Guide
For luxury, The Ritz-Carlton on Lake Chuzenji or Fufu Nikko by the shrines; for history, the Nikko Kanaya Hotel of 1873; for an onsen ryokan with dinner, Senhime Monogatari or Tsurukamedaikichi in town and Yumoto Itaya at the end of the valley; for value, the Station Hotel Classic and Turtle Inn.
13 hotels. Checked October 2026.
Eastern shore, Lake Chuzenji · 5 stars · 94 rooms
Every room faces the lake or Mount Nantai; indoor and open-air onsen
The luxury choice on Lake Chuzenji: 94 rooms and suites facing the lake or Mount Nantai, with indoor and open-air hot-spring baths.
From £569 a night
Tamozawa, Nikko town · Luxury ryokan · 24 rooms
A private hot-spring bath in every suite
A small luxury ryokan where every one of the 24 suites has its own hot-spring bath from the inn’s own source; for a special night in Nikko.
From £915 a night
Kinugawa river, Kinugawa Onsen · Luxury ryokan
Small luxury ryokan with open-air bath rooms on the Kinugawa
A small luxury ryokan on the Kinugawa with rooms that have their own hot-spring bath and a club floor; for a special night with dinner.
From £672 a night
Shinkyo Bridge, Nikko town · 4 stars · 63 rooms
Japan’s oldest classic resort hotel, by the Shinkyo Bridge
Japan’s oldest classic resort hotel, opened in 1873 above the Shinkyo Bridge; for travellers who want history, French cooking and the shrines on foot.
From £83 a night
Western shore, Lake Chuzenji · 4 stars · 57 rooms
Log-cabin hotel in the forest by the lake
A log-cabin style hotel in the forest by Lake Chuzenji, with open-air hot-spring baths and French cooking; for couples and walkers.
From £106 a night
Yasukawa-cho, Nikko town · Ryokan
Near Toshogu, with open-air bath rooms
An onsen ryokan a short walk from Toshogu, with rooms that have their own open-air bath; the best private-bath stay by the shrines.
From £148 a night
Daiya river, Nikko town · Ryokan
Rooftop bath over the Daiya gorge
A ryokan above the Daiya gorge with a rooftop view bath and rooms with their own open-air bath; for couples who want dinner and a soak.
Yumoto village, Yumoto Onsen · Ryokan
Milky sulphur water fed from the source
A long-established inn at the source of Yumoto’s milky sulphur springs, with indoor and open-air baths; for onsen lovers and hikers.
From £139 a night
Kinugawa river, Kinugawa Onsen · 4 stars · 48 rooms
Hoshino Resorts’ craft-themed ryokan
Hoshino Resorts’ ryokan on the Kinugawa: 48 rooms dressed in local crafts, some with an outdoor bath; for couples who want a polished onsen night.
From £317 a night
Chugushi, Lake Chuzenji · 3 stars
Small lakeside inn with kaiseki
A small inn steps from Lake Chuzenji with a hot-spring bath, kaiseki dinners and lake-view twins; good value up the mountain.
From £110 a night
JR Nikko Station, Nikko town · 3.5 stars
Opposite the station, with its own hot spring
A practical hotel opposite JR Nikko Station with its own hot-spring baths, indoor and open-air; the easy base for trains and buses.
From £86 a night
Takumi-cho, Nikko town · Guesthouse
Budget guesthouse near the shrines
A small, long-running guesthouse in a quiet street west of the shrines, with a hot-spring bath and cheap twins; for budget travellers.
From £62 a night
Tokorono, Nikko town · 3 stars
Modern rooms and free parking for drivers
A simple, modern room-only hotel on the edge of Nikko with free parking; for drivers who want a clean room and to eat out.
From £82 a night
Nikko town for the shrines and trains; Lake Chuzenji for the lake and Kegon Falls; Yumoto for strong sulphur springs; Kinugawa Onsen for ryokan with private baths.
The leaves bring Nikko’s busiest weeks, from early October in the mountains to early November at the shrines; book as early as you can for those dates.
