Kyoto Afternoon Tour - Heian Shrine, Sanjusangendo, Kiyomizu Temple

Kyoto, Japan

Immerse yourself in Kyoto on an afternoon guided tour tour through the vibrant green and red Heian Shrine. Admire Sanjusangendo Hall with its 1001 Kannon statues and the Kiyomizu Temple where you'll enjoy sweeping city views from the large terrace. All entry fees and return coach transfers are included.

Kyoto was Japan's capital and the emperor's residence from 794 until 1868. It is now the country's seventh largest city with a population of 1.4 million people and a modern face.

Over the centuries, Kyoto was destroyed by many wars and fires, but due to its historic value, the city was not chosen as a target of air raids during World War II. Countless temples, shrines and other historically priceless structures survive in the city today.

Heian Shrine
The brightly colored shrine with its vermilion pillars and green roof, and its enchanting inner gardens and ponds, reflects the elegance of life in the ancient Japanese court.

Sanjusangendo Hall
A renowned long wooden hall housing all of 1,001 statues of Kannon, Bodhisattva, that date back to the 13th century.

Kiyomizu Temple
A quaint old lane lined with pottery shops lead up to this famous temple. Enjoy a sweeping view of the entire city of Kyoto from its lofty terrace.

USD $69.70

Review by: Howard B	February 2011
The sights visited were impressive and the guide informative and helpful.

Review by: Alexander H	February 2011
]Love the history, great guide, awesome temples. Highly recommend :)]

Review by: Po Lan S	December 2010
The three sites are historical and terrific in the evening with maples trees, but the time staying in Kiyomizu Temple was too short. The tourist guide was responsible and humurous with a high standard of spoken English.

Review by: Michael E	August 2010
Although I felt a bit rushed, the convenience of being taken to each destination with an air-conditioned coach made it all worth while. The tour guide was informative and it made the experience more memorable by providing the historical significance of each destination.

Review by: Anonymous, Australia	December 2009
Experience was amazing! The scenery at Kiyomizu Temple was just breath taking. Sadly, we ran out of time to properly experience everything to its full potential.

Review by: Patrick J, United States of America	September 2009
The tour was very informative and well planned out. My only concern was the rather large group that was on the tour. Beyond that it was top Notch.

Review by: Michael C, United States of America	August 2009
Extremely informative and historical. The amount of detail that the guide gave in each of the venues was amazing. We all loved the tour and took another Viator tour the very next day. Great tour, guide and venues.

Review by: Robin T	July 2009
Unfortunately, the Heian Shrine was open to all, so it was extremely crowded. There were too many people on the tour, so individuals got lost and time was wasted waiting for them. Sanjusangendo was magnificent and needed more time than we had. Kiyomizu Temple was fascinating but needed more time. The guide was good, but with too many people was really not able to cope and give all the information we wanted. The tour needs to be for no more than 30 people.

Review by: Scott B, United States of America	April 2009
A good way to spend an afternoon at some beautiful sites.

Review by: Marilou V, Philippines	April 2009
We only had a day to spend in Kyoto, and this tour allowed us to see the highlights of the city in a short time span. We specially liked the Kiyomizu Temple with its quaint street shops and fantastic view. The Heian Shrine was also captivating for its gardens, which we learned from our lively tour guide was also the setting for Memoirs of a Geisha. But I would have to say that what made this tour really special was the extra mile our tour guide took to make our sightseeing memorable. Our party had wanted to see the Gion district after the tour had ended, and had asked him to drop us off somewhere near the area. Not only did he do that, he also personally went with us to show us the side streets and points of interests in the area. In this case, what made the difference from numerous other tours is his personal touch and his generosity with his time. Thanks!!

Review by: Carol A, United States of America	March 2009
This is a must see tour for Kyoto. The Temples were incredible. Well organized. Tour guide spoke English very well. Hotel pick up and drop off were well organized. People were very helpful.

Review by: Randall B	November 2008
The tour was nice, but the tour guide we had was very hard to hear. She said that she couldn't or wouldn't use a microphone because it would bother the other tours. We couldn't hear half of what she said.

Review by: Anonymous, South Africa	October 2008
The tour guide was really nice but spoke too softly and never waited for everyone to arrive before speaking.

Review by: Michael P, United States of America	July 2008
Kiyomizu Temple was our favorite.

Review by: Darin O, Canada	April 2008
I have been to many areas of Japan, but only to Kyoto 3 times. I have taken only one tour in all my trips to Japan. Although the tour was well organized and informative, I found Kyoto's tourism too commercialized.

Review by: Andrea P, United States of America	September 2007
I highly recommend this tour.

Review by: Ann-Maree F, Australia	August 2007
This was a great tour. The guide was very informative and made the afternoon fun. It would have been great to spend a little longer at each destination.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	July 2007
This twelve day tour was well worth the price. The shrines and temples we visited were absolutely beautiful! The guide was very knowledgeable and entertaining.

Review by: Roberta W, United States of America	June 2007
This was an interesting and varied tour. Kiyomizu Temple has terrific city views and Sanjusangendo is different from anything else we saw on our trip. If you have the time, it's worth the visit.

Review by: Anthony S, United States of America	January 2007
This was fun since we had a person who spoke English with us. We especially enjoyed his commentary on everyday practices of the Japanese. The tour guide makes the tour worth the activity. The price was very reasonable and time was provided to take pictures and to buy treats or items from the vendors. We decided to separate the morning tour from the afternoon tour. The only issue was the people that did two tours in one day - they very tired, especially those with the small children.

Review by: ANTHONY S	January 2007
This was fun since we had a person who spoke English with us. We especially enjoyed his commentary on everyday practices of the Japanese. The tour guide makes the tour worth the activity. The price was very reasonable and time was provided to take pictures and to buy treats or items from the vendors. We decided to separate the morning tour from the afternoon tour. The only issue was the people that did two tours in one day - they very tired, especially those with the small children.

Review by: Francisco R, Mexico	December 2006
It's fantastic, you can take this tour if you have sometime off in Kyoto and want to discover some of their beauties. I highly recommended.

Review by: Francisco J R	December 2006
It's fantastic, you can take this tour if you have sometime off in Kyoto and want to discover some of their beauties. I highly recommended.

Review by: Anonymous	August 2006
Our tour guide was not polite and not organized.