Kyoto

Fullday Kyoto private walking EARLY/LATE start

Kyoto, Japan
Talk to locals tour by Japanese guide discover culture and history

From $62.10

Price varies by group size

Select Date and Travelers

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

  • 8 hours (approx.)
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Explore our promoted experiences

Overview

    What's Included

    • Guide fee
    • Dinner
    • Expense for guides
    • Fee for admission & any additional activity

    Meeting and Pickup

    Meeting points

    Select a meeting point
    Type to search

    End point

    This activity ends back at the meeting point.

    What To Expect

    Additional Info

    • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
    • Not wheelchair accessible
    • Stroller accessible
    • Near public transportation
    • No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
    • Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
    • 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.
    • This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

    Reviews

    4.5
    4 reviews
    Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    Reviews by Viator travelers.
    Showing 1-2 of 4 reviews
    Helpful to Navigate Kyoto
    Bahareh_H, Apr 2024
    Natsuki was our guide for a family of 5 and she helped us navigate our way around Kyoto. She was flexible with our start time and put together an itinerary that would work for a rainy day. She helped us get around Kyoto, spoke with servers at the restaurant she found for lunch and took photos of us at each place we visited. Overall, Natsuki was helpful to us and we got to see more than what we would have on our own. While she shared info at each of the places we visited, it was brief. So if you are looking for an experience with lots of historical information and details, this isn't for you.
    Informal, casual tour
    Shyla_M, Mar 2024
    If you want a casual, informal tour with someone who knows their way around, I would recommend this tour but not if you want a formal, professional tour. Takashi clearly knows his way around Kyoto. We went to Nijo Castle, Nanzenji, Heian shrine, and Nishiki market. Since I wanted to go to a ramen place for lunch, he made the effort to find one. I do like that he was flexible to changing plans based on my interests. He took some pictures for me and also helped me to communicate. He is completely bilingual in both Japanese and English. In the beginning, however, he came off as very cold, distant, rude and even a little arrogant sometimes, bragging about being an experienced tour guide although he barely shared any information about any of the places we went to so I didn't really learn much. I even felt like he was making fun of me as I was trying to respect the culture and take off my shoes in the proper place and way before entering the temples. After lunch his mood seemed better and he was more friendly. Maybe he was just grumpy in the morning. His attitude completely lacked in enthusiasm in the morning and I even felt like he wasn't even interested in giving me a tour. But he was much more friendly and helpful in the afternoon. He seemed much more motivated to do the tour also. The part that really irritated me is that he didn't make it clear in his tour description that I would be expected to pay for his admission fees and snacks. Since this wasn't made clear in the beginning, I felt like I was just being taken advantage of since I did voluntarily buy him one snack on my own accord but after that it looked like it was just expected. He tried to pay me back once but I was already irritated and it just felt awkward to accept money from him. I also don't like that he didn't just ask for a review but pressured me to write one by asking multiple times. So I'm writing a brutally honest one. I've now done 4 tours in Japan and I can honestly say that this tour was lacking in maturity and professionalism. If I ever return to Kyoto I will not be doing this tour again.
    Response from Host, Mar 2024
    Hi Shyla!! Thank you so much for still leaving 3-stars review although you weren't fully sartisfied with our tour content. As you say, this tour might be a little more casually driven compared to a lot of other tours in Japan as we respect customer's needs. What are often expected in tours are not always crazy detailed histories of the sites we visit, but rather a fun&friendly local travel companion who knows the area enough to navigate you around. We really enjoy an interaction with our guests and definitely would like to help customers with their travel itinerary during the tour. Secondly, any additional food & admission needs to be paid at cusotmer's expense. This is also mentioned in the description. If a customer wants to stop at cafe, the guide is also expected to seat in the same table instead of staying outside since this is a private service. However, it is very common in Japan that each every one orders something in restaurant, while we being happy to help you learn about what you order. In additon, compared to other competitive walking tours, the charge is significantly low. Thus our tour purely includes guiding fee only but not covering anything else as the description says. We would highly appreciate it if you understand our tour policy and respect Japanese culture. Finally, I am thankful for your honest review. This feedback definely will help us improve our service. Thank you! Takashi

    Compare Similar Experiences

    1 / 3
    Current
    No Photo
    Fullday Kyoto private walking EARLY/LATE start
    4
    8 hours
    Free Cancellation
    From
    $62.10
    Likely to Sell Out
    No Photo
    Kyoto Late Bird tour
    5
    4 hours
    Free Cancellation
    From
    $86.77
    No Photo
    Kyoto Gion Night Walking Tour. Up to 6 people
    23
    1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes
    Free Cancellation
    From
    $57.52
    Likely to Sell Out
    No Photo
    Kyoto Early Bird Tour
    282
    5 hours 15 minutes
    Free Cancellation
    From
    $103.93

    Explore Similar Things to Do

    Help CenterCustomer CarePrivacy and Cookies StatementAbout ViatorNewsViator blog
    © 1997-2024 Viator, Inc.
    Terms & Conditions