Private Kyoto Customizable Day Tour with Guide & Luxury Vehicle
Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Private Kyoto Customizable Day Tour with Guide & Luxury Vehicle
Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
- 8 to 10 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
Rather than trailing between Kyoto's attractions in a large group, enjoy a customized experience tailored to your specific interests and needs. This private tour of Kyoto offers the flexibility to adjust the itinerary and pace according to your preferences, whether you want to spend your time admiring Kyoto's UNESCO-listed landmarks or exploring its bustling neighborhoods.
- Discover the best of Kyoto in just one day
- Private tour, exclusively for your party: A personalized experience
- Flexibility to adjust the itinerary to your interests: See Kyoto your way
- Hassle-free Kyoto hotel pickup and drop-off
What's Included
Meeting and Pickup
Itinerary
Additional Info
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.1
based on 342 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
We had a fantastic tour with Ravindu who was extremely helpful with managing our itinerary, navigating the sites, and providing insights for each stop. We fit a lot into the day, and even with our drive to/from Osaka got to see everything we wanted.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you for taking the time to share your review! We appreciate your feedback, as it helps us understand what we’re doing well and where we can improve. It’s wonderful to hear about your positive experiences, and we are committed to building on that success. Your insights motivate us to continually enhance our service and find innovative ways to exceed your expectations. We look forward to welcoming you back and providing even better experiences in the future!
We had a great day with Sha, extremely informative he took us to some amazing sites.. would strongly recommend him as a tour guide.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you so much for sharing your fantastic review! Your kind words uplift our entire team and strengthen our dedication to outstanding service. We are thrilled to hear about your positive experiences with us and deeply value your support. Your feedback inspires us to keep improving and finding new ways to delight fantastic customers like you. We can’t wait to welcome you back and provide you with even more great experiences in the future!
We had a great day exploring Kyoto on this private tour from Kobe Port. The itinerary was full and well-paced, and we were able to see a lot thanks to the custom plan we created in advance.
Dhanu, our guide, was very kind and helpful, especially when it came to taking photos for our group. While he wasn’t Japanese and his English wasn’t fully fluent, he communicated well enough and gave us some basic background at each stop. That said, the historical context was a bit light, so if you’re hoping for a deep dive into Japan’s culture or history, keep that in mind.
The vehicle was a comfortable Toyota van — clean, spacious, and perfect for the day.
One important note: after booking, we were informed of an extra charge of ¥25,000 for pickup and drop-off at Kobe Port instead of a Kyoto hotel. It would be much better if this fee were clearly stated upfront before purchase.
Overall, it was a good experience. A very enjoyable and memorable way to see Kyoto in a single day from the cruise port.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
We sincerely appreciate the time you took to write your review. Your feedback is invaluable to us, and we want you to know that we will carefully consider your suggestions as we strive to improve our services. Our goal is to ensure a better experience for all our customers in the future. Thank you once again for investing your time in sharing your thoughts with us; it means a lot and helps us enhance our offerings.
Great experience with Ravi in a nice sized van. We asked to change itinerary and Ravi worked with us with no issues.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
We sincerely appreciate the time you took to share such a wonderful review! Your generous and thoughtful feedback not only boosts the morale of our entire team but also reinforces our commitment to providing exceptional service. We genuinely cherish your support and are overjoyed to hear about the positive experiences you had with us. Your insights motivate us to continuously improve and innovate, ensuring that we consistently delight incredible customers like you. We eagerly look forward to serving you again in the future!
There ms not guided tour it’s just a driver dropping you on the main attractions I had to use chat gpt don’t book it
A very nice bespoke tour with the best driver ever-Yasith! 👍 We added a stop and changed the planned itinerary midway through.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you so much for your fantastic review! Your kind and thoughtful words inspire our team and fuel our passion for exceptional service. We truly value your support and are thrilled you’ve shared your positive experiences. We can't wait to keep delivering for incredible customers like you!
This is the best way to do a Kyoto tour!
We are so glad we booked this ride. It was very customizable and made the whole trip easy on a hot summer day. Mani was a great driver and walked with us to the entrance of each spot we visited and gave us directions on what to do. We didn’t know that most Kyoto attraction tickets are cash only and he even lent us some cash at the first spot for tickets.Highly recommend both the travels and the driver.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
We’re thrilled to receive your fantastic five-star review! Your kind words truly uplift our team and motivate us to keep delivering outstanding service. We can't wait to welcome you back on your next visit! If you know anyone who might be dreaming of a trip to Japan, we’d be so grateful if you could share your wonderful experiences with them. Kyoto is brimming with stunning temples, enchanting gardens, and a vibrant cultural heritage that everyone should explore. Your recommendations would genuinely mean the world to us. Thank you once more for your support, and we eagerly look forward to seeing you again soon!
Driver spoke English and took us where we wanted to go. Was willing to drop us off and let us explore on our own when we wanted.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you for your excellent five-star review! We genuinely appreciate your support, inspiring our team to strive for excellence in our service. We look forward to welcoming you back on your next visit. If you have the opportunity, we would be grateful if you could share your positive experiences with friends and family who may be considering a trip to Japan. Kyoto offers breathtaking temples, beautiful gardens, and a rich cultural heritage that many should experience. Your recommendations would mean a lot to us. Thank you once again, and we eagerly anticipate seeing you again soon!w
Disappointed – Not Worth the Price
Booked the Private Kyoto Customizable Day Tour with Guide & Luxury Vehicle through Viator expecting a knowledgeable, professional guide. While the guide was courteous, the experience was far from what was promised. The guide’s English was just passable and the level of knowledge about Kyoto’s history, culture, and landmarks was surprisingly limited. It felt more like a chauffeured drive than a guided tour.
Unfortunately, when we expressed our dissatisfaction, Viator refused a refund. Be aware: Viator is just a middleman and takes no responsibility once things go wrong. You’re left dealing with the consequences. Very disappointing. I wouldn’t recommend this tour, and I’ll never use Viator again.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
We appreciate the time you took to provide your review. Upon investigating your tour experience, we found that you completed it positively and even received additional services, such as luggage transport, which were not included in the original package. Furthermore, you contacted your guide after the tour to obtain information about site openings and closures. We believe your review does not fully reflect the circumstances of your experience. We understand that you expected a full refund from Viator after completing your day tour, and we want to highlight that such expectations can vary among our travelers. I appreciate your understanding.
We were able to visit all the places stated in a day. It was a little bit fast paced but we kind of expected it given the amount of places we had to visit. Aka, our tour guide/driver was very accommodating as well when we wanted to make some tweaks to the itinerary. Definitely recommended especially if you want to hit all the main kyoto spots in a day.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
We are truly grateful for your amazing five-star review! Your kind words mean the world to us and serve as a wonderful encouragement for our team to continue providing the best service possible. We would be so happy to welcome you back during your next visit. If you could share your uplifting experiences with your friends and family who may be considering a trip to Japan, it would really touch our hearts. Kyoto is a place filled with stunning temples, serene gardens, and a deep cultural heritage that deserves to be experienced by everyone. Thank you for your support, and we’re genuinely looking forward to the opportunity to see you again soon!
Our guide was Dhanu and we were picked up at 8:30 from our hotel. I'd love to share my experience of a fantastic tour I took with my family in Kyoto, Japan. It was packed with amazing sites and city highlights, and our guide was incredibly patient and helpful, making the trip even better. I totally recommend booking this tour. After reading some of the reviews, I will say that If you are independent traveler and want to explore the sites on tour without having the guide with you every step of the way then this is the tour for you. My family and I are explorers and like to roam around as long as we have a time limit and this tour worked perfectly for us. If you are looking for a guide to stay with you the entire duration you should consider asking the guide.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you so much for your wonderful five-star review! We truly appreciate your kind words, which inspire our team to maintain our high standards of service. We would be delighted to welcome you back on your next visit. If you could share your positive experiences with friends and family who might be considering a trip to Japan, it would mean a lot to us. Kyoto offers breathtaking temples, beautiful gardens, and a rich cultural heritage that everyone should explore. Thank you for your support, and we eagerly look forward to seeing you again soon!
We booked a luxury day trip for a family of 4. The transportation was perfect for us, spacious, air conditioned and very comfortable. Hamza was a perfect host and very knowledgeable with navigating the different attractions. Location pick up and drop off can also be customised. Overall we had a great day are were very satisfied with the tour.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you for your fantastic review! Your kind words motivate our team to deliver exceptional service. We look forward to welcoming you back! If you could share your experiences with friends considering a trip to Japan, it would help us greatly. Kyoto has beautiful temples, gardens, and a rich culture to explore. We appreciate your support and can't wait to see you soon!
Sha was very knowledgeable about the area. He made an entertaining day out of sightseeing in Kyoto.. He picked us up at our hotel drove us to a Starbucks, was very engaging in conversation. He took us to all of the most popular sightseeing areas . After spending 8 to 10 hours at no point was there any sense of being uncomfortable? The day was amazing.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you for your fantastic five-star review! Your kind words motivate our team to consistently deliver exceptional service. We look forward to welcoming you back on your next visit. If you could spread the word about your memorable experiences to friends and family considering a trip to Japan, it would greatly benefit us. Kyoto boasts stunning temples, beautiful gardens, and a rich culture just waiting to be explored. We appreciate your support and can’t wait to see you again soon!
Sha was a very knowledgeable and courteous guide who provided a detailed itinerary that was perfectly timed to avoid crowds. Transportation was very comfortable and well climatized, which was essential in the hot Kyoto summer weather.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
We truly appreciate your generous five-star review! Your kind words inspire our team to continue providing exceptional service. We are eager to welcome you back on your next visit. If you could share your memorable experiences with friends and family who are thinking about a trip to Japan, it would mean a lot to us. Kyoto is filled with stunning temples, beautiful gardens, and a rich culture waiting to be explored. Thank you once again for your support, and we look forward to seeing you soon!
Excellent and knowledgeable guide customized our itinerary. We saw all of the sights in Kyoto in a day.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you so much for your generous five-star review! Your kind words motivate our team to keep delivering exceptional service. We look forward to welcoming you back on your next visit. Please share your memorable experiences with friends and family considering a trip to Japan. Kyoto's stunning temples, beautiful gardens, and rich culture await exploration. Your support inspires us to provide outstanding service. Thanks again, and we hope to see you soon!
If on a cruise, do NOT book. Advertised pick up from anywhere but after we booked said would cost 25,000 yen (almost $200) additional for port pick up. We decided to just pay extra so that we can maximize our time off the ship. We arrived at pick up point early and could not find the guide. We called twice and sent chats with no response. After more than an hour waiting, we were chatting with Viator and they tried calling and no answer either. Finally, we got a call from the guide and were able to get started.
Because of the delay, we were only able to go to two places and spent most of the time in the car with NO air conditioning,
The guide made no effort to give us any information about anything. We don’t really think he was a guide but someone they found at the last minute.
This was not a tour but a crappy Uber that showed up late.
Don’t waste your time and money and just take the train or hire a flat rate taxi.
It’s very easy to get a taxi or the train from the port.
Talha is very patient and a good guide and driver. He took us around and showed us Kyoto on a very hot day. We were able to hit all the popular spots early while the crowd was still thin thanks to him.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
We sincerely appreciate your generous five-star review! Your kind words serve as a strong motivation for our team to continue pursuing exceptional service and experiences. We can’t wait to welcome you back on your next visit.
When you do return, we kindly encourage you to share your memorable experiences with friends and family who may be considering a trip to Japan. Kyoto, with its stunning ancient temples, meticulously landscaped gardens, and rich cultural history, offers a myriad of delightful discoveries just waiting to be explored.
Your support truly strengthens our dedication to providing outstanding service to you and all our guests. Thank you once again, and we hope to see you soon!
We are very disappointed in Viator! We anticipated, based on the tour description, that our guide would be with us during the visits to the chosen sites. Our guide did not join us at any site. This was basically a private vehicle taking us to sites.
Our guide was very knowledgeable about things we saw during the travelng to sites. This is a Viator issue, NOT the guides.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. We truly appreciate your feedback and want you to know that we take your suggestions very seriously. We are committed to enhancing the quality of our future tours and will be implementing improvements based on your valuable insights. Your experience matters to us, and we look forward to providing an even better adventure next time!
Dhanush was promoted and picked us up right at our doorstep of our house in the hills above Osaka. He was knowledgeable of the history and was willing to share his perspective on a range of subjects. I enjoyed talking to him.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for your generous five-star review. Your insightful feedback is invaluable to us and motivates our team to strive for excellence in all that we do. We eagerly anticipate the chance to welcome you back in the future. If your travels bring you back to our area, we would greatly appreciate it if you could share your experiences with friends and family who may be considering a trip to Japan. The enchanting temples, serene gardens, and rich history of Kyoto are truly worth exploring. Thank you once again for your kind support; it greatly enhances our commitment to serving you and all our guests!
Dhanush was wonderful. He walked into each activity with us, explained the map of the property and told us how long each exhibit would take us. He also was knowledgeable of the history of each location. And He communicated with us very well about drop offs and pick ups.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
We sincerely appreciate your generous five-star review. Your thoughtful comments mean a great deal to us and inspire our team to continue providing exceptional experiences. We look forward to the opportunity to welcome you back in the future. If you plan to visit again, we would be grateful if you could share your experiences with friends and family who are considering a trip to Japan. Kyoto’s remarkable temples, tranquil gardens, and rich history await your exploration. Thank you once again for your kind support; it truly fuels our dedication!
Dhanu was a wonderful guide. He had an entire day planned for us that we completely blew up because there were other things my kids wanted to see and do. He was so gracious and made every accommodation! He suggested a completely new itinerary including all of our activities and customized our experience! We only had a few hours and he managed to pack in everything we wanted to do and got us back to the train station on time. I would recommend him to anyone looking to customize their experience in Kyoto. Just give him some advance warning lol!
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thank you for your glowing five-star review! We truly appreciate your kind words and support. Your feedback motivates our entire team to deliver extraordinary experiences. We hope to welcome you back soon! If you visit again, please share your experiences with friends and family considering a trip to Japan. Kyoto's stunning temples, serene gardens, and rich history await exploration. Thank you once again for your encouragement; it fuels our passion!
Dhanu was a great driver and helped us see far more in one day than we thought would be possible! He was very knowledgeable about the sites and Japanese customs, which added a lot to our day. We got so many amazing pictures and memories to last a lifetime. Thank you!
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thank you for taking the time to share your glowing five-star review! We are truly grateful for your thoughtful words and support, which mean the world to us. Your encouraging feedback serves as a powerful motivation for our entire team, inspiring us to consistently deliver extraordinary experiences for our guests.
We genuinely hope to welcome you back soon! When you do visit again, please consider sharing your delightful experiences with friends and family—especially those contemplating a journey to Japan. Kyoto, with its breathtaking temples adorned with intricate architecture, serene gardens bursting with vibrant seasonal blooms, and a rich tapestry of history just waiting to be explored, is a city we are always excited to showcase.
Thank you once again for your uplifting encouragement; it fuels our passion!
Nice tour guide but would have liked it if he knew more of the history, but we had a great time and saw so many sites… thank you
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a five-star review! We truly appreciate your kind words, and your support means a lot to us. Your positive feedback motivates our team and inspires us to continue providing exceptional experiences for our guests. We hope you'll visit us again soon and share your wonderful experiences with friends and family, especially if they are planning a trip to Japan. Kyoto, with its stunning temples, beautiful gardens, and rich history, is a destination we love to showcase. Thank you once again for your encouragement!
Guide=driver with cell phone in hand
Luxury=cigarette smoke smelling minivan
English-speaking=understood some english but no education about sites we visited
If I had understood the above translations I'd have looked for something else. Understanding those translations now it was passable but not what I had hoped for.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
We greatly appreciate the thoughtful feedback you provided regarding your experience with our tour. We understand that it did not fully meet your expectations, and we sincerely apologize for any disappointment it may have caused. As a gesture of goodwill and to acknowledge your concerns, we are pleased to offer you a partial refund. We hope this will help to address your dissatisfaction and encourage you to consider joining us again in the future for a better experience. Thank you for sharing your insights with us.
The guide never showed and we waited for 45 min in our lobby. Perhaps there was an accident or good reason but they didn't offer anything to make up for this mistake
Response from Host, Jun 2025
We sincerely apologize for not informing you in a timely manner about the unfortunate accident involving your assigned guide, which has resulted in the cancellation of your tour. Please rest assured that we will issue a full refund for your booking. Thank you for your understanding.
Very helpful , try to read your mind , polite and grateful , recommend good things shows only interesting
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thank you for your five-star review! Your feedback is greatly appreciated and inspires our team to keep providing exceptional experiences. We look forward to welcoming you back soon and encourage you to share your positive experiences with others considering a visit to Kyoto. Thank you for your support!
What a disappointing experience! The description advertises this as a private tour with luxury car and driver, but what this actually is is just a driver. There is no guide, so no commentary about any of the places you visit, and the driver drops you off and disappears until an agreed upon pick up time to go to the next place. Additionally, our driver spoke very little English, so any communication with him was difficult. A member of our group has mobility issues, and despite communicating this to the tour operator and receiving reassurances of a comfortable vehicle with air conditioning weeks before our tour, what we discovered was far from the "luxury vehicle" in the title of the listing. The car was small, the drive was hot, and it made for a very uncomfortable day. I would not recommend this experience, and suggest you look elsewhere for your Kyoto visit.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
We sincerely hope that your experience with our tour meets your expectations. However, if for any reason you find it has not, we want to assure you that your satisfaction is our top priority. To that end, we are happy to offer a partial refund. Your feedback is invaluable to us as it enables us to enhance our services. Please do not hesitate to contact us with your specific concerns, and we will make every effort to address them promptly. Thank you for your understanding and support.
The tour was self guided and not as expected as it says with guide. It was misleading with the title and sort of disappointed.. it was a driver taking you to all those places.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
If, for any reason, you find yourself unsatisfied with our tour experience, we want to assure you that we are committed to your satisfaction. Therefore, we are pleased to offer you a partial refund. Our goal is to ensure that every aspect of your journey meets your expectations, and we value your feedback as it helps us improve our services. Please reach out to us with your specific concerns, and we will do our best to address them promptly.
My tour guide never showed up after waiting an hour. I called Viator and they were not much help. Hope I get 100% refund. We hade to figure out our day at last minute.
Very disappointed. Our tour guide only acted as a driver and was not very welcoming. The van was not large and we were six people. One of the side doors would not open the entire day and five people had to crawl out of the back of the van each time. We were so excited to see Kyoto and were so disappointed with our experience.
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