Kyoto's bamboo forest is one of the city's most visited sites but you can avoid the crowds by joining the early morning bicycle tour. Enjoy the forest and temples at their most serene and also venture to a few off-the-beaten-path spots nearby.

Avoid the crowds by visiting in the early morning
Small-group tour (maximum 7): Ensures a personal experience
Get insights into local culture and history from your guide
Visit hidden spots missed by most visitors

What's Included

Native English speaking bilingual guide
Bicycle
Helmet
Bottled water

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Saga-Arashiyama Station
11-1 Sagatenryūji Kurumamichichō, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto, 616-8373, Japan

Start time

08:00 am

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Arashiyama

Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 2 days of travel. In this case confirmation will be received within 48 hours, subject to availability
Not wheelchair accessible
Please provide heights of all guests at time of booking
All guests will be required to sign a liability release waiver prior to the tour

Near public transportation
Most travellers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveller Photos

Featured review

JoAnne_S

What a wonderful experience! Ray was a gracious guide during our half-day bike tour. We were very glad to beat the crowds to the Bamboo forest and to see the local area up close on bikes. Highly recommend! We found biking to be cooler and easier in the summer heat than walking. Thank you!

Reviews

5.0

200 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 200 reviews

Would recommend

Pedro_D, Sept 2023

Really enjoyed this tour. Met people from around the world who were all looking to explore. Our guide was very thoughtful with his approach making sure everyone had a good time and learned as much as possible.

Response from Host, Sept 2023

Thanks so much Mario! I had an incredible time with you and the rest of the group. It was a really fun morning with great questions and big smiles! All the best to you and thanks again! Kindness, Ray

Highly recommend this in Kyoto. Great half day!

Patty_D, Aug 2023

This was an awesome excursion. Peter, our guide was very knowledgeable and had lots of stories to share along the way. Loved the visits to the shrine and temple as well as the bamboo forest. We rode through Arashiyama, and through rice fields. Loved every minute.

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Hi Patty. Thank you for taking the time to share a nice review. I really appreciate that. All the best to you both. Peter

Great tour

Pilar_S, July 2023

Really enjoyed the tour, on time very well prepared, relevant cultural Insigths, good food recommendation

Response from Host, July 2023

Thank you, Pilar, for the kind review. We truly appreciate you taking the time to send this through. All the best.

Great tour!

JoAnne_S, July 2023

Response from Host, Sept 2023

Thanks so much JoAnne for taking the time to write up a review. It really means a lot to hear that you enjoyed the tour. The bike certainly is a great way to avoid the heat. All the best to you! Kind regards, Ray

Great trip and Guide…

Mark_S, July 2023

Amazing trip made so by Ray - wonderful guide, knowledgeable and excellent communicator. Also goes to truly local places. Can’t recommend highly enough…

Response from Host, July 2023

Thanks Mark & Family! I had an amazing time with you guys! I loved all the thoughtful questions and the big smiles! I hope you all enjoyed the rest of your time in Kyoto and be sure to stop by the next time you are in town. Kindness, Ray

Excellent guide and a...

Scott_W, June 2023

Excellent guide and a great course to bike. Loved the tour of the forest. Great restaurant and shopping recommendations as well

Response from Host, July 2023

We certainly appreciate the nice review Scott. Thank you for taking the time to send this through. All the best Peter and Ray

Kyoto Bike Tour - a must see activity

Joelle_B, June 2023

Going on a bike through Kyoto with a guide was very memorable. I enjoyed the early bird time as we were able to go to the bamboo forest before it was too crowded and hot. Our guide Peter was excellent and very knowledgeable. He took great pictures of us throughout the tour and had great advice on other things to do in Kyoto. I would highly recommend this tour! Thank you Peter!

Response from Host, June 2023

Hi Joelle. Thank you so much for the wonderful review. I am happy to know you both enjoyed the experience. All the best and safe travels Peter

Amazing tour guide. Scenic and educational

David_B, May 2023

Truly amazing tour. It was unexpectedly educational in addition to it being a really nice bike tour. Definitely take the Early Bird time to avoid big crowds.

Local hidden gems

Kelly_B, May 2023

Awesome bike tour. Loved seeing local hidden gems. Peter was a great guide and gave a ton of insights into Kyoto.

Response from Host, May 2023

Thank you very much for taking the time to send us a great review. We truly appreciate it. Peter

Lovely and authentic shrine and temple experiences

Agnes_D, Apr 2023

I cannot recommend this tour enough! Our guide Ray was so friendly and you could tell he was passionate about what he was showing and telling us. He provided interesting contextual info for each place we visited. He also took pictures of us (on his own, nice camera) throughout the tour and sent them to everyone after the tour. We went to some beautiful shrines and temples that were off the beaten path. They were very calm and peaceful due to not being overrun by tourists, which was just lovely. It felt like a more genuine temple and shrine experience as a result, since you got to experience the serenity of each place. The big popular shrines in Kyoto are great and all, but this was something else - definitely felt more authentic. My tour was in early April 2023 and even in the morning there were some groups at the bamboo forest path, but nothing like the crowds I saw there later in the day (after the tour), so I absolutely recommend doing an early morning tour like this to get the most out of it! The pace of the tour was not difficult at all - my fitness level is pretty low but I had no trouble at all with keeping up or anything like that. All the roads were flat, no hills.

Response from Host, May 2023

Agnes, thanks for your well thought out review and for the wonderful morning together! It was a real joy showing you around and seeing your excitement at each place. I am pleased that you were able to soak in the sites and enjoy the real beauty of Arashiyama. Be sure to stop by the next time you are in town :) Kindness, Ray

Kyoto bike tour

John_H, Apr 2023

Roy’s knowledge, organization, and communication skills were excellent. I would recommend this to anyone.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thanks John! I had a wonderful time showing you around and appreciated your insight and great conversation. I wish you safe travels home! Kindness, Ray

Great biking, even better scenery!

yige_y, Apr 2023

I went with Peter on the 4 hour early bird tour. The biking part was easy and nice to just follow someone around other than having to worry about where to go all by yourself. The places we saw were totally worth it and I would highly recommend the tour! It was such a great way to experience that area of Kyoto and Peter was such a great resource for answering all of our many questions. Also, the tour group was small (in a good way).

Cycling bonanza`

Stacey_H, Mar 2023

They were very kind and were able to change my booking on the bike tour from the early bird to the afternoon session. I was very happy with the outing, it was so enjoyable to cycle through the village and then up to visit the monkeys as well as cycling along the cycle path. Our guide was very interesting and informative. Great afternoon adventure

Response from Host, Sept 2023

Thanks for the awesome day out and the lovely review Stacey! We wish you all the best!

A MUST do tour if in Kyoto!

Nick_B, Mar 2023

I had a phenomenal time on the Arashiyama Bamboo bike tour, all made possible by our great tour guide Ray. I was in a group of seven - a perfect size for our tour. The area we got to see was beautiful - a wonderful reflection of Kyoto and the wider country of Japan. Steeped in history, culture, and beautiful calming scenery all brought to life by Ray's knowledge of the area. It was definitely worth being on the early side to the bamboo area, as by the time we were finishing it was very full, but getting there at 830 allowed us a sense of peaceful wonder. We then were taken around the wider town and got to see some hidden gems! Again - all made possible by the fantastic guidance of Ray.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Thank you so much Nick! It was wonderful to meet you and spend the morning together. Your positivity radiated and really helped make it a special tour! I am so pleased that you gained insight on Kyoto and enjoyed the tour. Arashiyama really is an amazing place! I wish you all the best and absolutely be sure to stop by the next time you are in Kyoto! Kindness, Ray

Kyoto 2023

Patricia_I, Mar 2023

Thanks to Ray for fun days full of interesting information. We met people other places and he guided through this beautiful area

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Cheers Patricia! I am thrilled you enjoyed the tour and am pleased you gained new insight. All the best to you! Kindness, Ray

Ray was a great guide. He...

Charles_D, Nov 2022

Ray was a great guide. He was able to take me to the off beaten path , avoid the crowd and manage a very unique and custom experience. Thumbs up to him and the tour.

Response from Host, Nov 2022

Many thanks Charles! I had an awesome morning with you! It was great relaxing at the temple together and chatting throughout the tour. I look forward to your return! Kindness, Ray

Experienced Bike Tour Guide

AhmadAbdillah_b, Mar 2020

It was a great way to spend the morning. Our tour guide brought us along a few temples and of course the bamboo garden hike area. It was very interesting. I was with two children aged 11 and 9 yrs who knew how to cycle. So if it was just adults, I'm sure you may get to see more.

Response from Host, Mar 2020

Hi. Thanks for the kind review. It was our pleasure taking you guys around. Hope to see you again!

Excellent

Jamie_C, Jan 2020

Had a wonderful morning with Ray, saw a lot in a few hours and because we went early most places were fairly quiet. Excellent recommendations at the end of the tour about what to do next in Kyoto very helpful.

Awesome and informative bicycle tour!

Natalie_C, Oct 2019

We chose this tour purely to see the bamboo forest and beat the crowds. However, we were blown away with all other locations we were taken to along the way - a lot of the places we never would have seen on our own. Our guide Ray provided us with vital information and facts about each location and Japan including lots of great tips and recommendations for our stay in Kyoto, nearby delicious food and Nara. Not long after our tour finished, Ray sent us all the photos he had taken of the group along the way. It was definitely a perfect way to see part of Kyoto and I will be recommending to all friends/family who travel to Japan!

The best way to see Kyoto - Bike it!

CAROLINE_N, June 2019

Ray was a wonderful guide who kept us engaged and yet was attentive to any individual needs. He ensured everyone had enough water and snacks as we cycled through the various areas and explored different tourist spots. As a solo traveller for business, this was a great way to meet people for a few hours and feel part of a group and to have fun. The bikes were Cannondale and in great condition. This is a must do trip in Kyoto to see a lot in a relatively short length of time. It was a great way to be outside in the heat but to experience the cool breeze as you cycle, the smells of incense, the sounds and the things you would miss in a car or bus. The fact that it goes early was also worth it, we had the bamboo grove to ourselves and had seen a lot by the end of the tour and yet had the rest of the day for other adventures. This type of trip isn't a "canned" trip, Ray was personal and yet professional. Thank you.

Response from Host, Sept 2019

Wow! Thanks for the amazing and complete review. You have put a huge smile on my face. I really am happy to know that you had such a great time. Please come again. All the best to you.