Where to Stay in Osaka: The Best Hotels in the City

One of Japan's largest cities, Osaka is regarded as the food and comedy capital of Japan. This lively, vibrant city is a wonderful window into the local culture and Japanese life that's much harder to see in Tokyo, its streets lined with dynamic bars and delicious street food stalls. As one of Japan's largest and most developed cities, there are plenty of hotels in Osaka that offer all kinds of different stays. For the best of the best however, if you're looking for where to stay in Osaka, these hotels offer a perfect experience to visiting Japan's beloved city.

Hotel Monterey Grasmere Osaka

Often seen as the heart of Osaka, Namba is the city's entertainment district, full of bars, shopping streets and inviting restaurants, enough to keep anyone busy for days. Hotel Monterey Grasmere is at the center of it all, just a minutes walk from Dotonbori, one of Osaka's most popular attractions. The hotel offers more than just an amazing location in Osaka, its modern furnishings and beautiful city views from each room are some of the best you'll find in the city. Guests highly rate the breakfast spread and the hotel offers three on-site restaurants, 'Teppanyaki Kobe' is highly recommended for their 'Kobe wagyu beef' grilled in front of you with beautiful night views on the 22nd floor.

The hotel is also directly connected to JR Namba Station, making it easy to get to and travel around the city.

Dormy Inn Premium Namba Natural Hot Spring

Both budget-friendly and lavish with amenities, Dormy Inn is one of Japan's favorite hotel chains for their simple yet crowd-pleasing accommodation. While it's not 'luxury accommodation', if you're not sure where to stay in Osaka and want a well-rounded hotel for a cheaper price, Dormy Inn is one of the best budget hotel choices.

Unlike most inner city hotels, Dormy Inn has a public hot spring for guests to use in the hotel building, an amenity that usually requires a trip to rural Japan to sample. Breakfast at Dormy Inn Namba is freshly cooked with a huge range of choices, much more than what you'll find at similarly priced budget hotels in the area. The hotel also offers a free bowl of noodles to guests in the evening. The rooms here are a little small but clean, modern and well organized. While it's not right next to a metro station, Kintetsu-Nippombashi Station is only six minutes away and you can walk to Dotonbori from the hotel in ten minutes.

Conrad Osaka

For those looking for a more luxurious stay, Conrad Osaka offers beautiful modern rooms and huge luxury suites. Often rated as the best hotel in Osaka, Conrad is one of the city's most beautiful five-star luxury hotels. Apart from the stunning decor, each room has an incredible view over Osaka. The hotel's location is further north of Namba, just below Umeda and Osaka Station. It's not quite as convenient as staying right in Namba district for those with a high priority for seeing Osaka's nightlife and shopping areas, however you'll probably find yourself wanting to spend more time at the hotel itself.

Some of the extras guests can use are a indoor heated pool, well-equipped fitness room and some of the city's best in hotel dining options. If you want the best place to stay in Osaka without a budget, Conrad is an exceptional choice.

Hotel Royal Classic Osaka

One of the newest additions to Osaka's hotel offerings, Hotel Royal Classic opened at the end of last year. The hotel looks incredible even just from the outside with its beautiful combination of traditional and modern architecture, it's worth checking out even if you're not planning on staying there. On the inside, the decor and rooms are just as impressive and beautiful, with a stunning minimalist design and plenty of space. The location of the hotel is another great feature of the hotel, right next to Osaka Namba Station and a short walk from most attractions in Namba such as Shinsaibashi and Dotonbori.

InterContinental Osaka

If you're not set on staying at a hotel in Namba, InterContinental Osaka is another beautiful five-star luxury hotel that's located right next to JR Osaka Station in the Umeda area, often touted as Osaka's second city center. It's also right next to the Umeda Sky Building, arguably the most iconic skyscraper in Osaka. The rooms at InterContinental Osaka are well designed and beautiful, with sweeping views over the city. IC Osaka is particularly loved for their incredible service, where staff often go well out of their way to help out guests and make visitors to the city feel welcome. The breakfast buffet is one of the most popular hotel buffets in Osaka and is usually included in most room plans.

Where to Stay in Osaka: The Best Areas

Unlike Tokyo, Osaka has a clear city center, staying anywhere around Namba and Honmachi will make it easy to get around the city. If it's your first time in Osaka, staying in Namba is a great choice. If you've been to Osaka before, consider staying in Umeda, it's further north of the lively city center of Namba, but well-connected to other parts of the city and has a number of popular restaurants.

Try to avoid staying around Shin-Osaka and the shinkansen station, unless you're basing yourself out of Osaka to go on daytrips with the JR Pass around the area. The area of Shin-Osaka is a little way out of Osaka's center and can be a little inconvenient to get around the city. Similarly, Osaka Bay is a great place to stay if you're just visiting Universal Studios Japan, but visiting the city sights from hotels in Osaka Bay can be pretty inconvenient.