Private Tour
10 Must-see Spots in Kyoto One Day Private Tour
Overview
Available languages
8 hours
Mobile ticket
If you have only one day in Kyoto and want to see all the top 10 must-see spots of Kyoto, this tour is the best for you.
A professional local guide shows you the best, comfortable and convenient way to the spots. And you can enjoy walking along with the beautiful sceneries, paths, and back alleys only the local people know.
We use taxis 3-4 times to save you time and energy. This tour is a mixture of public transport and taxis.
Thanks to taxis and a friendly local professional guide, you can visit the 10 most famous attractions such as the Fushimi Inari shrine (thousands of Torii gate), Golden Pavilion, Kiyomizu temple (with huge balcony), bamboo forest, Geisha district, and so on.
If you check the spots you can visit on this tour, you can notice that all must-see points in Kyoto are included!!
Please enjoy the top ten spots with the beautiful stories of your guide.
Additional Info
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Public transportation options are available nearby
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
You will visit so many places only one day so you can not change the itinerary, lunch place and starting point.
If you have some food you can not eat, please inform us when you book this tour
This tour will take you to not only tourist attractions, but also to nice Japanese-style streets and back alleys. Please wear comfortable shoes.
Many places in Kyoto such as temples and taxis do not accept credit cards. Please be sure to have some Japanese yen ready before joining the tour.
＊On very hot summer days, it is recommended to change to Plan B course, which requires fewer steps and takes you to Chishakuin Temple( a hidden gem indoor temple) and Sanjusangendo Temple(famous for a forest of Buddhist statues).
The cab can accommodate four people. 3 guests + a guide, so if there are 4 guests, two taxis are required.
Important: Guests arriving by cruise ship must be able to travel to Kyoto Station on their own.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Kinkakuji Temple
You can see the shining golden pavilion which used to be the political center of the Shogun(the head of Samurai warrior).It is one of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites in Kyoto.
Bamboo Forest Street
You will go through the Bamboo forest. This beautiful bamboo forest appears many times in the advertisement poster of Kyoto.
What‘s Included
Infants under 3 years old are free of charge.
English speaking Professional Guide
Age 3 and up are charged the same rate as adults.
Pick up service: not included
for all temples(1500yen par person)
＊This tour uses both taxi and public transportation(1000yen per person)
Taxi: (7000 〜9000 yen per cab for all rides) If You are 4 or more people, you need two cabs.
Options
UP to 7 people
Reviews
1,160 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Our Amazing Day with Mutsumi in Kyoto!
Don H,Mar 13, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Absolutely the BEST Day in Kyoto with our guide Mutsumi! She planned the perfect day seeing the Kyoto...using the combination of Taxi's and Trains makes getting to sights much easier. She knows the history of Kyoto's Temples, Shines and Castles. Thank you Mutsumi for making our day with you memorable...
Yoshi is the Best
Zachary H,Mar 13, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Yoshi is the best! We had an amazing time traveling through Kyoto with him! We saw so much, his explanations were perfect! If he didnt know something he made sure to find out. We had an amazing Lunch with a Sushi master who has been working his craft for over 47 years. We saw Mikah's on their way to their Tea shops. He is so respectful and went out of his way to take us to extra stops like a fabric store and stationary store for my partners interests. He took us through back roads and alleys to avoid crowds! The man knows Kyoto! His communication, promptness, and flexibility made an entire day of Kyoto feel like hanging with a friend who knows his stuff! Absolutely Ask For Yoshi!
Great Kyoto tour!
P2312AAgeorgem,Mar 12, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Excellent and very efficient tour of some of the most popular sites in Kyoto. Our guide Taka, was great! He had the taxi ready for us when we started the tour. Took us to all the sites described in the tour and gave us a lot of details about the history of each site. It really enriched the tour. For lunch, he took us to an excellent traditional Japanese restaurant that seemed to be ready for us with a nice table. It was delicious! He also took great pictures and knew the best photo spots! Very recommenced!
18,000 step day, each stop well planned and fascinating.
Trip36413217547,Mar 12, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Kaori contacted us the day before to set up tour start. All logistics smooth and seamless. At each stop Kaori had details and background that helped us understand the history and importance of that place. She had plenty of small coins so we could make our wishes at each sacred spot. Lunch was delicious. We had time to shop a little at the end. Even though we only had 1 day to spend in Kyoto we saw the most important highlights and learned so much about the culture of this ancient city. Don’t miss this tour.
Best Tour of Kyoto
Neera T,Mar 12, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Meiko was an excellent and knowledgeable tour guide. She was flexible and adjusted as we needed, which made for a great day.
Mieko is an excellent guide - very pleasant and interesting
Janet M,Mar 11, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Mieko was an excellent guide, very pleasant and knowledgeable. She tailored our tour to suit the family and was also very helpful in providing us with additional information for the rest of our afternoon We would definitely recommend you ask for Mieko for your tour of Kyoto
Five Stars for Yoshi!!!
Sydney C,Mar 10, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00We had the BEST day with our excellent tour guide, Yoshi! Yoshi was the best tour guide we have ever had. We booked this tour because we wanted to see all of the highlights with the little time we had in Kyoto. This tour was fun, efficient, and allowed us to experience Kyoto in just one day. Yoshi was such a fun, knowledgeable, and warm presence - He was not only our tour guide; he was our companion, photographer, and by the end of the tour - a friend. We couldn’t have asked for a better day. If you’re looking for a great day in Kyoto, look no further - Book this tour!
Great day in Kyoto with Yoshi!
Michelle S,Mar 9, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This tour is amazing people for who want to see a lot in 8 hours! Yoshi was very knowledgeable and skilled at speaking English. We were in Japan nearly two weeks and our day with Yoshi in Kyoto was certainly a highlight!
Incredible Day Exploring Kyoto
VanJules,Mar 9, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00My family had an incredible day on this private tour in Kyoto with Hide! Easily it was our favourite day of the entire trip to Japan. We never felt rushed, and the pace of the day felt really comfortable while still seeing so many amazing sites. What we appreciated most was how much history and background Hide shared at each stop. It added so much meaning to everything we were seeing and made the experience far richer than if we had visited on our own. We truly enjoyed every stop along the way and came away feeling like we experienced Kyoto in a really special way.
Excellent tour of...
Nicole C,Mar 9, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Excellent tour of Kyoto—one of the best tours we've ever taken. Fuji was kind, knowledgeable, and incredibly patient and adaptive throughout the day. We never felt rushed, and whenever something caught our eye, Fuji made sure we had time to see it and helped us understand what made it special. She also went out of her way to help us find souvenir shops and introduced us to some classic Japanese treats along the way. We truly enjoyed spending the day with her while visiting so many of Kyoto’s must-see historical and cultural sites. Thanks to Fuji—and the many beautiful places she shared with us—Kyoto is now one of our favorite places in the world.
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