KYOTO, JAPAN PRIVATE GUIDED TOUR
Discover Kyoto
at your own pace.
Experience Kyoto with a private, personalized tour led by a friendly English-speaking local guide. Enjoy comfortable private transportation and convenient hotel pickup while exploring Kyoto at your own pace.
THE EXPERIENCE
A private day in Kyoto
Spend the day with your own group, from the gardens of the Golden Pavilion to the food stalls of Nishiki Market and the old streets of Gion.
Your group, your pace
Take time for photos, ask questions, and tell your guide what interests you most.
An English-speaking local guide
Hear the stories behind Kyoto’s shrines, temples, and neighborhoods as you explore.
Private transportation and pickup
Ride comfortably between stops. Meet at Kyoto Station Building or arrange pickup from your hotel.
YOUR PRIVATE TOUR
Six stops across Kyoto
Visit the Golden Pavilion, walk through Arashiyama’s bamboo grove, and browse Kyoto’s covered food market. Open each stop for a short description and photos.
START
Kyoto Station Building
Meet at Kyoto Station Building or arrange hotel pickup.
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Details & photosClose detailsSTOP 01
Kinkakuji Temple
60 minutes · Admission included
The Golden Pavilion
Follow the garden path around the pond for views of the gold-covered pavilion and its reflection. The trees and rocks around the water frame the building from several angles.
The Golden Pavilion beside the pond 
Wide view of Kinkakuji across the pond A closer look at Kinkakuji’s gilded upper floors -
Details & photosClose details
STOP 02
Arashiyama
60 minutes · Admission included
Bamboo and river views
Walk beneath the tall bamboo stalks of the Sagano grove and discover a different side of western Kyoto near Togetsukyō Bridge, where the river opens up to views of the surrounding hills.
Sunlight on the path through Arashiyama Bamboo Grove 
Visitors on the Arashiyama bamboo path 
Togetsukyō Bridge and the Arashiyama hills -
Details & photosClose detailsSTOP 03
Kiyomizu-dera
60 minutes · Admission included
A hillside temple above Kyoto
See the main hall’s wooden terrace perched above the hillside. The grounds offer views across Kyoto, and the three-story pagoda is easy to spot near the temple entrance.
Vermilion gates and stone steps at Kiyomizu-dera 
The wooden stage at Kiyomizu-dera -
Details & photosClose detailsSTOP 04
Fushimi Inari Taisha
60 minutes · Admission included
Vermilion torii gates
Pass through the Rōmon gate and walk into the rows of vermilion torii that climb the wooded slopes of Mount Inari. Look for fox statues around the shrine grounds.
Stone steps beneath torii gates on Mount Inari 
The Rōmon entrance gate -
Details & photosClose detailsSTOP 05
Nishiki Market
60 minutes
Kyoto’s covered food market
Browse the covered arcade and look for Kyoto pickles, sweets, tea and other specialties. Take time to see what is in season and explore the different stalls.
The covered Nishiki Market arcade 
A shop inside Nishiki Market -
Details & photosClose detailsSTOP 06
Gion
60 minutes · Admission included
Traditional streets and townhouses
Walk along Gion’s public streets and look for traditional wooden machiya townhouses and teahouse façades. Hanamikoji is a good place to see the district’s historic streetscape.
A lantern-lit street in Gion at dusk 
Traditional buildings along a Gion street
END
Return to your starting point
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Ready to explore Kyoto?
Visit Tripadvisor for tour details when you’re ready to plan your day.