• Private Tour
• Instantly Confirmed
• Carbon Neutral

You’ve probably heard that Kyoto is well-known for its Geishas and Traditions, but do you know the stories and origin behind it? Or how much influence it has on the locals daily life? On this private city tour, you are in for a cultural treat!

Destination

Kyoto, Japan

Category

City Highlight Tours

Duration

2.5 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

English, العربية, Français, 日本語

Included

• Private Guide
• 1 Local Drink
• 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 In front of statue of Izumo no Okuni - 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. Culture of the City

   On this private tour, you’ll experience and discover Kyoto through its culture. Whether it’s focused on a tradition, a special part of town with a story to tell, cultural beliefs, or around a cultural activity that shaped the city into what it is - this tour will be a cultural awakening you can’t miss!

4. Geishas and Traditions in Kyoto

   Your tour will focus on Geishas and Traditions, a very important cultural subject in Kyoto. Thanks to your local host, you’ll learn and see how Geishas and Traditions made an impact in Kyoto, making you experience the city from a different perspective.

5. Cultural Highlights

   As you deep dive into the subject of your tour, you’ll make stops to visit unique spots that will give you a full picture of the city. Visit Minamiza Theatre, Maruyama park, Shinbashi Dori Street, and more and see how these cultural highlights are part of the local life but have so much history behind them!

6. Storytelling Journey

   As you discover the cultural side of Kyoto, you’ll be able to embrace it thanks to the amazing stories and storytelling skills of your local host. Feel free to ask any questions and feel as if you are relieving history in the present time.

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

Alex

(About local Yoshihiro)

6 March 2025

Ted was great in showing us (family with two boys of 11 and 14) around in Kyoto. Great inside tour of Kyoto

Shareen🇺🇲 United States Minor Outlying Islands

(About local Yoshihiro)

5 December 2024

Ted (Yoshihiro) was amazingly knowledgeable and and friendly. We had such a great time learning about Geiko and Maiko. He took us to such beautiful spots and we learned so much from him. We definitely enjoyed the whole tour.Incredible Learning Adventure

KJ🇺🇸 United States

(About local Yoshihiro)

2 December 2024

Our walking tour with Ted was absolutely phenomenal and one of the highlights of our time in Kyoto. He was extremely knowledgeable, patient, and engaging. We learned so much from him and would absolutely recommend him to our friends and family. Thanks for fostering such a fun experience, Ted!

Allie🇺🇸 United States

(About local Yoshihiro)

29 November 2024

This tour is so incredibly thought out and intentional! From the place we met up with Ted til the very last second we were given amazing history and stories of the city. Ted took all the best photos of us and really taught us so much! Highly recommend Ted! Wish we could’ve had him for every place we visited as he really added to our experience! Thank you thank you!!Incredible!!

js9cjzs6sv

(About local Yoshihiro)

27 November 2024

Yosihiro provided a very wellprepared, organized and profound tour on Kyotos history and culture. We learned a lot about the historical background of Geisha life and Kibuki. We very much enjoyed his lively and engaged way.Competent, lively and very structured tour

Neil🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Guia)

16 November 2024

Guia was super friendly and adapted iur tiur to our requirements. She helped us gind a vegan ramen cafe for a delicious lunch and orivided further recommendations for the rwst of the trip. Eould mot hesitate to use her again. Great guide

Janet🇺🇸 United States

(About local Yoshihiro)

29 October 2024

Our party of 4 had 2 day tour with Ted-San. He tailored the tour to our request but put a very unique twist by choosing wonderful sites that were not only beautiful but uncrowded. We were also able to see the Golden Pavilion without the usual hordes of tourists, a lucky opportunity! We had 2 delicious lunches recommended by our very professional driver from the M2 car service. We would not have experienced or understood Kyoto’s history without Ted’s incredible knowledge. I would highly recommend Ted-San to anyone considering a trip to beautiful, historic Kyoto.Ted’s Excellent Adventures

Ulrike 🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Ahmed)

29 October 2024

The time with our guide was just great and fantastic. We felt from the first minute well and interesting informed Ahmed was flexible and warmheard friendly The places he show us had been just brillant My sons & myself enjoyed the experience so much 🫶 Fantasic interesting hours

Robert🇺🇸 United States

(About local Yoshihiro)

21 October 2024

Ted was a pleasure to have as a guide, wealth of information. Would highly recommend.Tour with Ted👍🏼

Julian🇳🇱 Netherlands

(About local Yoshihiro)

10 October 2024

This tour was amazing! It is still the highlight of my stay in Japan. Ted is a great guy and full of stories, he knew all the spots to take stunning pictures. Overall he was good prepared and we had an amazing afternoon. 10/10 would recommend. Tour with ted

Damiano🇮🇹 Italy

(About local Yoshihiro)

21 August 2024

Marikit

(About local Yoshihiro)

3 July 2024

A definite must for those who are visiting for the first time or as many times in Kyoto. Ted taught us the importance of Kyoto being the capital in the olden times and the reason behind it. He showed us the relevance and roles of certain structures around the city. He was also gracious in allowing us to stop for breaks as our daughter had a foot injury. We appreciated his insight and his love for the country. We will use Ted on our next visit and hope to do a food tour with him in the future.Geography, History in 2.5 hrs

Bettina🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Yoshihiro)

28 June 2024

Wir haben unsere Tour mit Ted sehr genossen. Er weiß so viel über Kyoto, die Geschichte und die Entwicklungen. Er hat sich sehr viel Zeit genommen, uns tolle Ecken zu zeigen und viele Dinge zu erklären. Vielen Dank! Kyoto with Ted

Katrina🇺🇸 United States

(About local Guia)

23 June 2024

Our family of 4 (with 2 teenage girls) fully enjoyed our tour with Guia. Her English is perfect and easy to understand. This was the first tour we took on this trip and it was great to get the local information on the culture and the meanings of the temples. Guia was flexible with the tour and seemed to readily adapt the tour for what was best for our family. Our girls were fully engaged in what she had to tell us. She also recommended places to eat, where to shop and what to expect to pay. Overall I would highly recommend a tour with Guia.Wonderful / Flexible Tour

Unknown

(About local Yoshihiro)

11 May 2024

Great guide! Very knowledgeable and friendly. We loved that he lived in America and could tell us about the similarities/ differences. Would definitely recommend him! AMAZING GUIDE!

Stan

(About local Yoshihiro)

11 May 2024

Yoshihiro is very knowledgeable and has taught us a great deal about Japanese history and traditions. Very interesting tour, highly recommend!Awesome experience

Tracy🇧🇪 Belgium

(About local Yoshihiro)

4 May 2024

We contacted Yoshihiro (Ted) to get a tour of the temples from local's perspective, and it was a great experience. Ted showed us all the places on our wishlist, plus some others on the way that were welcome surprises! We had a comfortable stop for drinks off away from the swarm of tourists visiting the site that day. Ted told us a lot about the history of the area and the buildings, and our teenage kids particularly enjoyed his sense of humour! We would definitely do this again with Ted and strongly recommend him to anyone visiting Kyoto!! Sincere thanks for a great day!!! Ticked all the boxes, and more!

Alex🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Yoshihiro)

17 December 2023

Really professional experience. We thoroughly enjoyed our time together. It was wonderful to have a guide to see and explain the cultural landmarks. We would highly recommend Ted as an excellent tour guide. The choices of food in the market was something we will never forget- what a day! The recommendations for the restaurant on our last evening was the best food we ate in Kyoto. Our days with Ted

Mircea🇺🇸 United States

(About local Yoshihiro)

13 July 2023

Had a great time with Ted. He was flexible, informative, and funny. He’s lived in the states for 25 years so speaks great English. We would highly recommend him Fun tour

Amanda🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Yoshihiro)

13 May 2023

I was not at all happy with Ted's Tour. Whilst telling us about Geishas for 15 minutes, the rest of the tour was spent telling us about the religions of Japan. Nice man but past tour guiding.Geishas

Yuri🇳🇱 Netherlands

(About local Yoshihiro)

6 May 2023

It was great to meet Yoshihiro-san and have him as our guide for Kyoto! He adapted the route to our needs and shared a lot of interesting information about Kyoto, temples and Japanese way of life. What is also very important - flexibilty as we managed to adapt the tour timing to our schedule. Thank you very much, Yoshihiro-san!Great evening walk

Maia🇦🇷 Argentina

(About local Yoshihiro)

18 April 2023

Ted was very patient and explained us everything about Japanese culture. He also took us to the most prominent places in Kyoto Thank you Ted for such a beautiful afternoon!learning from a local

Teko🇺🇸 United States

(About local Shohei)

3 April 2023

We had a wonderful tour with Shohei. So much fun, we enjoyed ourselves so much that we regretted not booking a longer tour. Amazing Kyoto Tour

Colleen 🇳🇿 New Zealand

(About local Shohei)

23 February 2023

This was a perfect introduction to Kyoto. Shohei gave us a really interesting walking tour of the old part of Kyoto. He was good company and led us through a maze of cultural streets and sites.A great start to our time in Kyoto.

Yossi🇨🇭 Switzerland

(About local Shohei)

5 February 2023

Shohei is very knowledgeable about the area . He is very friendly and gives good little insight tip where to go and where to eat . His English is really good . Would recommend Very informative and enjoyable

Thomas🇺🇸 United States

(About local Yoshihiro)

29 December 2022

Ted is a fantastic tour guide! To take advantage of all the incredible cultural sights, an insightful and knowledgeable guide like Ted is a must. Also, he was extremely helpful in answering questions about Japan that made our trip even more memorable. Also, this tour is a great value. Ted made communication and meeting so easy. I will be using this tour company in the future where ever they are located throughout the world. Five stars for this Ted and this tour group. Fantastic Tour!

Chris🇯🇵 Japan

(About local Yoshihiro)

19 October 2022

We really enjoyed our time with Yoshihiro. He was a knowledgeable, patient, and kind guide who taught us so much about geisha culture, religion in Kyoto, and so much more. He would make a great pick for any Of true available tours in Kyoto! Amazing guided walk with a local guide

Riikka🇫🇮 Finland

(About local Shohei)

11 March 2020

Shohei was very informative guide and we saw beautiful shrines and temples as well as the busy streets of Gion. It rained during our tour, but it did not matter as thr sites were great and we learned a lot. Thanks, would definitely recommend! :)Nice tour with Shohei

Paul🇺🇸 United States

(About local Yoshihiro)

14 February 2020

Very informative tour of Kyoto’s Gion district. Learned all about the tea ceremony culture and toured many Shinto shrines and a Buddhist temple. Have a better understanding of both religions.Gion Kyoto with Yoshishiro (Tad)

David🇺🇸 United States

(About local Yoshie)

29 January 2020

Yoshie was just great Very informative and she clearly loves Kyoto and its culture Yoshie was perfect

Ursula

(About local Yoshie)

20 January 2020

From the moment Yoshi greeting us, we knew we were in for a great day of touring Kyoto. She was warm, bubbly, polite and enthusiastic. She shared stories about the history and current traditions of Kyoto. Her knowledge, personality, and conversations made for an interesting time. We highly recommend Yoshi as your "Withlocals" tour guide.Great personal tour guide in Kyoto

Paul🇺🇸 United States

(About local Yoshie)

12 January 2020

Yoshie was a great tour guide! Besides helping my wife and I take lots of photos, her personal/local stories of the sites made it much better than any standard tour! For English speakers, her English is perfect!!Amazing personal tour!

Julie🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Yoshie)

6 January 2020

We are 2 families travelling with 5 kids aged between 9 and 15 and we thank you Yoshie for being a amazing host. We chose to do this tour on our 1st morning which then made it so easy to understand Kyoto as a city, life and training of a Maiko and we actually saw a Geiko on her morning walk. We thank you Yoshie for your knowledge of your beautiful city and hope to come back again one day. We highly recommend this tour. A must do tour

karen🇺🇸 United States

(About local Yoshie)

30 December 2019

I would give Yoshie 12/10 stars if I could. Kyoto, especially the Gion district, is a very interesting place and we saw ancient temples as well as the houses in which Maiko (apprentice geiko) love and train. What made this tour so special was our guide Yoshie. A world traveler herself, she provided a very comprehensive explanation of the internal and external factors that influenced the development of Kyoto's culture. My daughters (24 and 19) and husband also enjoyed talking with her. I HIGHLY recommend this tour.FABULOUS Tour

Steven🇯🇵 Japan

(About local Ahmed)

29 December 2019

My family and I came down from Tokyo to visit Kyoto. We booked the Geisha tour with Ahmed. He was an amazing and extremely knowledgeable tour guide. He took us around the Gion area and told us all about the history. My entire family had a great time and Ahmed was also helpful with our youngest who can be difficult. If we go back down to Kyoto again we would definitely schedule another tour with Ahmed. Amazing and informative tour with Ahmed.

Neil🇸🇬 Singapore

(About local Ahmed)

21 December 2019

Dear Ahmed thank you for a wonderful and an interesting tour of central Kyoto especially the Gion area home to the famous Kabuki theatre, and beautiful Maiko, and Geiko. Also, thanks for your patience with our 3 children who also enjoyed your Kyoto walking tour very much!

Kirstin

(About local Ken)

8 December 2019

Ken was absolutely amazing! This trek through the forest was beautiful and made our trip Ken was so incredibly knowledgeable and and really engaged with everyone to tailor the experience to suit the interests of the individuals in the group He was also incredibly considerate of everyone’s needs and provided me with gloves to keep my hands from getting cold! Truly one of the best experiences I’ve ever had and I felt like I got a true taste of the real japan filled with its rich cultural history Thank you so much ken we loved every minute of your tourAmazing temple tour!

Sarah🇺🇸 United States

(About local Yoshie)

11 November 2019

We had a GREAT tour with Yoshie. We learned so much and she gave us some good recommendations for the rest of our trip. We highly recommend her tour for anyone visiting Kyoto. Highlight of our trip

Melissa🇳🇿 New Zealand

(About local Ahmed)

6 November 2019

We really enjoyed our tour with Ahmed, he explained everything about what we were seeing, but didn't go on too long, enough to be interesting and fun. No way would we have found all the good stuff that we got to see without him. Top tour, highly recojmmend Ahmed.Great tour, Ahmed was awesome!

Jannike🇯🇵 Japan

(About local Yoshie)

6 November 2019

We had a great tour around Kyoto with Yoshie, and can really recommend her! A great tour!

Carolynn🇳🇿 New Zealand

(About local Yoshie)

22 October 2019

Yoshie is a wonderful guide! She made us feel like welcome guests, not just tourists. Her enthusiasm for the city, it’s history and the people who built it was genuine and inspiring. We learned so much in a short time and were sad to say goodbye to her. We can’t recommend her highly enough.

marieh3000🇺🇸 United States

(About local ILLAS)

15 October 2019

Illas was insightful; entertaining; patient and generous. We would love to meet up with her again and highly recommend her.Delightful

Kylie🇨🇭 Switzerland

(About local Ahmed)

15 October 2019

Having had our time in Kyoto cut short by typhoon #19, we were after a tour at very short notice and Ahmad was super flexible! This tour helped us get our bearings quickly and Ahmed helped us out immensely with his personal tips to prioritise our remaining time. He also gave us an excellent overview of the geiko/ meiko culture and customs, and educated us on local customs to ensure we didn’t unwittingly offend anyone during our time in Kyoto. Thanks Ahmed!Short on time in Kyoto

Erin🇺🇸 United States

(About local Yoshie)

7 October 2019

Yoshie was amazing! We learned so much on this tour. We got to see everything listed and more. She took us on small back roads we would of never found on our own! She is very knowledgeable! I highly recommend this tour with Yoshie! Mahalo Yoshie!!Highlight of our trip

Christopher🇺🇸 United States

(About local Yoshie)

4 October 2019

Yoshie was an excellent guide; not only did we cover everything mentioned on the tour, but she took the time to answer all of my questions, and recommend places that are more for locals, which have all been excellent. She even took time to write down a list of things I should add to my itinerary! It was the best tour I have taken on my many international trips, and would be more than happy to join her again in the future. Thank you, Yoshie!Amazing tour!

Michelle🇿🇦 South Africa

(About local ILLAS)

26 September 2019

Meeting Illas was a breath of fresh air . She was flexible and informative , and able to accommodate many of our requests - nothing was too much trouble . Her English was charming and it really was a fabulous tour . Highly recommend Absolutely Fabulous

Nori

(About local Shohei)

20 September 2019

Shohei was literally amazing. I had a private tour of Kyoto with Shohei and couldn't have been happier. He adjusted the tour according to what I want to do. He took me to some of the well-known temples and gardens as well as some lesser-known ones where I would not find myself. He speaks impeccable English and shared with me the local history and traditions. Truly an unforgettable experience in Kyoto - don’t miss out. Best tour ever!

Nancy

(About local Shohei)

29 August 2019

My husband and I traveled to Kyoto to see the sights and enjoy the local cuisine. We were thrilled because we had NO idea of what the best sights were, where to eat, how to manuever the Kyoto traffic on foot and how to "get the feel" of the old/new of Kyoto. Shohei met us at the train station and put us at ease right away. His English is impeccable and we were able to let him know the kind of experience we were looking for-old and new, typical Japanese food and also let him know the level of walking we could do. Our day with Shohei as our guide was amazing. He showed us his town and explained the history and how life was now in comparison. Our favorite thing was the laser light show at the temple in the evening. The grounds were beautiful and mesmorizing. After that, Shohei was able to get us a cab and took us to a small, authentic Kyoto style restaurant for a typical meal. We were thrilled to be one of the few Americans in the restaurant. I would highly recommend Shohei as a tour guide. His people skills are very good-he can carry on a conversation well with people he has just met (my husband, for instance) and is very easy to talk to. He is pleasant, funny and comfortable to be with for the day. Shohei's ability to converse easily from English to Japanese and his western sense of humor make him the perfect tour guide for any Americans visiting Kyoto.WOW!!

Marla

(About local Ken)

29 August 2019

Kentaro’s timing is SPOT ON! From comedy, to seeing Geisha saunter to entertain clients in secret alleyways, and the culmination of a beautiful sunset vantage point adjacent a Buddhist temple, this was a fantastic evening! My husband and I had a great time! Ken has a great sense of humor and a unique knowledge of Geisha culture. Yes, you COULD wander around the Gion district aimlessly in hopes of a geisha sighting OR you could have Kentaro put you in the PERFECT spot at the PERFECT time and not miss a moment. Seriously, this tour and Ken are the SAKIBOMB! PERFECT

Alice

(About local Ken)

22 August 2019

Ken is an awesome guide with expert knowledge about the gion area! He is super friendly, funny and considerate. We ended a little be earlier because our pace was faster. Ken took us to one of his recommendation for lunch and it was OMG Fantastic!! I would really recommend anyone to take his tour! Not only he introduces you to the culture but also guide you through small unique alleys that are otherwise quite hard to find. We enjoyed it soo much!AMAZING