Kyoto

Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide

Badge of ExcellenceKyoto, Japan
Kyoto Full day Private Custom Tour with National Licensed Guide
  • 6 hours
  • Pickup offered
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

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Overview

Discover both modern and traditional sides of history-rich Kyoto during this full-day private tour. Travel like a local by public transportation as you tick off the city’s most celebrated sights, from UNESCO-listed Nijo Castle to the well-preserved neighborhood of Higashiyama and streets of Gion, otherwise known as Kyoto’s Geisha district.
  • A full-day private guided tour of Kyoto
  • Cover the city’s top attractions in a single day of sightseeing
  • Get an insider’s view of the city as you travel by public transportation
  • Enjoy plenty of time to ask questions with your own personal tour guide

What's Included

  • Licensed Local English Speaking Guide
  • Customizable Tour of your choice of 3-4 sites from 'What to expect' list
  • Meet up with guide on foot within designated area of Kyoto
  • Transportation fees, Entrance fees, Lunch, and Other personal expenses
  • Private Vehicle
  • You cannot combine multiple tour groups.
  • Guide Entry fees are only covered for sights listed under What to Expect.

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

This private tour is a walking day tour. A private vehicle is not included. Public transportation or local taxis maybe used to transfer between sites. Exact transportation costs can be discussed with the guide after a reservation is finalized. Please have Japanese Yen on hand for your transportation costs. If you wish to arrange for a private vehicle, please book our Private Kyoto Tour with Government-Licensed Guide and Vehicle (Max 7 persons).

What To Expect

Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine

1 minute • Admission Ticket Free

Kiyomizu-dera Temple

1 minute • Admission Ticket Not Included

Nijo Castle

1 minute • Admission Ticket Not Included

Gion

1 minute • Admission Ticket Free

Nishiki Market Shopping District

1 minute • Admission Ticket Free

Kyoto Imperial Palace

1 minute • Admission Ticket Not Included

Pontocho

1 minute • Admission Ticket Free

Higashiyama Ward

1 minute • Admission Ticket Free

Ginkakuji Temple

1 minute • Admission Ticket Not Included

Nanzenji Suirokaku

1 minute • Admission Ticket Not Included

Tofuku-ji Temple

1 minute • Admission Ticket Not Included

Toji

1 minute • Admission Ticket Free

Kinkakuji Temple

1 minute • Admission Ticket Not Included

Ninna-ji Temple

1 minute • Admission Ticket Not Included

Shugakuin Imperial Villa

1 minute • Admission Ticket Not Included

Kibune River

1 minute • Admission Ticket Free

Kurama-dera

1 minute • Admission Ticket Not Included

Ryoanji Temple

1 minute • Admission Ticket Not Included

Arashiyama

1 minute • Admission Ticket Not Included

Katsura Imperial Villa

1 minute • Admission Ticket Not Included

Daikaku-ji Temple

1 minute • Admission Ticket Not Included

Tenryuji Temple

1 minute • Admission Ticket Not Included

Yoshimine-dera

1 minute • Admission Ticket Not Included

Togetsukyo Bridge (Pass By)

Bamboo Forest Street (Pass By)

Okochi Sanso Garden

1 minute • Admission Ticket Not Included

Jojakkoji Temple

1 minute • Admission Ticket Not Included

Nisonin

1 minute • Admission Ticket Not Included

Gio-ji Temple

1 minute • Admission Ticket Not Included

Adashino Nenbutsu-ji Temple

1 minute • Admission Ticket Not Included

Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple

1 minute • Admission Ticket Not Included

Daitoku-ji Temple

1 minute • Admission Ticket Not Included

Myoshinji Temple

1 minute • Admission Ticket Not Included

Eikando Zenrinji Temple

1 minute • Admission Ticket Not Included

Sanjusangendo Temple

1 minute • Admission Ticket Not Included

Kennin-ji Temple

1 minute • Admission Ticket Not Included

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Service animals allowed
  • Near public transportation
  • Stroller accessible
  • Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
  • Transportation is wheelchair accessible
  • Most travelers can participate
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Pick up & Drop Off is on foot
  • This is a walking tour
  • Please reserve at least 2 weeks in advance
  • 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.
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

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Reviews

5.0
624 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 624 reviews
Great Kyoto Tour
Aaron_T, Apr 2024
Our tour guide, Tatsuya Itom was EXCELLENT. His english was very good as was his knowledge of the sites we visited. He was great with our family, very friendly and was happy to answer all of our questions. I recommend this tour on your first day in Kyoto. Amazing way to get grounded and well setup for the rest of the stay. Not sure if you can pick your guide, but cannot recommend Tatsuya Ito more highly.
Yuka made the city come...
PAUL_S, Apr 2024
Yuka made the city come alive both past and present. She was knowledgeable, kind, flexible, and showed us things we would have never found on our own. We can’t thank her enough for a wonderful day.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Hi! Thank you for your beautiful comments. I'm really happy to know that you've enjoyed our tour. You looked so happy when you were taking photos and I wish we could have more time to explore Kyoto. I'm looking forward to seeing you soon in Osaka at EXPO'25！ Yuka
Great tour - I highly recommend!
Pamela_C, Apr 2024
Our guide, Maya, was wonderful. Prior to our visit, she researched to find the best places to see cherry blossoms, even though we were going to be in Kyoto a little after the peak cherry blossom season. She also arranged the itinerary to avoid crowds (and an early morning tour start time was also helpful). On top of this, she was a lovely person who had a wealth of knowledge, and we really enjoyed spending the day with her. It is so nice to have a guide who can not only help with logistics, but also offer an understand of the things we are seeing. Kyoto is beautiful with so much history and we loved our day there (as a side trip while on a cruise). Maya even took some photos and sent them to me after the tour. Thank you, Maya!
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you for your kind comments. I'm glad you were able to catch up the late-blooming cherry blossoms as well as earliey-blooming summer flowers like whisteria, azalea, and rhododendron. There are many good places you can enjoy beautifully colored maple trees. I hope you can come back to Kyoto in Autum to take great pictures. I hope your have a safe and enjoyable trip back to your home country. Maya
Kyoto
Timothy_R, Apr 2024
Shige is an excellent guide. Very kind, knowledgeable and accommodating. We say a lot of historical Kyoto. Ate good food and laughed a lot. Perfect weather.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
I also had a great time on the tour with you. I hope the prayers you made at the Fushimi-Inari Shrine are answered, and don't forget the black corn ice cream. Thank you. Shige
Unforgettable experience...
Luci_B, Apr 2024
Unforgettable experience thanks to our tour guide Yuka! She shares her knowledge of the area & locations from a local point of view that is easily comprehended & always interesting. If lucky, the Miyaki Adori will be performing & Yuka will explain to you in detail it's history & cultural importance.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Hi! Thank you for your lovely comments! It was me who enjoyed the tour the most! You were so kind and generous to me even though my poor English. I've never forget that wonderful day with you two! Whenever I see Miyako Odori posters, I'll remember our never-ending friendship! See you again in Osaka at EXPO'25！ Yuka
A really great experience - highly recommended.
adamclancy, Apr 2024
We had an excellent day with Mr Tetsuya Morimoto ("Ted") who got in touch with us straight after we made the booking to tailor the tour to the sites we wanted to see during our short time in Kyoto. The tour itself was perfect for us with a mix of walking & taxis between the main sites, helping us to experience all we wanted (and more!) and Ted kept us engaged with fun local facts and his great knowledge of the City's long history throughout the day.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
You are kind enough to send the message and I’m very pleased to receive it. I really enjoyed the tour with you to see your smile and admiration to the spots I guided. Hope you come back to Kyoto some time in the future in different seasons. Thank you again for your warm words. Tetsuya(Ted) Morimoto
A Wonderful Day with Shige
Michael_T, Apr 2024
Our day with Shige was wonderful. He was knowledgeable and personable and we learned much about Kyoto.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
I am delighted to hear that you enjoyed the tour and gained a deeper history of Japan. Hopefully, you'll return to Japan to explore more cultures and nature. Shige
Great day in Kyoto
DANIELLE_E, Apr 2024
Shu took us to the places I requested and to a great local place for lunch. He made sure to give us the history of each of the places we visited. He was very attentive and made sure we were safe.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Dear guest. I am proud of your speaking highly of me. It is my pleasure I could help foreign tourist as a Japanese. Hopefully you will get Okonomiyaki recipe through internet and arrange it to your own style. Thank you so much. Shu
Amazing Kyoto!
Thomas_H, Apr 2024
Great tour - our guide Tomy was fantastic in ensuring we saw what we wanted to see (such as the Bamboo Forest and Golden Temple), as well as showing us some delights that we would not have seen without his knowledge. Kyoto is superb. Great memories!
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you for participating in the tour. I believe you enjoyed the beautiful scenery and atmosphere as the cherry blossoms were in full bloom all over the place. I'm glad that you liked it. I also had a good time. Please come to Kyoto again. Tomy
Full Packed 6hour Kyoto Tour - Perfect.
Michael_S, Apr 2024
Kazz was our tour guide and we highly recommend if you can schedule. Not only was Kazz knowledgeable but he knew how to arrange an itinerary highlighting the most important sites given our limited time with him in Kyoto. Unlike some guides, Kazz was able to both talk about history and keys points and he knew hidden gems and spots to get pics that other guides were not doing. Our day was awesome and we would not have changed anything.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you for your comment. I'm glad to hear that. In spite of the rain, we did a lot of things. Conversely, we enjoyed some things because of the rain, less people. The cherry blossoms will soon be over. I think you came to Kyoto at a good time for"Sakura". Thank you again. Kazz
A good day
Sarah_W, Apr 2024
A nice introduction to Kyoto. Our guide Akira was very knowledgeable. He shared very interesting things about the history and culture of Japan.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you for your compliments. Especially, I appreciate your son who walked for a long time without any complaints. And I really wanted to hear your impression about the tea ceremony followed by our tour. Anyway, I’m very pleased that you and your son enjoyed Japan tour. Thank you again! Akira
The highlight of our vacation was our early morning tour of Kyoto with Yoji!
Jason_E, Apr 2024
It was such a pleasure learning about Kyoto from a local who is so passionate about being the bridge between a very secretive unspoken Kyoto culture and the outside world. We gained so much incite and expertise from such a wholesome and friendly human. Thank you Yoji for your beautifully curated experience. We learned so much, had so much fun and feel we now have a friend in Kyoto. Thank you for listening to all our requests and inquiries, and for adding so much thoughtful information and beautiful locations to our tour. Thank you for your patience and speed with which to cover all the locations we wanted in such a short time. I wish we could afford Yoji everyday of our trip. Grateful for the experience and will definitely recommend to family. The world needs more Yoji's in it. All our love, Jason and Theresa
Highlight of our trip!
Jeff_P, Mar 2024
We loved the personalized tour. Our interests, our schedule. Helped every step of the way. We could never see so much, and learn so much in one day by ourselves. We could not recommend this tour more!
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you for your nice review for me. I appreciate your kind cooperation. I believe you enjoyed the tour including the lunch. I hope you will come to visit Japan again in the future and enjoy our culture more. Thank you again. Kazuo Sumi
Excellent tour with Toshi
Ryan_K, Mar 2024
Our guide Toshi was gracious and knowledgeable and got us access to experiences (like summoning a monkey to take a picture with my family) that we could have never gotten without him. I will definitely recommend him to friends!
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you for your positive review on my performance. It sure is a big boot on my part for my future work. I am happy to have shared nice time with you and your family and expect you to have another visit to Japan. I'll be always ready to see you back again. With best regards, Toshi
Amazing tour with Maya
Annie_L, Mar 2024
Was an amazing day with Maya. She took care of everything in detail. We definitely suggest this tour with Maya.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you for the kind message. I also had a wonderful time with you, fortunate enough to witness the majestic Mt. Fuji, cherry blossoms in full bloom, and the enchanting sight of real Maiko gracefully walking through the street. I hope you will return to Japan to experience the beauty of Kyoto in autumn or winter. Maya
Kyoto with Kaz
Thomas_G, Mar 2024
What a great day. Our guide Kaz contacted us before our trip to plan destinations in Kyoto to see. The day before our tour he texted to let us know there was rain in the schedule and if we were okay with changed to a few indoor sightseeing spots instead of the outdoor ones. That was a great plan a cold rainy days outside are not so much fun. We had 4 tours on our family trip to Japan and Kaz was by far the most knowledgeable and informative. We saw and learned about some amazing temples, shrines, castles and he was a great help in navigating the local train system. All in all it was an amazing day! Thanks so much Kaz
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you very much for providing such a lovely review and comment! I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the tour, and your kind words are deeply appreciated. I wish you all well and hope to see you again in the future! Kaz.
Fantastic Tour
Kimiko_B, Mar 2024
Ken was a fantastic guide. He was extremely knowledgeable about all things Japanese history. He was also very informative about plants - we started in Arashiyama - we learned the difference between cherry and plum blossoms (cherry blossoms hang by a little stem, plum blossoms grow right from the branch) There are also apparently "official cherry blossom trees". Once those trees bloom, the season is official. After Arashiyama, on our way to Kinkakuji - we had delicious street food at the train station. When we got to Kinkakuji - it was dumping rain and crazy windy. Umbrellas were flying an turning inside out...it became a joke as we were trying to take photos. We could do nothing but laugh about it. We finished our tour an Nijo which was fascinating. Ken was very friendly and we enjoyed our time with him immensely.
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Thank you for a descriptive favarable review. I enjoyed talking about Japan's Kyoto Heian (Peaceful) Period's culture, exchanging short poetic messages among people related especially between women and men before dating or sharing a night at woman's residence. Wishing you could come back to Kyoto again soon, so that we could talk about more about the above. Because we have much more than the above compilation of short poems. Ken
Rainy Day Kyoto Adventure
Berna_I, Mar 2024
We had a tour with Kaz and he was a gracious and knowledgeable guide. We were able to see many beautiful temples at a leisurely pace and it was a great experience.
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Thank you very much for providing a lovely review! It was a great pleasure for me to escort you throughout the city of Kyoto. We did have rain on the last part of the tour but overall, I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the tour. I appreciate your kind words and wish you all the best! Kaz
Incredible!
Peter_B, Mar 2024
The tour was amazing. I discovered so much! My tours guide, Yuka, was knowledge friendly and full of energy. I would definitely recommend, 100000% and Nishiki market is a must!
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed our tour of Kyoto and that you found it to be a great introduction to the city. It was a pleasure meeting you and exploring the temples and shrines together. Thank you once again for choosing me as your guide in Kyoto. It was a pleasure showing you around, and I hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back for more adventures in the future! Yuka
Excellent tour of Kyoto
Lisa_P, Mar 2024
Tomy was an excellent guide. We learned so much and had a great overview of Kyoto. We highly recommend taking this tour with Tomy.
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Thank you for taking our tour. It was raining heavily on the morning of the day, so I was worried, but as the tour started, the rain started to lighten, and then we started to see blue skies and it became clear. There were seven of us and we used public transportation, but thanks to everyone's cooperation, we were able to have a smooth and enjoyable tour. Thank you again. Please come to Kyoto again. Tomy
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From $138.53

Price varies by group size

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

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