Affordable airport hotel stay in Narita (Tokyo) Japan

Narita airport is quite far away from Tokyo. It is actually in Chiba prefecture about 60km outside of Tokyo. There are several different ways of getting to/from Narita airport from/to Tokyo; prices start from around ¥1000 and travel time with cheaper options is around 90 minutes.

I know it is not that far, but I quite like staying in an airport hotel when I have a morning flight from Narita. That way I can avoid the super early morning start, plus have more time to enjoy Narita airport before saying good-bye to Japan.

Airport hotels can actually be cheaper than hotels in central Tokyo or Narita city. Start looking as early as possible as many offer early bird discounts. In 2016, I booked a single room at Narita Gateway Hotel for ¥4200, April 2017 was a triple room at Narita Excel Tokyu hotel; ¥2500 per person with a 90 days early bird price. They are mid-range, large hotel chains that I can’t usually afford, so I get a little excited about staying at these hotels. Rooms are larger than the usual budget places we tend to stay at, making it perfect for the final pre-flight packing.

Many of them offer free shuttle buses to and from the airport and Narita station. The journey usually takes around 15 minutes and runs frequently. Some hotels offer free shuttle buses between the hotel and Aeon Mall Narita (a very large shopping mall).

The only down side of airport hotels is that they tend to be out in the sticks. It maybe a good idea to have your dinner or buy some food before starting your journey to the hotel. Many large hotels have restaurants, but I guess they are not cheap. The other option is to go to the airport for dinner which we actually did last time. We went to terminal 1 as it’s the largest. Terminal 1 has around 30 restaurants/cafes before security, so plenty to chose from. The food court on the 5^th floor gives many variety for everyone and it is also fun as you can sit at the observation deck and enjoy the view whilst having your meal. Narita airport, overall, does not do ‘airport price’ and there are many good reasonably priced restaurants. Some super budget friendly, I had a bowl of udon noodle soup at Kineya Mugimaru for about ¥400.

After dinner you might want to do a bit of shopping. Most shops close at around 8-9PM.

Try go to the airport as early as you can the next day. Many shops, restaurants and cafes open at around 7-8AM; have nice breakfast, go shopping, and really enjoy Japan until the very last minute!

Related posts:

• 8 things to do in Narita (Tokyo) airport terminal 1
• Making the most of your time in Tokyo – Narita Airport