Explore Kyoto in Comfort and Style!

Discover Kyoto’s hidden gems with our expert guide. Explore secret shrines and bamboo groves beyond Fushimi Inari’s main trails. Book your adventure now.

Duration: 10 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Arashiyama - Situated in the western part of Kyoto, Japan, Arashiyama is a charming district celebrated for its stunning natural landscapes and rich cultural history. It is most famous for the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, where visitors can stroll through an enchanting path flanked by towering bamboo stalks. The area also boasts the historic Tenryu-ji…
What's Included
  • Hotel pick-up and drop-off
  • Pick-up from Osaka and Nara available (extra fee)
  • English-speaking driver
  • Air-conditioned vehicle
  • Private transportation
What's Not Included
  • Food not included
  • Admission tickets are not included. Travelers can purchase these directly at location.
Additional Information

Experience the elegance and charm of Kyoto with our exclusive private day tour by car. Designed specifically for you, this tour offers a personalized itinerary that aligns with your interests, enabling you to explore Kyoto’s famous attractions at your leisure. In just one day, visit celebrated sites like Kinkaku-ji, Kiyomizu-dera, Fushimi Inari-taisha…

Location
Arashiyama
Ukyo-ku,
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.6
(131 Ratings)
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P9853svstevenj
Apr 15, 2026
Great experience in Kyoto - With only one day in Kyoto, my wife and I were very pleased with the decision to take the Private Guided Tour of Kyoto. Our guide “Malik” was great! He confirmed our pick up time and location on the prior day and was right on time for pick up on the day of the tour. Malik was very friendly and knowledgeable, he allowed us to experience all the sites included in the tour (or we requested) at our own pace. I would highly recommend this tour with Malik, especially if you only have a short time to experience Kyoto.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jdd310
Apr 13, 2026
Last minute Kyoto tour - We were able to book the service on very short notice. And our driver who showed up the next day was very accommodating to us switching some of the activities to fit our schedule and some our passengers specific needs. I would recommend the tour. The driver especially. Kavishka, our driver, is overqualified for this type of activity so book him while you can as he probably will be running a company someday.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Diane_d
Apr 11, 2026
Driver was very accommodating - Great experience. We were following the standard itinerary, but my kids wanted to pivot to Monkey Park and Pokemon centers rather than complete the temple/shrine visits. Malik was very accommodating and we had a great time!
Review provided by Viator
Randallcf9251nx
Apr 10, 2026
A Little Extra - What an enjoyable day. Shawn communicated options and customized the day just for us. He accompanied us on one of the longer stops to be more efficient with time. Very pleasant and added an extra stop at the end of the day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Franz_g
Apr 10, 2026
Malik was our driver and... - Malik was our driver and tour guide for the day; he made a difficult itinerary with 2 kids and a stroller toddler a breeze! Plenty of rest room stops and suggestions for navigating each location with the stroller. Never rushed us when stopping, highly recommend! Ashan will reach out the day before your event to confirm pickup if you choose that option.
Review provided by Viator
Michael_c
Apr 9, 2026
Perfect Private Tour - just right - Our guide was great and very easy to get along with. Was great that we customized the trip and did not overextend the day so we can go at our own pace.
Review provided by Viator
Heatherwest28
Apr 5, 2026
A fantastic day trip around Kyoto. - We had a fantastic time with Kavishka on a day trip around Kyoto. He was absolutely fantastic taking us to the Bamboo Forest, the Golden Temple, the street food market for lunch, the Toij Temple, the Sanjusangen-do Temple and finally the Fushimi-inari-taisha Shrine. The day got better and better. I would thoroughly recommend booking this excursion. It has been one of the highlights to our trip in Japan. Kavishka was the most polite and kind guide anyone could ask for. A big thank you to him.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Steffen_s
Apr 10, 2026
Before the actual tour... - Before the actual tour, no messages with requests were answered until the evening before. At our request it was then agreed that we would start 45 minutes earlier. On the day itself, the guide did not arrive at the agreed time, but only after inquiries via WhatsApp we were initially told it would be 5 min later, in the end it was 21 min. Guide and driver were then very hard at work and allowed us to see several hot spots directly in succession within a narrow time window. Very friendly and accommodating!
Review provided by Viator
Eduardo_a
Apr 4, 2026
Kyoto tour - Tour focuses mostly on Kyoto temples. Significant time commuting in between sites. Good idea to become oriented during your first day in the city.
Review provided by Viator
Annie_m
Apr 10, 2026
Proceed with caution! Viator tours can be sketchy! - Perhaps you think “English-speaking driver” suggests an English-speaking Japanese person or an Ex-Pat, but in our case we had a quasi-English speaker from Sri Lanka. Not quite what I had in mind for Kyoto. In addition to his poor English, he was a terrible driver, and told us midday we could not go to the places on the itinerary. Instead he sent us into a temple alone. When we came out, he was hanging out with a friend he “ran into” in the parking lot of the shrine. It was clear that he lied and told us we couldn’t do the itinerary we paid for so he could hang with his friend.
Review provided by Viator
From $498 (Per Vehicle)
up to 6 guests
1 - Traveler
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).