15 Drinking Tours in Kyoto Worth Reserving

Drinking Tours, Evening Experiences, Food, Food & Drink, Food Tours, Gion Geisha Quarter Walks, Sake Tasting Experiences, Tour Reviews, Tours

Kyoto Night Foodie Tour in Gion (9+ dishes + 6 Sake tastings)

/ August 4, 2026

1.Kyoto Night Foodie Tour in Gion (9+ dishes + 6 Sake tastings)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,762 reviews · from $163.49Our pick

Kyoto’s night food and sake walk in Gion and Pontocho, with 9+ dishes, 6 sake tastings, and a small-group local guide.

“Very nice walking tour with a fabulous dinning experience followed by a Sake testing with tasty small plates. Yuki was an excellent host and we navigated two districts within Gion Kyoto. We dined outside with our legs under a heated table in early cool weather. Highly recommend based on host and their choice of dinning experience. Took the stress out of navigating back alleys and guess work of choosing a resturant. Thanks Yuki!’”

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3-Hour Experiences, Breweries, Drinking Tours, Food & Drink, Sake Tasting Experiences, Tour Reviews, Tours

3-Hour Kyoto Insider Sake Brewery Tour with Tastings & Pairings

/ August 4, 2026

2.3-Hour Kyoto Insider Sake Brewery Tour with Tastings & Pairings

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 917 reviews · from $84.89

A 3-hour Kyoto sake specialist tour at Gekkeikan Okura, tasting 10 sakes with food pairings and label know-how.

“We had a great time learning about Sake at the brewery and in the tasting room. Our instructors were very informative and their English was excellent. We learn a lot about a different types of Sake and the processes involved. The group size was small which made it easy to ask questions. Would recommend this experience to others”

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Arashiyama Bamboo Forest Walks, Breweries, Drinking Tours, Food & Drink, Sake Tasting Experiences, Temple & Shrine Visits, Tour Reviews

Arashiyama Bamboo, Temple, Monkeys, or Secret Sake Brewery

/ August 4, 2026

3.Arashiyama Bamboo, Temple, Monkeys, or Secret Sake Brewery

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 886 reviews · 5 hours - 330 minutes · from $87

Walk Arashiyama's bamboo grove, private Okochi Sanso garden, Zen temple, monkeys, and optional local brewery lunch with sake.

“Karim is an amazing, fun and energetic guide. He told us the best spots to make picture, and the best places to eat. He was very flexible and fit to our mood very easily.”

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Drinking Tours, Guided, Nightlife, Tour Reviews, Tours, Walking Tours

Kyoto: Izakaya Bars Guided Walking Tour

/ August 4, 2026

4.Izakaya Bars Guided Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 815 reviews · 3 hours · from $25Best value

Kyoto izakaya bar hopping with an English guide. Walk Kawaramachi to Kiyamachi, hit hidden spots, and enjoy sake tastings.

“Taiga is such a fun guide! That was a great night in Kyoto”

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Breweries, Drinking Tours, Food, Food & Drink, Sake Tasting Experiences, Tour Reviews, Tours

Kyoto: Insider Sake Brewery Tour with Sake and Food Pairing

/ August 4, 2026

5.Insider Sake Brewery Tour with Sake and Food Pairing

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 704 reviews · 3 hours · from $87

Expert-led Kyoto sake tour in Fushimi with 10+ side-by-side tastings, otsumami pairings, and label tips at Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum.

“Chika was an amazing guide! We started off with an hour long tour of the sake museum and she explained the entire process. The sake tasting after was phenomenal and she provided great recommendations for different food pairings. I’m glad I did not plan anything afterwards because I needed time to unwind and enjoy the experience to its fullest. I ended up buying two bottles and now I feel confident on my sake skills!”

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Breweries, Drinking Tours, Food & Drink, Sake Tasting Experiences, Tour Reviews, Tours, Walking Tours

Kyoto Sake Brewery & Tasting Walking Tour

/ August 4, 2026

6.Kyoto Sake Brewery & Tasting Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 623 reviews · from $98.82

Kyoto Sake Brewery and Tasting Walking Tour blends the Gekkeikan Okura Museum, Fushimi brewery streets, and 18 sake samples in 3 hours.

“Our afternoon spent during the sake tour was rich in history who would know that the Gekkeinan brewery existed since the 1600’s. Our guide was knowledgeable regarding the brewing process and stepped us through the tasting process. We had a wonderful time being sociable and tasting 17 types of sake. Our tour finished with our guide giving us advice on how to get to other areas more efficiently and hailing a taxi for us. I would thoroughly recommend our guide and the sake tour. It was a wonderful experience!”

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Drinking Tours, Evening Experiences, Nightlife, Pub Crawls, Tour Reviews, Tours

Kyoto Bar Hopping Night Tour

/ August 4, 2026

7.Kyoto Bar Hopping Night Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 613 reviews · from $105.42

Kyoto bar hopping in Pontocho backstreets with a certified guide, 3 hours, 3 to 4 dishes, 3 to 4 drinks, and photos.

“Fun tour and environments. The food was a bit disappointing at the second location (first time they said the tour had stopped there) but the atmosphere and company was great. It was nice to get a grasp of the neighborhood.”

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Drinking Tours, Tour Reviews

Kyoto Local Bar Crawl in Kawaramachi Area

/ August 4, 2026

8.Kyoto Local Bar Crawl in Kawaramachi Area

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 378 reviews · from $28.52

Guided Kyoto bar crawl in Kawaramachi and Kiyamachi, tasting izakaya bites, street energy, and local drinks with a friendly small group.

“Mei was a great guide and the tour was a lot of fun. Mei engaged the whole group, taught us a lot, and made sure everyone had a great time!”

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Drinking Tours, Food & Drink, Sake Tasting Experiences, Tour Reviews

1.5-Hour Kyoto Insider Sake Experience with 7 Tastings & Pairings

/ August 4, 2026

9.1.5-Hour Kyoto Insider Sake Experience with 7 Tastings & Pairings

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 297 reviews · from $68.31

A 90-minute Kyoto Fushimi sake tasting with 7 pours, Japanese snack pairings, and a sommelier cheat sheet to help you order with confidence.

“Excellent! I learned so much about sake and they were generous with the tastings. Excellent instructor. You will leave with a solid base of knowledge about sake and what to order/buy. Highly recommend.”

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Drinking Tours, Food & Drink, Sake Tasting Experiences, Tour Reviews

Kyoto: Insider Sake Experience with 7 Tastings and Snacks

/ August 4, 2026

10.Insider Sake Experience with 7 Tastings and Snacks

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 266 reviews · 1h 30m · from $66

Kyoto insider sake tasting with 7 pours, otsumami snacks, and bottle-reading tips. 90 minutes to choose your next bottle confidently.

“Excellent guide! Great Sake tasting which improved with different foods.”

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Cooking Classes, Drinking Tours, Tour Reviews, Workshops

Kyoto: Afternoon Japanese Izakaya Cooking Class

/ August 4, 2026

11.Afternoon Japanese Izakaya Cooking Class

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 241 reviews · 3 hours · from $67

Kyoto izakaya cooking class at Cooking Sun teaches Japanese home dishes in English, with hands-on cooking, recipes, and two meals in 3 hours.

“Great experience. You can learn a lot about less popular types of Japanese food. The end result food is very tasty but simple enough to cook so you can make it back home by yourself. The instructions are fantastic, they explain everything in great detail and make sure you succeed in your endeavour. Highly recommended!”

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Cooking Classes, Drinking Tours, Tour Reviews, Workshops

Izakaya Style Cooking Class

/ August 4, 2026

12.Izakaya Style Cooking Class

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 219 reviews · from $71.63

Kyoto izakaya cooking class: learn dashi and seasoning, cook 5-6 dishes in a small group, then eat dinner and take recipes home.

“An amazing three hours of cooking, instruction and eating! Cooking Sun was an experience not to miss if you are interested in learning the techniques of Japanese cooking.”

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Drinking Tours, Food & Drink, Private, Sake Tasting Experiences, Samurai Training Experiences, Tea Ceremonies, Tour Reviews

Private Tea Ceremony and Sake Tasting in Kyoto Samurai House

/ August 4, 2026

13.Private Tea Ceremony and Sake Tasting in Kyoto Samurai House

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 163 reviews · from $99

Private tea ceremony in a 300-year-old Kyoto samurai house, plus matcha making and optional sake or whisky tasting, with photo dress-up.

“Was personal & our hosts were warm, informative & welcoming. Located in a traditional Japanese tea room, the ceremony was meaningful & educational.”

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Drinking Tours, Evening Experiences, Nightlife, Private, Tour Reviews, Tours

Kyoto Private Night Tour with a Local – Bars, Bites & Culture

/ August 4, 2026

14.Kyoto Private Night Tour with a Local – Bars, Bites & Culture

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 48 reviews · from $150.35

Private Kyoto night walk in Gion and Pontocho, with local stories, two drinks, and lantern-lit shrine stops for culture and bars.

“Wonderful tour with Brenda. She has a deep knowledge of the area, and pointed out and took me to places I never would have found or noticed on my own. We had a wonderful drink and snack at a LOCAL izakawa, that didn't offer any English translations ... absolutely delicious. Highly recommend.”

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Drinking Tours, Food & Drink, Sake Tasting Experiences, Tour Reviews

Advanced Kyoto Insider Sake Tasting Experience

/ August 5, 2026

15.Advanced Kyoto Insider Sake Tasting Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 44 reviews · from $74.64

Advanced Kyoto sake tasting with an expert, comparing 10 rare brews and learning how fermentation, wood, and methods shape flavor.

“Very knowledgeable and friendly staff, a great way to understand more about Sake, its history, brewing methods and tastes etc. guided through presentations and tastings.”

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