Top Kyoto Day Trips

The guide is quite knowledgeable regarding the areas and what to expect, historically and culturally. I really enjoyed the deer at Nara, feeding the deer, and the bamboo forest with all the shops, temples, shrines and wooden bridge that holds significance to the Japanese royal family.

We had an absolutely wonderful day exploring Kyoto with our guide, Kaori. From the very beginning, she was warm, knowledgeable, and incredibly accommodating. She shared so much about Kyoto’s history, culture, temples, and traditions throughout the day, which made each place we visited far more meaningful than simply seeing the sights on our own. We had an ambitious itinerary and Kaori did a fantastic job helping us make the most of our time while never making the day feel rushed. One of the things we appreciated most was her flexibility. When I mentioned that I would love to purchase an authentic kimono, she happily adjusted our plans and added a spur-of-the-moment stop so I could find one. It ended up being such a special and memorable part of our day! Kaori was attentive to what interested us, answered all of our questions, and genuinely seemed to care that we had the best possible experience in Kyoto. By the end of the day, it felt less like we had simply taken a tour and more like we had experienced Kyoto with a knowledgeable local friend. We couldn’t have asked for a better guide. If you have the opportunity to tour Kyoto with Kaori, we highly recommend her! She helped make our day in Kyoto one of the highlights of our trip to Japan. 🇯🇵❤️

This was a very relaxed enjoyable experience that shows another side of Japan apart from the bustling big city life. Only a two hour drive from Kyoto station. The tour bus we were on was comfortable and pleasant with a fun knowledgeable tour guide. Zoya was awesome, friendly, spoke English and Chinese well and a great photographer when needed. She was informative and attentive. It was a great day trip.

This was 100% worth the money, got to see so many places around Kyoto in an easy hassle free day, the meeting point was very easy to find and the trip was very well organised, our guide At-chan is quite possibly the most positive and enthusiastic person I’ve ever met, she was full of life and was the sweetest to talk to and had everyone engaging, she really made this day special for everyone. I would highly recommend this to anyone of all ages and physical levels, just wear comfortable shoes for easy walking.

Thank you so much Yuta, for the e-bike tour. My girlfriend and I were completely impressed. You were far more than a guide, your knowledge of Japanese culture ran deep, and you took us through quieter, non touristy neighborhoods, temples, and some genuinely beautiful scenery. It was the highlight of our time in Kyoto and that’s all down to you. If you enjoy nature, culture, and finding hidden gems, I can’t recommend this tour enough.

The cruise port in Osaka is a significant distance from Kyoto. We booked with Viator really not realizing how far was nor the cost and time to get there. Stupid us. Better planning was clearly needed. Viator we will continue to use because it’s always worked out well for us in the past.

Great experience for the whole family. The instructor was patient and hands on with the kids, made them feel like real ninjas for the hour. Sword handling, throwing stars, all of it taught properly but kept fun and not overly serious. My younger one loved it as much as older one did. Well run, good energy, would recommend for any family visiting Kyoto.

Our guide was in English, however, for a majority of the tour, she spoke in her native language and it would translate into English onto your phone. This is a great tool, the information was a little misleading and reading on a phone while on a moving bus can sometimes make people sick. Relaying this information prior to booking would have been helpful.