Private Tour
Kyoto&Nara Private Highlights Tour with English driver
Overview
Available languages
Mobile ticket
Full-Day Customizable Private Car Tour in Kyoto & Nara
Discover Kyoto and Nara on a fully customizable private car tour, ideal for travelers seeking comfort and flexibility. Design your own itinerary and explore at your own pace with a private driver, with the option to add a professional guide for deeper local insight.
After booking, coordinate with our team to plan your route. On the day of the tour, enjoy flexible hotel pickup in Kyoto or Osaka and begin your personalized journey.
In Kyoto, possible stops include the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kiyomizu-dera, Gion, Nishiki Market, Nijō Castle, Ginkaku-ji, and Sanjūsangen-dō. You may also stroll along Hanami-koji Street, visit a Zen temple, or explore the Samurai & Ninja Museum.
You may also extend the tour to Nara to visit Nara Park, Tōdai-ji, Nigatsu-do Hall, Kasuga Taisha, Hōryū-ji, Wakakusayama Hill, and the historic Naramachi district.
Additional Info
Specialized infant seats are available
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
The total duration includes the travel time.
The duration for every attraction is the recommend time.
If you want shorten or extend single attraction duration, you can communicate with driver or guide.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
The Arashiyama Bamboo Forest is one of Kyoto’s most iconic natural sights. A short walking path winds through towering bamboo stalks, creating a calm and atmospheric experience. The gentle sound of the wind through the bamboo makes it a peaceful escape from the city.
Kinkakuji Temple
Kinkakuji Temple, a three-storey pavilion covered in gold leaf that is one of the most famous and recognizable of all the historic buildings in Kyoto and has been selected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will see the golden reflection of the temple in the still mirror water surface. And try to pray in front of those statues for fortune and luck.
What‘s Included
Fuel & Tolls & Parking fee
Private Transportation(Luxury 6 or 9 Seats van )
Hotel pick-up and drop-off
Air-conditioned vehicle with WiFi
Todai-ji Temple
Kinkakuji Temple
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Options
MAX 13PAX No guide
Middle bus: 18 main seats and 6 secondary seats
Service 8 hours
Pickup included
Coach MAX 44PAX No guide
Service 8 hours
Pickup included
MAX 9PAX Driver cum guide
9PAX
Service 10 hours
Pickup included
MAX 6PAX Driver cum guide
6 Seats
Service 10 hours
Pickup included
MAX 23PAX No guide
Middle bus: 18 main seats and 6 secondary seats
Service 8 hours
Pickup included
Reviews
13 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Accommodating. Perfect for families
yolibelg2026,Apr 15, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Very accommodating. We had to adjust the itinerary as it was raining and wanted to spend more time at the market but skip other places. Highly recommended if you don't like guided tours, like to travel in comfort, and want to adjust.
Kyoto in one day
FarAway06819445761,Apr 7, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Super Guide Thank you Ally Kyoto, the day, remains unforgettable. He took us everywhere. Always helpful Responding to our wishes. Always happy Thank you
Top day trip
gerdk942,Apr 7, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Ali was A top guide all entertaining and informative . Top places selected always parked in front row and responded to our wishes . That's all it could have been that day. Thank you Ali 👍👍👌👌💥💥
Perfect Day on a Private Tour
Kristin147,Apr 6, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Once again Kansai Holiday and our driver Ally provided excellent service and a picture perfect day. Ally planned a perfect day trip from Kobe to Osaka. He was courteous and professional from start to finish. I really appreciate that he walked with us from Kema Sakuranomiya Park to Osaka Castle, ensuring we passed all the perfect spots for Sakura views.
Ally - Osaka Review
530asherk,Apr 3, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Ally was great top to bottom. He was inquisitive about who we were and tailored our experience to what he felt we would like. He hit the nail on the head and it was a perfect experience. The amount of time we would spend at each location was timed with a perfect balance of appreciating the experience without spending too much time at each place. Can’t recommend Ally enough
Great choice
jessica r,Mar 31, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Excellent, very interesting everything! It's very worth this tour, everyone should do it. The very good guide.
Cherry blossom and kyoto nara trip…
Sightseer36005768578,Mar 17, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Best travel company to book your trips in Japan withis Kansai Holidays. YU(the guide) deserves 10star rating out of 5. Extremely pleasant and funny kept the atmosphere lively for 10 hrs. Started with cherry blossom which was not in our plan. Inspite of us spending almost hour and a half he made sure that he covered all the spots that were in plan in the scheduled time. Made our day worthwhile. .Review on behaf of Ketul Shah
A wonderful and perfect day
King M,Oct 15, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had an incredible day exploring Kyoto and Nara with this private car service! Our driver spoke excellent English, was super friendly, and made the whole trip easy and comfortable. The car was clean, spacious, and perfect for our family. We visited the Bamboo Forest, Kinkaku-ji, Fushimi Inari Shrine, Nara Park, and Todai-ji — every spot was beautiful and peaceful. The driver even shared interesting stories about each place and helped us take great photos! It was one of the best days of our Japan trip. Highly recommend this service to anyone visiting Kyoto or Nara totally worth it!
Great way to get around...
Gregory G,Apr 14, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Great way to get around to see 5-6 of most popular sights in Kyoto. Guide was great, was flexible to get coffee, great recommendation on lunch, and modified order of sights to avoid traffic.
A Disappointing Day
Karen B,Apr 4, 2025
- Review from Viator
2.00The description of this tour states that the professional guide will share with you the culture and stories of what you will see. Our driver spoke very limited English and provided no guidance or knowledge of anything we saw. She was very nice and a good driver but that is all she was. Based on the description of what the tour was supposed to entail, we did not get what was promised. In looking at the other 3 published reviews, I see the same thing happened with another customer. If you want a guide, you need to make sure they provide you with one. This was a very disappointing day.
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Operated by kansai holiday