Kyoto Day Tour of Golden Pavilion, Nijo Castle and Sanjusangendo from Osaka

Osaka, Japan

See all the sights of Kyoto in a day. Traveling from Osaka, visit Nijo Castle, Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavilion), Kyoto Imperial Palace, the Kyoto Handicraft Center, Heian Shrine, Sanjusangendo Hall and the Kiyomizu Temple.

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. Enjoy this morning tour to see some of the main highlights of this wonderful city.

Tour continues with a visit to the Heian Shrine, a reflection the elegance of Japanese life. Explore Sanjusangendo Hall, long wooden hall housing all of 1,001 statues of Kannon, Bodhisattva, that date back to the 13th century. Tour concludes with a visit to  where you'll enjoy sweeping views of the entire city of Kyoto before your rail journey back to Osaka.

Nijo Castle Nijo Castle is noted for the contrast of its solemn appearance and gorgeous interiors. Note: On Tuesday's in January, July, August and December when Nijo Castle is closed, the tour will visit Ryoanji Temple instead.

Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavilion) Kyoto's most popular temple is the home of perhaps the world's most authentic and exquisite Japanese Garden, as well as the celebrated Golden Pavilion.

Kyoto Imperial Palace The ancient Imperial Palace clearly shows the Japanese taste for purity, simplicity and calmness. The residence of the Imperial family until the capital was relocated to Tokyo in 1868. Note: On Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays the Kyoto Imperial Palace is closed, the tour will visit Kitano Tenmangu instead. This shrine is known as the god of study.

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 $180.79

Traveler Reviews

Review by: CHANG CHOY C	March 2012
I have booked with viator (Paris,Belgium and Amsterdam tour) before and I am satisfied with the services,very professional and would definitiely recommend viator to my friends.

Review by: Julia K	September 2011
The tour was great except for the Kyoto Handicraft Center. The luncheon buffet was "ok". We had thought that there would be more vendors selling merchandise but there were only a couple of stores with not the best of deals. The tour to the different areas were great though. Our favorite was the Golden Pavilion and Sanjusangendo. Great cultural experience!

Review by: Ali J	August 2011
Splendid tour guides.Shame the weather was too hot and humid to enjoy the tour.I think providing cold drinking water in the tour coach for the tour guests would have been very nice gesture from the tour organiser.Shame they did not do that considering the high tour charges.

Review by: BETTY G	December 2010
A MUST visit !

Review by: Pik Seang A	December 2010
The tour was quite good..we visited a good number of places and it did not feel rushed. The guides were interesting and full of facts and the meet/greets were punctual and welcoming. The afternoon tour was better than the morning tour...mainly because the guide was funnier which made the places more interesting. We missed going to Nijo Castle during the morning tour 'cos it was closed on Tuesdays which was a real shame. Would recommend this tour to our friends. The Kyoto Imperial Palace was a bit of a let down but not sure whether it is because of the guide or just the place.

Review by: Anne T	November 2010
The trip was quite rush, don't really have time for phototaking. The guide took time to explain every place we visited. Too bad we can't really hear her clearly as our group was rather big and her microphone was too soft and she walked really fast! We have to rush to catch up with her. ...but overall experience was good.... would still recommend the trip.

Review by: Alain P	November 2010
Beautiful places. Kiyomizu temple is a must see for the scenery and the shopping.

Review by: Blesilda G, Philippines	April 2010
The morning tour was fine except that not being able to visit the Kyoto Imperial Palace (it was closed that day in preparation for public viewing) was a big letdown. The crowd for the afternoon tour, however, was too big. The bus was too packed; it was quite uncomfortable. Since we were seated way in the back, the others had gone ahead and the tour guide had already started talking before we could join them. It also ended too late. We had to go back on our own to Osaka because we were over an hour late for the 5:30pm meeting time back in Hotel Miyako. Could have used the time spent waiting in the bus and in traffic for more additional shopping and exploring time especially in Kinkakuji and Kiyomizu. But I was quite satisfied with both our tour guides. And the sights featured were truly impressive.

Review by: Mun Yuen C, Malaysia	January 2010
Great English guided tour to some of the most famous attractions in Kyoto. The tour was very well organized and proceeded as planned. I absolutely enjoyed every single attraction and the tour guide gave an excellent explanation to every location.

Review by: MUN YUEN C	January 2010
Great English guided tour to some of the most famous attractions in Kyoto. The tour was very well organized and proceeded as planned. I absolutely enjoyed every single attraction and the tour guide gave an excellent explanation to every location.

Review by: Anonymous, Malaysia	December 2009
Highly recommended if you have only one day in Kyoto or Osaka and haven't explore Kyoto. Great sightseeing experience especially Golden Pavillion, Sanjusangendo and Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Apart of that, Nijo Castle brings interesting knowledge about the Shogun and the Imperial lifestyle during the ancient time.

Review by: Anonymous, United Kingdom	November 2009
Too rushed, with little time at each place, much too big a party, and one poor guide, although one who was very good.

Review by: Lutgart V, France	November 2009
Interesting trip but to speedy. Tourist need time to visit interesting places and not to visit like all japanese people are visiting whole Europe in 1 week.

Review by: David S, United States of America	October 2009
I was not aware that October 12 was a Japanese holiday thus, missed one item that I really wanted to see!

Review by: Anonymous, Australia	November 2008
The transfer to and from Osaka to Kyoto was very good and the attractions were well worth seeing, but, the morning was so rushed and we virtually had to run through the grounds of the Golden Pavilion in order to meet the bus and not be left behind. The lunch was good but it was much too long. A two hour lunch was ludicrous when at least an hour of it could have been used for a more leisurely visit to some of the wonderful attractions.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	August 2008
very good tour, all the stops were wonderful.

Review by: Anna M, Singapore	February 2008
Fantastic tour. A must do whilst in Japan.

Review by: Robyn G, Australia	May 2007
This was a good tour, although I was a little disappointed that we only went to shrines, castles, etcetera. The tour guide was a little hard to understand as there were so many other tours happening at the same time around us. I did feel a little rushed on the day, there was really no time to buy souvenirs at stops or to use toilets.

Review by: Vicki B, United States of America	April 2007
The best part of this day was the tour guide for the afternoon session. He was exceptional.

Review by: Michael M, United States of America	March 2007
Very informative, lots of fun, great guides.

Review by: Monica M	March 2007
Very informative, lots of fun, great guides.