Is Ginza a good place to stay in Tokyo? Yes, and here's why!

When we used to be in Tokyo solo or as a couple, Ginza was never really on our radar as a place to stay - we thought it was too upmarket and uptight and that accommodation would be too expensive. That all changed when our kids were getting too old to make sharing a bedroom (and above all a bathroom) comfy for a a two to three week trip. Here's why Ginza is currently one of our preferred neighbourhoods to stay in Tokyo plus some Ginza hotels we can recommend.

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*Any prices quoted below are as of June 2026 and are subject to change

I think everybody who has been to Tokyo more than once has a favourite area to stay in: a neighbourhood café with great matcha lattes, a home-away-from-home hotel, a familiar train station. We were tempted into staying in Ginza for the first time a few years ago when we found a great deal on connecting rooms for the four of us (more on this below) and quickly fell in love with the convenience and comfort of Ginza as a base.

So what makes Ginza a good neighbourhood to stay in Tokyo?

These are the factors that won us over:

(1) Not as expensive as you would imagine

It's true enough that you'll find few real budget options in Ginza, but it has plenty of business and mid-range hotels and Ginza is definitely not more expensive than Shibuya or Shinjuku. In fact, a quick, unscientific survey of 3-star hotels rated "very good" for the same random December Sunday night shows that Shibuya and Shinjuku are more expensive on average by around 5000-6000 yen.

(2) Quiet without being dead at night

Especially when travelling with a family, we appreciate not necessarily being based in a Tokyo party hot-spot. As we point out in our post on what to do and see in Ginza, this district has a historical, well-maintained izakaya culture that can compete with Shinjuku's Golden Gai or Omoide Yokocho, but is also known for its glittering cocktail bars, higher-end night clubs and chill lounges. What's "lacking" in Ginza is only the shrillness, the tackiness and the rowdiness.

(3) Family-friendly

You'll not be accosted by touts trying to pull you into girlie bars here in Ginza. Love hotels, massage parlours and other adult establishments are few and far between, or at the very least more discreet.

Also, it's just a small thing and this didn't apply to us anymore, but the streets are broad and flat, not jam-packed and therefore easier to get about with a stroller.

(4) Great food

Ginza has the highest concentration of Michelin-starred restaurants in Tokyo and the district is especially famous for it's best-of-the-best sushi and kaiseki restaurants. This might not be your thing and, don't worry, there are countless cheaper places to fill ya belly too (around Shimbashi and Yurakucho, for example). But it means Ginza has one of the best ranges of dining options in Tokyo: you can breakfast on the freshest tuna in the morning, grab some yakitori for lunch and have the world's best omakase for dinner all within a few minutes' walk.

(5) Great shopping

Of course, Ginza is famous for its luxury retail, but I'm not talking about that. I'm taking about some of Tokyo's most venerable department stores, the world's biggest Uniqlo, a GU practically next door, Loft, Hands, Itoya, Donki, Daiso and several top-modern shopping centres that are the envy of Tokyo's other districts.

(6) Possibly the best connected neighbourhood in Tokyo

This sealed the deal for us. If you look at any map of central Ginza, you'll see that it's surrounded on all sides by train and subway stations. You've got Ginza Station itself on the Ginza, Hibiya and Marunouchi subway lines. Directly to the east, Higashi-Ginza on the Asakusa and Hibuya subway lines. And to the south-west, you've got Shimbashi Station on nine different subway and train lines, including the Yamanote. There are several other stations, including Tokyo Station, within 10 minutes' walk. The airport bus to/from Narita has a stop in Ginza and you can take the subway directly to Haneda on the Asakusa line from Higashi-Ginza. You really can't be better positioned in Tokyo.

Where to stay in Ginza, Tokyo

Now that we've given you the whys, here are the wheres. We especially like anywhere between Ginza/Higashi-Ginza and Shimbashi Stations, because it's best for mobility, it's closest to Ginza's main attractions, such as Hamarikyu Gardens and Tsukiji Market, and there's a great, lively vibe down in that end of the Ginza district. The areas north of the 4-chome crossing tend to be quieter (you're starting to get into Marunouchi territory here, which has a reputation of being strictly business and a bit dull), but you've still got great access to subway stations and you're closer to Tokyo Station, which might be of an advantage if you're coming into Tokyo or leaving again by bullet train. We would advise against staying in the area around Shiodome, to be honest. There are some excellent luxury hotels down there - like the Conrad Tokyo, the Park Hotel Tokyo and the Villa Fontaine Grand Tokyo Shiodome - but the area itself is high-rise, sterile and not very pleasant to walk around: lots of major motorways and train lines converge here and while the views over the bay from these hotels are gorgeous, the views from the ground when you leave your hotel are kinda ugly, we're not gonna lie.

High-end

If you're not counting the yen, the Karaksa Hotel Premier Tokyo Ginza is a good bet. It's down in the southern end of Ginza but you're right beside Shimbashi Station, so you just have to roll out of bed and on to on of 9 train lines in the morning. The rooms are relatively spacious (by Tokyo standards) and you've also got a pretty big Donki just round the corner (which definitely doesn't get the same crowds as the ones in Shinjuku, Asakusa, etc.).

There are plenty of other great, modern, luxury hotels in Ginza (have a look at The Celestine Ginza or the ever popular Mitsui Garden Hotel Ginza), but for something really special, we can recommend the Imperial Hotel. We mentioned it in our Ginza guide and from the minute you pull up at the entrance, you're in a world of old-Tokyo glamour. The vast lobby is wow, the service is second-to-none, and you're just across the road from Hibiya Park and Hibiya subway station. The rooms are some of the roomiest you'll find in Tokyo, and the restaurants and lounges inside the hotel are absolutely top-notch.

Mid-price

You're spoiled for choice if you're looking for a good, solid 3-4-star hotel in Ginza. We're huge fans of the area around Shimbashi Station (lots of little restaurants and bars to discover, excellent accessibility to transport). We've stayed in the Dai-Ichi and, although we prefer our convenience store runs in the morning, other guests rave about the breakfast at the Dai-Ichi. The room decor felt a little dated to us but even the standard rooms are huge (for Tokyo). You're only a few mins away from Shimbashi Station, too.

If you prefer to be in the heart of Ginza, Ibis Styles Tokyo Ginza is always reliable. Rooms are standard business-hotel fare, i.e. not especially roomy but have everything you need, but what we love about this hotel is its location. You're in easy walking distance of everything that Ginza is all about. Hotel Gracery Ginza is on the same block and is also a good bet, for the same reason (but check the size of the room you're booking because some are not much bigger than closets).

Budget

For budget accommodation in Ginza, you'll have to book very early and/or look a bit further to the eastern end of the district. Good basic options are the APA hotel chain, for example. The APA hotels get a bad rap for having tiny, cramped rooms but, honestly, if all you need is a bed for the night, they're hard to beat on price. Have a look at the APA Hotel Hatchobori Shintomicho: a double room is just 11 square metres but it's just a few minutes walk from Shintomicho Station on the Yurakucho line. There are a couple of capsule hotels down near Shimbashi but they are basically the same price for two as a budget hotel room. Solo travellers could check out the Anshin Oyado Tokyo Man Ginza Shimbashi Station or the Anshin Oyado Tokyo Woman Shiodome.

Hotels in Ginza for families

What you won't find in Ginza is airbnb-style accommodation and that can put a lot of families and groups off staying in this area. As mentioned at the beginning of this post, our first experience of staying Ginza was in a fantastic connecting room in the Sotetsu Fresa Inn Ginza Nana-Chome and I can't recommend it enough. The connecting rooms we had was one with a double bed and one with twin beds plus a sofa-bed. We had so much room and having two bathrooms was fabulous. The Sotetsu Fresa Inn Ginza Nana-Chome is across the road from the Ibis Styles Tokyo Ginza that we mentioned under mid-range hotels and has the same proximity to a load of different stations. The big Donki is just a few hundred metres down the road, there's a Starbucks up at the top of the road and, get this, there's a FamilyMart right downstairs inside the hotel! The Nana-Chome's sister hotel, Sotetsu Fresa Inn Ginza Sanchome, is a little further north and has the same great connecting rooms. Now, we should point out here that, like most accommodation in Tokyo, prices have skyrocketed in the last 2-3 years. We booked these connecting rooms pre-covid for something like €60 a night, but they can now cost 4-5 times as much, depending on when you book. We still recommend the hotel anyway for its location and service, and find it ideal for families with children who are old enough to want a bit more privacy and space but maybe not necessarily old enough to be in an entirely separate hotel room.

Another popular choice for families is the MIMARU Tokyo Ginza apart-hotel. We've never stayed here ourselves because we find the area a little uninspiring and further away from the most useful stations than other options; plus it's on the expensive side. But it gets great reviews and I've seen it all over social media, so it must be doing something right.

Before you book your accommodation in Ginza, read our guide to Japanese hotels, our comparison of hotels and airbnbs for your Japan trip and our airbnb checklist. If you're still wondering if Ginza is the best place for you to stay in Tokyo, take a look at our full guide to the best neighbourhoods in Tokyo to stay in.

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