Where to stay · Hakone · Japan
Where to stay in Hakone
7 neighbourhoods compared, with the trade-offs hotel listings don't tell you.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Aimaimyi, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
For a first visit, stay in Hakone-Yumoto. The gateway onsen town by the station, with souvenir streets and riverside ryokan. Best alternatives — families: Kowakudani.
Key facts
- First visit
- Hakone-Yumoto
- Families
- Kowakudani
- Budget
- Hakone-Yumoto
Best area for each kind of trip
| Trip type | Area | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First-timers | Hakone-Yumoto | The gateway onsen town by the station, with souvenir streets and riverside ryokan |
| Families | Kowakudani | Resort hotels and the Okada Museum on a plateau between Miyanoshita and Lake Ashi |
| Couples | Tōnosawa | Small riverside onsen hamlet one stop up the Tozan line |
| Budget | Hakone-Yumoto | The gateway onsen town by the station, with souvenir streets and riverside ryokan |
| Luxury | Miyanoshita | Historic hot-spring village around the 1878 Fujiya Hotel |
| Food lovers | Hakone-Yumoto | The gateway onsen town by the station, with souvenir streets and riverside ryokan |
| Quiet stays | Tōnosawa | Small riverside onsen hamlet one stop up the Tozan line |
Hakone neighbourhoods in detail
$$ · Best for first-timers, budget and food lovers
Hakone-Yumoto
Hakone-Yumoto, where the Romancecar from Shinjuku terminates, is the largest and most accessible hot-spring town in the area. A main street of shops sells onsen manju, fish cakes and Yosegi woodwork, and ryokan line the Hayakawa and Sukumo rivers. It is the easiest base for travellers with luggage and those who want restaurants within walking distance.
- Good
- Direct trains from Tokyo; Many restaurants and shops; Wide range of ryokan prices
- Watch out
- Lower and less scenic than the upper areas; Day-tripper crowds on the main street
- Nearby
- Hakone-Yumoto Station, Tenzan onsen, Hakone Tozan Railway, Old Tōkaidō road
$$$ · Best for couples and quiet stays
Tōnosawa
Tōnosawa clusters a handful of ryokan in a steep, wooded gorge just above Yumoto, where the Hakone Tozan Railway begins its climb. It is quieter than Yumoto while staying close to its restaurants, and many inns overlook the river from their baths.
- Good
- Peaceful riverside setting; Close to Yumoto's station
- Watch out
- Very few restaurants of its own; Steep paths and stairs
- Nearby
- Hakone-Yumoto, Hakone Tozan Railway
$$$$ · Best for couples, culture and luxury
Miyanoshita
Miyanoshita grew up around the Fujiya Hotel, one of Japan's oldest Western-style hotels, which has long hosted foreign visitors. Its short main street has antique shops, cafés and a bakery, and it sits midway along the Tozan Railway between Yumoto and Gōra.
- Good
- Historic character; Central on the Tozan line
- Watch out
- Few budget options; Limited dining choice in the evening
- Nearby
- Fujiya Hotel, Hakone Open-Air Museum, Kowakudani
$$$ · Best for families and culture
Kowakudani
Kowakudani is a hillside resort area with larger hotels and spa complexes, including the Hakone Kowakien Yunessun water and onsen park, and the Okada Museum of Art. Buses connect it to Moto-Hakone on Lake Ashi and to Yumoto.
- Good
- Family-friendly resort hotels; On bus routes to the lake
- Watch out
- Relies on buses; Little street life
- Nearby
- Okada Museum of Art, Hakone Open-Air Museum, Moto-Hakone
$$$ · Best for first-timers, couples and luxury
Gōra
Gōra is where the Tozan Railway meets the cable car up to Sōunzan, making it the most convenient base for the classic loop. The slope above the station is packed with ryokan, many with private open-air baths, and Gōra Park and the Hakone Open-Air Museum are a short walk or one stop away.
- Good
- Best transport hub for the loop; Large choice of ryokan with private baths
- Watch out
- Steep streets; Restaurants close early in the evening
- Nearby
- Gōra Park, Hakone Open-Air Museum, Hakone Tozan Cable Car, Ōwakudani
$$$ · Best for culture, quiet stays and couples
Sengokuhara
Sengokuhara is a broad plateau on the northern side of the caldera with the Pola Museum of Art, the Lalique Museum and the susuki grass slopes that turn gold in autumn. Hotels are more spread out and many have their own milky sulphur springs; buses connect to Gōra, Tōgendai and Gotemba.
- Good
- Quiet and green; Close to the art museums; Bus links to Gotemba and Tōgendai
- Watch out
- Depends on buses; Spread out, with few restaurants
- Nearby
- Pola Museum of Art, Lalique Museum Hakone, Sengokuhara susuki grassland
$$$ · Best for couples, culture and families
Moto-Hakone and Hakone-machi
The two small villages on the southern shore of Lake Ashi are the sightseeing-boat ports for Hakone Shrine, the Edo-period checkpoint and the cedar avenue of the old Tōkaidō. Lakeside hotels and inns here offer the best chances of Mount Fuji views over the water at dawn.
- Good
- Lake and Fuji views; Walkable to the shrine and checkpoint
- Watch out
- Quiet in the evening; Far from the Tozan Railway
- Nearby
- Hakone Shrine, Hakone Checkpoint, Onshi Hakone Park, Old Tōkaidō cedar avenue
Areas compared
| Area | Price | Nearby |
|---|---|---|
| Hakone-Yumoto | $$ | Hakone-Yumoto Station, Tenzan onsen, Hakone Tozan Railway, Old Tōkaidō road |
| Tōnosawa | $$$ | Hakone-Yumoto, Hakone Tozan Railway |
| Miyanoshita | $$$$ | Fujiya Hotel, Hakone Open-Air Museum, Kowakudani |
| Kowakudani | $$$ | Okada Museum of Art, Hakone Open-Air Museum, Moto-Hakone |
| Gōra | $$$ | Gōra Park, Hakone Open-Air Museum, Hakone Tozan Cable Car, Ōwakudani |
| Sengokuhara | $$$ | Pola Museum of Art, Lalique Museum Hakone, Sengokuhara susuki grassland |
| Moto-Hakone and Hakone-machi | $$$ | Hakone Shrine, Hakone Checkpoint, Onshi Hakone Park, Old Tōkaidō cedar avenue |
Getting to your hotel
From Haneda Airport, take a train to Shinagawa and the shinkansen to Odawara, then the Hakone Tozan Line to Hakone-Yumoto; allow about 1.5–2 hours. From Narita, allow about 3 hours via Tokyo. Odakyu Romancecar trains from Shinjuku reach Hakone-Yumoto directly in about 85 minutes.
Questions travellers ask
+What is the best area to stay in Hakone for first-time visitors?
Hakone-Yumoto. Hakone-Yumoto, where the Romancecar from Shinjuku terminates, is the largest and most accessible hot-spring town in the area.
+Where should families stay in Hakone?
Kowakudani: Family-friendly resort hotels.
+Which area of Hakone is best for a budget stay?
Hakone-Yumoto ($$): The gateway onsen town by the station, with souvenir streets and riverside ryokan.