Nijo Castle and Imperial Palace Visit with Guide | 2 hours 30 minutes

22 Reviews | Kyoto
From $81.90 per person Lowest Price Guarantee
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Inclusions / Exclusions

  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English
  • Professional English-speaking guide
  • Public transportation during the tour
  • Entrance fees
  • Food and drinks
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off

Overview

To know the origin of Japan, learning about the history of Nijo Castle and Imperial Palace is a must for all visitors to Kyoto. Nijo Castle, which is registered as UNESCO World Heritage site, is the eyewitness venue as the advent of modern Japan after the long Samurai age ruled by Shogun while Imperial Palace is the holy place once lived by the Emperor when Kyoto was the capital city of Japan, and is still occasionally visited by the current Emperor even today. During the compact 2.5-hour-tour, you will discover the Genesis of the ancient capital for over 1100 years in a small group with well-experienced guide with vast knowledge and humor.

Meeting points

Nijō Castle
541 Nijōjōchō, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, 604-8301, Japan

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Meet in front of Nijo Castle’s white main gate

End point

Kyoto Gyoen National Garden
3 Kyōtogyoen, Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto, 602-0881, Japan

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Tour ends in front of Imperial Palace

Itinerary

  • Nijo Castle

    For this guided tour in a small group (less than 8 guests), you can choose one from two different time slots, morning tour or afternoon tour. You will meet the guide simply in front of the huge white main gate of Nijo Castle.

    1 hour

  • Kyoto Imperial Palace

    After one-hour guided tour in Nijo Castle, you will transfer to Imperial Palace by public transportation with the guide, and you will have another one-hour-guided tour in Imperial Place. Entry fee and transportation are all included in the tour fee.

    1 hour

Sample Menu

Additional Info

  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Free Cancellation

February 05100% refund
February 06No 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.
Traveler Photos
Reviews

5.0

22 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
  • 5 stars
    21
  • 4 stars
    1
  • 3 stars
    0
  • 2 stars
    0
  • 1 star
    0

Reviews by TravelOne travelers

Showing 1-5 of 21 reviews with 5 stars

Great Tour

Published on Nov, 2024

Great tour around Nijo Castle and the Imperial palace. Our tour guide was really knowledgeable and very funny!

Brilliant tour of the two gems of Japanese history in the Capital of Capitals Kyoto

Published on Nov, 2024

Mie was an amazing fun informative guide who brought the Castle and Palace to life. The amazing sites were enriched with insights to Japanese culture and history. A wonderful tour of incredible sites. Okini Mie!

Superb

Published on Nov, 2024

Mia was a superb guide with in-depth knowledge of the palace and castle. She provided invaluable knowledge of the shogun meetings and location in the castle and overall history of the shogun era. Mia provided interesting information on the emperor’s family and lineal descendants!

Get a guide to give you the history behind all the beautiful places

Published on Oct, 2024

We had a great tour with a very informative guide. It is so necessary to have somebody tell you details about these places since just going to the castle doesn’t give you much in terms of history and other details. Our guide was very animated and knowledgeable so it was all very interesting.

Great visit at Nijo Castle and Imperial Palace

Published on Sep, 2024

We had a great experience and learned a lot about the history of Japan. Our guide, Choko, was very friendly and knowledgeable. She spoke good English and answered all our questions.

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