Kyoto and Nara 1Day Bus Tour

Embark on a captivating 1-day bus tour of Kyoto and Nara. Discover historic Kyoto, admire the beauty of Arashiyama, and explore the splendid Nara Park. Don’t miss the chance to try the new Pork Tofu Shabu-shabu lunch menu starting from September 2023!

Duration: 10 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Nara Park - Discover Nara, Japan’s ancient capital. Delight in the wonders of Nara Park, where you can interact with gentle deer and explore Todai-ji Temple, the world’s largest wooden building and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Marvel at Japan’s giant Buddha statue, standing an impressive 15 meters tall.
  • Kyoto - For Travelers Opting for the…
What's Included
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • All fees and/or taxes
  • English or Chinese Speaking Guide
  • Entrance fee to Kinkakuji temple
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
  • Hotel Pick up / Drop off
  • Entrance fee to Todaiji temple (Optional)
Additional Information

Start your day from the VIP Lounge in Osaka or Kyoto.
Begin your adventure in Nara, the ancient capital of Japan. Discover Nara Park, where friendly, free-roaming deer greet you, capturing the essence of the city. Wander through this historic park before heading to Todai-ji Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site, which houses the 15-meter-tall Great Buddha…

Location
VIP Lounge Kyoto
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
3.5
(126 Ratings)
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Global28515399511
May 5, 2025
Highly recommend!!! 3 days worth of sightseeing done in 1 day! - This is a must to do if you don’t want the hassle of planning a day trip. The tour was on a very strict schedule. So keep that in mind. It was very fast paced! No time to shop or sight see on your own. First stop, Nara Deer Park. Cute deer and then you can head towards the shrine to see the Buddha statue. You need to purchase ticket for that. ¥800. Not overly crowded here. Second stop, (if purchased, highly recommend, shabu shabu lunch). DELICIOUS!!! Next stop, Bamboo Forest. OMG!!! Crowded streets, pathway and everywhere else. Couldn’t walk without bumping into everyone there. Nothing really special here. Could have skipped this and maybe offered to see something better. Next stop, the golden temple. We only had 40 minutes there. So quickly take your picture of the Kinaku temple. One way traffic. This is where you can get the matcha soft serve ice cream before getting back on bus. We had 20 minutes to spare so we were able to enjoy our ice cream. Last stop, Fushimi Inari-taisha. Wow! Beautiful!!! Again, overcrowded and lots to see with limited time. The trip has lots of walking so be prepared. Overall, great experience. Just prepare yourself for the crowds. We were there on May 4, 2025, and Veggie Lin was our tour guide and she was great!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Magui528
Apr 22, 2025
Beautiful Kyoto tour - Beautiful tour! Got to see most of the major sites and the Kobe beef Shabu shabu lunch was amazing along with the experience. Veggie our tour guide was great and kind. I lost an umbrella and she shared hers with me until I bought another one. I’ve already recommended this tour to my sister and friends. Arigato Goizamasu🙏🏽🌸.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Connector31183512737
Apr 9, 2025
Great day, great food, great guide (Harry) - Although was a busy day with walking and time frames my guide (Harry) was nice, polite and very informative in regards to History. I liked that Harry gave us his whatsapp on the bus and any questions we had he responded ASAP. Best guide and the tour allowed for just the right amount of time at each location. I opted for lunch and the lunch was so nice and a great cultural experience. I do wish that I had more time at the Bamboo Forest, but happy I choose the lunch option.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wheresthefoodat
Apr 8, 2025
Jam Packed Day Trip - This was a loaded day trip to the point it could have been two days. The Nara experience was incredible. You get the history of the Buddhist temple but for me the deer are the main attraction. I could have stayed there all day but my time was limited so I’m glad Paulo kept us on a strict schedule. Lunch was amazing. Hot pot is my favorite but getting to have Kobe beef was such a treat. Luckily I was with people who weren’t that into meat and I got their leftovers. 🤤🤤🤤 Someone on the tour was allergic to mushrooms, so maybe check you’re dietary restrictions in advance. Anyways the Torry gates (spell check?) were cool but I made the mistake of grabbing some food from a stall on the way and had to carry my trash like an idiot. Walk through the gates first then eat at the stands. Stay at the stand you eat at and then throw away your trash there… thems the rules. Bamboo forest was cool too. also a lot of opportunities to snack around there! Everywhere is super crowded because this trip takes you to the best spots, but they give you plenty of time to check it out. Paulo was awesome and put up with all my stupid questions. My only knock is that maybe the trip is too loaded and I was over-saturated. But that is kinda dumb to say because I’m glad we did all the things we did. The golden temple was probably what I would cut but it was still dope. I also shot 50% on the donation ‘buckets’ yeeeeeee
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Danny
Mar 28, 2025
Awesome trip with lunch - Great overall experience with the service and lunch offerings. The trip was completely comfortable and a great value.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Leif_h
Mar 26, 2025
We had a very full day -... - We had a very full day - despite quite heavy rain at Miyajima. The history of Hiroshima was very interesting and painful .Our guide Masa was perfect and gave us a lot of insights in Japanese culture.
Review provided by Viator
Chrisbh2863rk
Apr 5, 2025
A good highlights package - It was a good tour, and covered some of the key highlights of the Kyoto area. I particularly liked that the guide provided interesting commentary/information on the bus en route (rather than at the place), meaning that we were free to do as pleased at the places we visited, instead of having to move around slowly in a pack. The amount of time at each location was about right, I tend to move fairly quickly, but didn't feel I was missing out on anything, nor rushed at any place. It is probably worth having the tasty lunch offered as an extra, rather than the alternative of an extra hour of free time at the bamboo forest (which is incredibly busy and touristy). In some ways it was an efficient way to see everything, however it was a longer day than expected, leaving Osaka at 8am, and not returning until 7pm, so take this into account if you have further plans that day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Merryl_k
Apr 19, 2025
It was a ride - Went to all the right spots but timing wasn’t great and information shared was minimal. Tour should be longer to capture all sites.
Review provided by Viator
Danyelld2023
Apr 11, 2025
Good choice if time limited - We got to visit so many beautiful sites but felt a little rushed. This is a great option if you are time limited. The host did not speak great English so did not learn as much as I have on previous tours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jeangt9317sz
Apr 17, 2025
Kyoto tour to Nara - Bus was nice, guide, useless, Chinese with badly spoken English, couldn’t understand what he said. Got stroppy if we sat in wrong seats. Never once waited for slower people to catch up, just went to beginning of destination, then dumped us. No information on anything we saw. Missed two areas because we were slow so we got lost. If you having difficulty walking then don’t go
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $68
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).