Get more out of your time in Kyoto by joining a private tour with a scholarly guide who is an expert in Japanese culture and history. This private tour is customizable to suit your interests but usually includes the city’s main highlights: Kinkaku-ji and Ginkaku-ji (the Golden and Silver Temples), Kiyomizu-dera, Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine, and more. Learn more than you would touring independently.

Eliminate the risk of getting lost in the big city by going with a guide
Receive personalized attention on a private tour
Ideal for travelers interested in Japanese history and culture
Entry tickets and transport costs are extra

What's Included

Expert guide

Entrance tickets
Transportation

Meeting And Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

Opening hours

6/17/2019 - 10/14/2024
Monday - Sunday : 09:00 am - 05:00 pm

Pickup details

We pick up our guests from any hotel inside Kyoto city and also at Kyoto station if you are coming by train. (This is a walking tour, it uses public transportation)

What To Expect

Kinkakuji Temple

1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included

Kiyomizu-dera

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Sannenzaka Ninenzaka

40 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Ginkakuji Temple

1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included

The Bamboo Forest Trail

40 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation

Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Most travellers can participate
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

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.

Traveller Photos

Reviews

5.0

148 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 148 reviews

Great tour with Kokoro San

Madeleine_J, Sept 2023

A great experience with a wonderful guide. We had a group of five, and Koroko was very flexible and customized our time with him. He took care of all the logistics, which made getting around the city really easy, including helping us buy train tickets, and making reservations for a tea ceremony. We opted for using taxi cabs instead of buses, which was a much better use of time. Ask him where the best shopping is for anything. He also took us to a wonderful little place for lunch. Highly recommend the tour. Ask for Koroko!

Must take this tour

Corinna_L, Aug 2023

Experienced with locals by taking buses, subways and trams. This is the RIGHT way to see the country and to learn about the country.

Response from Host, Sept 2023

It's wonderful to hear that you had such an immersive experience by using local transportation methods like buses, subways, and trams during your travels. Getting around like a local often provides a deeper insight into the culture and daily life of the country you're visiting. It allows for more authentic interactions and a unique perspective. Exploring a destination in this way indeed enhances the travel experience, and it's fantastic that you had the opportunity to learn more about the country through these means. If you have any more travel stories or insights to share, we'd love to hear them!

Saw so much in just one day

Briana_E, Aug 2023

Adria was wonderful! He was flexible with including stops we were going to see later in the week to save us time and gave great context to what we were exploring. This is a full day walking tour (we walked over 6 miles all in) which is what my husband and I were up for, but if you have limited mobility you might want another tour option.

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience with Adria! We're delighted to hear that you had a wonderful time on your full-day walking tour with him. Adria is known for his flexibility and dedication to crafting unique experiences for our guests. It's great to know that he tailored the tour to include stops that you were planning to see later in the week, saving you valuable time and making the most of your day. We take pride in offering customizable itineraries to ensure that each tour suits our guests' preferences and interests. Your mention of the walking distance is important for potential travelers to consider. While our walking tours do cover a substantial distance, we also understand that some guests may have limited mobility. For those with such concerns, we have alternative options available, including tours that involve less walking or private transportation to accommodate specific needs.

Wonderfully guided tour of some of the most beautiful sites in Kyoto.

Heidi_J, July 2023

Ivan was our guide for the day and he was fantastic, personable, accommodating, knowledgeable, patient (we have 3 teenagers), flexible and friendly. We had an ambitious plan to see the Golden Temple, Bamboo forest and Fushimi Inari as well as some shopping. We did it all and had a beautiful lunch as well. After a long day of walking in sweltering heat, it started to down pour. The group didn't want to wait it out as we were tired and ready to head home. So we decided to walk in the rain for about 25min. Needless to say we were all soaked but Ivan didn't bat an eye, he was right there with us, getting soaked but enjoying the coolness of the rain. He was a trooper and we appreciated his willingness to just go with the flow.

Response from Host, July 2023

Wow! Your review has left us absolutely delighted! We are thrilled to hear about your amazing day with Ivan as your guide. He truly went above and beyond to make sure you had an unforgettable experience. It sounds like you covered some incredible sights. We are especially touched by Ivan's dedication when the rain decided to join your adventure. Your kind words mean the world to us and to Ivan. We will be sure to share your compliments with him and let him know how much you appreciated his flexibility and genuine care. Thank you for choosing us to be a part of your Kyoto journey. If you ever find yourselves back in this beautiful city or have more travel plans, please don't hesitate to reach out. We would be thrilled to welcome you again and create more magical memories together.

Great way to get to know Kyoto!

Valerie_L, July 2023

Kokoro was an awesome tour guide. He saved us so much time navigating Kyoto transportation so we could fit so much in. He knew a lot of history and facts and was just such an interesting person, having lived in so many countries and speaking so many languages. He was patient and helpful in every way. You should definitely try to book a tour with him!

Great Kyoto tour with Kokoro

Neil_D, July 2023

We had a fantastic time with Kokoro. He was very knowledgeable and knew the answers to every question my family and I had. He showed us everything we wanted to see and went above and beyond by helping us with anything we needed. He was great with our kids and kept us entertained! Took us to a great local Japanese restaurant in Kyoto for lunch. He went at our pace and did not rush us through anything. I highly recommend taking a tour with Kokoro!

Response from Host, July 2023

Thank you for taking the time to share your fantastic experience with Kokoro as your tour guide. We are thrilled to hear that you and your family had a memorable time exploring Kyoto together. It's wonderful to know that Kokoro was great with your kids and kept the tour entertaining. Creating a family-friendly and engaging experience is important to us, and we are glad that Kokoro made it enjoyable for everyone. Taking you to a local Japanese restaurant for lunch and accommodating your pace without rushing through anything are just a few examples of Kokoro's dedication to providing a personalized and enjoyable tour.

Great job

Shawna_S, July 2023

Wonderful Tour Guide. Javier spoke English perfectly, and was quite accommodating to our special needs. He was quite insightful and knowledgeable. He was fun.

Response from Host, July 2023

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a review! We are thrilled to hear that you had a wonderful experience with Javier as your tour guide. We appreciate your kind words about his fluent English skills and his ability to accommodate your special needs. It's great to know that his insights and extensive knowledge added value to your tour. We're glad that you found the experience enjoyable and fun with Javier. He is dedicated to providing a memorable and engaging tour for all of our guests. Once again, thank you for choosing us as your tour provider and for sharing your positive feedback.

A random encounter

Andrey_L, July 2023

This is a middle man. The way this works, they take your money and then assign you a random guide, whoever is available to do the job. We've got a guide named Adria, a guy from Barcelona who lives in Japan. I'm 47 years old. I do like travel, and through my life I've been to the most parts of the world - Europe, central Asia, East Asia, Americas, Africa... Simply to say, Adria was the worst guide I've ever encountered. Pity is that I was with kids and this was the only full day we had booked for the tour. This turned out to be a wasted day and our opportunity to get in love with Kyoto. Sigh. A word of advise - please read the reviews carefully. If you see all different guide names, then you are dealing with a middle man who just takes your money and hires a random lowest bidder.

Response from Host, July 2023

Thank you for sharing your feedback about your recent tour with Adria. We apologize for the disappointment you experienced and we would like to address your concerns. Firstly, we want to clarify that we are not a "middle man" as you mentioned. We are a professional tour company based in Kyoto and we take pride in providing high-quality services to our valued customers. Adria is an experienced guide who works exclusively for our company, and we carefully select and train all our guides to ensure the best possible experience for our guests. We are sorry to hear that your tour with Adria did not meet your expectations, especially since it was your only full day in Kyoto. We would have appreciated more specific feedback about your experience with Adria, as it would have allowed us to understand and address your concerns directly. As a gesture of our commitment to customer satisfaction, we would like to offer you a refund for the tour. Please contact us with your booking details so that we can process the refund promptly. We understand the importance of creating memorable and enjoyable experiences for our guests, particularly when traveling with children. We apologize for any inconvenience caused and appreciate your feedback as it helps us improve our services. Once again, we sincerely apologize for the disappointment you encountered and thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. If you have any further questions or require assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. Best regards, The Kyoto Daily Tours Team

Kokoro was a great guide....

Andrew_N, July 2023

Kokoro was a great guide. He is very knowledgeable about the locations and an expert at getting around the city. I'd deffinately recommend this service.

Response from Host, July 2023

We truly appreciate your recommendation of our service. Providing excellent guides and ensuring memorable experiences is our top priority. If you have any friends or family planning a trip, please don't hesitate to refer them to us. Once again, thank you for choosing our service and taking the time to share your feedback. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back on another tour in the future.

Great Tour

Joe_K, June 2023

Our tour was amazing, we visited many shrines, temples, and other landmarks on this tour and learned so much. I would highly recommend this to anyone staying in Kyoto.

Quick tour of Kyoto

Shilpa_M, June 2023

I enjoyed travelling in local buses around kyoto. Because of Ivan commuting felt easier. He planned it well in the time available in hand. Very friendly guide with lot of patience to answering questions. Since I am vegetarian, he ensured I get my food right. Overall great experience. Would recommend it to anyone who is in time crunch.

Response from Host, June 2023

Thank you so much for your positive review! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your experience traveling around Kyoto with Ivan as your guide. We're glad that Ivan's planning and expertise made your commuting easier and more efficient. We take pride in our guides' friendliness and their dedication to providing excellent service. We're especially glad that Ivan was patient in answering your questions and took care to accommodate your vegetarian dietary needs. Your recommendation means a lot to us!

Kyoto with our guide

mahastz, May 2023

Our guide Kokoroy was wonderful. He was on time. He showed us all the main attractions in Kyoto. We had a wonderful time . He was very patient and answered all our questions. He is awesome.

Response from Host, May 2023

Happy to hear you enjoyed our tour! Thank you so much for your kind review.

Just amazing - Kyoto is 10X better with this tour

aksahuja, Apr 2023

Thank you Laura for making the trip absolutely fantastic !! We are a family of 5 with three small kids and not only did we manage to do quite a few things but also eat some outstanding ramen on the way, listen to so many stories, see the Geisha district and many more. The host was so understanding and took care of the entire family in a way that felt you are at home - kyoto is a stunning city and this tour by Laura just made it so many times better. Would highly recommend this tour and good to pace yourself - we saw the Fushiminari gates, are some local food then hopped on a train to the Gion district, the Buddhist temple, then to the Golden Pavillion and finally Ryon Ji. Thank you Laura once again for being an awesome host !

Response from Host, May 2023

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a wonderful review. We are thrilled to hear that you and your family enjoyed the tour and that we were able to make your trip to Kyoto more memorable. It was our pleasure to show you around and to introduce you to the rich history and culture of this beautiful city. I'm glad you enjoyed the ramen and local food, and that the pace of the tour was just right for your family. Our goal was to make you feel at home and I'm glad to hear that we were able to do so. We appreciate your recommendation and hope that you and your family have many more wonderful adventures in the future.

Great day tour in Kyoto! Highly recommend!

Ria_P, Apr 2023

Kokoro was such a great guide! He was patient and was able to be flexible with our two small kids. I wholeheartedly recommend this tour! The best tour guide we had in Japan!

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thank you for taking the time to share your positive experience with Kokoro as your tour guide! We're so glad to hear that he was patient and flexible with your small children, and that you enjoyed your tour with him. We're grateful for the recommendation and we hope to have the opportunity to serve you again in the future.

Eriko is an amazing ambassador!

Kevin_P, Apr 2023

Eriko is an amazing ambassador! Her English is excellent. She was very friendly and flexible in planning our day together. Thank you!

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this great review! We're thrilled to hear our guides are able to provide memorable experiences. We are also pleased to hear that our language skills and friendly demeanor make things enjoyable. We appreciate your kind words and hope to have the opportunity to work with you again in the future.

Kyoto

Kim_B, Apr 2023

I don’t think I have just one. We visited a bunch of locations and our guide was SUPERB!! Knowledgeable about shrines and temples and educated us a lot on this. Talkative but not too much. Educational which was excellent. Funny and kind.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

We do our best to provide a balanced experience so everyone can enjoy! Thank you for your nice review!

First Class Kyoto Tour

Scott_H, Apr 2023

Our guide, Eriko, was phenomenal. She was professional in her approach and was also friendly, likable and lots of fun. I booked a full-day tour with Viator and they were quick to respond and confirm that Eriko would be the guide for me and two of my friends to explore Kyoto. I had a couple questions along the way and both Viator and Eriko were quick to respond answering all of my questions. As I was planning the agenda with Eriko, she let me know that a day tour would not be enough time to experience all there is to see and do in Kyoto, so she kindly provided a list of the places we would go on our 8-hour tour along with a list of must-see places to go on the day we were not with her. She even provided guidance on food and helpful hints on how to get around. On the day of our tour, Eriko arrived promptly to pick us up at our ryokan and she guided us throughout the day to all the sites we would see. She provided insightful historical information as well as interesting back stories that made the tour even more interesting. She also shared fun, interesting stories about life in Kyoto, the culture, her own personal experience growing up there, and much more. In addition to the breadth of historical knowledge she shared, what I liked most about Eriko is that she listened to what interested us and she adjusted the agenda in real time to accommodate going to some places we hadn't planned on going. She was a pure joy to be with and her passion for the city showed. She is doing exactly what she was meant to do -- share her knowledge, experience and love of Kyoto with those who care to go on the ride. I HIGHLY recommend both Viator and our guide, Eriko, as the best place to go to arrange any of your tour guide needs. My experience was first class and well worth the value.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a glowing review! We're thrilled to hear that you had a fantastic experience exploring Kyoto with us. Our team always strives to provide top-notch service and to make sure our clients have an unforgettable time. We're so glad that you found our guide to be knowledgeable, friendly, and accommodating. We appreciate your recommendation and hope to have the opportunity to show you more of Japan in the future!

Great tour of Kyoto!

Robert_S, Apr 2023

My wife and I had a great day with Niko. While it was a very rainy day, Niko did a great job of showing us the sights and explaining the history and culture. He is very personable and very knowledgeable about Kyoto. We really enjoyed our day with him. Also, Niko was very flexible and open to suggestions about what we wanted to see and how much time we wanted to spend at each sight. Our lunch was equally outstanding - the best meal experience overall!

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Even in rainy days Kyoto is awesome! And the food is always another way of enjoying while traveling. Thank you for your kind review!

Our guide Erico was...

Graham_M, Apr 2023

Our guide Erico was fantastic! As well as being friendly, she was very helpful, enthusiastic and knowledgeable. We enjoyed our day with her and exploring Kyoto. Even though the weather was bad and it rained all day she made sure that we went to as many sights as possible.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Even in rainy days our guides do their best to show the beautiful landmarks in this lovely city. We are pleased to know you enjoyed the tour!

Exactly what I was looking for!

Eric_B, Apr 2023

Laurent was a kind and knowledgeable guide and he provided me with an excellent personalized tour of Kyoto. We had stops at some of the tourist hotspots, but seeing them with a guide was better than if I had gone alone. Laurent was able to provide a breadth and depth of insights associated with each stop and Kyoto as a whole. We also stopped at areas that aren’t as frequented by tourists, and each was noteworthy and very much appreciated! Communication before, during, and even after the tour (he was reachable for additional recommendations) was seamless and all in all it was a great experience. Laurent also encouraged active feedback along the way, which I believe is a mark of a great guide.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thanks! Laurent is an expert as his craft. We are excited to have him on our team! All the best to you!