• Private Tour
• Instantly Confirmed
• Carbon Neutral

Welcome to Kõrinbõ in Kanazawa! Want to know the best places to eat? Which places to go to and which to avoid? Or simply get some help to navigate the city? Get the perfect introduction to the city on this private tour with a local and start your city trip on the right foot.

Destination

Kanazawa, Japan

Category

City Highlight Tours

Duration

2 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

Deutsch, English, Français, Español, 日本語

Included

• Private Guide
• Local Tips & Tricks
• City Orientation
• All Withlocals Tours are Carbon Neutral

Excluded

• Entrance to attractions

What you can expect

Choose your local

Get to know these 4 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 the entrance of Mister Donut - Kanazawa 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. Kõrinbõ Exploring

   This Kanazawa tour takes you to explore Kõrinbõ, where you can see another side of the city. Kickstart your trip in this fascinating area and get recommendations of what to do and where to go that will show you Kõrinbõ at its best!

4. City Highlights

   See Kanazawa Shrine, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, and more landmarks and must-sees of the city. Your local host will take you to the main spots of the city so you can get the perfect introduction to what makes Kanazawa so special

5. Local Hot Spots

   Along the way, your host will point out hangout spots and hidden gems that only the locals know about and will help you get acquainted with the city in the most local way possible

6. Food Recommendations

   Receive tailored recommendations according to your taste and where to go and what to eat while visiting Kanazawa. Avoid tourist traps thanks to your local host!

7. City Orientation

   Learn how to navigate the city, and get the answers to your Kanazawa questions that will help you in the following days making your time in the city much easier

8. 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

Willfried🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Lucy)

16 May 2025

Wir kamen von Hiroshima mit dem Shinkansen angebraust und haben uns gleich in unserem kleinen, aber exzellenten Hotel mit Lucy verabredet. Lucy führte uns durch die interessantesten Stadtviertel von Kanazawa. Bei unserem Rundgang bekamen wir sehr viel Hintergrundinformationen über die Bedeutung und Geschichte der Geisha-Kultur und ebenso über die Entwicklung der Samurai. Was wir neben allem Anderen ganz besonders beeindruckend fanden ist: Lucy brachte uns in hervorragender Weise das Lebensgefühl nahe, wie Japaner denken und welche Werte sie leben. Das hat uns bei unserer weiteren Reise Tore geöffnet. Dadurch hat sich auch wesentlich das Fremdheitsgefühl gelegt und „unsere Herzen“ für Japan erwärmt. Wir sind Lucy überaus dankbar für diese Zeit und wir werden immer an Lucy denken, wenn wir von Japan und Kanazawa sprechen. Willfried und Wolfgang Eine wirklich sehr wertvolle Tour mit Lucy

Kai

(About local Monse)

14 May 2025

We can't speak highly enough of Monse and the tour she provided. Not only was she very flexible and customised the tour completely based on our interests, but she was also very knowledgeable, great company and you won't find a more helpful person.Amazing Experience

Peter

(About local Selda)

20 April 2025

Very good!

Christiane🇦🇹 Austria

(About local Selda)

18 April 2025

Selda is an eloquent and knowledgeable guide who helped us make the most of our all too short visit to this lovely city. She has a lot of historical knowledge but is also easy to chat with about present-day Japan. She has good restaurant tips and even helped us make a reservation.

Bnaya🇯🇵 Japan

(About local Selda)

30 March 2025

Criselda knows so much about Kanazawa. She took us to many hidden gems and lovely spots. She is a wonderful person to talk to, and very interesting. We definitely recommend to tour Kanazawa with her.Amazing guide!

Jenny

(About local Lucy)

30 March 2025

Lucy hatte uns sogar in unserem Hotel in Kanazawa abgeholt, da unser Zug aus Kyoto Verspätung hatte und wir es somit nicht mehr rechtzeitig zum eigtl. Treffpunkt geschafft hätten. Lucy hat uns Kanazawa näher gebracht und ist auf unsere Wünsche eingegangen. Wir haben uns das Samurai-Viertel inkl. der Samurai-Residenz der Familie Nomura, die Geisha-Viertel u. noch vieles mehr angeschaut. Es war überaus spannend und interessant. Lucy weiß außerordentlich viel und ist sehr sympathisch. Wir können diese privat geführte Tour nur empfehlen und jedem ans Herz legen, der mehr über Kanazawa wissen und sehen möchte. Es lohnt sich wirklich, vorallem da Lucy sehr sprachgewandt ist und wir dadurch in deutscher Sprache eine Führung erhalten haben. 😉Sehr informativ uns sehr sympathisch

Aminata

(About local Selda)

28 March 2025

We booked our first local tour in Kanazawa, because we didn't know much about it. Cris was so nice and kind telling us all the good stuff, but also she was asking us questions that showed her interest in us and how things are like in our country. She's fun to talk to and gave us all the information we needed. At the end of the tour we wanted to have dinner, and she went in at sorted us a table at a really nice place. Will recommend to everyone going to Kanazawa to book your tour with Cris. 10/10! So lovely

dsmethur

(About local Monse)

25 March 2025

We had a great day with Monse who met us outside the Omicho Market. We toured the market, the castle, the nearby gardens, and the saumari area. Learned a lot about Kanazawa's history and also about the city in it's present state. Very informative and fun.Informative walking tour

Julian

(About local Nuria)

14 March 2025

Thank you Nuria for making us feel immediately welcome. Nuria was easy company and made the tour great fun. Thank you! The Friendly Tour

Chloé et Thomas

(About local Selda)

2 March 2025

Not only Criselda is nice, she is also very professional and knowledgeable about the history of the city but also Japan and she knows how to immerge us into the culture playing guessing games to compare with our local usage. We have to say that we have used some guides before but Criselda is by far the one that made us feel understanding more the culture and connecting the dots of the history we learned. So thank you again a lot, it has been a great experience with you ! Happy to welcome you back in France whenever you want. Chloe and Thomas Greatest guide we had in Japan !

Allison

(About local Monse)

1 January 2025

We had really just one day in Kanazawa so we booked our tour with Monse for as soon as we got in. I'm so glad we did! Monse was so much fun to be around and she knew so much of the rich history. She's really great, ten out of ten, would recommend!Perfect

Amy

(About local Lucy)

20 December 2024

We so enjoyed visiting Kanazawa with Lucy. She’s very knowledgeable about the city and as a foreign resident has an interesting perspective on living in Japan and beautiful Kanazawa. Our entire family were really glad we had the chance to take this tour! Terrific tour

Allyson🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Lucy)

6 December 2024

Our tour with Lucy was fabulous! We didn't quite know where to start exploring Kanazawa and after our tour with Lucy we knew so much more about the city and what we could see and do. Lucy was so knowledgeable about Kanazawa and it's history. We really enjoyed the places that she shared with us and loved that she was happy to answer our many questions. Thank you Lucy!Wonderful!

Katie🇳🇿 New Zealand

(About local Monse)

1 December 2024

Monse was a wonderful tour guide. Very knowledgeable and fun to talk to. Would highly recommend. Fabulous tour

Roxana🇦🇷 Argentina

(About local Lucy)

21 November 2024

We hace such a wonderfull time with Lucy!!!! I highly recommend her. We learned a lot about Kanazawa!! Thanks again Lucy. Lucy is amaizing!!!

Claudia🇳🇱 Netherlands

(About local Lucy)

9 November 2024

Lucy was an amazing guide: knowledgable, personable and completely flexible to work with our interests and our pace. It didn’t feel like having a tour guide but like a local friend by your side. She was able to answer all our questions, give us a bit of background on Japanese history, tell us interesting and relevant facts about the parts of Kanazawa we explored and also enlighten us about her experiences of living in Japan. It was great to have all this in fluent German and English! Would definitely recommend booking a tour with Lucy when you arrive in Kanazawa as this intro to the city helped us plan the remainder of our (too short) time there. Thank you Lucy!!What a wonderful way to explore Kanazawa

Elena🇺🇸 United States

(About local Monse)

21 October 2024

After our private tour with Monse my wife said, "was it really just 2 hours?". It felt much longer, because we managed to see so many places and discuss so many things. Monse is a de facto expat who came to Kanazawa 5 years ago for a PhD program and learned Japanese - in addition to her native Spanish and a very good English. As such, she is both insider and outsider with respect to the city as well as Japanese culture. She has lived there (and studied history, religion and customs in addition to her main field - biology) enough to know how things are, but she also conveys a flavor of amusement that makes the tour so much more engaging. Very energetic and engaging

Helen

(About local Selda)

17 October 2024

Had a great experience with Chriselda as our guide! Even before we met, she provided us with some helpful tips. Chriselda was very knowledgeable about the history of Kanazawa and took us to areas that we would have missed if we did it on our own. I mentioned that I wanted to try a specific dish and she went the extra mile and called the restaurant to try book. From beginning to end communication was great. Thank you for the wonderful tour Chriselda! Kanazawa was definitely one of my favorite cities. Highlight of my Trip

Bruna

(About local Monse)

11 October 2024

We had very little time in Kanazawa and were lucky to get a time with Monse. She met us early in the morning and gave us such a rich tour, we were impressed. We’ve been in Japan for over 10 days and had other 3 privately guided tours that were very disappointing. Monse is sweet, energetic, fun and highly knowledgeable about Kanazawa. After the tour we followed many of the tips she gave us and had an amazing time throughout the day! Highly recommend booking with her 😃Best tour guide experience in 10 days

Eulália

(About local Lucy)

1 October 2024

We would highly recommend Lucy as your guide in Kanazawa. Lucy was very informative and friendly. It was a pleasure to visit the city through her eyes.Lovely lady in a lovely city

Rainer

(About local Monse)

6 June 2024

Thx for a wonderfull Tour. Danke für eine wundervolle Tour. Monse is the pefect Guide, thx for allPerfect Tour

Heiko

(About local Lucy)

1 June 2024

Wir hatten die City Kickstart Tour mit Lucy kurzfristig gebucht. Wir hatten viel Spaß, da sie während der Tour nicht nur das Geschichtliche erzählt hat, sondern auch viel Freiraum für Fragen gelassen hat und wir so auch viel über das Leben in Japan erfahren konnte. Da sie schon länger in Japan lebt, konnte sie auch viele kleine Anekdoten aus dem täglichen Leben erzählen. Die Kommunikation war im Vorfeld und nach der Tour super und sie hat uns auch Tips gegeben, was wir alleine noch in Kanazawa machen können. So hatten wir den perfekten Einstieg für unseren Aufenthalt.

Bernd🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Lucy)

1 May 2024

Booking a last-minute tour in the picturesque city of Kanazawa could have been daunting, but Lucy made it an absolute breeze. Within minutes of our spontaneous request, she confirmed our tour for the same day, setting the tone for an efficient and welcoming experience. During our two-hour guided tour, Lucy expertly navigated us through Kanazawa's key attractions, laying a perfect groundwork for our four-day visit. Lucy’s knowledge of the city shone brightly as she introduced us to the local craftsmen and their exquisite skills, particularly in gold manufacturing—a highlight that brought the unique culture of Kanazawa to life. Her passion for the city's heritage was contagious, making every moment engaging and educational. What truly set Lucy apart was her willingness to extend her hospitality beyond the tour. She stayed in touch, offering invaluable recommendations that enhanced our stay significantly. Her tips were not only thoughtful but tailored to our interests, showcasing her dedication and personal touch. In summary, our experience with Lucy was nothing short of remarkable. Her professionalism, deep local knowledge, and genuine care for her guests deserve a 10/10 rating. We would enthusiastically recommend her to anyone visiting Kanazawa and are eager to explore more with her in the future.Exceptional Tour !

Anke🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Lucy)

24 April 2024

Wir haben mit Lucy gleich nach dem Eintreffen in Kanazawa eine zweistündige Tour gemacht. In der kurzen Zeit haben wir das Wichtigste und mehr erfahren und einen guten ersten Überblick über die Stadt mit ihren Sehenswürdigkeiten bekommen. Es hat sehr viel Spaß gemacht. Zudem haben wir jede Menge Tipps darüber hinaus bekommen. Gerne hätten wir einen so kompetenten und herzlichen Guide auch in anderen Städten gehabt. erkenntnisreiche, herzliche Tour

Maximilian

(About local Lucy)

25 March 2024

Super Guide - ausgezeichnete Führung

Alberto🇺🇸 United States

(About local Lucy)

11 March 2024

Lucy was a great host! She made sure we visited the most important sites and taught us the history of the region while walking through several points of interest. Don't hesitate to book the experience!Amazing experience

Arne🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Lucy)

5 November 2023

Die Führung mit Lucy war ebenso ein unvergessliches und tolles Erlebnis wie auch die Organisation und Flexibilität während der kurzfristigen Anfragephase. Der Zugang zu den vielen Details und Informationen wär uns ohne Lucys Fachwissen wohl nicht ansatzweise möglich gewesen. Das große geschichtliche Hintergrundwissen von Lucy war ebenso beeindruckend wie die Stadtviertel und der Besuch den Samurai-Hauses. Liebe Lucy, An dieser Stelle auch nochmals unser herzlicher Dank für deine Zeit und deine tollen Insights. Liebe Grüße ArneSpannende Stadtführung mit vielen Insights

Gabby🇺🇸 United States

(About local Raphaël)

7 June 2025

We had only 2 days in Kanazawa and booked Raphaël on a whim and I’m so glad we did. Raphaël took our requests seriously and filled our 3-hour tour with all things we wanted to see and do. He has a vast knowledge of Kanazawa and was able to answer most of our (many) questions. And if he didn’t know something, you knew he was going to look it up later for the next tour. Raphaël took us to the quieter parts of town and stopped by local artisan shops at my request. While Raphaël is not from Japan, you could tell how much he respects the culture and wants to learn as much about it as he can. At the end of the day, I would recommend Raphaël as a tour guide to anyone and wish we had more time with him. Highlight of Kanazawa

Jim🇺🇸 United States

(About local Monse)

6 June 2025

Our group of six was traveling through Japan in search of authentic, local experiences, and our time in Kanazawa with Monse was one of the highlights. She did an incredible job showing us the local scene, with fantastic restaurant picks and insight into the culture. Monse’s energy, warmth, and likable personality made the experience even more memorable. I highly recommend this tour—and especially Monse—to anyone looking to go beyond the typical tourist path. Monse, if you see this, I hope your presentation the next day went great!Great Local Experience

Helene🇨🇭 Switzerland

(About local Selda)

5 June 2025

Selda's knowledge, flexibility, and thoughtful attention to our interests made our tour in Kanazawa a memorable and insightful experience. We highly recommend her to anyone looking to explore the specificities of Kanazawa as well as the Japanese culture and history. Selda provided unique insights into the local life and history that truly enriched our understanding and appreciation of the area. Originally, we had planned for a tasting tour, but since we weren't very hungry and were particularly curious about samurai culture, Selda showed remarkable flexibility. She skillfully combined a light tasting experience in the samurai district with a visit to the Omicho Market. Selda informed us in advance that not all shops at the Omicho Market would be open on a Wednesday, but this turned out to be a positive experience. We discovered some incredible regional foods that we had never tried before, and the less crowded environment allowed us to enjoy our experience even more. She went above and beyond by helping us find a tour in Noto Island, despite the reduced activity due to the earthquake on January 1, 2024. Her assistance was invaluable and greatly appreciated!!! All inclusive: food, history and culture

Anne🇺🇸 United States

(About local Selda)

3 June 2025

Selda was very knowledgeable and accommodating. She walked us through the Samurai district and gave us lots of ideas about what to do in Kanazawa. Tried foods I never would have ordered which made the evening fun. However, only went to 2 restaurants and was not really a street food experience. Would have like to explore more locations and types of foods. Fun evening with Selda in Kanazawa

christine

(About local Raphaël)

2 June 2025

We recently had an enjoyable afternoon walking Kanazawa with Raphael, he is very knowledgeable about the history and obviously has a passion for the area We certainly learnt a lot of interesting things that you would not know or find if walking solo Thanks RaphaelKanazawa tour with Raphael

Corinna

(About local Lucy)

31 May 2025

Wir haben eine private 3-stündige Führung gebucht, nicht ganz billig, aber jeden Cent (Yen) wert. Egal, ob Gärten, Samuraihäuser oder die Viertel der Geishas - Lucy hat uns alles gezeigt und erklärt. Tolle Führung in Kultur und Geschichte

mjarmas5013

(About local Selda)

30 May 2025

We had a wonderful tour with Selda today. I felt like we covered so much of this wonderful city at a perfect pace. The combination of history, food, culture, gardens and personal insights was spot on. Highly recommend!Wonderful day

Alicia

(About local Lucy)

30 May 2025

Lucy was awesome. We had a few days in Kanazawa so Lucy was able to match our pace of what we wanted to see and if we wanted to stop at stores between locations. She is easy to chat with and loves the city. Highly recommend. Wonderful visit

Vladimir and Zena🇺🇸 United States

(About local Raphaël)

23 May 2025

Review We had a great time with Rafael touring Kanazawa. He gave us a wonderful introduction to the history of Kanazawa, showing around Higashi Chaya District, but also giving us some ideas and highlights for visiting Kenroku-en garden, Kanazawa Castle, Naga-macho Buke Yashiki district, and sharing so many interesting stories and insights about the local history and past and present culture. We truly appreciated Rafael’s very personal and easy going attitude. Overall, a great experience. We liked Kanazawa before but liked even more after tour with Rafael. Highly recommended to anyone visiting the city!Great experience with Rafael in kanazawa

Valerie

(About local Raphaël)

22 May 2025

My husband and I had an incredible day with our tour guide, Raph, exploring Gokayama, Shirakawago, and Kanazawa. From start to finish, Raph made the experience smooth, engaging, and truly memorable. His English was perfect, which made communication easy and enjoyable. His deep knowledge of the area’s history, culture, and hidden gems added so much depth to our visit—he brought each site to life with fascinating stories and insights. Raph was also incredibly flexible, happily adjusting the pace and itinerary to match our interests and energy throughout the day. On top of that, he was personable, upbeat, and fun to be around—it felt like we were traveling with a friend who happened to know everything about the region. Highly recommend Raph to anyone looking for a meaningful, flexible, and enjoyable tour experience in Japan! Many thanks, Raph, for a delightful day!!Outstanding tour and overall wonderful day!

Louise

(About local Raphaël)

21 May 2025

We all loved out tour with Raphael. He worked around places we had already seen and customised the tour to take us to new places. He was full of information about Kanazawa and it was great to learn the background and history of places. I would definitely use Raphael again.Fun and Informative

Thomas 🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Raphaël)

19 May 2025

Raph gave us extensive information on Kanazawa, its religion and history. It was an entertaining tour and we would book Raph for sure again. We easily can recommend him as a formidable guide.Excellent knowledgable Tour

Kate

(About local Monse)

19 May 2025

On May 10 my friend & I spent a lovely few hours with Monse. She was very knowledgeable, friendly and took us on an interesting walk around the Samurai district before heading to the market. At our request, Monse found a restaurant serving delicious tempura for lunch. We finished off with a gold leaf sprinkled ice-cream and white strawberries. Absolutely recommend Withlocals !A wonderful way to see Kanazawa.

Jane🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Selda)

17 May 2025

Selda gave us a wonderful tour round Omicho market a few days ago. She found out what we like in advance and made the tour to suit us perfectly. She was knowledgeable about many different aspects of Japanese food and cuisine. We had such interest conversations with her about food and culture and we enjoyed our walk through the former geisha district also. Selda is a warm and friendly guide with excellent English. Wonderful introduction to Japanese food!

Julian🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Monse)

17 May 2025

We were really looking forward to our dinner tour with Monse and I must say that it certainly didn’t disappoint. Monse has high energy and she is very social - a perfect fit for a party of 4 Australians. She introduced us to some fabulous restaurants and we were able to enjoy Kanazawa food at its best. We would recommend Monse to anyone wanting to experience the best of Kanazawa. Fabulous evening hosted by Monse

Anthony

(About local Selda)

16 May 2025

Your was really good - covered a lot of historical information that is always appreciated when visiting new places. Selda clearly has a broad background and was able to answer all of our questions. Highly recommend. Awesome tour and ao knowledgeable

Unknown

(About local Lucy)

15 May 2025

Lucy gave us a very enjoyable guided walk around the Samurai and Geisha districts. She provided plenty of historical and contemporary background as we meandered through the historic areas.A great introduction to Kanazawa

Julian🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Lucy)

14 May 2025

This is our first trip to Kanazawa, although not our first trip to Japan. Lucy met us at our hotel and asked us if we had any particular things that we would like to see and do in Kanazawa. As per our request, she took us to both the Geisha and Samurai districts. Lucy was very friendly and easy to talk to. Her knowledge of the area was excellent and she made the whole experience both educational and enjoyable. She was exactly what we were looking for in a local expert. Our whole group of 4 were thrilled with the experience and we would have no hesitation in recommending Lucy to anyone interested in learning more about Kanazawa and the region in general.A Fabulous Day in Kanazawa

Roland

(About local Raphaël)

13 May 2025

Dear Raphael, in one day you made us love Kanazawa. We got to see all the historical places and had great food. Your explanations were very clear and interesting. Thank you again for this wonderful day. Cher Raphaël, en une seule journée, tu nous as fait découvrir Kanazawa. Nous avons pu découvrir tous les sites historiques et déguster d'excellents plats. Tes explications étaient très claires et intéressantes. Merci encore pour cette merveilleuse journée. Le groupe des six. A une prochaine fois.One day in Kazanawa

FELTS 🇫🇷 France

(About local Raphaël)

11 May 2025

Raphaèl est tres attentif à repondre à toutes les questions avec précision et anecdotes. Par son intermédiaire nous avons perçu la culture japonaise et découvert de bonnes adresses à Kanazawa.Approche sur mesure

Persa🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Selda)

8 May 2025

This was the first time I organised a private tour, totally appreciated it and will do it again. Selda was on time, helpful, easy-going & very informative & may I add very compromising when I mixed up the times. It was really worthwhile doing it this way. I would highly recommend!! A big thank you to Selda.Informative & relaxed

Stephen

(About local Raphaël)

5 May 2025

We highly recommend Raphael for tours in and around Kanazawa. My wife and I had a great day with Raphael touring the area around Kanazawa. Raphael is a charming and knowledgeable guide. He speaks English fluently (is a native French speaker) and is very comfortable speaking Japanese. He knows Kanazawa and the surrounding area very well, and is a curious and enthusiastic person. My wife has some dietary restrictions and Raphael was wonderful in helping us find good restaurants that could accommodate our needs. He was also really flexible and patient, and cheerfully made some changes in the planned schedule to suit our interests. We had a second day tour with Raphael, and when my wife wasn't feeling well, Raphael was very willing to pivot and the two of us changed our plan to include some hiking in the hills north of Kanazawa. Raphael has a very nice car that he uses for his day trip tours. Raphael was also really helpful in suggesting things we could do in Kanazawa on our own. We highly recommend Raphael. After a day together, we count him a friend and can't imagine a better guide to Kanazawa and area.Great day trip around Kanazawa with Raphael

Belen🇳🇱 Netherlands

(About local Selda)

4 May 2025

Don’t miss your chance of spending some hours with Selda exploring Kanazawa. It rained, we were late, one of us had just got sick and Selda was very quick suggesting how to best spend the time. We walked the Samurai and Geiko quarters, not only she knows a lot and shares it in really nice way, it just felt like walking and talking with someone you already know. Selda also gave me afterwards quite some practical info about next destinations. Would repeat any time and recommend her full heartedly. Don’t miss your chance!