Kyoto Full-Day Sightseeing Tour including Nijo Castle and Kiyomizu Temple

Kyoto, Japan

Experience the magic of Kyoto on a full-day sightseeing tour of Japan's cultural jewel. You'll visit Kyoto's most popular attractions by coach and enjoy a buffet lunch at the Kyoto Handicraft Center.

Known as the cradle of Japan's cultural heritage, 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, though it remains Japan's most traditional city.

Highlights on your comprehensive full-day tour of Kyoto include:

• Nijo Castle, the Kyoto residence of the Tokugawa Shogun
• Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavilion), home to perhaps the world's most authentic and exquisite Japanese garden
• Kyoto Imperial Palace, the residence of the Imperial family until the capital was relocated to Tokyo in 1868
• Buffet lunch at Kyoto Handicraft Center
• Heian Shrine, reflecting the elegance of daily life in the ancient Japanese court
• Sanjusangendo Hall, a long wooden hall housing 1,001 statues dating back to the 13th century
• Kiyomizu Temple, with sweeping views of Kyoto from its lofty terrace

USD $144.38

Review by: Gregory F	March 2012
The guides were good, the sights were worthwhile, the lunch was fine. Its a great way to see a lot of Kyoto in a short period of time. Lunch was just the right amount of time, not too long, not too short. Would recommend it.

Review by: Michelle W	March 2012
Hotel pick up was smooth. Unfortunately that was the only part that was great. There were some change to the itinerary but was not told at the start. There was no traditional craft centre visit nor buffet lunch at the centre. The set lunch provided was not good and a coffee was an additional ¥350 if you wanted one. The guide was just just ok but not sure if it was due to her style as her English was good. The itinerary should be allocated differently since they skipped the craft centre. The last spot should be give a lot more time rather than for standing almost still under the same roof of a temple for 20 mins or so in the earlier temple visit.

Review by: Barrie C	February 2012
What an enjoyable day, a knowledgeable guide and some wonderful sights. Kyoto has a wonderful history and some wonderful treasures to explore. The organization of the day was superb, lunch was a lovely experience which added to our enjoyment.

Review by: Eric S	January 2012
Love the tour. Our guide was exceptional.

Review by: Paul C	December 2011
Very enjoyable. It covered a number of important sites without being too rushed. The guides were excellent and very informative.

Review by: John H	November 2011
We took the whole day tour and were pleased with both of our tour guides and all the many places we viewed. The lunch was very good. We were able to take an early bullet train from tokyo, connect with the all day tour right next to the Kyoto train station, have supper and bullet train back to Tokyo! A long day , but very satisfying!!

Review by: Susan	October 2011
Enter yThis tour was very nice! The tour guide was very funny and knowledgeable. We were fortunate enough to see a wedding in progress at a shrine. That was an extra. We also saw two small children (a brother and sister) dressed in their kimonos. They were so cute!our review here.

Review by: Yumiko F	October 2011
The schedule was a little tight, but acceptable. The motor coach was fairly nice. The tour was on time.

Review by: Nidelvia D	October 2011
This tour covered alot of ground. The castle's, temples, and shrines were meticulously cared for. Have your camera and walking shoes ready. Lots of stairs and hilly paths. I'm glad i took this tour, i never would have seen as much on my own.

Review by: Stephanie C	October 2011
Excellent, if a bit whirlwind, tour :) If you don't have a lot of time in Kyoto to see the sights, this is definitely the way to go because you'll get to see a little bit of everything. It does end up feeling a little rushed sometimes because it is a tight schedule, but that's how they manage to get everything in the tour!

Review by: Robert B	October 2011
The guides gave lots of interesting facts about the sights we saw. The bus driver was very courteous. I was disappointed that we waisted a full two hours for lunch break. We sat around waiting. It also took a long time to collect everyone at the start of the trip.

Review by: Paul B	August 2011
The tour itself was interesting. It was a pity that both tour guides English was at times hard to understand. I had to wonder why you do not employ Australians or American who want to work in japan to do these tours as it would be so much easier for your clients. when japanese tourists come to Australia, i understand that it is usual that native Japanese speakers are used as tour guides.

Review by: Sebastien B	July 2011
As described, perfect when spending a short time in Kyoto.

Review by: Katherine M	April 2011
Our guides were great. They spoke great english and had a lot of informative and fun information. I would recommend this to any tourist.

Review by: JOSE F	March 2011
Good staff and good bus. I recommend.

Review by: Claudia E	March 2011
The tour guide was very informative and easy to understand and hear at all times. This tour included a lot of really good sightseeing.

Review by: Sandra l	March 2011
It was so good however I think I just looked at the tip of the iceberg. Also I was by myself during the trip and got terribly lost at the shrine, I CANNOT thank the tour guide and bus for waiting for me. I was in a panic mode.

Review by: Margaret M	February 2011
Very happy with our comprehensive full day tour of Kyoto. The guide was excellent and the pace was just right, allowing us the opportunity to see the major sights in one hit with a break over lunch and spare time at the Handicrafts centre

Review by: George	January 2011
The tour was great and well arranged, the guide talked to much, he went on and on about suicides and being saved from bombing when the tourist wanted to see Kyoto. In both trips, this one and the one to Nara, the service of Viator from website to the lady who met us at the hotel were superb. I will use Viator in Barcelona in early April. Keep it up.

Review by: Shayda Y	January 2011
We had an excellent guide! He was very knowledgeable and thorough on the history of Kyoto, the shrines and temples; and he gave some really interesting facts that I'm still bringing up to family and friends since I've been back home. The food at the handicraft center was surprisingly good and we went a few blocks down and grabbed coffee at a coffee shop. Please make sure you go to that coffee shop, I can't remember the name, it was something simple like "the coffee market". I just remember it had the word "coffee" in the title and it was English. The owner was so kind and we had the best coffee and scones there. The tour itself was excellent. We didn't have much time to spend in Kyoto and we didn't want to waste time getting lost trying to hop around from one sight to the other. I really liked that we didn't feel rushed when we went to the different sites. We were given time to take photos and you really learn a lot. On the days that we went sightseeing on our own we definitely felt like we didn't really get a chance to understand the history of it so in the end we wasted more time there walking around aimlessly. I definitely recommend doing this tour if you want to hit all the important places of Kyoto. The only thing extra we did in Kyoto was visit the Fushimi Inari shrine and the Nikishi Market, and we did both of those the next day early in the morning before our next Viator tour "Nara Afternoon Tour of Todaiji Temple, Deer Park and Kasuga Shrine. It couldn't have worked out better!

Review by: John-Paul C	January 2011
Awesome tour of Kyoto. guide was very funny

Review by: traveljim45	January 2011
This is my first experience with Viator. I will definately use them again. I was impressed with the timelyness adn knowledge of the staff! Well done!

Review by: Nhi Van Marie Q	December 2010
The morning tour was a little dry. Tour guide was not very entertaining. The afternoon tour was much better. We had a different tour guide Yuki. She was humourous and spoke very good english. I think an interesting tour guide makes all the difference. The buffet lunch at the handicraft centre was pretty good and allows you to take your time in purchasing souvenirs.

Review by: Francisco P	December 2010
Very well run full-day tour of Kyoto. Saw all that we expected to see in the very limited time that we had. The time allowed during each stop seemed right almost always. Lunch provided was ok. We were fortunate to do this tour during peak change in the color of the leaves in the gardens visited, which turned a very good day into a spectacular day.

Review by: Keith D	November 2010
This was a great tour, lots of things to see. Need more time to see them. The early morning tour guide was a little abrupt but very informative though. The afternoon guide was great.

Review by: Paul R	November 2010
i emailed you my response. total disaster as i could not hear or understand the guide. im wondering now if i should look deeper into your tours

Review by: HONG X	October 2010
ok. schedule was too tight.

Review by: SHUANGYING M	October 2010
great service

Review by: Anne N	October 2010
It is the best way to see many beautiful places in one day. I wish there was a tour that ended after lunch. we wanted to explore on our own after that great tour.

Review by: Jen H	October 2010
Good way to see many sites without having to think about how to get from one to another. Wear shoes that slip off easily as you'll be doing a lot of it. Yoshi is a little difficult to understand at first but you soon get used to his accent and can get most of his jokes. Can you believe it? Spring and Fall are busy times of year to go on this tour as all the Japanese students are on Social Studies tours visiting the shrines and temples. The variety was good and I was able to check 7 things off my 'tourist' list. We were able to go to the Imperial Palace even though all the guidebooks say it's closed in October. There was only one other bus there. Lunch was fine. The shopping wasn't anything great. I would do this tour again but don't expect to find yourself in serene gardens and quiet temples. It's just too darn crowded and it's a rush to get it all in. It was nice to be picked up and dropped off right at my hotel (Kyoto Tower) so I didn't have to think about anything all day.

Review by: David C	September 2010
I really enjoyed this full day trip around Kyoto. Both the morning and afternoon guides were professional and helfpul. I recommend anyone going to Kyoto to take this trip.

Review by: Dustin phillip S	September 2010
the guide was fantastic, knowledgable, funny, and extremely kind. i am a young traveler and not too into history so my review for this tour is mediocre. I really enjoyed two of the stops made but by the end the temples seemed quite similar and i began to get bored. the excitement level and awe-inspiring sights were what kept me from giving this tour a higher rating. The golden temple, hein shrine, and the last stop we made were the temples i thought were worth visiting. im glad i did the tour bc i didnt have to worry about getting from place to place, but if i had to do it over again i would do it on my own and only make 3 stops and save some time and money. the buffet lunch was incredible though. i would almost do it again just for the lunch. i would say this tour is made for elderly people, history buffs, or lazy people. there were a couple of young kids in our group who were quite bored as well. if you think this sounds like a trip for you, im sure you will love it. if you are young and looking for exciting temples and something that you cant get from doing it on your own, i wouldnt recommend this.

Review by: Kenneth S	September 2010
Very good tour. Loved seeing Kinkakuji, Nijo Castle and Kiyomize Temple again. Didn't understand why Heian Shrine was included. Aren't there more historical sites? Also didn't understand why Kiyomizu was in the afternoon when it was the hottest time of day.

Review by: Betsie C	September 2010
Sites were great :). Guide was excellent. Lunch was just awful.

Review by: Colin S	September 2010
Worth going as there are many sites far apart from each other. Their English is average so stay close to the guide. Lunch was average.

Review by: Jeremy S	August 2010
This trip was a fabulous way to see many attractions in a short period of time. The afternoon trip visited sites that were especially beautiful. We never would have been able to see so much of Kyoto had we not taken this day trip. Our guides were courteous, the bus was comfortable, and we had a great time.

Review by: Donald F	August 2010
Yuki is great! She was knowledgeable and humorous and a great communicator. Just the right number of sites -3 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon.

Review by: Julie A	July 2010
I had a different guide in the afternoon to the morning - both guides were great. The castle was closed so i went to the Zen Temple rock garden instead - a good place to see. The only drawback was the 2 hour lunch time - a bit of a waste of my time - I don't want to shop the handicraft centre for that amount of time.

Review by: Shiam K	July 2010
Worth doing but very disappointed that we did not get to see Nijo Castle, may be next time. The alternate temple trip was very good also.

Review by: Jason S, United States of America	June 2010
Very nice overview of Kyoto. The morning was jam-packed and very tight on schedule. Rushed right through the Golden Pavillion. Buffet lunch was decent and had plenty of free time afterwards to browse the many floors of gift shops at the craft center. After lunch we were on a different bus with a different tour guide. This is dependent on with afternoon tour you chose. Much more relaxed with free time to take pictures and explore.

Review by: Nancy S, Australia	May 2010
I enjoyed the trip very much. My only criticism is that I would have liked there to be more opportunities to ask questions.

Review by: Anonymous, Australia	May 2010
As the different historical sites in Kyoto are not within walking distance of each other, unless you're a confident cyclist, a full day organised tour is a good idea. The guide we had was excellent. She spoke English well, was helpful and knowledgeable about the different sites. The Japanese-Chinese buffet lunch was nice and a quick visit of Kyoto handicraft centre allowed us to purchase some different souvenirs in one place albeit a little pricey. Ninjo Castle and Kiyomizu temples are definite must-sees.

Review by: Constance H, United States of America	May 2010
The temples and shrines were so ornate and beautiful and the guide was very good and infomative. I learned a lot about Buddhism and Japan. It was a great way to see a lot in a short amount of time.

Review by: Pauline P, Australia	May 2010
We had 2 different guides for morning and afternoon tour - both excellent knowledge and good sense of humour. Full day perhaps a little too much, 6 temples and shrines to see one after the other is a lot! However, the visits are short and sharp and we were still listening to her stories at 5pm as our guide was so interesting.

Review by: Anonymous, South Korea	April 2010
Well organised trip for very nice sightseeing places.

Review by: Erin R, Australia	April 2010
Great tour and we wouldn't have been able to see half of the sites without it. Also, guides were really informative and helpful.

Review by: Ganesh S J, Australia	April 2010
It is a wonderful tour that packs a punch for the tourist in need of time. Just be aware that you will be pushed all the time as the schedule is really tight. What we did not know was that the tour is actually a combination of a 12 Day Morning Tour and 12 Day afternoon tour with Lunch. I had no issues with that. Yoshi was the tour guide and he was absolutely Brilliant. On the way back he gave us a peek in to the Japanese Psyche and also a quick lesson in Japanese Scrip. Wonderful Wonderful guy.. If you get him as your Tour guide, you have spent your money well. Parents with Kids - not all locations are Pram Friendly.

Review by: Milton L, United States of America	March 2010
Absolutely great guides with friendly personalities. The site choices were perfect. We had a wonderful day.

Review by: Helen H, Australia	March 2010
Really nice day, great introduction to the sights of Kyoto, and the guides were informative and friendly. The lunch at the handicraft centre was also prettyy good, but there was way too much time allocated to shopping in there. I would highly recommend if you have limited time in Kyoto or Japan and really want to get a good taste for some of old Japan.

Review by: Richard C, United States of America	March 2010
This tour delivered everything promised. I was picked up on time by a very friendly and informative guide who worked hard to insure that we visited key attractions of Kyoto with efficient use of time, while still providing enough time at each site for meaningful experiences. She was very knowledgeable about both the sites visited and other information about Kyoto. I highly recommend this tour to anyone who has limited time and would like to get the most from that limited time. In my case, the tour also served as an excellent first-day introduction to Kyoto that allowed me to make good use of the next day on my own in the city.