Tokyo to Kyoto: Private Full-Day Guided Sightseeing Tour with Customizable Itinerary

Experience the best of Kyoto on a private full-day guided sightseeing tour from Tokyo. Customize your itinerary and explore top attractions like the Bamboo Forest, Kinkaku-ji Temple, and Fushimi Inari Shrine.

Duration: 9 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Bamboo Forest Street - Explore Kyoto’s natural and cultural treasures with our tour featuring the Bamboo Forest, Nonomiya Shrine, and Tenryu-ji Temple Garden. Begin your journey in the Bamboo Forest, where towering green stalks create a tranquil and otherworldly atmosphere, perfect for a peaceful walk.
    Next, visit Nonomiya Shrine, a historic Shinto…
What's Included
  • Expert tour guiding
What's Not Included
  • Transportation (cash): up to 5 travelers:¥100,000,more than 5: let me know
  • Guide cost for Tokyo Pick up: ¥60,000 (In case of Tokyo station pick up,cash to the guide).
  • Bullet train cost (from Tokyo to Kyoto and back): Depending on the ticket you choose
  • Lunch
  • Gratuities are always appreciated but never expected (In case your experience was exceptional)
Additional Information

The tour itinerary is designed for a 9-hour car or van rental, with payment made directly to the driver. The cost is ¥100,000 for 5 passengers and ¥125,000 for 7 passengers. For groups larger than 7, please inform in advance.
The tour includes visits to Kyoto’s top attractions. While the itinerary is outlined below, it can be customized in coordination…

Location
Kyoto
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.5
(31 Ratings)
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Trina_p
Jun 2, 2025
Ahmed was an excellent... - Ahmed was an excellent guide. He provided detailed history of the sites. The places we visited were great choices.
Review provided by Viator
Marjoriem
May 4, 2025
Five stars for Ahmed! - There's nothing like having the owner of a tour company be your private guide! The morning didn't start out that way; our tour guide from another company never showed up for our 8 am appointment and it seemed that the company's phone was disconnected. I frantically started contacting other companies, unwilling to lose a precious day exploring Kyoto with an expert. I finally heard back from Ahmed. All his guides and vans were already booked but he would be glad to accommodate John and me - on what was supposed to be his day off. What a relief. And what a fabulous day exploring Kyoto and learning about her history and culture. AND what great sushi we ate for lunch!! Thanks from Margey and John
Review provided by Viator
Koeli_p
Apr 21, 2025
Great experience! - Overall we had an Amazing experience! A trip to Kyoto was on my bucket list for long time and our guide Mini fulfilled that wish. Our guide Mini was very friendly, polite & knowledgeable, and passionate about Kyoto. She shared interesting facts and stories about Kyoto and making the trip informative and enjoyable. She took us to all the hidden gems and highlights around Kyoto. The places we visited were simply breathtaking. I am so happy that I made some memorable memories. The itinerary was very well-planned, allowing us to experience the beauty of Kyoto and help us to understand the history & culture of Japan. The ride was very comfortable driver was skilled and navigated the roads safely, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable journey and stopped at various spots to take pictures. There were plenty of opportunities to purchase souvenirs and mementos of our trip and enjoy the local foods. Highly recommend this day trip! The trip is expensive but If you're looking for an unforgettable experience and a chance to witness the beauty of Kyoto! It's a perfect way to explore the iconic landmark and create ever lasting memories. Would love to revisit Kyoto again!
Review provided by Viator
Cynthia_r
Apr 14, 2025
🩷 Kyoto - Our guide was very informative. He took us to Many beautiful locations in Kyoto . He helped us stay punctual ! I highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Julia_l
Apr 7, 2025
10/10 Can’t recommend enough - What an experience! Our guide, Yuka, was local to Kyoto and absolutely fantastic. She knew everything about anything! She took us to the best places to eat. She took translated for us at the shops. She took unforgettable pictures. She showed us and TOLD us the history of every site we visited and tidbits on specifics about statues or gates or pagodas. We fell in love with Kyoto because of this tour. At first we weren’t sure we were going to go… what a mistake that would have been. It was our favorite day here in Japan, and we’ve done A LOT. Thank you Yuka and Viator!
Review provided by Viator
Danielle_a
Apr 3, 2025
READ FINE PRINT- tour is 4 times the cost, but worth every yen! - First- READ THE FINE PRINT. The price listed is 1/4 of the cost of the tour. We almost canceled when we realized our mistake but decided to go through with it…. Once you get past the shock of the costs….. Worth EVERY YEN!!! We felt like royalty! We had just gotten to Tokyo and hadn’t gotten assimilated with the public transport system yet so it was very convenient! We didn’t have to bumble around with where to go or which tickets to buy, use our translator etc… Ahmed met us at our train station. He helped us buy tickets, walked us to our platform and got us on our train. Then met us after the ride, walked us through the station and right to our waiting car. (Really felt famous or something- there were a million people waiting for taxis and we had a car waiting) We had a private car and driver plus Ahmed our guide. During the tour, Ahmed was very informative but didn’t drone on and on like some tours we’ve been on. Quiet in the car was good unless he was pointing out things. We got to visit all the best spots and didn’t have to follow a flag or a giant group of people. We walked right up and through every site. Ahmed gave us interesting information when relevant and answered all questions. He was an amazing, informative and patient guide. My fiance hurt his knee and was a little slower down stairs and Ahmed was conscious of him. If you have the extra yen….do it 10000% also- READ READ READ tour descriptions. It’s all listed in the fine print.
Review provided by Viator
Scenic05673225175
Mar 29, 2025
Kyoto from Osaka Port - We have nothing but amazing things to say about Ahmed and this tour. Highlights for Ahmed include: accommodating, thoughtful, helpful, knowledgeable and flexible. This excursion, by far, offered the best opportunity to see as much as possible in one day. We messaged Ahmed several times before we booked the tour. He was always very responsive. Our ship docked in Osaka an hour late. Using WhatsApp, we stayed in touch and adjusted our itinerary on the fly. The van that we rode exceeded our expectations. We met Ahmed at our first stop in Kyoto. We saw everything on the posted itinerary plus one extra stop. Note that this tour requires cash for the driver on the day of the trip. We used PayPal to Ahmed and he took care of paying the drive. It was a wonderful day. We would recommend him for any tour in the future. Thank you so much, Ahmed! You made our trip a memorable one.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Yves_l
Mar 28, 2025
Loved every second of it - We were a small group of 4 and with a limited budget, we did the tour using public transportation instead of renting a car and driver for the day, and let me tell you that is was very easy to do. Our guide was very friendly and helpful and this experience was probably the best day of our 16 days trip to Japan. Don't hesitate to book it. In addition the guide took over a hundred of pictures throughout the day and freely shared them with us. He also brought us to a nice place to eat at lunchtime. I would recommend it to anyone.
Review provided by Viator
Cortney_m
Mar 22, 2025
Our guide Ahmed new so... - Our guide Ahmed knew so much information and tried his hardest to make sure we saw everything and knew the history.
Review provided by Viator
Toni_r
Jun 1, 2025
Don’t do this tour !! - Ever. Ever do this tour. Supplier is not reliable trustworthy or open and honest with communication. Worst experience
Review provided by Viator
From $490 (Per Group)
up to 10 guests
1 - Traveler
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).