• Private Tour
• Instantly Confirmed
• Carbon Neutral

Make your trip a wholesome experience by seeing what other cities outside of Kyoto have to offer. On this private day trip, you don’t need to worry about anything! Follow your local host to Nara and be back in Kyoto the same day but with more unforgettable experiences than before.

Destination

Kyoto, Japan

Category

Day Trips

Duration

8 hours

Transport mode

Public Transport

Available languages

English, Italiano, 日本語, Indonesian, Español

Included

• Private guide
• Entrance tickets Toufokuji & Toudaji Temple
• Nara bus pass
• All Withlocals Tours are Carbon Neutral

Excluded

• Train tickets are not included (JR passes are valid) and need to be paid at the train station.

What you can expect

Choose your local

Get to know these 7 passionate locals, each bringing unique perspectives and talents. Choose your favorite, check their availability, and book to create an unforgettable adventure tailored to you.

This is the plan

Check out the plan below to see what you'll get up to with your local host. Feel free to personalize this offer with the host of your choice.

1. Meeting point

   Meet at At "JR central" exit ticket gate / Shichijo dori Exit - Kyoto to start your journey

   View on Maps

2. Itinerary

   This is what our experience could look like, but it’s not set in stone! Once you book, you can chat directly with your host to make small tweaks to suit your preferences.

3. More about Japan

   Give yourself the time to not only visit Kyoto by also visiting Nara. Japan is such a beautiful country that the more you know about it, the more you’ll fall in love with it. That’s why your host can’t wait to take you to Nara

4. Gems of Nara

   Check out Toudaji Temple, Nara Deer Park, Toufokuji Temple, and more must-sees but with a twist...through the eyes of a local. Get to know some of the less walked paths in Nara with some great hidden gems and alternative stories that only a local knows about

5. Cultural Contrasts

   Cities are like snowflakes; each one of them is unique. And as you visit Nara, you’ll be able to see the differences compared to Kyoto. Discover how much traditions, architecture, and even language can change from one city to another and how they complement each other

6. Local Knowledge

   To experience the best of Nara, there’s no better way to do so than like a local. Your local host will make this private day trip an enriching experience by sharing knowledge, stories, insights, and answering your questions!

7. Make it yours

   Want to tweak the itinerary? Book directly & chat afterwards with your host to adjust highlights, skip stops, or make small changes to fit your preferences.

   Book risk-free: Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.

   Need something special? Personalize your experience for more time, alternative locations or a completely tailored plan.

Flexible cancellation policy

• Feel confident booking

  Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. Even up to 7 days before your experience, you’ll receive a refund, minus the service fee.

• Change of plans?

  Reschedule your experience to a date and time that works best for you.

• Loved by travelers worldwide

  Simple and flexible – your plans, your way.

Reviews from guests

Marie-Jeanne🇧🇪 Belgium

(About local Eiji)

3 May 2025

We had a great time with Eiji in Nara. He showed us lots of great places skipping most of the crowds. He’s a kalm nice man we really loved his way of explaining everything to us. we made an extra stop to see the Fusjimi-Inari! 🤩Great guy!

Nick

(About local Eiji)

17 February 2025

The Nara tour was booked for my mother and her friend (60s). Here are the messages I received from them: "We are having a very good time ☺️Eiji is a wonderful tour guide." "We had an amazing tour, on our way back to the hotel now, my battery is at 10%🤣" [so many photos and videos] "What a great tour. The deer bit Eiji’s bottom, Jan’s bottom and tried to eat my tags on the wheelchair! Such a fun day 💕💕💕" It's been their favourite part of Japan so far - which is quite a high recommendation. If you're looking for a tour in Kyoto, Eiji-san is your man!Laughs, bites, and photographs

Pam

(About local Yoshihiro)

21 May 2024

Yoshihiro was so great and made sure to connect with a week ahead to make sure we had information on meeting point and to double check if we had JR Passes yet or not. We are so glad we booked a guid for Nara day tour as it is such a historical town and place that I would not have known a lot of the history. Additionally because Yoshihiro, knew we were in Kyoto for a few days in May, he gave us a great recommendation for a special Geisha performance, that again we would not have known about. We were able to secure tickets to such a special performance that not many tourists knew about. Thank you so much for making our trip so memorableGreat way to learn about history

Nick🇺🇸 United States

(About local Sebastian)

5 May 2024

We had a great day in Nara with our guide, Sebastian. We met up at the Kyoto train station and from there Sebastian took over. The train ride to Nara was quick (40 minutes) and easy. Once in Nara it’s a 5 minute walk to Deer Park. There are hundreds of deer all over. The best place to feed them is closer to the Todaiji Temple. The Temple is pretty amazing. You will see the largest bronze Buddha in Japan. On the way home we stopped in the small town of Uji. It’s the home of matcha. Lots of small shops and a few temples. Great scenery. I would highly recommend this tour and booking Sebastian if available. Wonderful day in Nara with amazing guide

Haley🇺🇸 United States

(About local Shohei)

31 January 2020

Great tour! Shohei was very knowledgeable and accommodating to our party's dietary needs. We say a lot of stuff in a short time and if was great having a guide to help us through the madness and not get too caught up in one place. Definitely recommend.Wonderful tour!

Dirk🇧🇪 Belgium

(About local Sebastian)

2 June 2025

Great expierience ! Great insides to Japan from an outsider. D'ont hesitate : book

Ambika🇳🇱 Netherlands

(About local Yoshihiro)

2 June 2025

Yoshihiro was an amazing guide for us! We took him on day 2 of our time in Kyoto (day 1 for my friend) and we were quite jet lagged so a bit confused about where to go and what to do! He suggested we do a tour of the palace together instead of the 1.5 hour intro tour because it would be a duplicate of something else we were already on that evening! Extremely helpful, worked with us to ensure we got to see a different part of Kyoto while explaining it's rich heritage and history to us. He even sent me additional info and things to do for the rest of the days. The sanjusangendo temple and seeing the fushimi inari at night were amazing suggestions which we really appreciated when we went there! Would highly recommend Yoshihiro San to anyone looking for an introduction to Kyoto ! Wish we had more time with Yoshihiro

Johan🇧🇪 Belgium

(About local Eiji)

31 May 2025

Fijne persoon die ons Kyoto op zijn best liet ontdekken overgoten met de juiste commentaren en tips. Een echte aanrader wat ons betreft !Een zeer leuke ervaring met een topgids

Veronique

(About local Jessica)

29 May 2025

Our tour with Jessica was wonderful. She was cheerful and enthusiastic. The tour was comprised of 3 different restaurants, all very different from one another allowing us to taste very diverse Japanese delicacies. Furthermore, Jessica was an excellent guide through the streets of Osaka, showing us all the highlights. We would highly recommend her to discover the city.Tasting tour in Osaka

Craig🇺🇸 United States

(About local Guia)

29 May 2025

We had a great tour. Guia gave us the highlights filled with a ton of cultural info. We got a real sense of history and place! She was super friendly and even gave us many restaurant recommendations which we loved!Friendly, Helpful, knowledgeable!

Mitch and Melissa, Ryan and Paige🇨🇦 Canada

(About local Shohei)

28 May 2025

We had one and a half days together and it was worth it. Shohei was a great guide. He was super friendly and made the learning fun and chill. Spoke excellent English as he has lived in the US only recently returning to Japan in 2019. I think for touring in Kyoto with all the many sights spread out all over the city it is well worth the splurge! He took us to a great local Ramen restaurant for lunch and we really enjoyed his company and expertise. Thank you Shohei!Great exprerience

Madison

(About local Yoshihiro)

27 May 2025

This was our first time using With Locals and Ted was a joy of a tour guide. Funny, informative, and helped us avoid the crowds. After the tour, he sent us more information to help with our itinerary. He was a great! 10/10! We loved Ted!

Natasja🇧🇪 Belgium

(About local Guia)

27 May 2025

We had a fantastic time exploring Kyoto with our Guia! She was incredibly knowledgeable and took the time to explain everything clearly, bringing the history and culture of the city to life. She made sure we saw everything on our list and even added a few extra spots that made the experience even more special. Her easygoing and funny personality made the day even more enjoyable. We highly recommend her to anyone planning a trip to Kyoto—she’s a wonderful guide and a pleasure to spend time with!Great experience

Tyler

(About local Eiji)

26 May 2025

Eiji led us on a fantastic food tour of Nishiki Market. We tried over 10 different food stalls with a great variety of foods. Eiji made it so simple to talk with food vendors and made the purchases with us. He was friendly, informative and we really enjoyed our tour with him. We would highly recommend the tour with Eiji!Fantastic food tour!

Debbie🇺🇸 United States

(About local Yoshihiro)

24 May 2025

Our City Kick-Starter 90 minute tour with Yoshihiro/Ted was a great way to get our bearings on our first day in Kyoto. We toured the Gion area and shopping district, visited a temple, and learned so much about the Geisha history and lifestyle. Great experience! Great overview of Kyoto’s Gion area

Daniel

(About local Yoshihiro)

24 May 2025

Mr. Ted’s knowledge of Kyoto is superb! Spoke great english and gave us great advice on what to visit and at what times. Highly recommended! Excellent Guide

Unknown

(About local Yoshihiro)

23 May 2025

We had such a wonderful few days with “Ted”. He was so knowledgeable about everything and let us know all the customs of the locals. Highly reccomend. We were sad when we had to say goodbye. Great experience

Henriette🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Simone)

22 May 2025

Being guided by Simone through the street market was a marvellous experience. He knew what kind of food was local, traditional, authentique or even unique to the market. We had a lovely time tryimg out a variety of food. We appreciated that we could always say, what we would like to try and what not. So it felt very much like a tailored experience to our needs. Moreover Simone not only made sure that our bellies were filled, but our heads also. He patiently answered all our questions we had about Japan and Kyoto. We really enjoyed being able to discuss food and culture with Simone. We would certainly recommend the experience. Very friendly and knowledgeable host

Tom🇳🇱 Netherlands

(About local Tiro)

22 May 2025

Awesome tour by Tiro. We mainly strolled down the Nashiki Market, as this was our preference. We tasted many new things, food we might have skipped if Tiro didn't suggest. Really easy going, explaining some of the history and origin of the market and Kyoto along the way. Highly recommend! Good drinks and talks after tour as well. 10/10Awesome tour

Bharat🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Yoshihiro)

22 May 2025

We (family of 6) had a marvellous time with Ted in Kyoto spending two very informative and pleasurable days with him touring around the sites of Kyoto. He has a joie de vivre and his enthusiasm and passion for Japan comes across and can be seen in the way he gives his explanations and answers to our questions. Hiring the van to take us around the first day was very useful as we could see a lot more sites and it was very comfortable. We will be strongly recommendingTed to other friends who will be visiting Kyoto shortly. Thank you Ted for giving us such a wonderful and memorable experience.Our time with Ted in Kyoto

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(About local Guia)

21 May 2025

We had an amazing experience with Guia in Kyoto! From the very first contact, she was incredibly friendly and made sure our tour was perfectly tailored for us. She was punctual, welcoming, and open to all our questions, answering everything in detail. The food tour was absolutely fantastic, with fresh and delicious snacks at every stop. Guia’s passion and knowledge made the experience even more special. We highly recommend her 100%—it was a truly enjoyable and memorable day!Perfect time in Kyoto

Ross🇺🇸 United States

(About local Guia)

20 May 2025

Guia is an outstanding tour guide, the epitome of customer satisfaction and going out of her way for us—pleasant, joyful, and a true professional. She is fun to talk to. Her excellent english communication skills and deep knowledge of Kyoto made every moment of the tour informative and enjoyable. What truly set her apart is her dedication to her customers; she goes above and beyond to ensure her clients have the best possible experience. I asked her, a few weeks before we left for Japan, if she knows of a Ryokan with western style beds, near our tour area that was full service including meals; she, on her own, inspected several and emailed her favorite to us, with the estimated price and the website link. I made the reservation and the stay the the Ryokan she selected for us (no charge by her) was one of the vacation highlights for us - is was perfect. With Guia, you’re not just taking a tour—you’re gaining a memorable, enriching journey led by someone who genuinely cares.Over delivered on every promise

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(About local Shohei)

20 May 2025

If we could give 11 out of 10 we would! My husband and I spend 2 days in Kyoto with Shohei and enjoyed every minute of it. Shohei is a full package: his English is outstanding (he lived in US for many years!), being native of Kyoto he not only shows most amazing places (we kept saying wow!) but also knows the best ways to get there without the crowds, he is an expert on convenient inexpensive places to have very tasty lunch, he is very flexible and understanding and has a great sense of humor, he is just a pleasure to spend time with! If he got availability on the day you are in town - run to book him!Look no further!

Suzanne🇺🇸 United States

(About local Guia)

19 May 2025

Guia was knowledgeable and personable, sharing history, and her own experiences to round out a delightful tour.excellent tour guide

PAUL

(About local Yoshihiro)

19 May 2025

ractices are all interconnected, shaping Kyoto into the timeless center of Japanese tradition that it remains today.

Unknown

(About local Jessica)

18 May 2025

Jessica was good company, excellent English. She took us to a variety of restaurants and cafes in different locations and we enjoyed all the local foods. Jessica also gave us useful background and tips to get the most out of our time in Osaka.Okonomyakitastic

Joseph🇺🇸 United States

(About local Yoshihiro)

18 May 2025

What else can we say about Ted? This was our 2nd day of touring with him. Absolutely the best. He took us to less crowded temples with beautiful gardens. He is a wealth of knowledge about every place. 2nd tour with Yoshihoro “Ted”

Joseph🇺🇸 United States

(About local Yoshihiro)

15 May 2025

We can’t say enough about how fantastic Yoshihiro aka Ted has been. Great communication from the beginning. A wealth of knowledge not just about Nara but also any recommendation for shopping and restaurants. My daughter and husband planning a trip in about 2 years and I will be sure to have them select Ted. Thank you Ted. A tour of Nara with Yoshihiro

Helena

(About local Eiji)

15 May 2025

Eiji took us around interesting and beautiful parts of Kyoto for 1,5 hours our first day in Kyoto. He was fun and had interesting facts and history to share. Eiji gave us valuable tips for the rest of our stay, and also to restaurants. Very good at speaking English.Perfect guide for first day in Kyoto!

Unknown

(About local Guia)

15 May 2025

We really enjoyed the tour of Kyoto’s food market. Guia was an excellent guide, the food was delicious, and we particularly enjoyed learning more about Japanese culture from Guia.Great Tour of the Food Market

Kai

(About local Simone)

14 May 2025

We found Simone to be a wonderful guide and excellent company. Even before the trip started, he reached out to make sure we had all the information we needed. The tour was an excellent introduction to Kyoto, Simone provided excellent insights and was very happy to customise to our interests. It was clear Simone is passionate about what he does and we really enjoyed our time with him and he even went to the extra effort of providing us with some further recommendations after the tour. We fully recommend him as an excellent guide.A scholar and a gentleman

Valerie

(About local Eiji)

13 May 2025

Eiji was an excellent guide! We had the opportunity to taste some incredibly unique and delicious foods while at the same time, learning about what we were tasting and history. We highly recommend Eiji and would meet up with him again if given the opportunity! Thank you Eiji-San! A perfect foodie tour!

Melissa

(About local Tiro)

13 May 2025

Visite intéressante et guide fort sympathique. Tiro s’est adapté à nos souhaits. Top

nina.miller22

(About local Tiro)

12 May 2025

We were recommended Tiro’s tour by some friends and it was by far the best tour we’ve taken so far. Tiro took us the ancient streets of Kyoto, countless Buddhist Temples, Pagodas, Shinto Shrines, as well as amazing restaurants in bars in Pontocho. He was able to gauge what we were interested in learning about and tailor the tour to explore our specific interests (Geisha Culture, Religious Mysticism, Popular local bars and restaurants, etc). His knowledge of Japanese culture, history, food, and religion has completely reshaped the way that we understand Japan and we are so grateful for the entire experience. I only wish we had more time in Kyoto to book Tiro’s tour of the country side. His tours are a 10/10 and I will definitely be recommending them to all of our friends and family back home! The Best Tour of Kyoto Hands Down

Alex🇭🇰 Hong Kong

(About local Shohei)

11 May 2025

Whadzen🇺🇸 United States

(About local Guia)

11 May 2025

Thank you Guia for such a wonderful experience! So personable and knowledgeable. Your insights made our tour so much fun. We learned a lot and enjoyed our time together. Highly recommend Guia to anyone looking into having a tour in Kyoto! Our first withlocals experience was 10/10So much fun!

Wendy🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Eiji)

10 May 2025

Eiji was a fantastic guide . We felt very safe riding the streets of Kyoto with him and exploring off the beaten tourist path as well as orientating ourselves to places we wanted to go back to later . Eiji shared interesting information about the history of Kyoto . Thank you Eiji . We really enjoyed our afternoon with you . Great afternoon exploring Kyoto by bike

Arian🇨🇭 Switzerland

(About local Shohei)

9 May 2025

Growing up in the states, Shohei was very easy to understand. He had a very good knowledge about Kyoto and the sights and a fun way of communication. Sometimes he was maybe a little bit toooo sarcastic but that is really just individual preference.Exceptional english skills and knowledge

Arielle🇮🇱 Israel

(About local Eiji)

9 May 2025

We met Eiji for an introductory walking tour of Kyoto and we are so glad we did. He was a very knowledgeable tour guide - sharing tidbits about what we were seeing as well as Kyoto in general. He was warm, engaging and did a great job answering all of our questions. He also took a ton of pictures of us which was unexpected and also fun. He shared some of his favourite recommendations with us which we really appreciated. For any first timers to Kyoto, this tour is money well spend and Eiji is a great tour guide to lead it! A great intro to kyoto!

Julian🇳🇱 Netherlands

(About local Eiji)

9 May 2025

Very friendly

Brian🇺🇸 United States

(About local Tiro)

8 May 2025

Bottom line… Tiro was awesome! Highly recommend him if you are looking for a personalized tour in Kyoto. We had a very short stay in Kyoto (literally 30 hours… tip: 2-3 days minimum!), so we hired Tiro to show us the important parts of Kyoto. He met us at our hotel, right on time, and off we went. He is very knowledgeable of the area and more importantly the history and traditions. We learned so much, and saw so much, in a compressed period of time! We would have never covered that much ground if left to ourselves! Aside from knowledge tour expertise, he was just a cool guy to hang out with! Kyoto was amazing - we should have spent less time in Tokyo and more time in Kyoto! Thanks to Tiro, we squeezed in a good amount of stuff and we will definitely return to Kyoto!Kyoto Tour

Breck🇺🇸 United States

(About local Yoshihiro)

8 May 2025

Although we were delayed by traffic, we were able to stay in touch with Yochiro by What’s App to let him know our times. He graciously accommodated his schedule to ours and took us on the full tour. He was a wealth of local info and answered all our questions. Sadly, I dropped my wallet but he took me to the security booth where someone had turned it in, where I reclaimed it with no lost cash. Japanese culture is great!Excellent half-day overview tour!

Clarissa 🇨🇭 Switzerland

(About local Eiji)

8 May 2025

Wir haben die Radtour gleich am ersten Tag in Kyoto gebucht und dadurch eine gute Übersicht der Stadt erhalten. Wir sind in verschiedene Viertel geradelt und Eiji hat uns die Sehenswürdigkeiten sehr gut erklärt. Ausserdem hat er viele Fotos von uns gemacht, so dass wir uns auf die Stadt fokussieren konnten. Linksverkehr kein Hindernis für Leute, die normalerweise rechts fahren. Lässige Radtour

Robin 🇦🇹 Austria

(About local Guia)

7 May 2025

We had a fabulous time with Guia! She was very informative, open, friendly and her English was great! She tailored the tour to what we wanted and gave us lots of information throughout! She was very helpful and super nice! Could only recommend!! Wonderful tour through Kyoto!

Murielle

(About local Eiji)

6 May 2025

Guide super sympa avec un excellent programme. Le plus impressionnant: Tejin Garden. Il nous a ensuite trouvé un magnifique restaurant avec un barbecue que nous étions heureux de partager avec lui. Très bon anglais et très bon photographe, nous avons pu garder de beaux souvenirs photo.Excellent programme

Aaron🇺🇸 United States

(About local Jessica)

5 May 2025

Jessica was a wonderful guide; we experienced amazing food and enjoyed her taking us throughout the city including a subway ride to a hidden gem of a restaurant. We loved our day with Jessica. Yum!

Jaslee🇺🇸 United States

(About local Eiji)

5 May 2025

Antonio🇵🇹 Portugal

(About local Eiji)

3 May 2025

Francesca

(About local Guia)

3 May 2025

We had a wonderful day with Guia. She shared a lot of information about the sites and most of all about tradition and habits of Japan. She is friendly, happy and energetic and she accommodated all our request. Also my daughter of 13 enjoyed her company and the full day was fantastic! In addition her English is absolutely perfect!! Best day in Japan!

Stephanie🇺🇸 United States

(About local Shohei)

3 May 2025

Shohei was phenomenal. Knowledge, funny, flexible, and organized. Everything you’d want in a guide. He was truly a highlight from our time in Kyoto. I would recommend him to anyone. Amazing guide!