Kyoto's Greatest Hits: The Essential Highlights

Pressed for time but still want to experience the magic of Kyoto? Join us on a fast-paced, immersive tour through the city’s greatest highlights. From the towering bamboo groves of Arashiyama to the shimmering beauty of Kinkakuji, the sacred red gates of Fushimi Inari, and the stunning views from Kiyomizu-dera, this is the perfect way to see Kyoto’s must-visit sites in just one unforgettable day.

￥11,250 per person (≈76 USD)

*price is for 4 pax

• Private tour

• Up to 8 PAX

• Recommended start time: 8:30 am

• Duration: 8 hours

• Free for children under 12 years old

Kyoto

Walking Tour

Public Transportation

• English

• Spanish

• Catalan

Private Tour

• Filipino

• Bisaya

• Japanese

Description

Explore the best of Kyoto in a day!

For travelers with limited time but eager to see Kyoto’s most iconic landmarks, this full-day tour condenses the city’s greatest treasures into one unforgettable experience. Your journey begins in the tranquil Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, perfect for a peaceful morning stroll. Next, we’ll head to the shimmering Golden Pavilion, Kinkakuji, where you’ll witness the stunning beauty of its gold-leafed exterior reflecting in the calm waters of its surrounding gardens.

After that, you'll experience the mystical allure of Fushimi Inari Shrine, famous for its endless path of vermilion torii gates that climb the Mount Inari. This sacred site offers a glimpse into Japan’s ancient spiritual traditions while providing a unique and immersive walking experience. Finally, the tour concludes at Kiyomizu-dera, a historic temple perched on the hillside, offering breathtaking views over Kyoto and showcasing the architectural beauty that has stood the test of time.

Whether you’re seeking history, nature, or cultural immersion, this tour provides a complete snapshot of Kyoto’s most essential highlights. Ideal for those with just one day to explore, it’s a seamless journey through the best the city has to offer.

Itinerary

Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

A mesmerizing grove where towering bamboo stalks create a lush, green canopy. Walking through this serene forest offers a tranquil escape and a unique, immersive experience amid nature's beauty.

Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavillion)

A stunning Zen temple in Kyoto, famous for its gold-leaf-covered exterior that reflects beautifully in the surrounding pond.

Fushimi Inari Taisha

Fushimi Inari Taisha is a renowned shrine in Kyoto, famous for its thousands of vibrant red torii gates that create a winding path up the forested Mount Inari.

Kiyomizu Temple

A historic UNESCO World Heritage site in Kyoto, famous for its wooden stage that offers panoramic views of the city and its vibrant autumn foliage.

Higashiyama District

A charming historic area near Kiyomizudera, with traditional streets, tea houses and well-preserved temples offering a glimpse of old Kyoto.

What's Included?

• Guide in the language of your choice

• 8-hour private tour

• Guide's expenses

• Taxes included

• Photography support and editing

Entrance Ticket Prices

• Kinkaku-ji ￥500

• Kiyomizu dera ￥500

Estimated Transportation Expenses

In this tour, we will use train and bus. The average price per person is ￥1550.

The average meal cost is around ￥2,000 per person.

What's Not Included?

Estimated Meal Expenses

Meeting Point

Meeting point is at 7-Eleven.Heart-In JR Kyoto Station Central Entrance Store.

How to get there

When you arrive at JR Kyoto Station, exit the CENTRAL ticket gates and head towards the Kyoto Tower side. There, you'll find the convenience store.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/XKXw19j4EKmxEUU89

Landmark/s

The convenience store is the opposite side of JR ticketing machines

If you wish to be picked up and dropped off at the hotel feel free to inform us.

How to Book this Tour?

1. At the end of this section, select the number of people in your group.

2. On the next screen, choose your preferred date and time.

3. Fill in the fields with your details. This information will be used to contact you and will also appear on the receipt.

4. Select your preferred payment method. If you wish to pay in cash (in yen, please), choose Cash Payment.

If you would like more information about payments, reservations, cancellations, or other frequently asked questions, please visit this page.

Below, you will find the section to select the number of participants.

How many people?

Please, let us know the size of your group.

Remember, children aged 11 and under can join for free, so there's no need to include them in the total group count!

If you are a bigger group, please fill out the following form and we will study your situation. Thank you!

Reviews

14 reviews

★★★★★

We had a beautiful day where Peri was the most friendly and empathetic! Thank you for your recommendations and for helping us to have a great day!

★★★★★

Marcela - México

February 17, 2025

Spectacular tour in Kyoto!

We spent three days with Peri on tours to Nara, Osaka, and Kyoto from February 14 to 16 (2025). His service was excellent, and he was incredibly kind and attentive to everyone, especially since we used public transportation the entire time (he knows the routes and schedules very well). During the tours, he provided historical explanations of the sites we visited and shared fascinating insights about Japanese culture and customs. He also took us to traditional restaurants, explaining each dish so we could choose what we liked best. We visited the most iconic landmarks, but he also took us to lesser-known places that were either beautiful or historically significant. He always made sure the sites matched our interests, and if an entrance fee wasn’t worth it, we skipped it. It’s important to mention that the tours involve a lot of walking (about 15,000 to 20,000 steps per day), but the experience was engaging thanks to Peri’s conversations. He also took amazing photos of us and shared them afterward. I highly recommend him for your next trip to Japan. In summary: he’s knowledgeable, attentive, and ensures you have a great experience. I hope this review helps!

★★★★★

Enrique Molina Caballero - México

February 14, 2025

Excellent attention!

Very efficient and shared a lot of history about each place we visited—Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara.

★★★★★

Lorena Díaz - México

February 14, 2025

Excellent

Peri is always ready to help.

★★★★★

Silvia - México

February 14, 2025

Friendly

Everything was very nice

★★★★★

Daniel Díaz - México

February 14, 2025

Excellent guide

★★★★★

Ricardo - México

February 14, 2025

Very Happy

Allysa was an excellent guide and very responsive communicator. Her English is perfect and she’s easy to understand. She’s very friendly, kind and thoughtful. We toured for 2 days with her, and she was knowledgeable and knew how to get around easily. Allysa listened to our expectations and organized our days to cover all the sites we wanted to see. We highly recommend Allysa and would tour with her again.

★★★★★

Lisa James- USA

February 12, 2025

Excellent tour in Kyoto

Peri was the best guide in all of Japan. I went in January 2025 with my 23- and 28-year-old children. He helped us plan the trip as well as experience it. We spent five days with him in Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, and many other cities. He accompanied us everywhere, recommended where to eat, how to get around, what to buy, and also taught us about history! He was like another traveler with us!

★★★★★

Raquel - Argentina

January 8, 2025

Our Journey to Japan

We had the great pleasure of being guided by Peri from Kansai Local Tours. Peri makes the tour a truly rich experience, especially as he has a very clever grasp of the needs of the group he is guiding and builds the tour with the flexibility needed for everyone to enjoy. We wholeheartedly recommend him!

★★★★★

Pablo - Israel

November 22, 2024

Osaka & Kyoto - 2 Day Tour

Our guide, Arisa was truly incredible! We didn't want to be stuck with all the old folks on our cruise ship and wanted to see AS MUCH of Kyoto as possible. I can't express how memorable Arisa made our trip! She picked us up at the cruise terminal and was with us every step of the way. At the BARE minimum a guide is helpful in Japan for navigating the trains and taxis, but Arisa was so much more! She shared lots of helpful history and cultural tidbits. She knew which shrines would be crazy crowded and the best times to go for minimal chaos and best pictures. For instance, we wanted to go to the bamboo forest but she suggested an alternative and said that if we didn't like it we could go to the big forest after, and it was PERFECT! A beautiful bamboo wood nestled in a magical temple with a mossy moody graveyard and buddhas and tanukis everywhere, we were obsessed from the start! We got to go to the Golden Temple, the entire Kiyomizu Temple, AND the Fushimi Inari Shrine at NIGHT which was truly beautiful and 1/4 as crowded. My husband said he was craving ramen and she took us to an incredible spot for lunch, and we even had time to walk around the Gion geisha district and some of the adorable historic shopping streets of Kyoto! We covered transportation and she always gave us options and their time considerations (we always chose taxi to see more faster). Best of all, Arisa was just WONDERFUL company to be around. We worked her HARD and she stayed positive and joyful. The biggest bonus is that she is a VERY talented photographer. My husband and I rarely get pictures together when we travel and if we do they are blurry selfies but she made sure we got THE shot at every location, and even took some candids along the way. If you are an influencer or wanna be you will be SO happy ;) We have already told all of our friends planning trips to Japan to ask for Arisa!

★★★★★

Tia - USA

October 31, 2024

Tour in Kyoto

Thank you for your hard work. I will get in touch for future travel assistance. Will recommend you as well to others.

★★★★★

Jan - Philippines

September 19, 2024

2-Day Tour in Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara

Thank you Allysa for your hard work over the last 2 days for our Osaka, Kyoto and Nara tours.

★★★★★

Edgar - Philippines

September 19, 2024

2-Day Tour in Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara

Thank you so much, when we return to Japan, I will ask you to be our personal tour guide next year with my kids.

★★★★★

Jamilla - Philippines

September 7, 2024

2-Day Tour in Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara

Hello Allysa, thank you. Hope you got back okay.

★★★★★

Richard - United Kingdom

September 7, 2024

Tour in Kyoto