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Kyoto Imperial Palace and Nijo Castle Walking Tour: Explore Japan's Historical Sites
4.9
10 Ratings
Kyoto
This exquisite tour covers all the key attractions in Kyoto in a single day: explore the spiritual beliefs of Japan’s commoners, savor Kyoto’s unique cuisine, visit the shogun’s residence, the Emperor’s palace, and enjoy a walk along the geisha street.
This tour offers a profound insight into the lives and perspectives of the people of Kyoto and Japan.
This exquisite tour covers all the key attractions in Kyoto in a single day: explore the spiritual beliefs of Japan’s commoners, savor Kyoto’s unique cuisine, visit the shogun’s residence, the Emperor’s palace, and enjoy a walk along the geisha street.
This tour offers a profound insight into the lives and perspectives of the people of Kyoto and Japan.
Duration:
7 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
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Higashi Hongan-ji Temple - Buddhism is the most widely practiced religion in Japan, with numerous sects. One of the largest is Shingon Otani, boasting around 8 million followers, many of whom were once ordinary merchants and farmers.
Higashi Honganji serves as the main temple for approximately 9,000 Shingon Otani temples. Its Founder’s Hall is the…
- Higashi Hongan-ji Temple - Buddhism is the most widely practiced religion in Japan, with numerous sects. One of the largest is Shingon Otani, boasting around 8 million followers, many of whom were once ordinary merchants and farmers.
Higashi Honganji serves as the main temple for approximately 9,000 Shingon Otani temples. Its Founder’s Hall is the largest wooden structure globally, featuring over 900 tatami mats and accommodating 3,000 people simultaneously. Visitors will be captivated by the profound faith of the Japanese people and the hall’s majestic ambiance.
- Nishiki Market Shopping District - Known as Kyoto’s kitchen, the Nishiki market is said to sit atop a vast underground water reservoir. This has blessed Kyoto with fresh, delicious water for centuries. Around 500 years ago, a fish market emerged here, eventually attracting various shops. The market offers almost everything needed daily, including Kyoto’s specialties like vegetables grown in pure water, pickles, and tofu, all benefiting from this pristine water. Numerous shops offer food samples, so be sure to try Kyoto’s beloved specialties.
- Nijo Castle - In 1603, the shogun moved his shogunate to Edo, now Tokyo. Nijo Castle was constructed as the shogun’s residence during Kyoto visits. Inside, over 1,000 exquisite paintings on sliding doors illustrate the shogun’s powerful authority. It was here in 1867 that the last shogun announced the return of power to the Emperor, ending 260 years of family rule.
- Kyoto Imperial Palace - Located in central Kyoto, the Kyoto Imperial Palace covers a vast area. Before the capital moved to Tokyo in 1868, the emperor’s family resided here. Even today, the emperor or crown prince stays at one of the residences when visiting Kyoto.
The opulent buildings and beautifully designed gardens reflect the refined tastes of the era. This site is a must-visit when exploring Kyoto.
What's Included
- Guide services included
- Guide services included
What's Not Included
- Admission fee
- Publlic Transportation Fare
- Admission fee
- Publlic Transportation Fare
Additional Information
- Quite a bit of walking involved
- Quite a bit of walking involved
Location
Hotel Granvia Kyoto
We can also meet you at any hotel in central Kyoto.
PLEASE NOTE: NO PRIVATE TRANSPORTATION PROVIDED.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(10 Ratings)
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1 star
Margarita_s
Dec 3, 2025
Naoko was amazing! Very... - Naoko was amazing! Very knowledgeful, had a ton of fun facts, and made it very interesting for our kids as well. We really enjoyed getting to know the sights and history of Kyoto with her.
Review provided by Viator
H9565kulindaf
Nov 26, 2025
Excellent private Kyoto tour - we had excellent 7 hr private tour of Kyoto ' imperial palace and gardens, castle,markets, temple.
Our guide Naoko was the best guide we had so far. Highly knowledgeable, made tour pleasant and educational. She provided lots of information on customs, beliefs, in very engaging and interesting manner. She was highly organized ,well prepared, very friendly . Highly recommend to engage her for your travels.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Robert_m
Nov 30, 2024
Great insight to years past - Chie was a great guide with lots of information to share. The tour was very informative and Chie knew how to get us around making maximum use of our time. The Palace and Castle are very different from each other. Don't expect the Palace to be like a European Palace full of furniture and gold.
Review provided by Viator
Z_284
Apr 19, 2024
Excellent tour - Michi was an excellent guide. She knew so much about all the spots, led us to some excellent udon noodles and we even learnt some basic Japanese :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Desiree_m
Jan 2, 2024
This was an excellent... - This was an excellent tour with a knowledgeable and charming guide who spoke very good English. The walking tour format offered an up-close look at Kyoto's history, architecture, and culture with enough time to enjoy shopping and refreshments. I highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Sandra_m
Nov 15, 2023
Wonderful guide and quite a tour! - Fuji was a great guide! I had lots of questions about history and culture…he answered them all or got me the answers. Took us places on the tour we would not have seen if we were on our own. Made great recommendations on food at the Nishiki market. Very cool tour!
Review provided by Viator
Arthur_g
May 18, 2023
Best first trip to Kyoto - This was an awesome experience for myself and my family! My guide did a great job explaining things to myself and my family! The dinning restaurant that the guide recommended was Perfect and tasted really good!
Review provided by Viator
Susan
Oct 14, 2019
Kyoto Imperial Palace and Nijo Castle Walking Tour - I would recommend this walking tour tour to those who want to see the most of Kyoto but don't have much time. The tour company was excellent. After making teh booking they kept me informed with a detailed itinerary of sites and times, pictures of meeting point with the guide (including her name, Meg, photo and phone number). Meg was an excellent guide. She spoke English well and had a very good knowledge of each sight. She was mindful of the comfort of her guests in such humid conditions. The Imperial Palace, Higashi Honganji Temple and Nijo Castle were amazing.
Review provided by Viator
Stacey
May 6, 2019
Excellent Personalized Tour of the Palaces in Kyoto - We had an excellent tour with it guide Komi. He did an amazing job of getting all the highlights of the tour in despite the fact we were running quite late due to our mix up in where we were meeting. He took us to the main Imperial Palace, the Nijo-jo Castle, a kimono show, then got us tickets in to see Sento Palace gardens, which were very lovely! Sento Palace gardens are limited so we were very lucky to get entrance tickets and would not have known to ask without Komi's suggestion.
I will not that this tour does have a good deal of walking as part of it. We registered almost 9 miles by the end of the day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Curt
Oct 3, 2019
Very Interesting and an Excellent Tour Guide - Our favorite was Nijo Castle but the comparison to the Palace was very interesting. Our guide was friendly, informative and interesting. There was a lot of walking so be prepared for that too.
Review provided by Viator
