to all staff also. Thank you for being so amazing in tracking, locating and returning a lost mobile phone even though we were no longer staying with you. Your efforts are very much appreciated.

Leisure Family_with_children

8/10

Excellent

15 Oct 2025

Shiu Tung

Very nice place & location

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 Oct 2025

Peter

Great place to stop for the night

Business_and_leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

07 Oct 2025

Sonja

Quiet area

10/10

Exceptional

04 Oct 2025

Jiang

Convenient location, good view, and comfortable bed.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

10 Sep 2025

Miguel

Spacious room for Japanese standards , the staff was great and the hotel is very nice.

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

09 Sep 2025

Gabriel

I had a great stay at Hotel Garden Palace Kyoto. The location was excellent—very peaceful and quiet, yet at the same time super central, with plenty of activities and places to visit within walking distance. One of the highlights is that it’s also close to the Imperial Palace, which made exploring the area even more convenient.

The only downside is that the rooms really need renovation. The hotel itself is incredible, but the rooms haven’t been updated in decades, which takes away a bit from the overall experience.

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

06 Sep 2025

JUAN R

todo estuvo muy bien,amabilidad,limpieza,etc

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Jun 2025

Max

This is a good choice to have the convenience of a modern hotel in a vary traditional and historic Japanese setting. The hotel is a 15 minute walk from the two nearest metro stations, but you can take the walk through the Imperial Garden. The south stop offers direct service to Kinkauji Temple on the 204 and the north stop offers direct service to Gingakuji Temple on the 203. And the Imperial Palace is right across the street. Restaurant was very good. Wifi worked fine. Staff's language ability was limited.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jun 2025

Alyssa

An amazing deal for a great location and service.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

19 May 2025

Catherine

Not much in the area. Across the road from massive Gardens. 11 min walk from Train station. Nice hotel but location not ideal when commuting to daily tourist activities and doing 20,000 steps.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

15 May 2025

Guillermo

Good budget hotel, only stayed one night in the smallest room, better than a holiday inn though.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 May 2025

Yumi

It about 10 mins walk from the train stations. The staffs are super friendly and great price!

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

25 Apr 2025

Ayshayh

Loved that every other day was a Japanese breakfast and the other days were an English/European breakfast. Staff helpful and a lovely clean hotel.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

22 Apr 2025

Madeline

What I didn’t like was the bedding, which was very hard, the pillows, which were stiff, the lack of adequate air conditioning, and the entire key system, which was too complicated. The location was wonderful and the staff very helpful and polite. The grounds were beautiful, especially the restaurant which had views of a koi pond and gardens.

10/10

Exceptional

21 Apr 2025

John

Very friendly staff, always helpful Nice quiet location, away from the downtown crowds.

Business_and_leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

19 Apr 2025

John

Lovely quick stay in Kyoto

10/10

Exceptional

13 Apr 2025

David

Good location

Bedroom very good size. Good location - opposite Palce Gardens, 10 minute walk to subway station andbus stops. Used for 5 nights, great base for exploring Kyoto's must sees. Very helpful staff .

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 Apr 2025

Jim

Best value!

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 Apr 2025

robert

The whole area is super nice the stay was also great. Nothing but high expectations were met.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

04 Apr 2025

Shai

In the vicinity of the hotel there was no public transportation.

Leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

25 Mar 2025

Robin

Good staff. No A/C had to open window. Food average

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

04 Mar 2025

Nick

I was kind of astonished that for the amount of money spent per night, they would only allow us 1 coffee per person in our room. There was also no free coffee areas downstairs. Room was typical for Japanese standards.

10/10

Exceptional

29 Dec 2024

rodrigo

Quiet place to stay

10/10

Exceptional

28 Dec 2024

Caleb

Very nice and comfortable stay

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

04 Dec 2024

Talia

The hotel was big and could appear luxurious but it wasn’t, the rooms were old and musty. Not the best place, it wasn’t horrible. It did its job. I think the worst part was how rude the male staff was there, we seemed to inconvenience them a lot, seemed annoyed and not welcoming at all. No amenities really available. The location is okay, 10 min from a subway station, 3 min from imperial palace but other than that, it was not what we hoped for. We will not return.

10/10

Exceptional

03 Dec 2024

Clinton

Great property in a very nice location. Staff was very friendly and helpful.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

02 Dec 2024

Paula

The hotel is a 10 minute walk from the subway which was convenient. Check in was quick and the staff were very nice. The room is a bit outdated - you need an actual key to open the door and need to return it to the front desk every day. The smoking room really reeked of smoke even for a smoking room it was not aired out at all and the temperature was way too hot, we had to adjust ourselves and leave for a few hours for it to be tolerable. There is no laundry facility onsite even though Google says otherwise. Not a lot of dining options available in the area.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

28 Nov 2024

Verified traveler

Enjoyable stay in good location

Room and staff were excellent. However there's no lounge area just for sitting in, and no hotel bar that we were aware of.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

23 Nov 2024

Anthony

clean, comfortable room - excellent breakfast

6/10

Pleasant

17 Nov 2024

Maria

The property is an older style wedding venue and conference centre. There is no laundry service, no room service and they only give you one key. If more than one person needs the key you leave it at the front desk and ask for it when you get back. It is an actual key. There is no shuttle bus or local transport bus station outside. The nearest subway station is a 10 minute walk. The nearest bus stop is a 15 minute walk. Walking to Kyoto station is about an hour. If you don't want to walk don't stay here. The area is beautiful. Across from the palace and the side streets have lots to offer. The staff were ok but looked tired like the rest of the place and the corridors have a funny smell. 5 days here was a challenge.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

16 Nov 2024

Mariangel

I loved this hotel! It is within walking distance of a train station where you can easily get to the Kyoto station. The hotel is around a nice quiet area, and it is very aesthetically pleasing. The only thing was thay out our room was \"non-smoking\" but there was still a lingering cigarrette smell, but overall I would definitely stay here again.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

28 Oct 2024

hubert

Good location (for me) away from the tourist hubs, yet convenient access to transport, subway and busses.
Functioned well as my base to do side trips and excursions. Don’t miss UJI in the south. Lovely little place, if you love matcha and wonderful restaurants and pastry shops.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

20 Oct 2024

Jamall

The staff was very friendly and helpful

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

08 Oct 2024

Siddik

Wonderful

8/10

Excellent

20 Sep 2024

Guoxing

Transportation is not good enough, all others are excellent.

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

23 Jul 2024

Scott

Charming hotel in Kyoto located next to a gorgeous park and palace. There's a bus stop a block away and the subway is 10 minutes away. The staff were extremely courteous and helpful despite a minor language barrier. The room was small but clean and well stocked. I would stay here again.

Leisure Family

4/10

Poor

06 Jul 2024

Carlos

Since the moment we arrived the staff at the counter was really unhelpful! We had two reservations and we asked if it was possible to have the same room but they were denying any change...until we payed extra! They denied breakfast even though I especifically asked for that in Expedia and we had to pay again plus several extras...after traveling the whole day you prefer to pay instead of being denied access to your room, right?
At breakfast, if you ask for a simple change you have to pay extra...
I understand it's Japan and my Japanese is not the best, but in an international hotel they should have people speaking some English...not in this hotel, sorry.
I was excited to be in the same hotel I stayed 11 years ago and celebrate our anniversary but it was my last time there...unless you refund all the extras you asked me to pay. Your call

Business_and_leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

27 Jun 2024

Jenalyn

I was pleased with the convenience to the station. The cleanliness and friendly staff.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

21 Jun 2024

Andrew

It was good.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

12 Jun 2024

Rod

Had a great experience with this hotel.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jun 2024

Milagros

Staff were wonderful

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

23 Apr 2024

Ann

I enjoyed my stay away from the crowds

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

22 Apr 2024

Vatchara

The hotel is in good condition and room cleaning is done every day (not the case everywhere in Japan), which is very nice. The room is a decent size for Japan, it didn't feel cramped, and there is a closet for you to put your clothes in. It's also quiet, I never hear any noise from outside.

For breakfast you have a choice between Japanese or western sets, which do not really change day by day. I stayed here for a week, so it got repetitive. This is a hotel that has the facilities to hold weddings, banquets, has a restaurant with garden view, and a separate coffee shop. They could have a buffet breakfast.

The hotel in a quiet area and is right across the road from the imperial palace. It doesn't have many shops and restaurants around it. Dining choices are quite limited, you will have to walk about 10 min to get to an area with some dining options.

Business_and_leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

21 Apr 2024

Simon

Very quiet area.
Friendly staff & larger room than expected.
Close to subway stations.
Would have been nice to have USB ports in the room.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Apr 2024

Cyndy

Great location. Staff was super helpful—borrowed umbrellas, stored luggage, used translators to help with train schedules. All around great experience.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Mar 2024

carolina

I like everything.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

02 Feb 2024

Jennifer

Such a lovely place - would stay again

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

12 Jan 2024

Jon

Door key is unique. View to the park is beautiful and factory is clean. Laundry mat was 7 minutes walk.

10/10

Exceptional

18 Nov 2023

Fan

stunning view from my room! love that it's right next to the kyoto imperial palace, wonderful accommodation and staff

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

23 Oct 2023

Claire

Great hotel with good location

Rooms were large and clean and the staff were friendly and very helpful. Great hotel for the Imperial Palace and Nijo Castle and central enough to make the rest of Kyoto easily accessible by bus.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

21 Oct 2023

Stanislav

Good

Business_and_leisure

10/10

Exceptional

29 May 2023

Sergio

Clean, comfortable, convenient.
Right across from the Kyoto Imperial Palace gardens.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 Dec 2022

Julie Ann

Great care is taken by all the staff to make sure you are happy
My room was beautifully taken care off every day & some staff were very good with speaking english for me. Highly recommend this hitel

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

17 Dec 2022

Joseph

Helpful, friendly staff, very quiet and restful. Across the Street from the Emperor's Palace.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

12 Nov 2022

Christine

Asked for non-smoking room but my room still smelt slightly like tobacco and the humidifier in the room blew more tobacco smell into the room so I had to keep the air con and humidifier turned off and leave the window open for the duration of my stay. The corridor outside my room also reeked of tobacco. The room was spacious, great value and comfortable (pillows weren't great) aside from that.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

05 Nov 2022

Amanda

I absolutely loved this hotel. It was a perfect size - not too small and not too huge, so it was spacious but small enough to be intimate. The rooms were a good size, very comfortable, and spotlessly clean. The breakfast was the best part - from location with big windows and a pond with fish - to taste which was all absolutely delicious - to lovely staff. All staff were wonderful, but I have to say a special thank you to Takato Matsudaira, who was so friendly and went out of his way to be helpful regarding my luggage. The area was very safe. I enjoyed visiting the wild boar shrine next door and walking through the palace gardens every day. The area was quiet, which was perfect for me, and you could access stores and restaurants within 10 mins walk. I would definitely stay at the Kyoto Garden Palace again.

Business Self

8/10

Excellent

13 Dec 2021

TAKAMI

As I know before arriving at this hotel, it is just between Marutamachi Sta. and Imadegawa Sta., which means it is a little far from either if the stations. The room is clean and bed mattress is comfortable.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

08 Oct 2019

Verified traveler

Hotel has a conference feel about it. Not for the party animal, but this hotel suited us very nicely. 10 Minute walk to the nearest Tube station so pretty handy.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

14 Sep 2019

David

Great place to stay.

Great place to stay. The room was spacious and cleaned. Walking distance to the train station. Restaurant on the main floor was very good and the nice view with the fish. And beautiful sightseeing in Kyoto city and very clean.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

08 Aug 2019

Verified traveler

I’ve stayed here twice now. Very nice hotel with a spacious room, right across the street from the Kyoto Imperial Palace grounds, which was super convenient for the annual Aoi Matsuri Festival the next morning.

Leisure

8/10

Excellent

18 Jul 2019

SMR

Nice one! Location is good. Recommending…

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

17 Jul 2019

Clean and good location

Business Self

8/10

Excellent

08 Jun 2019

Verified traveler

We loved it being across the street from the old Imperial Palace. With the large Japanese population it was nice to have such a large park like area to get away from all the people.

All the other hotels we stayed at had a breakfast buffet. Here they only had a few selections for breakfast. Would recommend a breakfast buffet to a wider selection of food.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

21 Apr 2019

George

Kyoto Garden Palace Hotel Review

The hotel is located just across the street from the imperial palace and a short taxi ride to the Gion, geisha district or the train station. There are also two nearby metro stations. The rooms are nice but a bit small. There are several temples nearby but few restaurants or shops. The breakfast offered by the hotel is good value. the staff is friendly and helpful. We enjoyed our stay.

Family

6/10

Pleasant

19 Apr 2019

Ngoc

I can only give 2.5 stars for this hotel

This hotel is old, small, bathtub has mold. Air conditioning is hot not cold.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

12 Apr 2019

Verified traveler

Modern, nice appeal. But far from the train station:

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

26 Mar 2019

Verified traveler

Nice hotel close to the park

Affordable and spacious rooms close to the palace park. A nice 30min walk to Kyoto university.

10/10

Exceptional

24 Mar 2019

Chris

Western style rooms. Staff was friendly and responsive. Nice location - short walk to bus stops/subway. Taxis were easily called.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

22 Mar 2019

Verified traveler

Best Compromise Between Price, Quality, Location

Front Desk Staff needs to be better informed about the high end tourist spots. Need more reasonable dining facilities

8/10

Excellent

14 Mar 2019

Jason

No lotion. Overall, the room is not bad. It’s a bit walk to the subway.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

13 Feb 2019

Michael

3 Days in Kyoto

I booked late and could not find a place in Gion, so I looked elsewhere, including near the Kyoto Imperial Palace, and found this wonderful hotel. The price was extremely affordable given the amenities and size of the room and bathroom.

The proximity to the Kyoto Imperial Palace and gardens/park is a strong point, as is the proximity on the north side to Ginkakuji by short taxi ride. However, if seeking a more central location, either to the train station for a quick stay or near the Gion area, the hotel is situated between two Kyoto subway stations, approximately 15 minutes in either direction, and it does take some time to get around. Otherwise highly recommended!

8/10

Excellent

28 Jan 2019

Verified traveler

Strict 3pm check-in but there is luggage storage if you arrived early. Room is very hot and no thermostat to adjust. Building and rooms are showing their age. Small bathtub with slippery bottom. Located in between two subway stops and there is a bit of walking - okay in the morning but not so much in the evening after a day of going places, or if you are hauling luggage.

10/10

Exceptional

22 Dec 2018

Verified traveler

Great service and great staff. The food was great. Breakfast and dinner hit the spot.

Leisure

8/10

Excellent

25 Oct 2018

Veronica

Staff were kind and helpful. Loved the location across the road from the Imperial Palace. Subway not too far and bus stops close. Great vintage shop up the road and many art galleries must check their times as not all open at 10 o’clock. Overall a great experience.

8/10

Excellent

28 Sep 2018

Verified traveler

Great Place! & Conveniently Located

The hotel was very quiet. The room was great, except that if the key was in the slot by the door, all lights were on and none could be turned off; if they key was not in the slot, all lights were off and none could be turned on, nor could my electronics charge (i.e., they couldn't charge overnight). Staff was great; one staff member knew enough English to help me with getting a taxi the next morning and telling the driver where I needed to go. Breakfast was good. I love that the Japanese like heated toilet seats (that even worked when the electrical outlets didn't work-LOL) and have bidets. They also provided shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and a kimono to wear. Very nice!

10/10

Exceptional

22 Jul 2018

Jack

Close to public transportation, not a bad walk to downtown if you choose to do so. Furniture is a bit dated but comfortable. Rooms and facilities are kept very clean. staff speaks English and are helpful. good value for the money

10/10

Exceptional

02 Jul 2018

Iwato

Very satisfied.

Everything was great, except that I would have preferred the breakfast serving begin at 06:30 instead of 07:00.

10/10

Exceptional

24 May 2018

Casey

Very Nice Hotel, bit of a walk

The hotel itself was very nice, with decent sized rooms. Wish it had been a little closer to a train station. Walk to the subway and bus stops wasn’t too horrible but got a little old after taking the trip so many times. The Imperial palace and corresponding park were very cool and nice right across the street.

10/10

Exceptional

12 May 2018

Verified traveler

Window to the Palace

It was a great hotel. The staff were very polite. It had all the amenities, and the free WIFI was a plus. The location was perfect, as it was a 10-15 minute walk from the nearest metro stop. It was close to the royal palace and gardens.

4/10

Poor

03 Apr 2018

Verified traveler

Tired furnishings and loud slamming doors. The front desk staff were really helpful and the breakfast was nice with a beautiful outlook. The location is good and the parking (a turntable and stacking system) was amazing. A good location near the Imperial Palace gardens. In summary not too bad - but for the price I paid I was surprised that the furnishings were worn and the slamming doors of other rooms (due to the design of the closing mechanism) was truly aggravating.

8/10

Excellent

30 Sep 2017

Verified traveler

Nice hotel near palace

This is a good hotel reasonably priced, but my room was very small, but the price was very reasonable so I can't complain. Parking is available which I needed too.

8/10

Excellent

27 Mar 2017

Charles

Nice stay.

One of the nicer hotels across from the palace.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

11 Sep 2016

Leon

Great place, real pity about the \"cleaning time\"

The capsule was good. The traditional Japanese bath on the ground floor was great. Lots of vending machine in the hotel (ice cream, 2 minute noodles, all drinks including alcohol). The only hassle was you couldn't stay in capsule or even the hotel between 10-12 as that's when they did their cleaning. This was a major pain in the back side

8/10

Excellent

04 Sep 2016

Gwen

Very nice hotel for business or tourism. I did not have children with me so the room was a single but it was very comfortable for one person. Nice bathroom and very comfortable bed.

10/10

Exceptional

03 Sep 2016

vpr

near our conference at Doshisha University. l

Lots of amenities. great location across the stret from the imperial palace and park where I jogged in the morning. great place.

8/10

Excellent

10 Jul 2016

Verified traveler

The pillow provided is not good

Family

8/10

Excellent

01 Jul 2016

Verified traveler

Convenient location, although the room is a little bit small.

10/10

Exceptional

01 Nov 2015

Denise

Great Stay

Very clean and comfortable. Staff are friendly and professional. I would definitely stay here again.

Partner

4/10

Poor

25 Jul 2015

Better options

Staff asked if I was having breakfast there and I said maybe, he gave me a voucher during my check in. I didn't end up having breakfast at the restaurant yet they still charged me.. even though I told them I didn't use the voucher, they said it wasn't refundable! I had no idea I was pre paying for this, I just thought he gave me a voucher to use if I wanted.. no further explanation was given. They also charged me the full ratw for 2 people even though I was the only one staying. Not a good experience here unfortunately.

10/10

Exceptional

18 Jun 2015

Emmanuel

Fantastic

8/10

Excellent

27 Feb 2015

danny

Very nice hotel but not convenient location

The hotel facility is great, staff is very helpful and professional ... But unless you want to explore kyoto by foot or taxi, suggest find other hotel. It is 10 min walk for bus or subway station.
Other alternative is rent a bike.
The only downside of that lovely hotel is the a it offset location.