Kyoto Private Day Tour with English-Speaking Driver from Kyoto
Badge of Excellence
Kyoto, Japan
- 10 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Experience the nature and culture of Kyoto on this all-day private excursion. After a convenient hotel pickup, explore this UNESCO-designated city with a chauffeur to take you between sites. Customize the tour to suit your interests and visit popular attractions such as the Arashiyama bamboo forest, Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine, Kiyomizu-dera Temple, and Gion district.
- Discover Kyoto’s signature temples, shrines and charming neighborhoods
- Enjoy a customizable itinerary that can be crafted to suit your interests
- Make the most of limited time with convenient hotel pickup and drop-off
- No need to navigate public transport: Travel around in a private vehicle
What's Included
- Private air-conditioned vehicle
- Hotel pick-up & drop-off within Kyoto and Osaka city
- English Speaking Driver (who can offer travel advise/assistance and manage the itinerary)
- Fuel, highway tolls & parking fees
- Food and drinks
- Tour guide service (Can be requested upon booking, please let us know)¥10,000.00 per booking
- Attraction tickets- Prices depends on the attraction, estimated costs around 1,500-2,000¥/person¥1,500.00 per person
- Surcharges if the pick up is outside Kyoto/ Osaka Area (5000-30,000¥ depends on the location)¥5,000.00 per booking
- Overtime (the service is for 10 hours, anytime beyond 10 hours will be overtime 2,500¥/30 mins)¥2,500.00 per booking
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
Pick-up will be at your specified accommodation in Kyoto or Osaka area. Any other areas will have an extra charge from 8,000JPY -14,000JPY depending on location.
Itinerary
1
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
2
Kinkakuji Temple
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
3
Gion
35 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
4
Gion
Admission Ticket Not Included
5
Kiyomizu-dera Temple
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
6
Sannenzaka Ninenzaka
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
7
Kodai-ji Temple
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
8
Yasaka Shrine
35 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
9
Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Infant seats available
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This trip is for 10 hours duration (from hotel pick-up to drop-off). Any additional time will be charged as overtime at JPY 5,000 per hour, payable directly to the driver on the day of the trip
- The operator can only offer 1 child seat per group / vehicle
- Please note: The operator will contact guest via WhatsApp 1 day prior the trip
- This is a Private Car Rental / Hire Service with additional services of pairing you with an English speaking driver-escort who can offer travel advice.
- Our Chauffeurs- All our drivers are licensed professionals and speak both English and Japanese. With over 30 years of experience on Japan’s roads, they will ensure your journey is safe, convenient and enjoyable.
- Our Fleet-All our vehicles are clean, modern and highly maintained. They are equipped with free Wifi routers so you can stay connected on the go!
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.6
based on 85 reviews
Reece_L, Dec 2025
Great comfortable car, with amazing guide! Yuki navigated us around Kyoto with ease and provided us with amazing recommendations throughout the day. 10/10 recommend for travelers looking for a low stress day where you can hit all your destinations with ease!
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Thank you for your feedback! We’re glad to hear that Yuki made your day in Kyoto smooth and enjoyable, guiding you efficiently and sharing great recommendations. Sounds like a perfect, stress-free day!
marlena_c, Nov 2025
We originally booked driver for convenience for our parents since they can’t walk too much. Every time we asked to go somewhere or be picked up it was met with push back and we were walking out of the way to convenience driver. It was a bit stressful instead of relaxing because now I needed to accommodate drivers needs as well. Driver did not communicate with us much and when he did it was through WhatsApp. I’m not sure if it’s because he didn’t speak too much English or just did not want to speak. This is definitely is not a tour as he didn’t explain anything to us.
I would not recommend this company or driver at all. I wish I would have went with another company.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you for your message and for sharing your feedback with us. We truly appreciate it, and we’re sorry to hear that your experience wasn’t as smooth or relaxing as you had hoped. We understand how important it was for your parents to have a comfortable and worry-free trip, and it’s disappointing to know that we fell short.
Just to clarify, your booking included an English-speaking driver, not a driver-guide. This means the driver’s primary responsibility was transportation rather than providing commentary or guided explanations at each stop.
We also saw your earlier reply when we reached out after the tour — thank you for taking the time to respond. Unfortunately, it seems the review was already posted before we had the chance to properly address your concerns. Nonetheless, please know that we’ve noted your comments and will use them to improve our communication and service going forward.
Brandy_B, Oct 2025
We booked a private tour of Kyoto because we had limited time in the city and wanted to cover as much as we could.
I communicated the same with the visitor team and was assigned a very professional and driver - Yuki. She arrived at the hotel exactly on time and th car was spacious and clean. She mapped out our day to ensure whatever we wanted to see was covered. She was a good driver and didn’t try to rush us in anyway. We were very happy that we saw what we wanted to throughout the day, despite the slight rain and the crowds.
The tour said the car would have WiFi, which it did not. It also says the driver would be English speaking and unfortunately Yuki was not. It was an expensive tour and these two things should have been arranged appropriately.
Yuki could hardly communicate with us, which was a bit disappointing as we did not get any information from her about the city or the places we visited. We had to look those up ourselves. She did however communicate well on WhatsApp.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thank you so much for your detailed feedback — we’re really glad to hear that you had a smooth and well-paced day exploring Kyoto with Yuki, and that she made sure you visited all the places on your list despite the rain and crowds.
We truly appreciate you pointing out the areas for improvement as well. We’ll make sure this feedback reaches our operations team so it doesn’t happen again. Thank you again for your honesty and understanding — we’re happy you still managed to enjoy your Kyoto day, and we hope to make your next trip with us a smoother and more seamless experience.
VISHAL_B, Aug 2025
-Driver (Yuki) did not speak English and did not respond to us at all despite our concerns of AC not working in 40 C.
-Driver did not respond to us when we wanted to be dropped to hotel as my daughter was sick from heat stroke.
-Tour agency did not respond at all to our concerns
and let us suffer.
-Tour agency charged additional $260 for a guide on top (Viator did not know) who was from China and did not know Kyoto at all and could barely speak English.
Our tour was not only complete waste but also a torture against our wish.
Viator graciously offered us 10% refund but it does not change our suffering from Asoko tour agency.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
We are truly sorry to hear that your experience did not meet your expectations, and we would like to clarify a few key points for transparency.
Regarding the air conditioning concern: in Japan, certain parking areas strictly prohibit vehicle idling, which means the engine—and therefore the AC—must be turned off while parked. The driver was parked at your request to avoid a long walk, and this was done with your comfort in mind. After the tour, the vehicle was immediately inspected and the AC was found to be fully functional.
Your request for a separate guided tour was arranged according to your preference. This was an optional service—there was no obligation to accept or pay the quoted $260, and it was not forced upon you.
On the guide’s knowledge, our guide spoke English and assisted throughout the day. They ensured all the stops on your itinerary were completed, even skipping their own lunch to keep on schedule.
For urgent matters during tours, we always recommend sending messages to the group chat provided so our operations team can respond immediately. In your case, we understand you messaged one of our colleagues who was on a rest day instead, which unfortunately delayed our ability to assist in real time.
We regret that this experience was not what you had hoped for, but we stand by our efforts to accommodate your requests and deliver the itinerary you booked.
Amber_K, May 2025
I highly recommend this tour! We would have never been able to see as much of Kyoto as we did without a driver! Our driver Sasaki was very kind and always managed to pick us up wherever we walked to or he waited for us at the same meeting spot. He was respectful, kind and helpful! If you want to see Kyoto and design your own tour, book this!
Response from Host, Jun 2025
This makes us so happy to hear! Kyoto’s got so much to offer, and we’re so glad you got to explore it stress-free with Sasaki behind the wheel 🚗✨ He’s seriously the best—kind, reliable, and always on point with those pickups!
Thanks a ton for the rec—can’t wait to help you design your next adventure 💖
Kind regards,
Ada
Marshall_C, May 2025
Driver was very knowledgable about all the key sites and associated logistics. Safe and clean car. Flexible and accommodating to our real-time schedule changes.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Love hearing this! Sounds like your driver was totally on it—knowledgeable, flexible, and rolling in a clean, comfy ride. We’re all about making your trip smooth and stress-free, so this makes us super happy.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Kind regards,
Ada
Mausumi_G, May 2025
The car was v nice. V luxurious and comfortable. But the overall trip was not that great. I booked this trip with English speaking driver/guide. The guy came 1 hr late. The tour was scheduled to start at 9 am. He notified us at 7:30 am that he would be late by an hr. We had already planned an event for 7:30 pm that day with the understanding that tour will end at 7 pm. Since the tour started 1 hr late we couldn’t extend it to end late. We lost 1 hr. Secondly we were hoping to get a local person from Kyoto who knew the city. This person was from Osaka didn’t know much about Kyoto. I was pretty much suggesting what order we should go to cover things.
All in all I would not recommend this tour. While the driver was polite and courteous he didn’t know much about Kyoto and was not fluent in English. We were having a hard time conversing with him.
Response from Host, May 2025
Hi Mausumi-san,
Thank you for your feedback, and we sincerely apologize that your experience did not meet your expectations.
Please kindly note that the service you booked includes an English-speaking driver, not a licensed guide. The driver’s role is to assist with logistics, navigation, and basic communication—not to provide detailed historical or cultural explanations. While all our drivers are classified as English-speaking, the level of fluency may vary, and we regret that the communication fell short of what you were expecting. We completely understand how important clear communication and strong local knowledge are in enhancing the overall tour experience.
Regarding the driver assigned to your tour, he has previously handled many English-speaking guests and, up to this point, has not received any negative feedback. We also reviewed the WhatsApp group created for your trip, where he provided timely updates and communicated in English. Based on this, we felt confident assigning him to your tour.
We also sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by the late arrival. Road conditions can be unpredictable at times, and while the driver made every effort to arrive early, traffic delays unfortunately impacted the schedule. We completely understand how the 1-hour delay affected your plans for the day, and we’re truly sorry for this disruption. Please let us know how we can fairly compensate you for the lost time, and feel free to reach out to us anytime via WhatsApp to discuss further.
Thank you again for your honest feedback—it helps us improve, and we look forward to delivering a much smoother and more enjoyable experience on your next trip.
Best regards,
Krizzia
Asoko (FKA Dokotrip)
Mary_L, Dec 2024
If your time is limited (and whose time isn’t?), this is the way to go - a private driver to take you from one highlight to the next. No google maps required, no wasting time trying to figure out how to get anywhere. Instead, our driver Steve took us anywhere we wanted. He’s local, knowledgeable and knows all the backroads. We were able to hit 7 famous sites in one day! Highly recommend!
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Hi ,
Thank you for your fantastic review! We’re delighted to hear that Steve made your day both efficient and enjoyable, allowing you to visit 7 famous sites with ease.
It’s great to know his local knowledge and backroad expertise helped you maximize your time without the hassle of navigation. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you back for another seamless and memorable experience!
Best regards,
Krizzia
Dokotrip
Charles_J, Nov 2024
Great English speaking driver who took us to some great locations including a fantastic restaurant for lunch.
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Hi Charles-san,
Thank you for your kind review! We’re so glad to hear that you enjoyed your trip and that your English-speaking driver made it a great experience by taking you to fantastic locations, including a wonderful restaurant for lunch.
We hope to welcome you back for another memorable journey in the future!
Best regards,
Krizzia
Dokotrip
Geraldine_C, Oct 2024
He did not provide information unless we asked a question. He was prompt and on time. He seemed disappointed we did not want to walk 30 minutes up hill.
By late morning he seemed more communicative. He made certain we knew were we would be picked up.
He found us an excellent ramen restaurant and was willing to wait while we went to the drug store. We returned to our hotel several hours early.
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Hi Geraldine-san,
Thank you for your feedback. We’d like to kindly remind you that your booking was with an English-speaking driver only. However, we understood that you are senior couple so as a courtesy, the driver went beyond the usual expectations by accompanying you to various stops to assist with your needs.
Regarding the early drop-off, this was arranged as per your request, as we understood you were feeling tired that day.
We appreciate your insights and are glad the driver was able to provide assistance, including finding a great ramen restaurant and ensuring smooth pick-ups throughout the tour. Your feedback is valuable, and we hope to welcome you again for a more relaxed and enjoyable experience.
Best regards,
Krizzia
Sophie_H, Oct 2024
Fantastic tour and guide. Lexie was so knowledgeable, friendly and saw to all our needs. Very clean and comfortable car. Highly recommend it.
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Konnichiwa Sophie-san!
Thank you for your kind review! We're thrilled to hear that Lexie provided such a fantastic experience with her knowledge, friendliness, and attentive service. It's great to know the car was clean and comfortable as well. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you again soon!
Sincerely,
Krizzia
PAUL_R, Jul 2024
Eric provided us a great tour around Kyoto, he tailored the tour to suit our needs and was very informative about each location and the history of Kyoto, recommended
Response from Host, Aug 2024
Thank you for your feedback! We’re glad to hear that Eric tailored the Kyoto tour to your needs and provided valuable information about each location. Your recommendation is much appreciated, and we hope to assist with your future travels!
Leilani_d, Jul 2024
Eric was a great tour guide..the tour assures you to see the major places. Hhghly recommend doing this if you are pressed for time.
Response from Host, Jul 2024
Thank you for sharing your positive experience with us! We’re delighted to hear that Eric provided a great tour for you.
It's wonderful to know that our tour helped you see the major places efficiently, especially when pressed for time. We appreciate your recommendation and are glad we could make your trip memorable.
We look forward to welcoming you on another adventure with Dokotrip!
Warm regards,
Krizzia
Eileen_L, Jun 2024
Our guide, Fuji, was amazing and we had a great time. We travelled with young kids, so having a car to rest in between destinations was so helpful. We would do it again in a heartbeat.
Response from Host, Jul 2024
We're so happy to hear you had a fantastic time on your tour with us! It sounds like Fuji was the perfect guide for your family, especially with young kids in tow.
We truly appreciate your kind words and your willingness to recommend our services! We hope to have the pleasure of showing you more of Kyoto again sometime soon.
Sincerely,
Krizzia
Jesse_W, Jun 2024
We learned a lot from our driver Fujimoto! He would give us questions before we visites some pla e and give him the answer after, fun! He was funny and kind. We highly recommend him.
Response from Host, Jul 2024
We're thrilled to hear you had a fun and educational experience with Fujimoto! His interactive approach with pre-visit questions and post-visit answers sounds like a great way to learn and engage with the sights.
It's wonderful to hear he was both funny and kind – those qualities definitely make a tour more enjoyable. Thank you for recommending Fujimoto, we'll be sure to pass on your kind words!
Sincerely,
Krizzia
RobynFraser, Jun 2024
We had a great day with Lexi! She was very kind and worked with us to ensure that we got to make the most of our time in Kyoto.
Thomas_M, May 2024
We enjoyed ourselves and saw most things we wanted to see. For the money paid I would just expect something better. This is no comment to our driver as she was very helpful.
Response from Host, May 2024
Hi Thomas-san,
Thank you for taking the time to share your review of our recent tour. We're thrilled to hear you enjoyed yourselves and saw most of the sights you were interested in!
We continuously strive to provide exceptional value and an unforgettable experience for all our guests. We'd appreciate any specific details you'd be willing to share about what could have been improved. This information helps us refine our offerings to better meet guest expectations.
We're happy to hear you found your driver helpful! We appreciate you acknowledging their positive contribution to your tour.
Thank you again for your feedback. We look forward to welcoming you back on future travels!
Sincerely,
Krizzia
Aasiya_M, May 2024
Viator assured us that our hotel pickup was included then after charging our credit card, we were asked to pay extra for hotel pickup. We booked a premium car and there was no wi-if available for the full day tour. We had to pay extra to use our data plans due to the lack of wi- fi. There were also no charging ports in the vehicle for us to charge our phones. We ended the tour 2 hours early.
Response from Host, May 2024
Hi Aasiya-san,
Thank you for this feedback. However, we would like to highlight some points in your review:
Pick-up Location Surcharge:
As mentioned on our website, there's a surcharge for pick-ups outside the Kyoto area. Since your pick-up location is in Osaka, an 8,000 JPY surcharge applies. We understand you might have missed this information, we apologize if there is any confusion from your side.
Vehicle:
Your booking confirms a luxurious Alphard 6-seater vehicle, as detailed on our website. It is a premium car.
Wi-Fi Availability:
We offer Wi-Fi in our vehicles; however, it's subject to availability. If you have requested a Wi-fi accessible car, we were happy to assign you with one, however, we didn't get any information from you.
Payment for Osaka Pick-up Surcharge:
We haven't yet received the payment for the Osaka pick-up surcharge. If you require a payment link again, please let us know, and we'll be happy to resend it. Alternatively, you can provide your preferred payment method, and we'll assist you further.
To ensure a smooth experience, we highly recommend reviewing all booking information on our website before finalizing your reservation. This will help avoid any potential surprises.
Thank you for your understanding. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Krizzia
Karen_M, May 2024
Fuji was an excellent guide. He told is the history of Kyoto and drove us to all the “must see” places in Kyoto. We had wonderful day sightseeing with this Viator tour.
Liane_O, May 2024
Thank you so much for an excellent tour. We very much appreciated all the great information you gave us on Kyoto and Mr Fujimoto was an excellent guide, full of great information and insights. He put a lot of thought into tailoring the day to fit our requirements. It was a truly memorable experience. Thank you.
ladan_k, May 2024
Fuji-San was a wonderful driver. Such a lovely character with an extensive knowledge about Kyoto. Despite massive crowds at most places we visited, we loved our tour. Highly recommended Fuji-san for your Kyoto adventure!
Jenny_C, Apr 2024
Our driver, Lexi, was very nice and picked us up in a comfortable van. She accommodated our requests to visit beautiful gardens, beginning with the wonderful Zen Sogenchi Teien which culminated in the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. We got lost in the town coming out of the forest, but she gave us map directions via WhatsApp after I gave our location and drove closer to pick us up! The rest of the itinerary were other Kyoto highlights. She accommodated our lunch stop request for sushi. Then she gave us map directions for sequential walks in the old streets of Sannenzaka & Ninenzaka culminating in sunset by Yasaka Tower. Beautiful! We were a bit overwhelmed by all the temples and crowds, and wished we had had some more tourist background on them so we could appreciate them more deeply. But this tour had not promised tour guide info. Otherwise, it was a full Kyoto day. The last highlight was when Lexi exclaimed "A Geisha!!" in full regalia that she spotted on the street on our way home!
Lily_L, Apr 2024
We had a delightful time in Kyoto, thanks to our helpful driver Fujimoto-san. We were able to customize the itinerary, considering the pace and time we wanted to spend at each location. Fuji-san was punctual to pick us up, provided directions and tips at every location we visited, and always ready to share the history and information about Kyoto and the places we visited. With his good personality, Fuji-san brought cheers to our trip the entire journey. The van was clean and comfortable (there were 4 of us, all adults). Highly recommends this chartered driver for a private tour!
Katrin_S, Apr 2024
It was an amazing day in Kyoto.
Fushimito was an excellent driver and guide.
We had seen a lot of things in a short time!
Kristina_P, Apr 2024
Our driver/guide Fuji San was amazing! He was kind, entertaining and super knowledgeable! We were able to get to all of our sites and make the most of our single day in Kyoto! The car was spacious, clean and extremely comfortable!
Paul_W, Apr 2024
Lexi was an excellent guide, very patient, kind and seats were very comfortable. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and highly recommend her!
Jenny_C, Apr 2024
Thank Fujimoto for the excellent time. We enjoyed the Kyoto city very much. We all got to enjoy and experience Japanese culture with you. We came at a busy time so traffic was bad but Mr. Fujimoto was like a ninja able to maneuver us in timely fashion. Thank you
Ray_C, Mar 2024
Great way to hit all the highlights of Kyoto in one day. Lexi, our driver, provided Google maps of the most efficient way to navigate each location and was very friendly and helpful. We only had a few days in Kyoto and it was raining. So was nice to not have to navigate trains and buses. Best decision we’ve made so far.
Rumi_P, Mar 2024
We only had one day to cover Kyoto. I am native Japanese but haven’t been to Kyoto for over 35 years, also my mom has a bit difficulty walking long distance so this tour was perfect for us! Mr. Fujimoto arrived right on time, with well-calculated itinerary to cover most of our desired spots. Since it was Sat. he used his secret spots/routes to drop us off to avoid wasting time to walk path everyone has to walk. We could even add an extra spot My mom wanted to re-visit after 50 years.
Covered, Nijo-castle, Arashiyama(bamboo forest), Kinkaku-ji, ninen-zaka/Kiyomizu temple and Fushimi-Inari in less than 8 hours!
He was cheerful, thoughtful and knowledgeable to assist. I couldn’t have pulled it together myself. Thank you!
Kimberly_C, Nov 2023
We saw most of Kyoto sites within 10 hours with the driver. It was fun and comfortable. Driver fujimoto was super friendly and informative. We enjoyed his guidance and got tips for the trip. Highly recommend.
Response from Host, Nov 2023
Thank you so much for your positive review! We're thrilled to hear that you had a fantastic experience exploring Kyoto with Driver Fujimoto. It's wonderful to know that you found the tour enjoyable, comfortable, and informative. We appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you back for more memorable journeys.
Best regards,
Dokotrip Team
From $473.75
per group (up to 5)up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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