Kyoto’s traditional neighborhoods and scenic parklands are ideal for exploring by bike. On this tour, save time by cycling around the city and visit five of Kyoto’s most popular attractions in one day. Enjoy stunning views of the Golden Pavilion and the Kiyomizu Temple; pose for photos by the red torri gates of Fushimi Inari Shrine; and hop off to stroll around the Bamboo Forest and explore the geisha district.

Three magnificent temples: Kiyomizu, Golden Pavilion, and Fushimi Inari
Spot geisha as you explore Kyoto’s traditional Gion neighborhood
Active tour: cover up to 25mi (40km) as you cycle between the sights
Personalized small-group tour with a maximum of 8 people

What's Included

Native English speaking bilingual guide
Bicycle
Helmet
Bottled water
Admission Fees
Light Lunch
Snacks

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Saga-Arashiyama Station
11-1 Sagatenryūji Kurumamichichō, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto, 616-8373, Japan
Nearest train station - JR Saga Arashiyama

Start time

08:30 am

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Bamboo Forest Street

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Gion

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Kiyomizu-dera Temple

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Kinkakuji Temple

30 minutes • 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
Near public transportation
Not recommended for travellers with back problems
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions

Travellers should have a moderate physical fitness level
*Age restriction* must be a minimum of 15 years of age.
Please notify of food allergies/restrictions at time of booking.
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

Reviews

5.0

208 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 208 reviews

A perfect way to explore Kyoto

Sallie_B, July 2023

The historic sights were wonderful! Tour guides so knowledgable and fun! Seeing the city from a bicycle is truly the best way to explore a new place. The tour went everywhere in Kyoto!!! A perfect day for my husband, my 21 year-old, my 18 year-old and me!

Response from Host, July 2023

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

Wonderful tour!

Heather_E, June 2023

We loved being guided around the city by bicycle. Peter was informative, patient, knowledgeable and a joy to be with.

Response from Host, July 2023

Thank you, Heather, for the kind review. It was all my pleasure. Peter

Biking Everywhere in Kyoto

Chrystal_C, June 2023

I enjoyed the all inclusive biking experience thoroughly. From the Kyoto Gardens to the Buddhist Temple and everyplace in-between it was a delight! It was a serious day long exercise, so be prepared to be tired by the end of the day. It was definitely an unforgettable adventure. I highly recommend this tour to any healthy bike riding person.

Not to be missed trip!

james_s, Apr 2023

Ray was a fantastic and knowledgeable guide who brought his 20+ years of Japanese resident’s experiences for all of us to share. Additionally, the extensive bike ride course provided a great way to get a full body workout. I recommend this trip for anyone wanting to visit the highlights of Kyoto.

From The Bamboo Forest to The Golden Pavilion

Derek_A, Apr 2023

Ray was a very knowledgable and friendly guide who took care of the whole party and kept the tour moving at a steady pace. A great (green) way to see some of the famous attractions in Kyoto. However, it is definitely AT LEAST 40 kms. of cycling!

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Cheers Derek! It was my pleasure spending the day together. I am jazzed that you enjoyed the tour. It has some distance to it but the smiles at the end make it all worth it! There is no feel like on two wheels :). Safe travels to the two of you! Kindness, Ray

Fantastic Tour. Best day in Japan on 14 day trip.

Wendy_C, Apr 2023

This bike tour was the highlight of a 2 week Japan trip. We went with our teenagers and it was amazing to cover so much ground in the day and wonderful to get all over Kyoto where you can see neighborhoods and bike along beautiful canals and parks. Even the teens loved it! And Ray was super knowledgeable, made things fun for everyone, was really accommodating and took amazing photos of our family. I would highly recommend you book this tour. It will be your trip highlight.

Fabulous bike tour

Manda, Mar 2023

Fantastic bike tour. Full day of bike riding and sightseeing. Peter was a fantastic guide. Got to see the top spots in Kyoto. Biking to these spots is so much better than going on a bus stuck in traffic. Had a fabulous day. Highly recommended.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Thank you so much for the kind review. I am so happy to read that you enjoyed the tour and will recommend to others. We covered a lot of ground in one day and you did an awesome job. Safe travels. Peter

Appalling customer service

Nancy_H, Mar 2023

No guide and no bikes showed up at the meeting point and I got no email canceling. Appalling. I tried contacting Viator and couldn't use their chat form. Since I am from out of the country I had no cell phone but my email was on file and I could access that. My granddaughter and I felt very upset. I have not even received any notice that my fee will be refunded if there had been an emergency cancelation.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Hi Nancy, We are incredibly disappointed and apologetic that this happened to you. We know how valuable time is especially when traveling and we have contacted Viator to make sure you are fully refunded. It appears there were a series of cancellations and bookings and this is what caused the confusion. We were even at the meeting point and must have completely missed each other as we ran this tour that day. We diligently send out a confirmation message to all our guests with our personal contact information so that late arrivals and anyone with an emergency may get in touch with us directly. Again, we are so sorry for this and will gladly take the two of you out on a private tour on us the next time you visit Kyoto. Despite the extremely unfortunate experience, we hope you were able to enjoy your time in Kyoto. Kind regards, Ray & Peter _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ For anyone who cancels and rebooks, please let us know in a separate message that you have rebooked to prevent any mixup.

Stop looking around, this is the tour!

Sebastin_L, Dec 2022

We just have and incredible experience. The tour guy Ray, was very care about everything and we couldn't had a better time. Really this is the Best way to know Kyoto, don't look further more and if You are visiting Kyoto soon book this tour right now!

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Thanks for the incredible day you two! I had an amazing time with you guys. It was an absolute pleasure spending the day together and sharing the beauty of Kyoto with you. I look forward to crossing paths again in the future my friends :) Kindness, Ray

Amazing Tour, stunning views, guide that makes you feel like you've known him since 5th grade.

Lorenzo_C, Nov 2022

Ray was amazing. Always warm and positive, he got us all around Kyoto and back again. To see it all in a day, develop a profound love for Japan, (and work up an appetite) take this tour. Easily one of the best on our trip across Japan.

Response from Host, Nov 2022

Hey you two! Thanks for the lovely review and again for the magical day together! That was an awesome day out! Your smiles really made my day and seeing the satisfaction on your faces at the end means the world to me. I hope you had a safe return home. Please remember to drop in the next time you are in town :) Kindness, Ray

Fantastic tour!

Christopher_J, Jan 2020

We had a great time with our tour guide Peter! This was the best way to see all of Kyoto in one day. We learned a lot of interesting things about the city and culture in Kyoto. We stayed in Kyoto for 4 days and this was definitely the highlight of our trip.

Best time in Kyoto

William_P, Dec 2019

Got into Kyoto late Thursday night after a long trip over from Kansas. So we decided to keep the excitement of being in Japan going by doing this Bike Tour on the first full day there. What an unbelievable way to experience Kyoto. It allowed us to really get a good sense of the beautiful city it is, and our guide made sure we saw some stuff off the beaten path. Recommend to anyone who can do the trip, but it is a pretty good bike ride over the course of the 8.5 hrs, so be ready to work a bit!

Such a great day experiencing Kyoto

Andrea C, Oct 2019

There is no better way to get some fresh air, and experience the sites and sounds of Kyoto than on a day long bike trip with our excellent guide, Peter. Peter was a great fun and was a wealth of knowledge on all things Japanese. We only had one day in Kyoto and this was the perfect choice for us.

Fantastic !!

Dianne W, Oct 2019

This was the perfect way to see the best sights Kyoto city. Our guide Peter was very informative, not only at the listed sights but many sights along our ride.The sights of Kyoto are very busy & to jump the bus queue on a bike was fantastic. The best tour I’ve had in Japan this month, thanks Peter !

Response from Host, Oct 2019

Hi Dianne Thanks for the great review. Absolutely my pleasure. I am happy to hear this was the best tour you had in Japan. All the best Peter

Despite the Weather, They Made it Happen!

Alejandro_G, Sept 2019

Although it was a rainy day, they made the most of and still took us around to some of the places we originally planned on visiting. What salvaged this tour, was actually our guide himself (Ray), whom had happy vibes for personality and an encyclopedia for a brain, cause he made our experience a fun and educational one. Thank you for rescuing my vacation, Ray, and for helping us all get to where we needed to after, you Rock!

Great day out around Kyoto

stevesC2131VI, Sept 2019

We really enjoyed this tour. Peter, our guide, has a lot of local knowledge and provided us with historical and cultural information and anecdotes. We visited all the top Kyoto attractions, including the bamboo forest, imperial palace and golden pavilion. Peter paced the tour to match the group and made sure we had ample stops for drinks, toilet etc. I would definitely do this your again.

Response from Host, Sept 2019

Was absolutely my pleasure showing you around this amazing city. Thanks for the great review

Best bike tour of Kyoto

James H, Aug 2019

Our guide, Peter, was the best. He and my partner and another gentleman biked 42 KM covering 5 spectacular sites throughout the city in 7 1/2 hours. Peter set a good pace with several stops between the major sites to enjoy the city. He has lived in Kyoto and Japan for 24 years and has a good knowledge of the history and sites we visited. He took us to lunch at a local, delicious, restaurant and recommended what he through was best. It is an active and very energetic tour and you certainly get a lot of good exercise. Peter was very easy to chat with along the way. My partner and I were very happy to have chosen this tour and have Peter as our guide.

Response from Host, Sept 2019

Hi James It was absolutely my pleasure showing you guys around..I am very happy you enjoyed the tour as much as I enjoyed brings you all around Kyoto. All the best to you both Peter

Hands down the best and most complete bike tour I've done

cmendezoncomd, Aug 2019

Excellent knowledge of the city, THE best way to start your Kyoto adventure as you basically cover all the major shrines / temples in just one day. Highly recommended, would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

Response from Host, Sept 2019

Thanks so much for the review. We truly appreciate it and are happy to know this was the best tour you have done. Thanks again

Awesome Experience!

Carter B, June 2019

This tour was fantastic! We did two tours while in Japan and this tour was amazing compared to the other one. Ray knew what he was doing and we got to see a lot of the top tourist attractions in Kyoto all in one day! We probably would have spent multiple days trying to visit all of them on our own. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and I would totally go again!

Response from Host, Sept 2019

Thank you so much for the lovely review. I am so happy to see that you enjoyed the tour so much. And thanks for the compliments! All the best to you.

Kyoto bike tour

GoPlaces18489676201, June 2019

This was the most amazing experience ever! We got a great overview of Kyoto's famous sites and also got to see lots of little streets and rice paddies up close. There was just the right amount of cultural information and history to give perspective to what we were seeing. Plus, it was a really fun bike ride.

Response from Host, Sept 2019

Thanks for the review guys. We really appreciate you taking the time to write this up for us. All the best.