Kyoto Geisha District Walking Tour in Gion

Overview

Available languages

English

2 hours

Mobile ticket

Discover the enchanting streets of Gion, Kyoto’s iconic Geisha district, and immerse yourself in its rich culture and history with insights from an expert guide who knows the area like the back of their hand.

On this small-group cultural tour, you will explore two geisha districts in Gion, gaining a sense of Kyoto's rich cultural heritage and traditional charm. Learn about the lifestyle of Geisha and uncover the fascinating history of this renowned geisha district through captivating stories told by a local guide. Delve deeper into the real geisha culture in this iconic district. Geisha are most likely to been during this tour, so if you're lucky, you might even encounter geishas during a tour! Your guide will also share tips on where you can see maiko in action.

Additional Info

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller

Public transportation options are available nearby

Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

As this is a walking tour, we recommend you wear comfortable walking shoes.

Not suitable for the people with disability to go up and down stairs

Children must be accompanied by an adult

The tour will take place rain or shine

Services not listed (for example: Hotel pickup and drop-off, Transportation to/from the meeting spot, Extra food and drink, Other personal expenses) are not included in the tour.

[For Kimono Plan] After Changing into Kimono, please go to the Japan Kanji Museum & Library by yourself. It's about 5min walk from the kimono rental store

[For Kimono Plan] After Finish the tour, please don't forget to return the Kimono by 5:30pm.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What‘s Included

[For Kimono Option] Kimono*If you want to wear Kimono, Please choose Kimono Plan: Gion Walking Tour

Local guide

Guided walk of Gion

What To Expect

Yasaka Shrine

Yasaka Shrine, located in Gion district, is one of Kyoto's most famous Shinto shrines. Visitors can admire its beautiful architecture, lanterns, and enjoy the serene atmosphere of its surroundings. This shrine is deeply related to geisha culture. You can find out what those connections are by joining our tour.

40 minutes • Admission Not Applicable

Gion

Gion is the most famous geisha district in Japan, known for its traditional wooden houses and narrow streets. As the sun goes down, the lights of the paper lanterns start dimly, creating a mysterious atmosphere. Gion has been the center of geisha culture for centuries, where visitors can experience the elegance and artistry of Geiko (Kyoto term of geisha) and Maiko (apprentice geiko) performances. While strolling through beautiful alleys, a guide will tell you about the history of geisha, how they are trained, and what their daily life is like. If you're lucky, you might even encounter geiko and maiko during a tour! Join our tour and delve deeper into the real geisha culture in this iconic district.

20 minutes • Admission Not Applicable

Options

Kimono Plan: Gion Walking Tour

You can enjoy the walking tour with Japanese traditional clothes "Kimono". *Please return Kimono by 5:30pm
Starting point:
Kyoto Kimono Rental wargo Kyoto Gion Store, Japan, 605-0075 Kyoto, Higashiyama Ward, Nakanochō, ２１６祇園OKIビル 2階

Kyoto Geisha District Walking Tour in Gion

Starting point:
Japan Kanji Museum & Library, 551 Gionmachi Minamigawa, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0074, Japan

Reviews

4.83

206 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

182

Takuma was the best tour guide..!
tim9hop,
Nov 13, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00
Takuma was our guide for the tour around the Geisha district and did a great job of explaining the history of the area. He showed us the houses and shops in the district and managed to find 7 Geisha girls…incredible…! We would highly recommend Takuma.
Fantastic learning experience about Geisha history and culture
GZMB,
Nov 12, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Takuma is an excellent and knowledgeable guide who is not only passionate about his subject matter, but also eager to share information about Geisha history and culture. We were lucky enough to see 7 geishas during our tour with him! Add to that his very pleasant and friendly nature, you really couldn’t ask for more. Highly recommend!
Highly recommend!!
Breen S,
Nov 10, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Yuji was warm and kind, patient and knowledgeable. Loved hearing the history and really getting a sense of the Geiko-san and Japanese culture and how it all came to be. Really makes the Gion district come alive!
Take the night tour!
Marie M,
Nov 8, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Takuma was the best tour guide ever, funny and knowledgeable and spoke a little Spanish which brought comfort him trying. Really enjoyed the tour and we got lucky and saw two maiko’s and one geiko.
Geisha Tour
Kim T,
Nov 7, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Takuma was amazing. We learned so much about the Geisha culture and traditions. We had the best time!! Highly recommend this tour.
Great Tour
mayraj194,
Nov 6, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Our tour guide was named Takuma! He was extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and super passionate about sharing his knowledge on Geisha customs and cultures. He explained everything really well. I learned so much on this tour and would recommend it to everyone. I didn't expect to see any actual Geishas, but we got super lucky and saw one. Even after the tour was over, I saw three more. Such a great tour.
Great tour
Mayra M,
Nov 6, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Our tour guide was named Takuma! He was extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and super passionate about sharing his knowledge on Geisha customs and cultures. He explained everything really well. I learned so much on this tour and would recommend it to everyone. I didn’t expect to see any actual Geishas, but we got super lucky and saw one. Even after the tour was over, I saw three more. Such a great tour.
Thanks to Tamika!!
DavidHorgan,
Nov 6, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Thanks for Tomaka!! What a treasure he is!!😘 Very informative and excellent in his approach to explaining everything so well and being so personable and respectful. Thanks again!!
Amazing tour guide with Miho
ge0rge3011,
Nov 3, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Our family of 4 from the UK had an amazing evening walking tour with our guide Miho, we learned about both the history of Gion and the Geisha! Miho was a fantastic and personable guide, she had an extensive knowledge of every aspect of the tour and answered all our questions effortlessly and confidently. She had great people skills and had us all excited to learn from the get go! An absolute highlight of our stay in Kyoto, we’d highly recommend the Gion Geisha tour and would highly recommend Miho as your guide!
Discovering traditional Kyoto
ayuriy2024,
Nov 2, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Our guide Miho was very knowledgeable and explained things through what was right in front of us. Thanks to her explanations, we were able to learn about the history and life of this city. She also took us through very narrow alleys that we would never have gone to on our own, and we were able to experience the atmosphere of traditional Kyoto. Thank you, Miho!