Kyoto

Kyoto Highlights 1 Day Trip - Golden Pavilion and Kiyomizu Temple from Kyoto

Kyoto, Japan
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  • 10 hours
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

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Overview

Immerse yourself in the captivating culture of Kyoto on a full-day sightseeing tour. See the tranquil Kiyomizu Temple amid its verdant surroundings; absorb the Imperial majesty of Kyoto Imperial Palace; and stroll amid the botanical beauty of Kinkaku-ji Temple. Behold the beguiling beauty of the Fushimiinari Taisha Shrine and enrich your knowledge of Kyoto’s rich historical heritage with commentary from an informative guide. Moderate levels of fitness are advisable for this tour, on which a lot of walking occurs.
  • Full day tour of Kyoto's cultural and historic attractions
  • Discover top city highlights such as Nijo Castle, Kinkaku-ji Temple, and the Fushimiinari Taisha Shrine
  • Explore the Kyoto Imperial Palace with your guide, once residence of Japan’s Imperial family
  • Admire the Thousand Armed Kannon and the legion of 1,000 life-size statues at the Buddhist temple of Sanju-Sangendo Hall
  • Visit the Kiyomizu Temple and enjoy panoramic views over Kyoto from the temple’s terrace

What's Included

  • Professional English guide
  • Air-conditioned vehicle
  • Lunch (Only if you select "With Lunch" option)
  • Gratuities
  • Hotel pick-up and drop-off

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

  • JTB SUNRISE TOURS DESK KYOTO
    Japan, 601-8003 Kyoto, Minami Ward, Higashikujō Nishisannōchō, ３１ B1F AVANTI

    Please meet at Kyoto Avanti B1 floor(Sunrise Tours desk) by 8:20am. The tour departs at 8:30am.

Start time

08:30 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Emerge early and depart in a comfortable, climate-controlled vehicle. Listen as your guide sets the historical scene for Kyoto; hailed the cradle of Japan’s cultural heritage, the former capital is replete with monuments and legend-shrouded landmarks.

Venture first to Nijo Castle, a superficially deceptive structure that harbors a magnificent interior; stroll the lavishly decorated chambers and marvel at glittering gold leaf and opulent tones as your guide offers tales of the building’s heritage.

Next, absorb the sacred ambiance of Kinkaku-ji Temple, an elegant ecclesiastical structure declared Kyoto’s most popular temple. Stroll the exquisitely beautiful Japanese garden and the celebrated Golden Pavilion before venturing to the next destination.

Satisfy cultural cravings at Kyoto Imperial Palace and marvel at the regal resplendence of the residence. Appreciate the simple and serene Japanese style as you explore opulent chambers and learn of ancient ceremonies that still occur within the walls.

Enjoy a moment of quiet reflection at the vibrant Fushimiinari Taisha Shrine then head to the Buddhist temple of Sanju-Sangendo Hall and gaze at the 1,000 life-size statues that inhabit the grand hall. Conclude your tour with a leisurely stroll down a charming lane lined with pottery shops and arrive at Kiyomizu Temple. Marvel at panoramic vistas of the city from the vertiginous vantage point of a lofty terrace then return to your comfortable vehicle for the relaxing journey on your way back.

Nijo Castle

50 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Kinkakuji Temple

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Kyoto Imperial Palace

40 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Sanjusangendo Temple

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Kiyomizu-dera Temple

1 hour 10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • At reception, please show your reservation confirmation sheet, a printout of the reservation confirmation e-mail, or show the e-mail on your mobile device screen to staff.
  • If the minimum number of participants (1) is not met by 4 days before the scheduled date, the tour on that date may be canceled.
  • The Kyoto Imperial Palace is closed to visitors on Mondays, Tuesday if Monday is a national holiday, and whenever there is an Imperial Household event. As such, the tour will visit Kitano Tenmangu Shrine instead. If the closed day falls on the 25th, the tour will visit Nishi Hongan-ji Temple. (Mondays, Tuesday if Monday is a national holiday, and whenever there is an Imperial Household event) Nijo Castle is closed on Tuesdays in January, July, August, and December. (Closed on the following day if Tuesday is a holiday.) If closed, Ryoan-ji Temple will be visited instead.
  • Near public transportation
  • 【During 2023】Connections from this tour can be made to the "Kyoto Maiko Dinner" and "Kyoto Night Tour."
  • Participants will walk from the parking lot to Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine (about 15 min one-way). Thank you for your understanding.
  • Infants must sit on laps
  • The order of activities and arrival times may differ depending on road conditions and congestion at destinations.
  • Seats may not be designated.
  • Depending on the number of tour participants, transportation to be used may be other than a large bus (mid-size bus, small bus), a hired car (van, minivan - MK Co., Ltd. or Yasaka Group), or a taxi.
  • For "2023 With Lunch" option, a set menu meal will be served for lunch. For those who would like a vegetarian meal, please make sure to inform us at the time of reservation. If requests are not provided in advance, same-day changes cannot be accepted. Halal, gluten-free, and other meal requests are not available.
  • No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
  • Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
  • For those that don't require lunch, please make a booking for the '2023 Without Lunch' plan (tour code: NG002S). The '2023 Without Lunch' plan provides customers with free time to eat on their own in the Kyoto Station area.
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 44 travelers

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.

Traveler Photos

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Traveler Tips

Unless you are into temples, recommend you consider a half day tour.
I recommend this trip to visit many sites in one day
This tour nails all the main sights in one day, and is a fantastic use of the day.

Reviews

4.0
558 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 558 reviews
Kyoto highlights.
TuyetVan_B, Jul 2023
It was amazing and incredible to visit Kyoto yesterday, the tour guide was very knowledgeable and informative on Japanese history. He was very good in guiding us around Kyoto temples. I highly recommended the tour to tourists.
Wonderful experience Kyoto tour
Vikramjit_M, May 2023
The guide was excellent and explained in detail the trip Through it was raining profusely we could complete the trip
It is up to your tour...
Aki_L, Apr 2023
It is up to your tour guide whether the tour is great or not. Our tour guide was terrible, and we did not learn anything about Kyoto. This guide is very gender biased and has no respect towards people from Asia. It appears to be what he talks has not been changed since 90's. Japan is no longer a expensive place to travel, but he believes Japan is still an expensive place to live. For us, we don't work in Japan, so everything looks cheap. The tour operating company should set minimum guidelines for behaviours and what guides can say. The company should audit their guides. Very disappointed, and wanted money back.
Classic sightseeing tour
Yannick_H, Apr 2023
I could describe the tour as a classic one. It does not stand out from other one, but allow you to see a lot of cultural sites in a short amount of time. The organisation was good. A bit hard to find the meeting point, but appart from that, really good. The activity was ok, but not exceptionnel. It seems like a rush from place to place to only take pictures. Not enough time to really enjoy the temples and shrines. The guide was nice, but overall didn’t give many informations on the visited sites (except maybe for Nijō castle). For some sites, she only read her notes in the bus. She was really professionnal, but she wasn’t able to liven up the atmosphere that much. In summary, a good tour if you want to see a lot of things in a short amount of time. But don’t expect to discover many info on the places visited. It’s more of a sightseeing and photos tour. The price is fair for what you get.
Kyoto in a day is possible
Roberto_G, Apr 2023
We manage to see 6 great sites in one day. Tour is very well organized ans run. Our guide (man) in morning group 3 (afternoon 2) was very funny and insightfull. He shared a lot of insights in Japanese life, Letterman, meaning of wordu, children namignuo etc. Golden pavillion was amazing.
Worth the $$
Edward_B, Apr 2023
Family of 4. Guide was very knowledgeable. Very rainy day. Worth the $$. We were not able to get the lunch included so we were on our own. We returned to Kyoto station for lunch. Wish we would have just had more time at Fushimi Inari to eat and shop.
All included in one day
MARAPILAR_D, Apr 2023
Our guide was very helpful, charismatic, cheerful, caring, good advices. The places we visited were absolutely beautiful.
One Day Tour in Kyoto
SumikoT, Mar 2023
It was the right thing to choose the tour. We only had a few days in Kyoto, and this one day tour covered most of the famous temples in Kyoto. The tour was well organized.
Finding our guide tucked...
sandra_c, Dec 2022
Finding our guide tucked in the basement of a department store. We srarted out 1 hour early and needed every minute to figure out the location.
Great overview of important sites in Kyoto
Marlon C, Nov 2019
Tour included 6 sites on a busy holiday weekend. We had enough time at each to understand the significance of the site with history and other info provided by our guide. English language tour and the guide was excellent and spoke excellent English. She provided little bits of info about Japan in general and led the group in spite of the crowds to each site. I recommend this trip to visit many sites in one day
Excellent one day tour
verobizet, Nov 2019
Perfect day to discover Kyoto. our guide Yuki was were nice Lunch was excellent and organization went very well
Lost in Kyoto
Sasan R, Oct 2019
I took a cab from Royal Park Hotel to the pickup place but the driver got lost and I missed the bus. I joined them two hours later. But then another passenger on the bus told me that she was also staying at the same hotel, and she was picked up from another hotel just 2 blocks away from our hotel. Why did the tour not inform me of the opportunity to be picked up 2 blocks away so I would not have to go through that hassle?! I had made my reservation 4 months earlier, and that other passenger only the night before!!!
Hits the big spots in one easy day!
Kish_D, Jul 2019
We had ‘KC’ as our guide, he was fantastic. Knowledgable, entertaining and timely! This tour nails all the main sights in one day, and is a fantastic use of the day. You could achieve the same yourself, but you’d never receive the wealth of information given by the guide, or the efficiency of getting around and into places.
Best Tour
Phoebe_S, Jun 2019
Michi was wonderful. She was efficient and knowledgeable. Full of energy despite the hot weather! We love the tour for covers the main highlights/attractions of Kyoto all in one day. Even the tour bus driver was pleasant and kind to take us all in our hotel for it rained at the end of the tour. The lunch was superb. Thank you Viator and JTB tours
Nice but too quick
Krist_O, Jun 2019
The locations on the tour were good but the guide went too quickly and did not wait for the group to come together before starting to talk about the location/area of interest. Also the speaker unit was extremely soft so it was difficult to hear the guide. The other aspect that I did not like was the fact that the guide kept on telling the group to be on time back to the bus of they would be left behind and would need to catch up on their own - she never followed through with this and the same people made the group 10 minutes late the first time and almost 20 minutes late the second time. We almost missed our train back to Osaka since the people were late and the guide did not leave.
Great day out
Lesley_S, Jun 2019
We really enjoyed our tour in Kyoto. Our guide was excellent and gave us lots of information. The locations visited were very interesting and the Japanese lunch was great.
Great day in Kyoto
Rosemary_C, Jun 2019
This tour was well organised & a great way to see the major sights of Kyoto. Our guide, Yumi, was excellent, very knowledgeable, friendly, humorous & helpful. The Japanese lunch was delightful.
Lovely temples
Alexander_T, Jun 2019
Full day tour is long and perhaps too rushed. Unless you are into temples, recommend you consider a half day tour. I have done this tour before and the guide was more informative.
Great Tour if Time is Limited
Jacky_L, Jun 2019
If your time is limited, but want to see all the major highlights of Kyoto without breaking the bank then this is the tour for you. However, if you are one to enjoy a lot of free time at each point of interest, then I recommend that you look elsewhere. Provided that this tour covers a lot of sites spread within Kyoto within a day's duration, many visits will feel rushed, but acceptable. Tour begins with meetup at the the tour's main office (Avanti Building near Kyoto Station) at specified time, then everyone makes a short 5 minute walk to the nearby bus terminal for boarding. Once on the bus, guide will provide day's itinerary and stress the importance of being on time for each visit return (e.g. like shinkansens and trains in Japan, punctuality is really important to many Japanese, so be respectful in this area). Like stated in prior reviews, day tours are usually broken up in three parts: morning session with one group / lunch / and afternoon session with another group. Therefore, don't be surprised that your tour guide may changed from morning to afternoon. For our visit, we were fortunate to have the same tour guide (Yuki who spoke excellent English) for both sessions. After morning session is complete, bus will bring you to a Japanese restaurant near the bus terminal where you will be served a Japanese Lunch (not sure if a Western Lunch is an option). Prior and during lunch, you will be provided by clear instructions by guide of where to meetup for the afternoon session. At conclusion of tour, for lucky few depending on where your lodging accommodations are will be provided drop-off by bus, for all others, you will be dropped off at Kyoto Station where you can take a taxi, local bus, or train back to your hotel. All in all, I enjoyed the tour as it provided me a preview of many locations at a reasonable cost, where I could later decide to revisit certain sites with my family at our own pace (e.g. Fushimi Inari) if we enjoyed it during the tour.
Review of the tour to 2019Nijo Castle-Kinkakuji temple-Kyoto Imperial-Fushimiinari Taisha Shirine
InaT59, May 2019
The two guides were very good to explain details of the history. Time is very strict. However, as the places we visited were so crowded, we could not enjoy it.
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