• Private Tour
• Instantly Confirmed
• Carbon Neutral

Want to see the best of Kyoto? We got you covered. But as you can expect from a Withlocals experience, the real excitement is its hidden gems. Join your favorite local and get a feeling of the city's real vibe on a tour that has it all, so you can say: I experienced the real Kyoto!

Destination

Kyoto, Japan

Category

City Highlight Tours

Duration

3 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

English, 日本語, 中文, Italiano, Español, العربية, Français

Included

• Private Guide
• Entrance Tickets to the Kodaji Temple
• 1 Local Drink or Snack
• All Withlocals Tours are Carbon Neutral

Excluded

• Entrance to other attractions than mentioned

What you can expect

Choose your local

Get to know these 11 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 the Minamiza Theatre, next to Gion Shijo station - 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. City Highlights

   See from Yasaka-Jinja Shrine, Gion Area, Kodaji Temple, and other landmarks and must-sees of the city. Your local host will take you to the main spots in town so you can get the perfect overview of what makes Kyoto so unique

4. Hidden Gems

   Along the way, your local host will show you treasures hidden in plain sight that only the locals know about. Get to know the city through a different perspective, the local way, and discover places and stories that not many tourists experience

5. Magical Storytelling

   Behind every landmark and every stop, there’s a story, and your local host is ready to tell it all. Get ready to listen to incredible stories, one-of-a-kind insights, and fun facts only a knowledgeable local would know!

6. Special Treat

   Follow your host to one of their favorite eateries for a snack or a drink beloved by the locals. Take a break and catch up with your new local friend and get the answers to all your travel 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

Ray🇮🇪 Ireland

(About local Tiro)

7 June 2025

As soon as you meet Tiro you can see he is a nice person, very comfortable in his role as guide. He also has huge passion for Japanese history and culture. We had a great afternoon and learned so much. It is a wonderful thing to do and you can see that there is such a difference between a personalised tour versus ambling around yourself Wonderful tour in Kyoto

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!

Matt🇺🇸 United States

(About local RYUKI )

27 May 2025

Ryuki was a great guide for our 3 hour tour of the Gion area of Tokyo. He took a group of 5 adults (23-56) and kept us entertained and informed while showing us memorable shrines, hidden gems and the Geiko region of Gion. We even had time to stop for delicious cherry blossom ice cream - highly recommended!Great tour with Ryuki

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

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

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!

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

Antonio🇵🇹 Portugal

(About local Eiji)

3 May 2025

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!

Marieve

(About local Tiro)

1 May 2025

Highly recommend Tiro!! We had a great time with Tiro between historical/spiritual explanations and fun moments!! Tiro is an amazing guide very knowledgeable! He brought us around shrines, temples and hot spots as we asked him!! Thank you so much for all the tips and tricks!! It really worth having a guide in Kyoto more than in other cities!! Amazing & Deep experience

Franca

(About local Eiji)

1 May 2025

We really enjoyed our walk with Eiji through Gion and surrounding areas. He was very friendly and knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. However the tour was called Hidden Gems, but we only visited the main tourist attractions in the area. Enjoyable walk!

Aaron🇺🇸 United States

(About local Yoshihiro)

30 April 2025

We had a wonderful tour with Ted; he kept us away from the crazy crowds and brought us to some wonderful sites. He also went out of his way to send us messages several weeks before our trip to recommend a Geisha show, which was wonderful. Ted is a Hidden Gem!

Gavin🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Sebastian)

30 April 2025

Our family really enjoyed the walking tour with Sebastian. He was very knowledgable and engaging, shared interesting insights and stories to help provide more context for the various places we visited. He was also very patient and adaptable (we have 3 daughters aged 13, 11 and 5 so we needed to accommodate different needs during the tour!). Thank you Sebastian! Great walking tour of Kyoto

Jeff & Debby🇺🇸 United States

(About local RYUKI )

27 April 2025

Ryuki was a very knowledgeable guide that showed us the all the important sites with explanations of what we were viewing. He knew all the best sites for the perfect photo opportunities. He was able to answer all of our questions and picked out a great place for some local snacks and gave good recommendations on other not miss sites in Kyoto. Highly recommended guide

Repa🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Sebastian)

25 April 2025

Our tour of Kyoto with Sebastian was very interactive and engaging. He's very knowledgeable about Japanese culture more broadly and Kyoto culture in particular. Very knowledgeable

Debbie

(About local Shohei)

24 April 2025

Early walk through old Kyoto which was beautiful & atmospheric. Stunning but peaceful gardens, awesome temples, a way of living at one with nature & your environment. Loved it all. Even got an amazing coffee! Shohei brought great perspectives, charm & fun.Kyoto at its best 👌

Julia🇯🇵 Japan

(About local RYUKI )

24 April 2025

We had a fantastic tour with Ryuki today! He is truly a local who knows his history and was full of helpful recommendations for what to do during our remaining days in Kyoto. He also helped us with ideas for the rest of our Japan trip. And, he took great photos :) We would highly recommend him!!!An AMAZING tour with Ryuki!

Rikard🇸🇪 Sweden

(About local Shohei)

23 April 2025

We met this nice guy and had three wonderful hours full with interesting stories about Kyoto’s history combined with modern life in Japan. Shohei is very knowledgeable about history and presented it in a relaxed way. Thanks for a memorable afternoon AoRInteresting and relaxed

Andrew🇨🇦 Canada

(About local Eiji)

21 April 2025

Naomi

(About local Shohei)

21 April 2025

We were a group of adults and teenage boys. Before we left for Japan I was in touch with Shohei about the tour. He always responded promptly and was flexible about what the tour was going to cover. Shohei was knowledgeable and fun. He was able to enagage both the teenagers and adults. As well as the tour he gave useful advice about other things we might want to do in Kyoto, given our interests. They all proved to be spot on. We planned to do a day trip from Kyoto. He gave us advice about how to navigate the trains and buses. We couldn't have done the day trip without his help!

Nani and Manuel🇨🇭 Switzerland

(About local Yoshihiro)

20 April 2025

Ted was incredibly kind, polite, and warm-hearted. He shared so many interesting stories and facts with us, and his passion made everything even more special. We truly enjoyed our time with him – such a lovely person!History of Kyoto with Ted

Heather

(About local Guia)

20 April 2025

Guia gave us a wonderful tour in Kyoto - she was warm and personable. She was very knowledgeable and we learned a lot. The kids are still bringing up things they learned from Guia today on the tour. Guia was deft at giving a tour that met the needs of an age range of 11 yrs old to 54 years old. Guia is the perfect tour guide

Elena🇨🇭 Switzerland

(About local Shohei)

19 April 2025

Shohei is a wonderful person and guide. He is is positive and knowledgeable person. We spend nice . It was really interesting to listen his stories. Highly recommended!Amazing

Darren🇺🇸 United States

(About local Yoshihiro)

18 April 2025

Just want to send a shout out to Ted. We booked a simple walking tour with him on our first morning in Kyoto. Weather was great, sakura were still in bloom, and luckily the crowds weren't too big. To top it off, Ted did a great job of providing context to us as we walked through Gion, Chionin Temple, and Maruyama Park, ending at the Yasaka Shrine. He then dropped us off at a nice soba and tempura restaurant, which the family was craving. Wish we could've done/seen a little more within the tour, but that's probably a good indicator. Not to mention the next two days in Kyoto our kids were asking if we were going to bump into Ted again and were actively looking through the crowds for him =). Great first Kyoto experience with the fam

Unknown

(About local Shohei)

16 April 2025

Had an amazing experience with Shohei, learnt a lot from him. It was a fun & engaging tour. Highly recommended

Sarah

(About local Eiji)

16 April 2025

Eiji was fantastic. He took us to see a few temples of Kyoto and expertly guided us through the streets, stopping off for some street food along the way. He was very kind and patient with our kids (nearly 3, 6 and 8) who aren’t always the easiest! He was informative and friendly and easy to talk to, explaining to us about the many temples of Kyoto, pointing out details like the little gargoyle protectors on houses. He took some great photos of us which he sent us right after the trip and gave us some tips for a rainy day. It was lovely to meet him and spend that time exploring with a guide - especially as we visited at a busy time and we would have struggled to navigate it all. Thank you so much Eiji! Brilliant guide of Kyoto

Samantha

(About local Shohei)

15 April 2025

We loved the tour with Shohei. He was knowledgeable, interesting and humorous. Would highly recommend him as a guide. Great tour in Kyoto

Michael

(About local RYUKI )

15 April 2025

Ryuki, was a late stand-in for our selected guide Guia who was unavailable for our tour. Ryuki was an enthusiastic tour guide who introduced us to some hidden gems of Kyoto around the Gion region. He is a local born guy who had some interesting facts and history of the area and the sights we visited. It was a wet day but we pressed on and saw Kodaiji Temple, Yasaka Shrine where we were introduced to the prayer technique of a Shrine vs a Temple. We passed through Shimokawaracho area and the bamboo gardens. Ryuki, took many photos for us which used techniques on the iPhone that were new to us - with some impressive results. The stroll down Ninen-zaka Path was colourful in the rain and passed the Hokan-ji Temple. In all an interesting introduction to some of the history and culture of Kyoto. Thank you Ryuki Interesting introduction to Kyoto

Renarta🇯🇵 Japan

(About local Yoshihiro)

11 April 2025

Ted was very flexible with our tour given our children and showed us some key sights of Kyoto. He also shared some great recommendations for later in our trip. Lovely host

Dmitri🇺🇸 United States

(About local Yoshihiro)

7 April 2025

Ted was great. Knowlegeable, easy going, great with our kids. Someone you want to spend the day sightseeing with.Quality time

Katie

(About local Yoshihiro)

5 April 2025

Ted was punctual and very good at communicating prior to our tour. He gave us detailed information on the tour about Kyoto and the history and cultural events. Plus, he felt like a friend and was so kind and courteous and went above and beyond to help us figure out some plans for that evening and the next day. Ted went above and beyond!

Anna

(About local Eiji)

1 April 2025

We had the most amazing tour of Kyoto with Eiji! Eiji is such an attentive and captivating guide. He brought us in hidden treasure places, and sure knows Kyoto and its history like no one else. On top of that: he took the most amazing pictures of us during the entire tour so we have nice memories. Thank you so much Eiji ! Enchanting Kyoto visit with Eiji

John

(About local Shohei)

27 March 2025

We spent a wonderful afternoon with Shohei in historic Kyoto. He was very conscious of our mobility issues and found easy paths, steps and stairs for us to navigate. Although he has a deep knowledge of the city and the sites we visited he was able to keep his presentation at an easily understood level. Altogether, a perfect host.

Stacey🇺🇸 United States

(About local Shohei)

27 March 2025

We had a very enjoyable morning touring the historic area of Kyoto. Shohei tailored our tour to our group of five - my husband and I and our three adult sons. He peppered our tour with so much interesting history and alerted us to hidden details all throughout the tour. He also shared his recommendations of where we should go after the tour (restaurants, coffee places etc) We highly recommend him to English-speaking groups. Shohei hit it out of the park!

Matt🇺🇸 United States

(About local Shohei)

26 March 2025

Shohei was a great tour guide and was extremely knowledgeable on the history of the temples we saw. His knowledge is the exact reason you would book a tour like this. It’s one thing to walk an area or temple and look around, it’s another thing to listen to the history or how and why they exist. I’d highly recommend booking with Shohei. Fantastic tour

Pam

(About local Shohei)

25 March 2025

Our tour with Shohei was wonderful. We learned so much about the history and culture of the city and really appreciated his guidance through the temples and shrines of the area. He also gave us some great tips on things to check out on our own!Beautiful day in Kyoto

Bridget

(About local Shohei)

21 March 2025

Shohei was a fabulous guide. He was relaxed and easy to relate to but had a plan and method to make the most of our time. He speaks English and related well with us adults and our teen daughter. He shared great insights and pointed out interesting details that helped us better appreciate the sights we visited. Most importantly, he seemed to know all the secret ways to enter VERY busy sights where there was little to no traffic and very few people. We called it the Shohei Way and looked for ways to do the same thing the rest of our trip! Lastly, he shared lots of tips for the rest of our travels, including restaurant recommendations! Thank you Shohei! The Shohei Way

Unknown

(About local Yoshihiro)

17 March 2025

Had so much fun with Yoshihiro. Kind, energetic, and informative. He led us through a lovely day in Kyoto. Would recommend to anyone. Great tour!

Erich🇦🇹 Austria

(About local Yoshihiro)

10 March 2025

Ted was a perfect host on our tour. He was well prepared and told us a lot of stories about Kyoto‘s history and Japan’s religions. He is so polite and helped us with our further plans in and around Kyoto.Wonderful experience in Kyoto

Janet

(About local Yoshihiro)

9 March 2025

We spent a wonderful afternoon with Ted who is interesting, funny and very thoughtful. He went above and beyond in helping us get to know and feel at home in Kyoto. In addition to a great tour he was very gracious in providing recommendations and helpful tips. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with him and very highly recommend!Fantastic tour witj Yoshihiro (Ted!)

Kristyn

(About local Shohei)

1 March 2025

Shohei is a great story teller with a lot of knowledge about shrines in Kyoto. Since it was our second time in Kyoto, he did a good job showing us hidden gems that were new to us. If you would like him to take photos of your group, you will definitely have to ask in contrast to other With Locals guides I’ve experienced who are on top of this themselves. Kyoto Storytelling

Paula🇺🇸 United States

(About local Shohei)

26 February 2025

Sho was an amazing tour guide. He was good at communicating and was flexible when we were running late. The 3 hours flew by and we learned so much about Kyoto. Sho was very knowledgeable but also honest about if he didn’t know an answer to a question. We highly recommend taking a tour with Sho and wouldn’t hesitate to do another one with him!One of the best tours!

Henry

(About local Yoshihiro)

26 February 2025

We cannot recommend Ted highly enough. His knowledge and enthusiasm was ever-present throughout our tour. He had clearly given much thought to the structure and content of the tour and was also very eager to know what we wanted out of the morning, and our time in Kyoto more generally. 10/10Fantastic morning in Kyoto

E

(About local Yoshihiro)

24 February 2025

Yoshi was very knowledgeable about both authentic Japanese culture, how it related to modern culture (both theater and movies), and gave great recommendations for local restaurants and shops that were both authentic and a good value. We love to support locals, during travels, and this was a great experience! Would highly recommend to anybody who comes to Japan.Amazing local experience

Robin🇫🇷 France

(About local Shohei)

20 February 2025

Our family of 4 (kids are 10&12) had a great walk with Shohei. He was very knowledgeable about the history of Kyoto and the Japanese culture, and even the kids stayed engaged. We really enjoyed seeing the temples and historical parts of town. We love tours with the WithLocals guides and our tour with Shohei was no exception. Our snack stop for matcha 🍵 cappuccinos and mochi was delicious. Thanks 🙏 for a wonderful experience!Great tour for history and culture

Reid🇺🇸 United States

(About local Yoshihiro)

16 February 2025

Yoshihiro (or Ted to us Americans) is an excellent and knowledgable guide. He gave us a comprehensive view of Buddhist, Shinto, and secular traditions in Kyoto, has wide ranging knowledge of the city's art and history, and showed us the culture on a deeper level than most guides. He's also a very pleasant and fun guy. He also led us to an great tempura restaurant after and gave us some nice recommendations for other parts of our trip. I would highly recommend Ted to anyone visiting Kyoto.Great Experience with Ted