Kyoto Night Tour: Personalized Exploration of Historic Gion and Old Pontocho

Experience the enchanting Kyoto after dark with a personalized night tour. Explore historic Gion and old Pontocho, discover hidden shrines, and enjoy local cuisine with your like-minded host.

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Yasaka Shrine - Founded over 1350 years ago, Yasaka is the guardian shrine of the Gion entertainment district in Kyoto.
It is well known for its summer festival, the Gion Matsuri (July), arguably the most famous festival in the whole country.
    IMPORTANT: As this is a private and personalised experience, the places you visit may differ from those…
What's Included
  • 4 hours with a host
  • Private walking experience
  • Two drinks (local beer or non-alcoholic beverage)
  • Hotel meet-up (available on request for central location)
What's Not Included
  • Food and any additional drinks
  • Tickets to any attractions
  • Transportation costs
  • Gratuities (optional)
Additional Information

Join a local guide for a nocturnal tour of Kyoto. Take a leisurely stroll through the timber-lined paths of ancient Gion and behold the charming lanes of vintage Pontocho. Uncover holy shrines tucked within trendy shopping districts and enjoy a variety of dishes and beverages with your guide at a classic izakaya or tachinomiya (standing bar). Kyoto…

Location
Matsumoto Kiyoshi Kyoto Shijo Kawaramachi
(The host will be waiting in front of the shop, under the roof covered area) After booking, you can adjust the meeting point to fit your preferences with the help of our Experience Planners.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.7
(42 Ratings)
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Brian_k
Dec 5, 2024
Great hidden gem - Andy was a wonderful guide. He had already laid out the best places to see for our night tour of Gion. The night tour gave us a different look of Kyoto, and was interesting to see. While the day is full of crowds, at night you are able to quietly move through small streets and alleyways and see things you might never during the day. We got lucky and saw Maiko and Geiko on our journey, and never would have otherwise. Andy not only showed us great spots but also had a wealth of knowledge to answer all of my questions about what makes this part of Japan so unique, and the history of how it came to be.
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Kenneth_m
Dec 1, 2024
Kyoto Night tour - We had a wonderful evening with Austen on our Kyoto night tour. He was extremely knowledgeable and stuck to the planned itinerary of combining iconic and contemporary Kyoto. I would highly recommend him.
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Myh
Jul 7, 2024
Miki is amazing! Her tour of Kyoto was our most favorite during our time in Japan - Our tour with MIKI was AMAZING. She is a true local with a deep knowledge and love for Kyoto. Her communication leading up to our tour was great and so thoughtful - she really wanted to know our wish list and checked in via WhatsApp, as well as during our actual tour on what she recommended next and always asked "does it sound good?" She planned the most stunning tour for us, she knew all of the secret spots - every single moment was breathtaking. Look at the photos! She also knew a secret for bypassing what had to be an hour long line of a special Sakura show - we could not believe our luck and of course, all credit to Miki! This was 1 of 4 tours during our time in Kyoto and Tokyo and our two teenage sons shared how much they really enjoyed Miki and her tour. She is so friendly with a wonderful energy that she made the mostly walking tour SO fun for them and us! She helped us make memories for our family forever. We are recommending Miki to all of our friends who are now planning their trip for Sakura Season 2025. Plan now, because she will book up fast!
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David_b
Apr 16, 2024
Fantastic time with such a friendly guide - We had a fantastic time and Michael was brilliant. He was very knowledgeable and showed us parts of Kyoto that we would not have seen. He was extremely friendly and chatty, which made us feel so at ease. Loved the whole experience and could not fault anything. We would definitely recommend Michael as a guide. Thank you
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Ed_s
Apr 4, 2024
Great experience with great guide!! - Nehal was an amazing guide for this tour. Our family loved it. He was very knowledgeable about Gion and great company! Thank you!!
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Cesareceni
Apr 1, 2024
Top Tour - Amazing night walk with stunning Vanessa, highly recommend 🙏 visiting Kyoto after 5pm gives a different feeling of this magnificent town
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Linda_d
Mar 31, 2024
Gion Night Tour - Wonderful tour with Brenda. She has a deep knowledge of the area, and pointed out and took me to places I never would have found or noticed on my own. We had a wonderful drink and snack at a LOCAL izakawa, that didn't offer any English translations ... absolutely delicious. Highly recommend.
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Bethany_r
Mar 30, 2024
Fascinating cultural insights with a wonderfully, friendly guide - We are really grateful for the opportunity to have Hanako as a tour guide! We saw historic streets and enjoyed drinks by the river like the locals do! Hanako shared with us many fascinating stories and insights about Japan ranging from hundreds of years ago to modern times. She was also very kind to those of other faiths like myself as a Christian when opting not to pray at a shrine, and she was good at explaining the biggest religions of Japan. She gave us great recommendations for restaurants and stores to shop, letting us know that Kyoto is home to Nintendo’s main office (we later walked past it after the tour and knew the building’s significance)! Hanako was super fun to meet, and it was special being able to share time together. I was quite sad to see her go at the end, but she had recommended to us a super yummy place for dinner after the tour so it was time. Thank you so much for the hard work and friendliness! Hanako, we so appreciate you!
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Sandra_k
May 2, 2024
Suitable for all ages - a must see - Guid Nehal very helpful and agreed to modify the trip to suit elderly people. Thoughtful and considerate guide. No one should miss this trip when in Kyoto. The food and drink venue unique - good fun.
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Rafidah_o
Mar 29, 2024
Keep changing the timing of tour - The guide assigned to us changed the timing of the tour 2 times in 2 days leading up to the tour. The first change was the day before the tour and the 2nd change was a few hours before the tour. We only have 4 days in Kyoto and have set all our activities prior to coming here so that we could cover as many attractions as possible. Changing the timing of the tour just mess our plans up.
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Select Date and Tickets
up to 8 guests
1 Adult
December 2024
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