Free Cancellation
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Cancellation Policy
Free Cancellation
June 10100% refund
June 11No refund
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
A Full Day in Kyoto with a Local: Private & Personalized
2 Adults x $398.86
$797.72
Approx Total
$797.72
Inclusions / Exclusions
Mobile ticket
Offered in: Japanese, English
8 hours with a host
Private and personalized experience
Hotel meet-up (available on request for central location)
Walking experience (if required, your host can suggest public transport or taxi options)
Food and drinks
Tickets to any attractions
Transportation costs
Gratuities (optional)
Overview
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 district of Kamishichiken and Gion together. Not your vibe? Get off the beaten tourist track and explore hidden gems in the city that only a local would know about. Wherever you roam, keep your eyes open to the astonishing natural beauty of Kyoto.
Within 24 hours after booking, you'll receive a short questionnaire about your personality and interests. Based on your responses, you'll be assigned a like-minded local host. Your local host will communicate with you directly to suggest an itinerary to help you discover what makes the city unique. You will also agree on a meeting time and place. Your itinerary is flexible, so during the experience, you can always change your mind about what you want to do
(The host will be waiting in front of Starbucks Coffee)
After booking, you can adjust the meeting point to fit your preferences with the help of our Experience Planners.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.
Itinerary
Kyoto Station Building (Pass By)
Start your itinerary from Kyoto station (or a different meeting point upon request)
IMPORTANT: As this is a private and personalised experience, the places you visit may differ from those listed and these will be chosen by your host based on your interests and preferences
Kinkakuji Temple (Pass By)
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.
IMPORTANT: As this is a private and personalised experience, the places you visit may differ from those listed and these will be chosen by your host based on your interests and preferences
Kitano Tenmangu Shrine (Pass By)
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.
IMPORTANT: As this is a private and personalised experience, the places you visit may differ from those listed and these will be chosen by your host based on your interests and preferences
Kamishichiken Kaburenjo Theatre (Pass By)
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.
IMPORTANT: As this is a private and personalised experience, the places you visit may differ from those listed and these will be chosen by your host based on your interests and preferences
Kiyomizu-dera Temple (Pass By)
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?
IMPORTANT: As this is a private and personalised experience, the places you visit may differ from those listed and these will be chosen by your host based on your interests and preferences
Sannenzaka Ninenzaka (Pass By)
It’s a great traditional place where the narrow lanes, wooden buildings and traditional merchant shops invoke a feeling of the old capital city. The streets in Higashiyama are lined by small shops, cafes and restaurants to Kyoto specialties. Looking for some traditional souvenirs? You’ll find plenty of shops selling pottery, sweets, crafts and more.
IMPORTANT: As this is a private and personalised experience, the places you visit may differ from those listed and these will be chosen by your host based on your interests and preferences
Hokan-ji Temple (Pass By)
Stop by Higashiyama’s most famous landmark, Yasaka Pagoda, while strolling around one of Kyoto’s most attractive areas, best known for its well-preserved, charming streetscape.
IMPORTANT: As this is a private and personalised experience, the places you visit may differ from those listed and these will be chosen by your host based on your interests and preferences
Yasui-Konpiragu (Pass By)
Need to break a bad habit? Then this is the shrine for you! Found in the Gion district, this 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.
IMPORTANT: As this is a private and personalised experience, the places you visit may differ from those listed and these will be chosen by your host based on your interests and preferences
Yasaka Shrine (Pass By)
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 listed and these will be chosen by your host based on your interests and preferences
Gion (Pass By)
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: As this is a private and personalised experience, the places you visit may differ from those listed and these will be chosen by your host based on your interests and preferences
Sample Menu
Additional Info
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Private groups are normally no larger than 6 people (if your group is larger, please make this known so that arrangements can be made)
Free Cancellation
June 10100% refund
June 11No refund
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
5 stars
24
4 stars
3
3 stars
1
2 stars
1
1 star
0
We perform checks on reviews
We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her
Reviews by TravelOne travelers
Showing 1-5 of 24 reviews with 5 stars
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A personal tour around the highlights of Kyoto.
Published on Apr, 2025
Our local guide met us at our hotel and we discussed the best places to visit for our tour. Off we went by taxi to the Kikomizu-dera temple. Just as shown in the travel brochures, the temple and grounds were magnificent. We then meandered around the gift shops to buy presents for family and friends. Our guide then took us to a local Soba restaurant and the food there was 'oishii'.
We take another taxi ride to visit the Sanjusanendo Buddhist temple. Our guide gave us a detailed history of the temple and the 1000 life size Buddhist statues! The Cherry Blossom here was spectacular.
A slight detour and we visit the Nobu zen garden. The was featured on a recent BBC programme and I was always keen to visit it. So here we are; Beautiful and thrilling!
We take another taxi ride back to Kyoto's Nishiki market. the shops were stunning and the food stalls were excellent. If you like fried octopus on skewers, this is the place to be!
Overall, our day trip around parts of Kyoto was brilliant, our tour guide was friendly and very knowledgeable. The experience was unique and personal with just the four of us. This trip will be in our memories for a very long time.
Amazing Alex!
Published on Mar, 2025
A tour with Alex Oberti is like having a friend show you around his home town. He was so knowledgeable about the rich history of numerous spots, so kind and generous with his time (he told us to text him if we need any further recommendations while we are in town). We had a couple of sceptics in our group on whether a tour was a worthwhile investment but Alex added so much value, kept everyone engaged and gave “the navigators” of our group a day off.
Excellent introduction to Kyoto
Published on Apr, 2024
Excellent and knowledgeable guide who very quickly and perceptively figured out our interests, how much ground we could cover, and what “extra” experiences we would like.
Excellent introduction to Kyoto
Published on Apr, 2024
Excellent and knowledgeable guide who very quickly and perceptively figured out our interests, how much ground we could cover, and what “extra” experiences we would like.
Easy and fun
Published on Apr, 2024
My daughter and I had a great time with Taibi and really appreciated his expertise and easy- going nature. He tailored the day to us and we had a great time with his plan. I would recommend him to anyone.
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