Japan · HISTORICAL TOURS IN KYOTO
The good historical tours in Kyoto fill weeks ahead and the best go first. Below: the 8 to book early, what each includes, and where they genuinely differ.
Walk Kyoto’s Gion lanes in 2 hours, learn geisha and temple lore, and get a strong shot at spotting geisha in motion.
“So informative and especially beautiful at sunset. Our guide gave us great insight into the gion neighbourhood and geisha culture. Also pointed our good restaurants and rooftop bars. Truly time well spent.”
Kyoto’s Gion and eastern hills in 3 hours with an English speaking guide, shrine and street stops, and Meiji restoration stories.
“It was a wonderful experience, visiting the most important Kyoto’s sites. Jay was great at sharing stories about the city and Japanese culture in general. We loved the tour!”
Guided Kyoto half-day e-bike tour to Kitano Tenmangu, Kinkaku-ji, Arashiyama bamboo, and Tenryu-ji, with water, admissions, and small groups.
“The bike ride takes you all over Kyoto so you see a lot. Our guide, Jodie, was very knowledgeable about the shrines and temples.”
Kyoto UNESCO Nijo Castle guided tour with prebooked admission, small group up to 10, and a guide to lead you for about 90 minutes.
“We really enjoyed this tour of the castle and garden. What an interesting place to see and our tour guide Noe was so full of information!”
Kyoto private historical walk from Yasaka Shrine to Entokuin and Kiyomizu-dera, Zen gardens, pagoda views, and clear history.
“This tour was one of the highlights of our trip (and that's saying a lot with how amazing Kyoto is). We had the luck of having Mr. Ishii as our guide and he was lovely and insightful and the tour evolved into something much more that just a historical speech. I would recommend to anyone visiting Gion to take this tour and discover a new side of things, one that goes beyond the Instagram pics (which you will get a lot of during the 2.5 hours).”
Guided half-day Nara tour from Kyoto with Todaiji, Kasuga Taisha, deer park time, and included Japanese lunch with an English guide.
“It was great! I’ve seen lots of places and feed deers”
Slow-cycle Uji by Brompton with an English guide, matcha stops, temples, shrines, and river views in a small group for about 4.5 hours.
“The guide was super friendly and knowledgeable. We had a great time biking around Uji and learning about their matcha production and the cities history. Highly recommend the tour for anyone visiting!!”
4.5-hour Kyoto bike tour with UNESCO temple highlights, Zen gardens, and a traditional lunch, with bike and helmet included.
“it was a good experience but it will be much better if they gave the guide a clip-on microphone as he is soft spoken and it is also better to have a mic since we are cycling on the road”
Pick the experience, read what travellers said, book the good one.
