• Private Tour
• Family Friendly
• Instantly Confirmed
• Carbon Neutral

Embark on a tranquil journey with our Kanazawa Garden Tour, where we'll meander through the town's most enchanting green havens. Join us for a serene stroll through some of the nicest gardens, as nature's beauty unfolds around every corner.

Destination

Kanazawa, Japan

Category

Art Culture Tours

Duration

4 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

Deutsch, English, Français

Excluded

• insurance
• entrance tickets
• transportation

What you can expect

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 Lucy.

1. Meeting point

   Meet at Ishiura Shrine - 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. D.T.Suzuki museum and Shofukaku garden

   This almost secret little garden is actually older than Kenroku-en and offers a perfect start in the day.

4. Kenrokuen

   Kenrokuen is said to be one of the three most beautiful gardens in Japan.

5. Castle Park

   Kanazawa Castle Park is also called the green heart of the city. A lot of animals, plants and water disperse throughout the city from here.

6. Gyokuseninmaru

   Gyokuseninmaru Garden is a charming traditional-style Landscape garden.

7. Oyama Shrine Garden

   The beautiful garden is also called "Music instrument garden".

8. Nomura House

   Its wonderful private garden awarded 2 stars in the Michelin green Guide.

9. 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.

I can personalize this tour for you

• Tell me your preferred date and group size
• Tell me your preferences and wishes so I can customize the tour for you
• Wait for my personal offer in your inbox!

Contact me

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

Michelle🇺🇸 United States

21 June 2024

Lucy has incredible knowledge of the area, The garden tour of Kanazawa was like taking a walk in the park with a close friend. She knows all the gardens very well, and gives insight in the rebuilding and shaping of the wonderful waterfalls and trees. Walk in the park with a friend.

Teo🇲🇽 Mexico

16 May 2024

Our guide had the knowledge and she is a charming person. The perfect bridge to understand the Japanese culture. Great experience

Simon🇬🇧 United Kingdom

8 May 2024

We had a great day with Lucy in Kanazawa. We customised the tour to mix gardens and the market, meet at our hotel, flex to watch gold leaf making and skirt areas we had already walked to spend more time in the gardens. On the way we learnt of life in Japan and tasted some great local food. At the end of the tour Lucy recommended a good spot to eat which has been our best meal in Japan so far. Thank you for a wonderful experience.Relaxed gardens and food in Kanazawa

Hans🇸🇪 Sweden

7 April 2024

If you are looking for an out-of-the-ordinary garden experience, we can strongly recommend this garden tour in Kanazawa with the multilingual guide Lucy who can handle English, French, German and Japanese. During the garden tour, you will visit both legendary Kenrokuen garden, the Nomura-Samurai Residence and it’s garden but also other smaller more intimate gardens. The focus is on how Japanese gardens are structured and their anchoring in Japanese history. The guide graphically describes how the creators of these gardens have used trees, moss, stones and water to portray Japanese tradition and history. To be able to experience all aspects of the gardens we visited, you probably must be able to handle stairs and slopes. However....as Lucy showed a high degree of flexibility, it is probably possible to tailor garden visits to suit everyone. We usually use guides when we travel to experience more and we can therefore say with certainty that this tour with the pleasant Lucy is well-invested time. Brostrom family Garden tour in Kanazawa - a must!

Steven

4 February 2025

We had a half day in Kanazawa, and spending a quiet and sunny winter morning strolling thru Kanazawa with Lucy was the perfect way to see Kanazawa. Lucy was informed and knowledgeable about the history and culture of this old city, and made it memorable for us. She was also quite accommodating, and adjusted the itinerary according to our early afternoon train. Given the rich history and traditions of this city, a tour with Lucy is a must to get the most of one’s visit to Kanazawa.Quiet morning stroll thru Kanazawa

Alex

19 January 2025

My husband and I spent a nice afternoon with Lucy. She was a great tour guide and was very knowledgeable about the history of Kanazawa, the arts and culture in Kanazawa and we also loved learning about her experience raising a family as a French woman in Japan. She took us to some great stops and also suggested a lovely museum And restaurant that we enjoyed after our tour with her. Thank you so much Lucy.A lovely afternoon strolling in Kanazawa

Janet🇺🇸 United States

18 January 2025

Lucy provided great insights about the history of Kanazawa and Japan, including customs of geisha and samurai life. Plus we saw aspects of current life such as the market and the contemporary art museum. It was a most enjoyable day, despite the cold and snowy weather.Great Day Exploring Kanazawa

julian.gooi

17 January 2025

Lucy was just great. Such a lovely person and so knowledgeable about Japan and Kanazawa. She put us all at ease right from the start and guided us through Kanazawa teaching us about the history and story of Kanazawa. I cannot recommend her enough. Thank you, Lucy. Simply fantastic

MaryAnne🇦🇺 Australia

12 January 2025

Lucy was a fantastic local host. It was terrible weather on the day of our 4hr tour but we took our time and learnt so much from her. Very knowledgeable insights into the Kanazawa way of life, then and now. We really enjoyed our time and were able to go back to visit some of our highlights again the next day. Highly recommend Lucy. Great local insights

Rachel🇺🇸 United States

30 December 2024

Lucy was a great guide for an 8 hour tour and our family of 5 (college and high school kids) had a great experience. She is from France originally and has lived here for 6 years and has an interesting perspective of what life is like and a very thorough understanding of history of the area. She is thoughtful and very intelligent and we really enjoyed her in-depth explanation of many aspects of the city: garden, geisha life, sumarai, castle, gold leaf craft, craft museum, ninja museum. Weather was rainy and cold but the 8 hours flew by since we were all very interested in what she showed us and this beautiful and interesting cityReally great day of Kanazawa exploration

Amy

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

Louise🇦🇺 Australia

17 December 2024

Lucy was excellent, ensuring we explored and discovered many hidden places of Kanazawa that we probably would not have found ourselves and if we did happen to stumble across them, we wouldn't know or understand what we were looking at. She was very good at tailoring the tour to our areas of interest and being a local was able to share interesting insights about life, culture and history of Kanazawa. We thoroughly enjoyed and would highly recommend. Hidden Gems of Kanazawa

Megan

15 December 2024

Lucy was great! We were a large group with a huge age range (5-79), and one person who couldn’t walk far distances. She worked very hard to find a place that would accommodate us all (the day after Christmas no less!) but that would also us to try the local cuisine. Although we were not able to do the traditional food walking tour- we nonetheless had a wonderful time and got to experience local Kanazawan foods.A taste of Kanazawa

Allyson🇦🇺 Australia

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!

stuckik

24 November 2024

Lucy was a very good guide. She showed us lots of interesting sights in Kanazawa and told us background information about them. We enjoyed our time with her very much.Very pleasant experience

Roxana🇦🇷 Argentina

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!!!

Vivien

15 November 2024

We very much enjoyed having Lucy as our guide. Lucy is very knowledgeable and gave us an excellent overview of Kanazawa. We would highly recommend a tour with herInteresting tour

Claudia🇳🇱 Netherlands

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

Duayna🇺🇸 United States

8 November 2024

We asked Lucy to take us to see two Geisha Disitricts and the Samuri District before we did our foodie thing. She did. While on the tour she gave us considerable historical and legendary context on the three districts. We would have never had this perspective without her input. While in one of the Geisha Districts we also "popped into" a Saki shop and sampled 6 different kinds. Yum! By the way, it was pouring rain almost the entire time but we still had a great time. After visiting the Samuri District we went to dinner. This restaurant she picked was not a touristy spot but a traditional local favorite - that often was fully booked - we were lucky to get in. She chose so many amazing dishes it's hard to cover. I tried several dishes I would never have without a knowledgible person to guide me - the rest of our small group did too. If you're heading to Kanazawa give Lucy a try and let her know what other interests you have for your stay before you get there. She reviewed our itinerary for the next day said it was good and gave us a couple of pointers too. I'd certainly have her take us around should I ever go again. We're a "mature" group of four - if you are too I'd advise you to take a cab if you're going from the Geisha Districts to the Samuri Districts. We walked it with no trouble but we wouldn't have missed anything by taking a cab. Great Afternoon/Evening With Lucy

Christine🇩🇪 Germany

7 November 2024

Auf unserer Japanrundreise mit mehreren Stadtführungen, war der Rundgang durch Kanazawa mit Lucy das Beste!!! Wir haben viel über das Leben in der Stadt erfahren und wir besichtigten alle historischen Stadtteile. Sie hat alle Fragen von uns beantwortet. Danke Lucy ;))Das Beste was uns passiert ist

Andree🇩🇪 Germany

29 October 2024

Da wir eine kleine Tour (3 Stunden) in deutscher Sprache mit Lucy gebucht haben werde ich auch in deutsch schreiben. Lucy war pünktlich an unserem Hotel in Kanazawa. Wir haben uns sofort gut verstanden. Unsere Tour führte durch zwei Geisha-Viertel wobei Lucy uns viel über Vergangenheit und Gegenwart erzählte. Wir schlenderten durch die Gartenanlage von Kanazawa Castle und spazierten durch das Samurai-Viertel. Wir waren so in der Lage am nächsten Tag individuell auf eigene Faust durch Kanazawa zu streichen. Wir besuchten das Innere der Burg, waren auf einem Sake-Fest (auf das uns Lucy hinwies) und haben uns ein echtes Samurai-Haus angesehen. Am Abend hatten wir ein tolles Abendessen im PlatHome (unbedingt vorher reservieren...). Vielen Dank, Lucy... wir kommen wieder... :-)Kanazawa Tour mit Lucy

Karsten

28 October 2024

Die Tour mit Lucy war die beste unserer Japanreise. Sie hat uns zu allen interessanten Spots von Kanazawa geführt und mit interessanten Details und Hintergründen versorgt. Lucy berücksichtigte unser Wünsche und beantwortete unsere vielen Fragen ausführlich. Aus die, die sich eher generell um Japan und das Leben dort drehten. Besser geht es nicht! Vielen Dank, Lucy,Ein tolles Erlebnis

Amy🇺🇸 United States

26 October 2024

Lucy was amazing. We loved her and wish she could go with us everywhere. The tour itself was very informative and provided us with lots of history, information and anecdotes. The pace was perfect, our many questions were answered thoughtfully and with detail. It was all around great!The best

Vadim

26 October 2024

We’ve booked our tour at the very last moment after having already arrived at Kanazawa. It was a wise move, as Lucy turned out to be an outstanding guide. We especially appreciated her mother naught into everyday life in the city and enjoyed the noodle house she recommended for lunch.Excellent Kanazawa walk with Lucy

Simone🇮🇹 Italy

19 October 2024

Lucy has been a dependable, punctual, trustworthy guide for our first time in Kanazawa. She gave us an amazing idea if the history of the town as well as sharing a deep insight of the present customs and habits of modern Japanese people. She is an amazing guide, prepared and so easy to talk to. Wonderful experience, absolutely recommended!Walking tour in Kanazawa, 18 Oct 2024

Pierre🇦🇺 Australia

19 October 2024

Lucy was great and gave us a great tour in the historical Kanazawa. Lucy gave us great insights and tips. CheersSamurai and Geisha in Kanazawa

Unknown

11 October 2024

We had a great time on our private tour with Lucy. She was patient and answered all of our questions. We highly recommend her as a great alternative to a mainstream guide option. A good experience!

Veronika

6 October 2024

I absolutely loved my tour with Lucy around the ateliers of Kanazawa, discovering local arts and crafts, and understanding a bit more the culture and history of the city. Lucy is very knowledgeable and kind and she shared a lot of tips of places to see during my stay in Kanazawa that made my visit very special. I will come back and see more of this beautiful place. Many thanks again ✨Amazing arts and crafts tour

Larry🇺🇸 United States

4 October 2024

Lucy was our guide to Kanazawa. We are so happy we booked the tour and that Lucy was our guide. We went to all the historic neighborhoods and Lucy put everything in historical context. We never would have seen all we did and understood what we were seeing without Lucy’s guidance. She was fun to be with, flexible and totally committed to giving the best tour possible. I would recommend the tour to anyone visiting Kanazawa. Thanks Lucy for such a full and fun day. Our Fantastic All-Day Tour woth Lucy!

Rebecca

3 October 2024

Lucy was simply amazing. As well as guiding around the highlights of Kanazawa, her knowledge of and respect for Japanese history, and her insights into modern-day Japanese culture, were so valuable. She also followed up after the tour with some great local restaurant recommendations. Lucy’s tour was one of the top highlights of our 3 week trip and we would urge anyone visiting Kanazawa to join her!Absolutely loved this tour with lucy

Eulália

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

Felicity

25 September 2024

Lucy contacted us beforehand to make sure we were happy with her proposed itinerary. She met us at the station and took us downtown by bus before we visited the famous market, the Samurai area (including an old Samurai house), the castle and the beautiful Kenrokuen Gardens. Lucy was extremely knowledgeable about the history of Japan - especially the Samurai period and clearly had come to love the garden in all of its seasons. She was extremely good company and pitched all aspects of the tour to our requirements. It was a wonderful experience.A wonderful experience

Daniela

13 September 2024

" It was a wonderful tour. Our Tourguide Lucy was very Knowledgeable and made sure that the experience was designed for us. We loves it "Wonderful day in Kanazawa

Klaudia🇩🇪 Germany

12 September 2024

Die Tour mit Lucy war ganz toll, genau das was wir uns vorgestellt haben: sehr persönlich, informativ und kurzweilig. Wir haben sehr viel über Kanazawa erfahren, über Japan allgemein, über historische Details, aber auch über das Leben hier und jetzt. Es war als hätten wir eine Freundin besucht, die viel zu erzählen hat.:-) Sehr zu empfehlen! Absolure Empfehlung

Stacey🇺🇸 United States

5 September 2024

Lucy was so informative. We have her for 2 different tours. One was a 3 hour food tour, and then we had a 6 hour tour of Kanazawa the next day. Both tours were great and we saw so many things that we would have never seen if we did not have a guide. She also gave us some wonderful dinner recommendations at restaurants and one of them was our best meal yet in Japan. I highly recommend Lucy.Great Tour with a Great Tour Guide

Andre🇩🇪 Germany

17 August 2024

It was an awesome experience! We really enjoyed the time and learned a lot about Kanazawa and Japan overall. Very friendly guide which gave a lot of information and fully adapted to our interests. 100% recommended. Thank you Lucy!Best guide we ever had

Kathy

5 August 2024

Our tour guide made contact on What’s App as soon as we booked to arrange to meet and set our itinerary. I had to rearrange and she was very flexible . Our tour was interesting-our guide was knowledgeable and charming and we really enjoyed our tour. I would highly recommend ! Happy hosting!Great tour with Lucy

Gabriella🇺🇸 United States

6 June 2024

We spent a full day with Lucy exploring Kanazawa. She was knowledgeable, friendly, and super accommodating (which was particularly important because we were traveling with an infant). I also loved hearing about her experience living as an expat in Kanazawa - highly recommend!Thank You, Lucy!

Heiko

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.

Bojan

30 May 2024

Had a great time with Lucy. Talking about her experiences in Japan and learning a lot about the culture. The food was great to. Tried a lot of things I wouldn't have on my own. Definitely recommended the experience!Good chat and food

Pamela

28 May 2024

" Great 1/2 day tour with Lucy in Kanazawa. I enjoyed the stories of the history of Kanazawa as well as Lucy being a European adapting to life in Japan. The gardens were outstanding and Lucy made them come to life by pointing out the symbolism and the important points as well as the care taken in developing and maintaining the gardens. She pointed out spots off the beaten path as well as the well-known highlights of the area. It was a very enjoyable experience that I highly recommend. " Half day in Kanazawa

Dani.B

27 May 2024

"It was amazing to experience a real Hanami in Japan. Lucy provided many information that helped us to understand the local culture better and together we enjoyed the best food Kanazawa has to offer"Kanazawa Cherry Blossom Experience

Sunil🇮🇳 India

26 May 2024

We were a family group of six. I initially was hesitant of hiring a foreigner rather than a local, but went ahead anyway. Good choice as Lucy, who has been there five years, knows the history well. More important, she was accommodating in changing the sights to suit my needs. She was punctual, smiling, helpful and even overstayed her allotted time to show us an antique shop. We saw a lot that day and had aching legs. I applaud her for doing this tedious task involving such exhaustive energy daily. Best wishes, Lucy. What an amazing tour guide. We

Jacques F

15 May 2024

"The Kanazawa highlights tour with Lucy was a delightful journey through the city's history and culture, making it a memorable experience that we will never forget." Outstanding experience in Kanazawa

Jennifer K

15 May 2024

Whether you're a garden enthusiast or simply seeking tranquility, the garden tour with Lucy is a must-do in Kanazawa. Highly recommended!Kanazawa Garden Tour

Rita H.

12 May 2024

We did a full day tour in Kanawaza with our guide Lucy. We thoroughly enjoyed our day. Our guide was excellent and we had great fun with her. She really cared for our needs and took us around all the main sights. She gave us a real perspective of the city and its people. We definitely recommend her. Wonderful day with an excellent guide

Patrick N.

9 May 2024

" Lucy was a great guide! Very informative, knowledgeable, and friendly. "Kanazawa: Private Food Tasting Walking Tour

Maddalena D

4 May 2024

" Lucy was an excellent tour guide during our visit to Kanazawa. She fit in a lot of sights while also making it feel unhurried and relaxed. We had plenty of time for questions and general conversation about living in Japan, which gave us a good insight into Japanese culture. It was a great way to get a lay of the land on our first day so we could confidently explore on our own for the rest of our stay in Kanazawa. " A Half Day In Kanazawa With A Local: Private & Personalized

Bernd🇩🇪 Germany

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 !

Franz🇦🇹 Austria

27 April 2024

Lucy is incredibly well versed in not Kanazawa but generally in japanese history and culture and can casually explain all I ever wanted to know about this wonderful and fantastic country. I had a great time exploring the city with her and can recommend the experience when you are interested in learning about the rich culture.Great time in Kanazawa