Discover Kyoto with a Local - Full-Day Private Walking Tour

Spend the day with one of our friendly hosts as you take to the streets of Kyoto and unleash your inner explorer! Visit iconic and sacred sites or explore the culturally rich entertainment districts of Kamishichiken and Gion together. Not your scene? Get off the beaten tourist track and explore the hidden gems of the city that only a local would know about. Wherever you go, keep your eyes open for Kyoto's amazing natural beauty.

Within 24 hours of booking, you'll receive a short questionnaire about your personality and interests. Based on your answers, you'll be matched with a like-minded local host. Your local host will communicate directly with you to suggest an itinerary that will help you discover what makes the city unique. You will also agree a time and place to meet. Your itinerary is flexible, so you can always change your mind about what you want to do during the experience.

Here is a suggested itinerary of what you can do on the day of your tour:

Itinerary

1) Start your itinerary from Kyoto station building (or a different meeting point upon request)

2) Kinkakuji Temple. Also known as the Golden Pavilion, it’s one of the most iconic and famous places in Japan. Former shogun’s villa, it was then turned into a Zen temple around the 1400s, and recognized UNESCO World Heritage Site.

3) Kitano Tenmangu Shrine. Renowned throughout Japan as a shrine dedicated to learning (being devoted to the famous scholar Sugawara no Michizane), it’s also famous for its gorgeous plum garden (late Feb - beginning of March), as well as it’s bustling monthly market. And you happen to visit it around lunch time, ask your local host to try the best recommended yuba (tofu’s skin, the most delicious part) restaurant.

4) This is the oldest hanamachi (geiko district) in Kyoto, located just a stone’s throw from Kitano Tenman-gū Shrine. The name literally means “Seven Upper Houses”, referring to the teahouses used for business meetings of the wealthy Kyoto-ites.
Don’t forget to pay a visit to Kamishichiken Kaburenjo Theatre (not always open) to get the chance to see geikos and maikos practicing, and satisfy your sweet tooth with a taste of traditional dango skewers.

5) One of the most celebrated temples of Japan, Kiyomizudera is best known for its massive wooden stage, and the beautiful view on the autumn foliage (mid November-early December). Make sure to pay a visit to the nearby Otowa Waterfall: divided into three separate streams, each of them is said to have a different benefit: longevity, success at school and a fortunate love life. Which one would you pick?

6) The streets in Higashiyama are lined by small shops, cafes and restaurants to Kyoto specialties. It’s a great traditional place where the narrow lanes, wooden buildings and traditional merchant shops invoke a feeling of the old capital city. Looking for some traditional souvenirs? You’ll find plenty of shops selling pottery, sweets, crafts and more.

7) Stop by Higashiyama’s most famous landmark, Yasaka Pagoda (Hokan-ji Temple), while strolling around one of Kyoto’s most attractive areas, best known for its well-preserved, charming streetscape.

8) Need to break a bad habit? Then this is the shrine for you! Found in the Gion district, the Yasui-Konpiragu shrine is famous all across Japan for its ability to cut threads of fate. The bond you break can be anything from bad relationships, to an unsavory romance to a damaging bad habit.

9) 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.

10) Kyoto’s most famous Geisha’s district (however, if you spot them, please act respectfully). Make sure to pay a visit to Hanami-koji street and then cross Tatsumi Bridge to reach Shimbashi, the most picturesque part Gion, with elegant traditional wooden houses of Kyoto housing high-class restaurants, cafes, and tea-houses.

Important information

As this is a private and personalized experience, the places you visit may differ from those listed and these will be chosen by your host based on your interests and preferences