Private Kyoto Day Trip: Explore Temples and Shrines with an English Speaking Driver

Experience the magic of Kyoto on a private day trip by car. Customize your itinerary and explore temples, shrines, and the bamboo forest in Arashiyama. Book now!

Duration: 10 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Arashiyama - Arashiyama is a rural area in Kyoto with a very beautiful nature. Arashiyama is famous for its bamboo forest. Nestled on the western outskirts of Kyoto, Arashiyama offers a blend of historic charm and stunning landscapes that captivate visitors from around the world.
What's Included
  • Petrol/Gas included
  • English-speaking driver
  • Air-conditioned vehicle
  • Parking fees covered
What's Not Included
  • Admission fee for Kinkaku-ji Temple 500 yen (Adults), 300 yen (Students-grade 1-9)
  • Admission fee for Kiyomizu-dera - Adults: ¥400, Students: ¥200
  • Lunch
  • Walking Guide. (All relevant information on each sight is given while in car between destinations)
Additional Information

Explore Kyoto in Style and Comfort!
Discover the magic of Kyoto on our exclusive private day trip by car.
Your day, your way. We customize the itinerary to match your interests and preferences.The trip showcases a variety of temples and shrines in a day—including Kinkaku-ji, Kiyomizu-dera, Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine, and the bamboo forest in…

Location
Arashiyama
Ukyo-ku,
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.7
(115 Ratings)
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Rodrigo_c
Oct 16, 2024
the trip was great tong... - the trip was great tong was a great driver and great service all around. the van we got picked up on couldn't be more better with plenty of space.
Review provided by Viator
Ruth_s
Oct 16, 2024
Best tour guide ever! - Had the best time with Erik today. He was very knowledgeable of the Japanese history and culture. We spent the whole day visiting, kyoto and Osaka.
Review provided by Viator
Ahmed_d
Oct 16, 2024
I highly recommend this tour. - It was a worthy , very confortable and plaisant tour to the main Kyoto attractions and must see places of Kyoto, with our driver and guide Harry, very kind and informative guy. We didn’t feel the time and the 9 hours tour at all it is really interesting tour.
Review provided by Viator
Celloonwheels
Oct 12, 2024
A luxurious way to see Kyoto highlights quickly but at a price - This was a great way to see Kyoto when short on time and staying in Osaka. Our driver Steven was very friendly and arrived promptly. Communication through a dedicated WhatsApp group was effective and allowed for easy pick ups when we were ready after each stop. The van we travelled in was very comfortable and nicely air conditioned. It felt like a very luxurious way to travel around the sights on a hot day. We managed to see much more than if we had tried to navigate Kyoto ourselves via public transport. The only two downsides might be the cost which seems a little high and that we would have liked the driver to have shared more knowledge and insights about Kyoto, especially considering how much we paid for the tour. Overall though, we recommend the tour as a comfortable way to see a lot of Kyoto in a short space of time.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lisa_s
Oct 12, 2024
Best way to see Kyoto - The best and easiest way to see Kyoto in a day. Our driver Eric was great, he gave us lots of information and history about the places as we were driving to each of them. He took us to a Ramen restaurant for lunch with no tourists too⭐️👍🏼
Review provided by Viator
Steve_k
Sep 30, 2024
Fuji was amazing and I would HIGHLY recommend his services to anyone. - I cannot recommend this experience enough. The host (Fuji) had such amazing energy and was a wonderfully personable individual. We did not only see some incredible sights in Kyoto but Fuji was well educated on the history of the city and the sights/landmarks we visited. It was so great to not just see the sights but to learn so much about them and the stories of historic people associated with them.. like where matcha came from. Fuji took very good care of us and made sure we knew where to go and what to do. His car was very comfortable and he drove efficiently and carefully. If I had a chance to tour another city with Fuji I would not hesitate to do so. He was absolutely wonderful and made our very long day incredibly fun and informative.
Review provided by Viator
Fmchicago
Sep 24, 2024
Great day in Kyoto - Can’t say enough good about our day in Kyoto with Harry. We are 4 senior ladies with mobility issues. Harry created an itinerary for us that included the highlights but minimized walking and stairs. He was kind and just lovely. We would have missed the 1001 Buddhas without him! And he incorporated my special request to go to the 1000-year-old sweet shop. Everyone was tired but happy when we returned to Osaka. Arigato, Harry!
Review provided by Viator
Cloriza_g
Oct 16, 2024
Thanks again, Eric! - By the time our group arrived in Kyoto, we were a bit spent from running around Tokyo and this private day tour was a perfect way for us to wind down while experiencing Kyoto. Eric was our driver and met us at the hotel for pickup. We modified our itinerary a little based on interests and the group’s energy (we opted to skip the Fushimi-Inari/Tori gates hike) and visited Higashi Hongan-ji, Hokan-ji/Ninenzaka/Shinenzaka, Gion, Kinkaku-ji and Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. In the car rides between sites, Eric provided information about places we drove past and those we visited. He also suggested shops and eateries to visit. For lunch, we were all craving cheeseburgers and he found a great little hidden gem serving mostly locals and slapping a nice 70s-80s RnB playlist. The only critique is that Eric was a bit soft spoken and we were a group of 5 so the van was full, and the people in the very back row couldn’t hear him speaking. But he spoke perfect English and was super knowledgeable and gave some really helpful suggestions
Review provided by Viator
Marcjp9579uy
Oct 12, 2024
Confort of the vehicle! - Enjoyed the tour with Fuji as he was a very knowledgeable driver and knew heaps about Japan and the sites. Unfortunately we had horrible weather with bucketing rain all day but his vehicle was modern, clean and very comfortable. Enjoyed the day but probably a little expensive for a day trip at around $800 AUD. I got caught out as it appeared as USD of around $550 which would be a more reasonable price.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Patrick_d
Sep 19, 2024
Bert nice day trip - Lexi was very good. She drove us to all the main sights including stopping at sites we had a specific interest in. Her English was very good as well.
Review provided by Viator
From $492 (Per Group)
up to 6 guests
1 Traveler
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).