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Where to stayBy Clever Tourists · Published
For a first one-night stay, choose Gora: it sits in the middle of the Hakone loop, so you can do the cable car, ropeway and Lake Ashi the next morning without backtracking. Hakone-Yumoto is the easier choice if you arrive late or only want an onsen night, since the Romancecar from Shinjuku ends there in about 80 minutes. Lake Ashi is for Fuji views, and Sengokuhara for quiet. In Hakone the choice is really about the ryokan and its bath, so pick the area first, then the room. We spent 2 days in Hakone in March 2023, between our first Tokyo stay and Matsumoto.
• First visit, one night: Gora, mid-loop and next to the Open-Air Museum.
• Easy arrival or a short budget stay: Hakone-Yumoto, the gateway town at the bottom of the mountain railway.
• Fuji views and the lake: Moto-Hakone or Hakone-machi on Lake Ashi.
• Quiet and romantic: Sengokuhara, or a ryokan with a private open-air bath anywhere in the area.
• Families: Hakone-Yumoto or Gora, for simple transport, more food choices and the Open-Air Museum's outdoor sculpture park.
• Tattoos: look for a room with its own bath or a private reservable bath; see our onsen etiquette guide.
What it's like: a hot-spring town in a river valley at the end of the Odakyu line, with a shopping street of souvenir and food shops by the station and ryokan spread along the river and up the hillsides. The Hakone Tozan train starts here for the climb to Gora.
Who it suits: late arrivals, travelers with heavy bags, day-trippers who want one onsen night, and budget stays, since it has the widest range of rooms. Our 14-day Japan itinerary calls it the easiest base for transport.
Downside: it is at the bottom of the loop. The mountain train to Gora takes about 40 minutes, so a morning at Owakudani and Lake Ashi starts with a climb. Many ryokan here are a bus or taxi ride from the station rather than a walk; check before booking.
What it's like: Gora is the top of the mountain railway and the bottom of the cable car up to Sounzan, where the ropeway over Owakudani begins. The Hakone Open-Air Museum is one stop down at Chokoku-no-Mori. Miyanoshita, two stops below that, is an older resort village on the same line.
Who it suits: first-timers who want to ride the full loop the next day, and museum visitors. From Gora the classic circuit runs cable car, ropeway, pirate ship across the lake and bus back, which is exactly what the Hakone Freepass covers.
Downside: Gora is steep, with few restaurants open late, so most people eat at their ryokan. If you book room-only, check what is open in the evening.
What it's like: the caldera lake at the far end of the loop, with the pirate-ship cruises, the red torii of Hakone Shrine standing in the water, and Mount Fuji behind the lake on clear days. Moto-Hakone and Hakone-machi are on the south shore; Togendai is at the north end where the ropeway arrives.
Who it suits: couples and photographers who want the shrine and the lake at dawn before the boats and tour groups, and anyone whose priority is a Fuji view. Our Japan guide says the shrine gate is finest at dawn.
Downside: it is the furthest area from Hakone-Yumoto by bus, roads can back up on weekends, and Fuji is hidden by cloud on many days. Do not book here only for the view; choose it because you like the lake either way.
What it's like: a high grassy basin in the north of Hakone, known for its fields of silver susuki grass in autumn, with several art museums and spread-out ryokan and resort hotels. It is reached by bus from Hakone-Yumoto, Gora or Togendai.
Who it suits: travelers with two nights who want space, quiet and a car-free walk in autumn, and those who plan to spend most of their time at the ryokan.
Downside: it is off the train and cable car line, so everything involves a bus. On a single night with the loop as the main event, Gora or Yumoto is simpler.
Ryokan rhythm. Most ryokan have a set check-in time in the mid-afternoon and serve dinner at a fixed time, so arrive by late afternoon to get the bath and the meal you are paying for. Dinner-and-breakfast plans are the norm; room-only rates exist but leave you looking for food in villages that close early.
Rooms with a bath. A room with a private open-air bath costs more, but it suits couples and anyone with tattoos. Ask whether a shared bath can be reserved privately.
Prices. Saturday nights and holiday eves usually cost the most. Autumn leaves in November and cherry blossom in spring are busy; a weekday night is noticeably cheaper.
Closures. The Hakone Ropeway is partly replaced by buses from 7 to 24 December 2026 and from 12 January to 26 February 2027, and it stops in strong wind or volcanic alerts. Plan the loop around the section that is running; our Freepass guide has the detail.
Luggage. The mountain railway and cable car are no place for big suitcases. Leave them in a Tokyo coin locker or forward them; see our luggage forwarding guide.
One night is the minimum that makes Hakone worthwhile: arrive in the afternoon, bathe, eat, and ride the loop the next morning. Two nights gives you a spare morning if cloud hides Fuji or the ropeway stops, which is why we recommend two. Our how many days in Hakone guide sets out both plans.
Hakone fits naturally after Tokyo, as it did for us; see where to stay in Tokyo. From Hakone there is no direct line to the Japan Alps: the usual way to our next stop, Matsumoto, goes back toward Shinjuku first and takes most of a day. The full order is in our 33-day Japan route.
Gora for a first visit, since it is mid-loop and next to the Open-Air Museum. Hakone-Yumoto for late arrivals, heavy luggage and the widest choice of rooms; the mountain train to Gora takes about 40 minutes.
On Lake Ashi at Moto-Hakone or Hakone-machi, where Fuji rises behind the lake and Hakone Shrine's torii on clear days. Cloud hides it on many days, so do not book only for the view.
Yes for an onsen evening and the loop the next morning. Two nights gives you a spare morning if Fuji is hidden or the ropeway stops. We spent 2 days in Hakone.
Book a room with its own bath or a ryokan with a private reservable bath, since many shared baths restrict tattoos.
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