KYOTO · TOURS
This is the shortlist to send a friend: 15 tours & days out worth the yen, each with its price, its traveller verdict and the one thing to know before you commit.
Air-conditioned Kyoto bus tour packs Kiyomizu-dera, Sanjusangendo, Arashiyama, bamboo, Tenryu-ji, Kinkaku-ji, and Fushimi Inari, with admissions handled.
“Great tour and very well organized from start to finish. One of the biggest advantages of joining a group tour is the ability to access temples and shrines through the group booking lines, allowing you to skip the regular queues. This significantlRead more”
A 9-hour Kyoto highlights bus tour hitting Fushimi Inari, Golden Pavilion, and Arashiyama bamboo, with tickets, guide, and buffet lunch.
“Den and Tommy were perfect guides. This tour was amazing. We traveled as a family of 3 and this was very convenient for us - they cover every major attraction point & are well versed with the history of the city. Totally worth it.”
Kyoto’s Gion geisha walk with an English guide. Spot geiko and maiko, visit temples, hidden corners, and get local food tips in 2 hours.
“this tour was excellent! our guide certainly knew his stuff and told us loads of interesting things about the city and its history. lots of walking but we saw all the things we hoped to”
Gion at night with a small group for geisha trivia, lantern-lit streets, an illuminated pagoda, and shrine stops with photo help.
“Sho gave us an amazing tour of the gion area, showing us all there is to see in the district, geisha history, Shinto shrines and the pagoda was the highlight of the tour, highly recommend if you have not crawled everywhere around Gion already.”
Night walking tour of Gion and Pontocho with a live guide, geisha stories, shrine stops, and a kabuki origin landmark.
“Really enjoyed this walking tour with Yuki. He's a great guide and I learned a lot about the world of the geisha and maiko. Yuki was enthusiastic and happy to answer any questions and I would recommend this tour.”
E-bike Kyoto with a small group. See Kinkakuji, Daitoku-ji, Kitano Tenmangu, plus quiet Zen gardens on a 7-8 km loop.
“Very local and knowledgeable guide, great experience . We saw multiple shrines we would never find on our own”
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!’”
Skip crowds on a 3-hour private-optional hike to Fushimi Inari, with bamboo trails and castle views.
“This was a great way to see Fushimi Inari! We were there on a super busy day at peak foliage season and National Holiday weekend, and we still felt like we had many of the areas on the upper part of the mountain to ourselves. Shin is a Read more”
Private Kyoto walk with a local host, custom route, iconic shrines and quieter streets like Pontocho, with flexible timing and mobile ticket.
“Alex was a fantastic tour guide. We had limited time so could only do a 3 hour tour but somehow managed to tick off a lot of my Kyoto list with information on culture, religion and geography. We did a large part of Gion which was my personal favourite! It really was the best way to discover Kyoto in an afternoon!”
After-dark Gion walk with a small group, geisha stories, and classic stops like Hanamikoji Street and Yasaka Shrine.
“Manny was incredibly clear and detailed. I walked away knowing a lot more about the evolution of Geisha, Geiko, Maiko, than I had previously known. Thank you for an incredible tour.”
Beat Kyoto crowds on a small-group morning tour to Fushimi Inari, Arashiyama bamboo, and Kinkaku-ji with an English guide.
“This is such a fun way to see Kyoto. No pretension. Aya made us feel like locals! She was so courteous and knowledgeable. We absolutely loved taking the same commuter train as everyone else between some stop. We loved thRead more”
Kyoto in 6 hours with a private government-licensed guide. Pick 3-4 sites, ride local transit, and keep moving with confidence.
“Outstanding tour since our guide Louis was outstanding. He is highly knowledgeable and passionate about his job and shown so many places and made this tour intersting and informative. It is one of our best tours in recent times from Viator.”
Kyoto Nishiki Market brunch walking tour with 7 tastings and a sit-down meal, plus Gion and Pontocho sights. Small group, mobile ticket.
“Great walking tour. Knowledgeable guide and nice lunch. Visited interesting sights and tried some different food.”
Deer feeding in Nara, Fushimi Inari torii gates, and Arashiyama bamboo forest, all in one guided 9-10 hour Osaka or Kyoto bus day.
“Thank you Laura!Everything perfectly organized and your support was great!”
Walk Kyoto's Arashiyama bamboo, shrines, and gardens with a small group, then hike to Monkey Park for close-up macaques.
“Such a fun bamboo forest tour with Marie! 🎋🎍☺️ Her energy and knowledge made the whole day fly by. She also took awesome photos and knew all the best spots. We saw beautiful shrines, a Japanese garden, and had amazing tempura fRead more”
Every kind of day in the city, and the best-reviewed way to book it.
