About Activity
Make your Instagram followers envious as you explore Kyoto on a customizable day trip to its most recognizable hotspots!
Kyoto is synonymous with Old Japan, and it is indeed where you’ll be able to find many picture opportunities. You are going to check out the places with the best Kyoto aesthetic and it will be a treat for your eyes and your Instagram followers.
From shrines to street art, this city is loaded with photogenic spots. Grab your camera and get your hashtags ready, here are the most Instagrammable places in Kyoto!
The best thing about this day trip is that you choose the exact experience that you want. We will customize a six-hour tour that's best for you.
Note*1: Please select your must-see spots from a list in the tour information to create your customized itinerary.
Note*2: National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter certification is issued by the Japanese government requires a good knowledge and understanding of Japanese culture and history.
Includes
- Meet up with guide on foot within designated area of Kyoto
- Licensed Local English Speaking Guide
- Customizable Tour of your choice of 3-4 sites from 'What to expect' list
Excludes
- Transportation fees, Entrance fees, Lunch, and Other personal expenses
- Private Vehicle
- You cannot combine multiple tour groups.
- Guide Entry fees are only covered for sights listed under What to Expect.
Departure Point
- This private tour is a walking day tour. A private vehicle is not included. Public transportation or local taxis maybe used to transfer between sites. Exact transportation costs can be discussed with the guide after a reservation is finalized. Please have Japanese Yen on hand for your transportation costs. If you wish to arrange for a private vehicle, please contact us directly. All Private vehicles must be booked 5 days in advance. Maximum number of passengers: 7.
Stop At: Togetsukyo Bridge Togetsukyo Bridge spans 155 meters across the Katsura River connecting Saga Arashiyama. What makes it a picture-perfect spot is the scenic footpath and lush hills projecting in the background. Can you imagine how magnificent this spot transforms each season?
Stop At: Bamboo Forest Street Bamboo Forest of Arashiyama is one of the most famous and iconic scenery in Japan. The view of the path through the bamboo grove is simply breathtaking. As it’s a top photography site in Kyoto for the past years, the Bamboo Forest tends to get extremely crowded during day, so if you wish to take pictures with the empty path, it’s better to hit the place before anybody else in early morning!
Stop At: Kiyomizudera Temple Admission Ticket:
Tickets are not included Kiyomizudera is one of the most stunning temples in Kyoto. The temple is conveniently located at the center of scenic greenery. But right from its large open-air wooden terrace is another experience as you will be treated with a wonderful view of Kyoto in all its glory.
Kyoto Localized offers a free walking tour in Kyoto where English-speaking local tour guides will bring you to Kiyomizudera and few other landmarks in the city.
Stop At: Yasaka Shrine One of the most iconic sites in Kyoto is Yasaka Pagoda, a 5-story, 46-meter structure standing tall inside Buddhist Hokanji Temple (now gone) in Higashiyama. Yasaka Pagoda is hard to miss if you are strolling around Gion and Higashiyama. Anywhere around the area where Yasaka Pagoda can be seen makes for a great Instagram photo.
Stop At: Gion Gion District in Kyoto is known as the home ground of Geisha and Maiko girls as the area developed as the city’s entertainment district for many years ago. Gion is also famous for the beautifully preserved historical streetscape with traditional wooden merchant houses. It’s highly recommended to visit at day and night as you can see more bustling atmosphere during the day, and at night the streets of Gion is much more quiet in dimmed lights.
Stop At: Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine Of course, we are not wrapping this roundup up without Fushimi Inari Shrine — one of Kyoto’s most tagged places on Instagram. This iconic Shinto shrine is home to more than 1,000 vermillion torii gates — something that you’ve probably seen all over Instagram.
Stop At: Kennin-ji Temple Admission Ticket:
Tickets are not included Kenninji Temple (建仁寺) locates very close to the bustle of Hanamikoji and Shijo streets, the grounds of Kenninji Temple are expansive and pleasant to walk, and the two karesansui (dry landscape gardens) here offer the visitor an oasis of tranquility. It is thought to be the oldest Zen temple in Kyoto.
Stop At: Byodoin Temple Admission Ticket:
Tickets are not included Byodoin Temple(平等院) is known for its Phoenix Hall, which is a National Treasure of Japan and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Extra travel time is expected as it is located in Uji city in Kyoto prefecture
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller Public transportation options are available nearby Transportation options are wheelchair accessible All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible Suitable for all physical fitness levels This is a walking tour. Pick up is on foot. Operated by Japan Guide Agency For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
Thoughtful tour with excellent support and serviceallenk947
The experience and tour were excellent allowing us to customize according to our desires. The customer service was very flexible and accommodated a late change in reservation due to an error in booking. The guide, Kei, was thoughtful in taking us to the shrines and temples and explaining the history and cultural significance of each. This was a very positive cultural experience and I would recommend it to you.
This was one of the best travel experiences I’ve ever had, and that’s entirely thanks to our incredible guide, Hiroko.
From the very start, Hiroko made the day feel efficient and genuinely special. Every stop was perfectly timed, every route thoughtfully planned, and we avoided crowds while still hitting the most iconic, photogenic spots. I walked away with incredible photos that I'll cherish forever.
Kyoto is stunning on its own, but experiencing it like this elevated everything to another level. A can't miss!
Great Guide excellent Tour recommendketchbaw
Excellent Guide fun Tour was able to see a lot of of the highlights of Kyoto
We booked this tour as part of our honeymoon trip to Kyoto, and we’re so glad we did as it covered everything we wanted to see! No worrying about what train to get or directions to get there, we could just take in all the sights. Yoshii our guide was brilliant, so knowledgable and friendly, we really enjoyed getting to know him during our tour. Yoshii was also on hand to take some fantastic photos of us which was super helpful! Thank you so much Yoshii! 10/10 tour :)
Excellent!!!laurensH8348MD
We booked this tour as part of our honeymoon trip to Kyoto, and we’re so glad we did as it covered everything we wanted to see! No worrying about what train to get or directions to get there, we could just take in all the sights. Yoshii our guide was brilliant, so knowledgable and friendly, we really enjoyed getting to know him during our tour. Yoshii was also on hand to take some fantastic photos of us which was super helpful! Thank you so much Yoshii! 10/10 tour :)
My son and I had Kaz as our guide. He was very flexible with our needs, very informative of all locations. Great with my 8 year olds inquisitive mind. We had a wonderful day
We enjoyed visiting the Fushimi Inari Shrine, Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Golden Temple, and shopping/eating at the Gion District.
100% satisfied with our guide.Mabel707
As this was our first trip to Kyoto we needed a lot of help with planning our day. Satoko was brilliant! We corresponded beforehand and she provided a schedule for us covering as many sights as she possibly could, suggesting how we could make the most of our visit. She is very knowledgeable of history and had plenty of interesting facts at each location. Her English is impeccable.
I doubt that we would have seen so much without her expertise.
Thank you for a wonderful experience.
Last March, we visited Kyoto, and our tour guide, Rich, made our trip unforgettable. He was an absolute pleasure to meet, offering invaluable insights into the culture and history of the city. We had an amazing time, capturing countless memorable moments in photographs. Highly recommended! Thank you, Rich!
Our Kyoto Tour was great with Mr Tanakabreel2024
We have been with many tours and Mr Tanaka was simply the best. He made our Kyoto trip memorable and we enjoyed not just the view but with his company as well. A definitely 5 🌟 rating. Arigatou, Tanaka-san. - Justin
Kyoto Fall Temple TourY9440SWdavea
Our guide Masako Minagawa was excellent and very friendly. She was responsive to the customers request to visit 4 temples and planned the tour accordingly. We were very pleased with her service.
Great day in Kyoto!Tamara_H
Nov 23, 2023, 11:39:52 PM Loved the speedy and effective use of public transit to cover lots of ground. Super informative guide with lots of great and easy to understand anecdotes. Our fault for inadvertently picking a public holiday (everything was packed and slowed us down some) buy we had a great day and really appreciated how thoughtful, organized and knowledgeable our guide was.
A great way to orient yourself to Kyoto Michael_C
Amira-san was like an energizer bunny and had us on it the entire time. Wonderful tour so we could get oriented to Kyoto and see some of the must sees.
Great day in Kyoto with Kazuko213kristians
Fantastic day in Kyoto. Kazuko was great - she communicated with us in advance with suggestions that could suit everyone. We are a family of five w children aged 6,11 and 13 so satisfying everyone can be a challenge, but Kazulo really delivered! Thnaks from the entire family
Thank you Tomy.starlexlibra
Appreciate the expert communication with our guide Tomy and the agency as needed. Perfect six hour tour of requested sites and pacing/timing of sightseeing. Thank you.
Our tour guide was Tomy....Joseph_F
Our tour guide was Tomy. Very nice and flexible with our young child. Showed us all the sights we requested with breaks.
The highlight of my tripTara_R
What a great day and wonderful experience. My guide was Tark who put together a great itinerary based on what I was was interested in. We saw a number of temples and shrines. He pointed out the very best places to take photos. He took me to a beautiful hidden street which was very photogenic. I shared with Tark that I really wanted a kimono to display on my wall at home. He took me to a lovely shop where I purchased a beautiful vintage kimono. The highlight of my trip!
Fantastic ExploreR3473RDbrucec
Noriko san is very knowledgeable and well planned. She navigated us through time constrains caused by us. We highly recommend her for people who have interest in Japanese culture and history.
Kyoto highlightsAnTran417
Dec 21, 2022, 12:22:43 AM Our guide Satomi was an absolute pleasure! She was knowledgeable and so easy going. The day literally flew by as she wasted no time to cover all the places we wanted to visit. I definitely recommend this tour for someone who doesn’t want to waste time trying to navigate on their own.
Very happy with our guide, Reo. He loves history and he took us to sites that are of historical significance.FuzzySG
Dec 17, 2022, 11:31:04 PM We wanted a guided tour in Kyoto because there are many historical sites to visit.
Our guide Reo, who is knowledgeable gave us the history and background of the sites we visited. He took us to a soba shop that his great grandparents took his father to eat. The soba was delicious. I even bought some prepackaged soup base to take home. We visited places that are not on most first time Japan visitor's list. Therefore less crowded which was nice. Also we were able to walk into some of buildings that in the most visited tourist attractions would not permit. Reo also pointed out other places we should visit and eat. He was very helpful.
I would hire tour guide again in the future when visiting a new place.
Kyoto is a must see Edna_M
The best experience of my trip to Japan. Hiro San was very kind and patient. We were able to see three major sights without being rushed and enjoyed every minute of it.
