If you've only got a night or two in Kyoto, there's nothing as convenient as the 535-room Western-style Granvia, which sits, literally, on top of Kyoto Station, a modern, mammoth, and controversial complex (local wags say that the "mother ship" has landed). You can step off the bullet train—the best way to arrive into Kyoto—and head straight to your quiet, comfortable room. The Granvia is nothing to write home about design-wise, but it has a lap pool, exercise room, and sauna, and you have access to dozens of restaurants, shops, and even department stores, without having to step outside. When you're ready to start sightseeing, the subway runs right from the station, as do most city bus lines.

This March 2006 addition to Kyoto's hotel scene raised the bar (and a few eyebrows) with its stunning public spaces and guest rooms fashioned by the trendy Tokyo-based firm SuperPotato. The 189-room hotel is a combination of contemporary design sensibilities—white oak, frosted glass, dramatic lighting—and traditional Japanese elements, such as freestanding soaking tubs, washi paper lampshades, and swatches of colorful kimono fabric hung on the walls. The lobby ceiling—a backlit grid whose patterns derives from ancient Japanese designs—is a knockout. You can expect the usual garnishes of a brand-new property: flat-screen TVs, Wi-Fi in the lobby and broadband in the rooms (rarities here), plus the best-equipped health club in town. The location in Higashiyama—10 minutes by taxi from Kyoto Station and walking distance from several temples—is excellent as well.

This inn, now in business for more than 200 years, is worth experiencing—if you're lucky enough to get a room. There are seven, but owner Haruji Ukai is so determined to give the best service and to preserve the inn's traditional (read quiet) atmosphere that he only books three "groups" at a time, which sometimes means only three rooms are occupied. This gives Mr. Ukai all the more time to concentrate on his cooking, which has earned him justifiable fame. Even if you're not staying here, you can partake of one of his exquisite kaiseki meals in Kinmata's attached restaurant. Your dinner might end with his memorable seafood zosui, a rich rice porridge served in a copper pot from Aritsugu, the famous kitchenware store around the corner. None of Kinmata's rooms have private baths, but all have beautiful antique furnishings and lamps, and views of the garden or interior courtyard with its ancient stone lantern.

If you've heard rumors of Tawaraya, you've heard that it's a favorite of heads of state, movie stars, and obsessive Japanophiles. You may have also heard that it's devastatingly expensive. All true. Tawaraya, the three-centuries-old ryokan located in the heart of town, is Kyoto's über-inn—perhaps one of the finest in the world. Its wabi-sabi elegance and attention to even the tiniest details will make the aesthete in you swoon: the wetting-down each morning of the stone path in the garden; the perfectly aligned slippers inside the front entrance; the candle lamps in the hallway; the deft intermingling of mid-century Danish pieces among the Japanese furnishings; the sublime service performed by maids whose kimonos reflect, in design theme and color, the season. There are only 18 rooms, and they're almost always full (though, as one visitor remarked, you feel as if you're the only guest). If you want to experience traditional Japan in all of its excruciatingly understated splendor, call—way, way in advance—for a reservation at Tawaraya.

Long considered the Western hotel in Kyoto, this rambling property, which opened on the slopes of Higashiyama (Eastern Mountain) in 1890, has only gotten better since 2002, when Westin stepped in to manage. It's still the place to stay if you want to make the right impression on your local business associates or Japanese in-laws. Happily removed from the noise of Kyoto's center, it's a short and pretty stroll from some of the city's most beautiful gardens and temples. We have a few quibbles—the executive floor lounge and the gym are both too small—but the 501 rooms, all renovated in early 2007, are bright and spacious and couldn't be more comfortable; we prefer those with a city view and terrace. For runners, this is a great location; ask for a map of nearby wooded trails. The hotel also has a concierge at Kyoto Station, where you can check in, leave your luggage, and spend the day shopping.