Kyoto and Nara 2-Day or 3-Day Rail Tour by Bullet Train from Tokyo

Tokyo, Japan

Choose from a two-day or three-day Bullet train excursion to Kyoto and Nara from Tokyo. You'll tour Nara's temples and shrines, spend the night in Kyoto and take morning and afternoon sightseeing tours of Kyoto. You'll then have the option of spending a second night in Kyoto, with a day free to spend at your leisure exploring the city that's known as the cradle of Japan's cultural heritage.

As you zoom your way to Kyoto from Tokyo by Bullet train, look out for splendid views of Mt Fuji if the weather permits. After lunch at the New Miyako Hotel, you'll travel to Nara in Japan's Kansai region. Nara was the country's first permanent capital city, and has an abundance of Unesco World Heritage sites. You'll visit the Todaiji Temple housing a great image of Buddha, colorful Kasuga Shrine with 3,000 lanterns, and the Deer Park, where tame deer freely roam.

After spending the night in Kyoto, you'll visit the Golden Pavilion, Nijo Castle, noted for its gorgeous interiors, and KyotoImperial Palace. After lunch at the Kyoto Handicraft Center, you'll visit Sanjusangendo Temple with its 1,001 impressive images of Buddha, the vermilion-hued Heian Shinto shrine and the Kiyomizu Buddhist temple.

You then have the option of returning to Tokyo by Bullet train, or staying another night in Kyoto and returning to Tokyo by Bullet train the next evening after spending the day exploring the city at your leisure.

• At the "Nijo Castle", on every Tuesdays in Jan., Jul., Aug. & Dec., "Nijo Castle" is closed and you will visit "Ryoanji Temple" instead.
• At the Kyoto Imperial Palace, on every Saturdays, Sundays, national holidays and some other days, Kyoto Imperial Palace is closed and you will visit "Nishi Honganji" instead.
• To enter the Kyoto Imperial Palace, you are required to fill out the form (your name, sex, age, nationality).

USD $811.04

Review by: Linda Austin	April 2012
We found the organization, the service and the attention of the tour guides to be excellent. Where there seemed to be a drop in the excellent service was the meal and visit of the craft center. Otherwise: A+.

Review by: Catherine H	October 2011
I was very pleased with my Sunrise two day tour from Tokyo to Nara and Kyoto. The individual tours ran on time, the guides spoked excellent English and were very knowledgeable about the subject matter. The lunches were more than enough, the tour buses and accommodation were very good. My only quibble was in surfing the net to decide on a tour from Tokyo - I wish it had been mentioned that people who take the three day tour often use the third day to go to Hiroshima by train. Had I known that I would have booked the three day tour. Aside from that the tour I took was excellent. Thank you. I would definitely seek out Sunrise through Viator again. Regards, Kate Hannon.

Review by: Mrs Claire M	August 2011
An excellent way to get a 'hassle free' look around the main tourist spots, in a relatively short time. Very reassuring to have someone local to show us how to get tickets, trains from Tokyo, etc. Guides were very good throughout. Be aware there is a lot packed in (which is good) but if you're disabled, or even fairly unfit, you may want to 'sit out' one of the sights, especially in August when it is hot and humid. . .but don't let that put you off - air conditioning is never far away!

Review by: Evan W	May 2011
A great trip and great service by the guides on the ground. They had people meet me at each location and help get me to the next one--which I didn't need but was a great touch anyhow. The bullet train was awesome, very painless, and Tokyo and Kyoto were both fabulous. Visited a bunch of shrines and temples and each was different and worth it. Had a great time. Thanks again!

Review by: Eddie	February 2011
Well organised tour with knowledgeable guides. Luck of the draw as to whether the bus is going to be too full. I did the two day tour and would recommend it.

Review by: Antonio C	January 2011
The organization was absolutely perfect, I would say at the second.I was taken to the carriage of the train and there was somebody waiting for us upon arrival in Kioto. The same to the return. The efficiency of the japanese trains is well known and once again it showed why: The tours were very well organized with intersting visits as, for instance, the Palace of the Shogun and the Kiyomizu Temple. The guides were nice and very well prepared. The Kyoto Hotel Okura was a real five stars hotel with a very eficient ant nice staff and a very convenient location. Only the lunch at the Handicraft Centre was netly inferior to the high skills of this tour. Congratulations.

Review by: Donna G	September 2010
Excellent! Everything was precise! The employees directed us with efficiancy and with a smile! The tours were just right for time length, not too long and not too short. It was a wonderful experience. I highly recommend these tours!!!!

Review by: Zina A, United States of America	June 2010
I really loved Kyoto and Nara. The tour and hotel were good!

Review by: Christopher S, United States of America	May 2010
Amazing!

Review by: CHRISTOPHER S	May 2010
Amazing!

Review by: Alan B, Canada	April 2010
I have sent a note of appreciation under separate cover. The Viator staff was extremely helpful, the tour was well organized and paced perfectly.

Review by: Kathleen P, United States of America	March 2010
The trip was an excellent way for the novice to get around Japan. The hotel pickups were wonderful and the guides where very informative.

Review by: Morris M, Australia	March 2010
A great trip. Every thing went as scheduled.

Review by: Margrethe M	March 2010
A great trip. Every thing went as scheduled.

Review by: Bella L, Netherlands	February 2010
The trip is worth doing. But I would recommend to do 2 day trip instead of 3 day trip which I made. You will see everything in the first 2 days and there is almost nothing to do in the 3rd day.

Review by: Andrey K, Netherlands	February 2010
It was a nice trip but the bus was full 40 people. It was difficult to hear something when you were in the back, plus we always had to wait for someone who was late.

Review by: Anonymous, Australia	November 2009
Pick up & delivery to trains excellent! Especially commend Yoki who took us in Tokyo to train. Train seats excellent as was Okura hotel. Lunches good both days. Tour of Nara good - tours of Kyoto even better guides, especially afternoon guide excellent.

Review by: Marianne A, Sweden	October 2009
Very dedicated and professional guides.

Review by: Joachim Q, Germany	October 2009
In general this was a great trip. Everything was perfectly organized. Only bad thing was the booked "first" class hotel which had the standard of a 3 star hotel and therefore not worth the money.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	June 2009
This was a great tour, with excellent support services throughout.

Review by: James H, United States of America	April 2009
The tour guides were excellent for the most part. One spoke without waiting for the tour group to gather, so we missed a lot of what she had to say. The places we went were very interesting and beautiful. We loved the hotel--not only was it nice inside and out, but the service was excellent. We were well cared for, and everything went as planned. It was wonderful!!

Review by: Michael K	April 2009
Sites visited were all good, guides and organisation professional.

Review by: Peter C	March 2009
Because of the holiday I assume, there was a lot of traffic between some of the tour locations. This put the morning tour behind schedule, which then made the afternoon tour start late. We ended up very rushed at all 3 locations in the afternoon as a result. The tour company can't control, or probably even predict, the traffic, and the bus is not a helicopter, so once the traffic builds up, there isn't much to be done. However, one suggestion is for the tour guide to have the authority, or to suggest to the tour participants, that the itinerary be shortened from 3 sites to 2 in order to provide enough time at the 2 sites. It's possible that not all the tour customers would agree, or some might insist on partial refunds, etc. I would have been agreeable to skipping 1 location and not feeling so rushed at the other two locations. That's just a suggestion, though. The rest of the tour arrangements were great.

Review by: Matthew G, United Kingdom	November 2008
This trip certainly packs a lot into a short space of time. If you don't have long and you want to see all the "must visit" places in Kyoto and Nara, then this trip is for you. The bullet train adds an extra dimension of cool to the trip! OK, you don't always get a great deal of time at some places, but this is compensated for by the amount that you get to see. The tour guides and transportation between places make it easy for you to maximise your sight-seeing time, rather than trying to make you own way round and getting lost! Overall, I really enjoyed the 2-day trip to the ancient capitals of Japan.

Review by: Suresh M	November 2008
Was a bit rushed and with a full bus of tourists was trying at times, not enough time spent at the places of interest.

Review by: Arlene M	October 2008
I would upgrade the hotel on this one. Very well organized and very efficient transfer and reception at the train terminals.

Review by: Anonymous	April 2008
The Sinkansen aspect of this tour is great. They escort you to and from each station platform, which is very handy for those not familiar with the train system, as Tokyo Station can be a bit overwhelming. The tours to temples and other sites are too rushed; we spent most of the time hustling to keep up with the guide. Strictly a point, click, and move drill. Maybe one less temple would allow a more reasonable pace. It certainly is an adequate way to see a lot in a short time.

Review by: Stephen K, United States of America	March 2008
Great trip; the tour folks took us onto the bullet train in Tokyo and then met us at the other end in Kyoto.

Review by: Thomas L, United Kingdom	June 2007
Great experience on the Shinkansen. The shrines, temples, Nijo castle, and the Imperial Palace in Kyoto are world-class sights. The New Miyako Hotel was very good as well.

Review by: Anonymous	March 2007
A bit rushed but otherwise fantastic.

Review by: Barbara F, United States of America	February 2007
The trip was more than I expected from beginning to end. I stayed at the Okura Hotel and it was superb. The bullet train was exhilarating and the lunch at the New Miyako Hotel in Kyoto was delicious. The tour guides were knowledgeable and interesting. Despite the rainy weather, the trip was uplifting, informative and recommended to all! I loved having someone take me to the train track in both cities and having someone meeting me at the end of the train ride. A nice touch for a foreigner.