Private Tour
Private Kyoto Tour with Licensed Guide & Vehicle (Max 15 persons)
Overview
Available languages
6 hours
Mobile ticket
Kyoto keeps traditional arts and beauty alive, but the busses and subways can be confusing and provide challenges for those with walking limitations. At Japan Guide Agency, we want everyone to experience Kyoto so we are happy to provide this customizable, private guided tour with a vehicle!
Join us on a tour of Kyoto to see Kiyomizu Temple as it towers over the historical Gion district, famous for its rich history of geisha. The bamboo forest of Sagano and the gardens, shrines and temples in Kyoto will provide you with a window into old Japan.
Once your reservation is made, a guide will contact you to plan your personalized tour. Choose 4 to 5 spots from ‘Tour Details’ to visit. Whether you are a history buff, love Japanese architecture, or just want to enjoy a green tea parfait, Kyoto has something for you!
*Maximum 15 participants per tour.
*If you have a child or children in your group, please let us know the number and their age.
Additional Info
Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Specialized infant seats are available
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
There are only a limited number of car seats and booster seats. Rear-facing car seats are not available. You must contact us directly if you need them.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What‘s Included
Private vehicle
Customizable Walking Tour of your choice of 3-4 sites from 'What to expect' list'
Licensed Local English Speaking Guide
Entrance fees, Lunch, and Other personal expenses
You cannot combine multiple tour groups.
Guide Entry fees are only covered for sights listed under What to Expect.
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
What To Expect
Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine
You can see Japan's background that is off-limits to ordinary tourists after the tour. This short trip is a fantastic and great value way of experiencing Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine! We are here to help you discover new things, the Fushimi Inari Shrine is so more than its famous tunnels of vermillion-red torii gates. Most people are satisfied by a scenic view of it. But this has a lot of stories to tell that will connect you to the Japan's history and culture and your guide will show you deeper. You will see a fascinating story attached to the origin of the shrine dedicated to the god of grains – that’s what “Inari” means – . This is also why you’ll see statues of the fox around the shrine. “Kitsune” or the fox is a servant to the god Inari. They are cunning tricksters, clever minded animals who make perfect guides for the treacherous business world. You may would want the foxes on your side after this tour.
Nijo Castle
Nijo Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site was built in 1603 as the Kyoto residence of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo Period (1603-1867).
Options
Mini Van (Up to 4 PAX)
Mini Van (Up to 4 PAX)
Pickup included
Microbus (Up to 15 PAX)
Microbus (Up to 15 PAX)
Pickup included
Regular Car (Up to 2 Pax)
Regular Car (Up to 2 Pax)
Pickup included
Van (Up to 7 PAX)
Van (Up to 7 PAX)
Pickup included
Reviews
392 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Kyoto Highlights in Style
David F,
Nov 2, 2025
- Viator
5.00Great way to see top sites in Kyoto. Ken San was very knowledgeable, spoke English well and was very nice. Kyoto is very crowded with tourists, but this tour helped avoid a lot of the crowds traveling to the sites. We saw more in six hours than you could see in two days and the vehicle was very comfortable.
Excellent private tour
Jay J,
Oct 30, 2025
- Viator
5.00Our guide, Chiyuki, was knowledgeable and our driver and car excellent. Our party of four visited the Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavilion), Nijyo Castle, Nisiki market, and Fushimi shrine in 6 hours. Had lunch at the market. Food and shopping was enjoyable. Note that the tour fee does not include modest entry fees to the temple and Niyo Castle. We took bullet train from Tokyo Station at 7 am and were picked up by Chiyuki and driver at Kyoto Station at 9:14. Our departing train left at. 4:01 pm. So we saw a lot in <6 hours. The tour went at a moderate pace but we didn’t feel that we missed anything or felt rushed. The Golden Pavilian is a must see for Kyoto. It was especially crowded, which was only blip in entire visit. But that was the result of the great weather and LOTS of middle-schoolers on school-organized tours.
Choose Olive (Miwako) for a fantastic tour in Kyoto!
Janet E,
Oct 30, 2025
- Viator
5.00JGA tour guide Olive was fantastic! I communicated with her before I got to Japan through Whatsapp to tell her what we wanted to see. She met us with a car and driver at the Kyoto train station and we saw so many sites including Kinkakuji, Nijo Castle, Nishiki Food Market, Gion and Fushimi Inari Grand Shrine. She had immense cultural knowledge and spoke very good English. I highly reommend her!!
Our guide, Yuka, was...
AnnMarie S,
Oct 30, 2025
- Viator
5.00Our guide, Yuka, was enthusiastic and knowledgeable and included as many sites as possible in the time we had. Our very experienced driver also contributed to our knot of Japanese culture and customs.
Great tour!
Kristine M,
Oct 29, 2025
- Viator
5.00Absolutely loved this tour. I worked with our tour guide Tomy to nail down which sites we wanted to see during our tour. You need to be aware that you’re not gonna be able to see everything on this tour since a lot of these temples are not near each other and take some driving time. Also a lot of the temples are very crowded. Tomy was a very informative guide. He would take us to some areas on the temple grounds that weren’t so crowded. He made sure we got some great pictures. Having our own transportation was heaven sent since we did a lot of walking in Osaka the day before. Our driver was excellent. I’d definitely recommend this tour to anybody who’s going to Kyoto.
Best experience!
mauriciogH29AK,
Oct 22, 2025
- Tripadvisor
5.00We loved the experience! It was a great tour to visit remote places quickly, with experts on the subject and great stories! Kaeko Tanigawa did the best job!
Ken Kyoto private tour
Vasanthi A,
Oct 22, 2025
- Viator
5.00The guide Ken was excellent. He gave us a lot of useful information. He was very good, very polite and very helpful. The experience was wonderful. I will certainly recommend this toir
Perfect guided tour
heidisV894KF,
Oct 14, 2025
- Tripadvisor
5.00A very nice tour with a very good guide and driver. We saw a lot of nice places and the weather was so good. We had a very good lunch.
Outstanding tour and service
Edmond K,
Oct 12, 2025
- Viator
5.00The guide and driver were amazing. They tailored the tour to take in sights we had not seen. They were punctual and very professional and courteous. The guide, Harumi, explained in great detail about the history of the tour sights. She was very friendly and gracious. She was curious about differences between Japan and where we lived. Her English was excellent.
Just what we were looking for
alijohn48,
Oct 10, 2025
- Viator
5.00Tomy was an excellent guide. He went out of his way to meet us at our ryokan which was off the beaten path and curated a wonderful tour of our itinerary including a tasty sushi conveyor belt spot for lunch. He clearly had a lot of experience as a guide as he knew just where to tell the driver to slow down so we could see items between stops. His tour was a great intro to Kyoto. He also took lots of photos for us. Our driver Mr. Fujii was terrific as well, his car and his driving made us feel comfortable and well taken care of.
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