Best of Kyoto Private Tour: Discover Highlights and Hidden Gems with Locals

Experience the best of Kyoto on this private tour with locals. Discover the city’s highlights, hidden gems, and local treats, away from the tourist crowds.

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Higashiyama Zoo & Botanical Garden - Pass by the Zoo and get to see this neighborhood, which preserves the look and feel of feudal-era Japan in a wood-built historic quarter of narrow lanes lined with traditional pottery stores, tea houses, and restaurants for multi-course kaiseki meals.
What's Included
  • Tickets for Kiyomizu Temple included
  • Private Tour
  • Experienced Local Guide
  • Complimentary local drink
What's Not Included
  • Hotel pick-up and drop off
  • Food & beverages not listed as inclusions
Additional Information

This isn’t just another city exploration; it’s the best of Kyoto seen from a distinctive angle! Explore Kyoto with a city tour that delivers an optimum overview, featuring city highlights, undiscovered treasures, narratives, and a local delicacy – this tour offers it all!
Let go of the idea of large tourist-packed groups and crowded places; it’s time to…

Location
198 Nakanochō
at the entrance of the Minamiza Theatre, next to Gion Shijo station
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.9
(116 Ratings)
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834synn_vel
Feb 5, 2025
Ted Kyoto talk&walk - Ted took us through the artistically startup journey led by the female with a sword - he gave insightful story telling linked to the Geisha neighborhood. The guiding towards temples and shrines gave us a good basis for continuing to visit interesting places in Kyoto. Thank you Ted!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ralphi2014
Dec 30, 2024
Great time, Great City, Great Guide - We had the pleasure of joining a guided tour in Kyoto with Guia, and it was an unforgettable experience. Guia was incredibly friendly, funny, and entertaining, making us feel comfortable and engaged from the start. Her deep knowledge of Kyoto’s rich history and culture was impressive, and she shared it in a way that was both informative and captivating. She took us to the most beautiful and iconic spots in the city, as well as a few hidden gems we would have never discovered on our own. The time flew by, and by the end of the tour, we all felt like we had not only learned a lot but also gained a genuine appreciation for Kyoto. If you’re looking for an amazing guide who can bring the city to life, Guia is the one to choose. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Courtneys968
Dec 29, 2024
Great Introduction to Kyoto - Shohei was right on top of communication with us in the days leading up to our tour, and he was responsive and flexible when our plans changed, which reduced our stress greatly. Shohei provided a great overview of Kyoto history and Buddhist practices, and this was greatly appreciated as we wanted to be sure we were respectful of customs. We really enjoyed our time with Shohei and recommend him highly.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Brightspirit1
Nov 20, 2024
Very enjoyable and informative! - Shohei is an excellent guide. He is very approachable, informative, and, most importantly, friendly. He answered all of our questions and speaks excellent English. This was a perfect introduction to the city, its history, and culture. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Voyage25142461379
Nov 18, 2024
Highly recommend - Ted was terrific. We did as much as we could in the time available. I would have liked more time with him. What I appreciated was showing me the “off the beaten track” spots.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nayrudin
Nov 14, 2024
Great tour for a good first impression of Kyoto - Ted was an amazing guide. He speaks very well English and answered all of our questions. The tour was great to get a good first impression of Kyoto of and even after our tour he was still available for questions and advice. 100% recommend
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jimjam211
Nov 12, 2024
Book this for your first day in Kyoto - Ted was an amazing guide, even before our arrival. He provided us a fantastic list of restaurant options that we were able to reserve ahead, with every recommendation being some of our favourite meals of the entire trip. The hidden gems and stories from Ted were all fascinating and gave us a perfect overview of the city. He then left us with great ideas for what to do with our remaining days, including some excellent out of the way places where we could escape the crowds. We would highly recommend Ted and this tour to anyone.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Paula_r
Nov 10, 2024
Geishas! - Ted was so knowledgeable and we learned so much. The geisha are was beautiful! Thoroughly enjoyed our day.
Review provided by Viator
Andrea6605
Nov 7, 2024
Perfekter Start in Kyoto - This is my first visit to Japan and I so I booked the 90 minutes Starter Tour with Ted. Communication via WhatsApp was easy, tourstart was very much on time. I enjoyed his explanations and benefited greatly from his knowledge. Besides from walking me around he answered all my questions, gave me helpful ideas what to do in Kyoto and even sent me links via WhatsApp after the tour. Highly recommended
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maybrittc
Oct 20, 2024
Eiji rocks! - Eiji is a very friendly person und the tour with him was very pleasant. He gave a good insight to Kyoto and the culture. You can ask him everything, he is a very easygoing person. Thank you Eiji, it was a pleasure meeting you!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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February 2025
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