Kyoto Early Morning Tour with English-Speaking Guide
Recommended by 99% of travelers
Kyoto, Japan
- 5 to 6 hours (approx.)
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Whether you’re only in Kyoto for the morning or want to avoid the crowds of tourists, this early morning tour of the city lets you experience the city at its most tranquil. After your sightseeing session, you will still have much of the afternoon and onwards to explore thanks to your early start. As a bonus, learn how to use the city’s public transit from your guide. Entrance fee for Kinkakuji Temple is extra.
- Beat the crowds at popular Kyoto attractions such as Fushimi Inari Shrine
- Take photos of the city with fewer pedestrians blocking your shots
- Choose from multiple early AM tour options for flexibility
- Enjoy a calmer experience with a maximum of eight per group
What's Included
- English-Speaking Guide
- Public Transportation Fare (About 1240 yen)
- Food and Drinks
- Entrance fee - Kinkakuji Temple¥500.00 per person
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Kyoto StationHigashishiokoji Kamadonocho, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, 600-8216, Japan
Meet spot: Kyoto Station Central Ticket Gate, the big gate of JR lines on ground floor, on the north side where Kyoto Tower is located. Please arrive at the 10 minutes early. There is a seven eleven right next to it. Link for seven eleven: https://g.co/kgs/k4fpgH3
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
2
Arashiyama
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
3
Kinkaku-ji
1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Travel time is included in total tour duration.
- Strollers are not allowed on this tour.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Jeremy_T
We had Haruki for our guide and he was incredible. Very knowledgeable about the areas we visited and helped navigate very well. The temples and the bamboo forest we went to were amazing and beautiful. I would recommend a tour with Haruki to anyone. As a huge bonus he was so patient and fun with our 10yo and 6yo. Huge hugs when we parted ways. Thank you for making our trip such and adventure and amazing experience!
Reviews
4.9
based on 1,729 reviews
Linda_C, Apr 2026
Had a great morning tour with Natsuki. It turned out to be just myself that day, so it felt like a personalized tour for me! We covered all 3 amazing spots early in the day, before more crowds came in. Natsuki was very knowledgeable of the history of these places, and she also expertly navigated the routes, hence making use of our time efficiently. We also had time for a coffee break in Arashiyama. Thank you so much, Natsuki-san!
Stephen_A, Apr 2026
Maya was great fun and an excellent guide,very knowledgeable about all aspects of the tour and very relaxed in insuring we made our way from one site to the next,would highly recommend.
johnson_n, Apr 2026
Had a great experience with Itsuki! He was patient, educational and funny to tour with. Also a great photographer. Gotta try to matcha beer! Would recommend this tour!
Valerie_B, Apr 2026
This was the best tour weve had in Japan. Our guide, Hina speaks English well and had lots of useful information.
Ricky_M, Apr 2026
Gene was extremely knowledgeable and helpful guide during the tour. Wear comfy shoes as you will during 15000+ steps with train and bus trips to travel to each destination
Fay_D, Apr 2026
Great morning tour with Sara. She was friendly, calm and did not rush us at all. Informative and fun morning. She even took photos and videos for us during a surprise engagement at the bamboo forest. Special thanks for this! 🎋💍
Shannon_C, Apr 2026
Great walking tour, we got to see everything and our guide was awesome. Worth it for our group of 4 adults!
Seanna_K, Apr 2026
We had Haruki for our tour and he was awesome! Super informative and very friendly. Early morning is perfect to avoid large crowds
James_E, Apr 2026
Genki was a fantastic guide showing us the top attractions in Kyoto. He explained everything so well and really helped us understand the importance of the temples and shrines. Great tour
Lindsay_N, Apr 2026
Mizuki was an amazing guide for our visit to the Golden Temple, Fushimi Inari Shrine, and Bamboo Forest. She was super fun, friendly, and incredibly knowledgeable. She got us around smoothly and kept the vibe relaxed and enjoyable. Highly recommend her I and this tour!
Eugene_D, Apr 2026
We easily got our 10,000 steps in, and it was a pleasurable way to get them done.
And the tour was a good intro into how to use the public transportation system.
Mizuki is an excellent, personable and helpful guide!
Tran_O, Apr 2026
This was such a great tour and I highly recommend it. What made it special was Hino our English speaking tour guide. She was so sweet, friendly, and helped take pictures of the entire group both individually and with our spouse in instagrammable spots. The tour was efficient and Hino provided information on history and culture throughout the day. Thank you Hino for making this tour such a great experience!
Karen_M, Apr 2026
Mona was a fantastic tour guide. She is from the local area and is very knowledgeable and friendly. It was wonderful to tour the three sites with someone who had so much interesting history to share with us. We covered a lot of ground, but we never felt rushed. Going early in the AM is key. It would have been a completely different experience to visit these sites without a guide. I would definitely recommend this tour.
Judy_B, Apr 2026
A great way to get around Kyoto. Natsu was a brilliant guide and effortlessly navigated local trains and buses to show us the 3 sites, Fushimi, bamboo Forrest and Gold Temple. Keeping us informed about each as we went along. Despite the rain we had a very enjoyable morning and at the end she was very helpful in directing us to the next place we wanted to go to. Definitely recommend!
Kerri_P, Apr 2026
Our guide, Hero basically ushered us to 3 sites, but he only gave us limited information about each. It felt as though he was rushing us and didn’t interact with the group at all during transfers. We also had to pay our own way for transport and entrance fees. We had no time to linger and enjoy the sites.
Susana_M, Apr 2026
Haruki was a very goog guide.
Despite we visited Kioto in a rainny day we enjoid a lot our visit.
He explained us a lot interesting información in a very good english.
Logan_S, Apr 2026
We had a wonderful time exploring Kyoto with Hina! She was such a fantastic guide with excellent recommendations about the city and lots of great wisdom to share! We’d highly recommend this awesome experience!
Suzanne_L, Apr 2026
Our guide, LJ, was super knowledgeable and engaging in his stories about the places we visited. Of course, his English was excellent. The sites were far apart, so we rode both trains and a bus to travel between them. I was so glad LJ was there to show us how to get around. All three of these places were high on our list of must-sees, so it was awesome to get them all on one tour. It was raining on our morning, so I was glad we had umbrellas.
Anna_T, Apr 2026
Great tour in a nice pace. Our guide Hariku was very helpful and serviceminded. Used trains and bus to get around. Booked the 07:15 tour. Finished by 13:15. If wanted it is possible to stay at the last stop for lunch instead of gping back to Kyoto station.
Anissa_B, Apr 2026
Our tour was great and our giude, Maya, was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic to share her culture. Over would say it was very enjoyable and perfect if you only have limited time in Kyoto.
Rebeca_R, Apr 2026
All the sites we visited were great but what made our tour exceptional was our guide, Genki! He was so patient and kind. We never felt rushed, even though I was with my 74 y/o mother who often has a slower pace. He also had so much insight to give. We learned so much about the history and cultural significance of every site and and of Japan and Kyoto as well. He took a ton of great photos for us and even gave us great recommendations for the rest of our time in Japan! We have done a fair about of tours on this trip, and he was truly one of the best guides we have had. Cannot recommend him highly enough. The early start was is a great idea as well, really helps to beat the crowds.
Sarah_R, Apr 2026
Great tour of some beautiful places in Kyoto. It was worth the early start as these locations are so crowded. LJ was the perfect guide: knowledgeable, friendly and patient! Would definitely recommend this tour.
Neha_A, Apr 2026
Excellent way to explore several different sites in Kyoto at times that are not too crowded with tourists.
Our guide, Mizuki, was fantastic!
Elisa_K, Apr 2026
We got very lucky and had Genki Fukushima as our guide. He was excellent! He was our 4th guide on this trip, and by far he is the best! He spoke very good english, was knowledgeable about the history of the places we toured. Genki took real interest in ensuring our group had a great experience and was very friendly, courteous and offered helpful tips for the remainder of our trip. Overall, we had a wonderful tour and a lot had to do with Genki’s guidance, knowledge and attitude. Highly recommend this tour and ask for Genki!
Khari_M, Apr 2026
We had an excellent tour our guide Rin was extremely knowledgeable about Kyoto and the history behind each of the sites. The early start was absolutely worth it, we got to experience the Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine before the crowds. This was a thoroughly enriching experience, my wife and I truly enjoyed it and could not recommend it more to folks who want to experience some of Kyoto’s most famous sites and learn about their history and some of the local traditions.
Jamie_D, Apr 2026
This walking tour is a MUST!! Ryugo was our guide and he was phenomenal!! Not only was he very informative/knowledgable about the sites we visited, giving us fun facts and history at every stop, but he also gave us recommendations for food and other activities to do for the rest of our stay in Kyoto. He seamlessly guided us through the trains and buses, and even brought us where we needed to be to get back to our Airbnb after the tour. He was SO sweet and kind and we had a wonderful time because of him! Thank you, Ryugo!!!
Ayden_R, Apr 2026
Great walking tour with knowledgeable and friendly local guide. Our guide was Shizuka and we thoroughly enjoyed her company on the tour.
Dean_P, Apr 2026
This tour was just perfect , perfect early start so missed the large crowds , perfect guide , our Guide Mona was excellent , so knowledgeable, friendly and great to chat with , couldn’t recommend this tour enough.
Joyce_K, Apr 2026
We had a great experience on this walking tour in Kyoto. Be prepared for a lot of walking (might be hard with young kids), but it’s absolutely worth it. The scenery was beautiful throughout, and our English speaking guide shared so much history and insight that we never would have learned on our own.
Randy_S, Apr 2026
An excellent tour lead by Sara who provided all sorts of information to enhance the experience. This is definitely a marathon of a tour so make sure you're up for the effort and wear very comfortable shoes. Huge thanks to Sara for a truly amazing day! Okini Sara-san!
From $100.66
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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