Grab your bike and get set to explore Kyoto from the ground up. On this small-group bike tour, you’ll unearth the real Kyoto while cycling the narrow lanes and charming back streets of this former imperial city.
Start your small-group bike tour of Kyoto by cycling along the Kamo River, passing the many traditional restaurants that dot the waterfront. You’ll get great views of the downtown area along this route.
Then, cycle to Heian-Jingu Shrine, a spiritual center of Japan. Note its impressive bright red torii (a sacred gate) and replica buildings of the old Kyoto Palace.
Make your way along the quaint canals to the Nanzenji Temple, a classic example of Zen Buddhism, and admire its stunning smaller temples. Take some time to sit and contemplate the natural beauty before heading down the Path of Philosophy.
Flanked by hundreds of cherry trees, the Path of Philosophy was named by Nishida Kitaro, one of Japan's most famous philosophers, who was said to practice meditation while walking this route on his daily commute to Kyoto University. Then return to Kyoto Station.
Please note: this tour covers about 9 miles (15 kilometers) by bicycle, and can be quite strenuous for travelers who are not used to cycling. This tour is recommended for guests with a medium level of fitness.
It was probably one of the more enjoyable activity that we booked during our Japan vacation. I would recommend it to everyone. The ride takes you throughout Kyoto and away from the main street. We felt safe and protected from the main traffic most of the time. Our guide was fantastic Rika?. She provided us with a lot of Kyoto history. The only feedback is that, I wished we had more time at one of the temple we visited.
Review by: Debra S, April 2018
Absolutely fantastic bike tour. Our guide was amazing and the scenery was beautiful.
Review by: Rachel S, April 2018
We are a family of 5 with 3 boys ages 12, 14 and 16. After a week of sight-seeing on foot it was a pleasure to get on bikes and this was a really lovely way to see bits of Kyoto I'm sure we wouldn't otherwise have seen. Our guide was absolutely delightful - knowledgable, friendly and spoke excellent English. The instructions on where to meet were clear and the meeting spot was easy to find. We were out for 3 1/2 hours, stopping now and then to look at temple/shrines/lovely views. There were three other people on the tour with us all of whom were fun and good company so all in all we had a wonderful morning. Thoroughly recommend.
Review by: Stephanie W, April 2018
9 years ago I thought I'd be ok hiring a bike and seeing Kyoto with my travel buddy - we were delusional. Instead we spent most of our time stopped, looking at a map and stressing out where to go. This time I did it right, in a group with a tour guide who gave just insightful knowledge about the places we visited and extra bonus info. I did not have to worry about lefts or rights, back streets and cycleways were taken so as to avoid car traffic. I smiled the entire time and loved my morning exploring Kyoto by bike. Next visit I will do a whole day.
Review by: tanya.daly, April 2018
I would have given this 5 stars if we were taken into the gardens of the first shrine. I went in rather than follow the guide and it was really worth the extra time and money, I would have been gutted to miss what I thought were the loveliest gardens I saw in Japan. This should be included and the tour extended. Otherwise highly recommend this for a lovely day out
Review by: Paul M, April 2018
Awesome tour and guide who was very passionate about Kyoto, Japan and even had lunch with us afterward as my wife was in search of good Vegan food. He took us to a good ramen place with good Vegan options :
Review by: eschutte, March 2018
Loved it. It is an amazing way to see the best of Kyoto and find spots that otherwise one would have not gone to. I recommend taking this tour early in your trip to Kyoto in case you want to go back to any of the places you discover during the tour.
Review by: Jessica S, March 2018
AWESOME! A great way to see a lot in a few hours. Highly recommend this tour. The guides were great and the stops were incredible.
Review by: Don M, March 2018
We really loved the bike tour - it is an easy pace, and 3.5 hours covers a lot of territory - several shrines 7 temples, a section of the Philosopher's Path, and a section along the edge of the river. Great fun, great way to see Kyoto. _br/_ Thanks Yuta !!!
Review by: Helen F, March 2018
This tour is worth it! I had a great time, the pace was good and we stopped enough to take in the surroundings. Kyoto is a wonderful place and worth seeing on a bike. Enjoy!
Review by: Kayla V, February 2018
My husband and I enjoyed the temples and explanations of Japanese culture. In my opinion, the tour was a bit too much riding and not enough time to stop and take pictures and hear commentary.
Review by: Sher G, February 2018
A fabulous way of discovering the streets, shrines, river and old section of this interesting city and an informative guide to explain the sights along the way.
Review by: Bruce T, December 2017
Jurah, tour guide was great. Very knowledgeable on Kyoto and Japan history with a local perspective. If you don't have the whole day to spend on a bus, this is the tour for you.
Review by: ko.so, November 2017
Juraj was our tour guide and he was extremely knowledgeable. Very much enjoyed this bike tour. Great stops.
Review by: ChrisH, November 2017
Very informative, good guide - We had a good trip around Kyoto and went back to some of the sights over the next couple of days.
Review by: Melissa M, October 2017
Great guide, Juraj was not Japanese but helpful and patient with some of the less experienced travellers/riders...... fun different way to see Kyoto and on back streeets that we would not have seen on our own. only disappointment is we had Juruj the day before on the cultural tour ' with a different guide you do get a broader outlook and knowledge on the area.......All in alll for price couldn't fault it WELL WORTH IT
Review by: Wanderlust, October 2017
Manubu was a wonderful guide with interesting stories and excellent English. The pace of the cycling was perfect for me, but you do need to know how to ride a bicycle to take part in the trip. Recommended for early in your stay in Kyoto so that you can get a feel for the city on a 15km cycling tour from Kyoto Station, along the river and on Philosopher's Path.
Review by: Caitlin F, October 2017
Enjoyable tour and nice way to cover a lot of ground in Kyoto. The tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and personable. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone if they have a short amount of time in Kyoto and would like to see some highlights.
Review by: Thomas L, October 2017
great guide, full of information and very courteous
Review by: Morgan F, October 2017
Amazing tour! Great way to see the city.
Review by: Bruce L, October 2017
Bike tours allow you to see the sights up close and personal rather than whizzing by in a bus. There were just 6 people on this tour which makes it safe for travelling around. Our guide, Rika was very knowledgable with the local area and very alert concerning safety. Most of the time we were riding on bike paths or footpaths. We visited a shinto shrine and a Buddhist temple and gardens and the Gion area. It is well worth taking this tour.
Review by: Charlotte O, October 2017
Thoroughly enjoyed this bike tour! Very informative and it was wonderful to just cycle and not have to think about where I was going. The wind in my hair was perfect for a swelteringly hot day!
Review by: JTF, September 2017
From start to finish this was an Amazing tour... Manabu our guide was knowledgeable and made this a memorable day around the temples and sites of Kyoto. Thank you Kyoto Urban
Review by: hautshot, September 2017
Great day touring by bike
Review by: Jesse, August 2017
It was a lot of fun, allows one to literally ride up to all points of interest, ride along pedestrian-only walkways and pleasant river pathways. You also get a good physical workout peddling around the city while visiting major temples and shrines along the bike tour route. Would recommend this tour to anyone who wants a different and good prospective of Kyoto and all of it's wonderful sites and points of interest.
Review by: Justin, July 2017
Fantastic! Highlight of the trip!
Review by: Ajay J, July 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed the trip around a few districts and shrines in Kyoto with an eclectic team of fellow bikers - Ikumi San our tour guide and a set of siblings from the US.. It was a small group and that enabled us to spend time with each other. Ikumi san shared with us her perspective on the various traditions in Shintoism and Buddhism. Her English was excellent and there was no communication barriers at all.. Overall the journey was very comfortable and in my view the best way to see and discover a city. My daughter and me had done a similar biking trip in Bangkok. I feel that the Kyoto tour was better as it was a small group and the schedule allowed more opportunities to explore and learn more about each of the stops in the itenary. Strong recommendation to do this tour to fellow travelers.
Review by: Simone k, June 2017
Fun tour. Sweet guide. Good general introduction to Kyoto. Shinto shrine! Shinto shrine!!
Review by: Justin B, June 2017
I turned up early for the tour and was greeted by the lovely but annoyingly peppy guide. Unfortunately this annoying mannerism continued throughout the tour.
Review by: Kristina D, May 2017
It was raining the day of our tour. Our guide gave us a walking tour instead. She was very charming and had a lot of interesting information about the temples, shrines, and geisha training program.
Review by: PIETER M, May 2017
Yumi took us on a great tour around some sightseeing spots in Kyoto. She was really cheerful, which was contageous for the rest of us, and her explanations made us feel we had learned something after the tour. There were just 2 of us tourists in the group and afterwards we decided to go to lunch together with one of her colleagues, Juraj. They both proved to be really humorous and good company. Afterwards I ended up travelling together with the other tour participant for 4 days! Good times. This activity is a great starter if you have just arrived in Kyoto.
Review by: GidiB, May 2017
Had lovely time exploring Kyoto by bike. _br/_ Yumi made the tour so much more than just cycling around the town and sites, her spirit lifted the whole thing._br/_ I will surely come again with friends and hope to explore more of Kyoto cycling and walking with Yumi._br/_ Best._br/_ Gidi Bershadsky._br/_ Tel Aviv._br/_ Israel.
Review by: lynne G, March 2017
wonderful way to see the city
Review by: jackie, February 2017
Fantastic tour. Very friendly, knowledgeable guide and trainee. This tour was recommended to us by people who had recently taken part, it definitely lived up to expectations! Thanks very much to our two wonderful guides.
Review by: achanda218, January 2017
There's no other way to experience Kyoto than biking in this haven for cyclists and this tour served as a perfect introduction. Knowledgeable guide and a great route clocked about 18km. Highly recommended.
Review by: Christel L, January 2017
This tour was wonderfully scenic. And somewhat easy for the occasional biker. Lulu, our tour guide, had a great cheerful personality. Highly recommended!
Review by: Ashley L, December 2016
This tour was amazing!
Review by: mk, November 2016
great tour.
Review by: kaye D, October 2016
It was fun the 2 temples were good to see if even though seen many temples. However we went on tour for philosphers path and guide went so fast when we stopped to take very quick snap shot lost group and it seemed a long while before we found them again. would have like to stop on philsophers path at a bridge for quick photo and a short stroll. .
Review by: riccardo j, October 2016
excellent value for money . guide easy going aussie. easy ride ,covers a lot of ground.
Review by: riccardo j, October 2016
excellent value for money . guide easy going aussie. easy ride ,covers a lot of ground.
Review by: Dena R, October 2016
Amazing bike tour - the guide Lulu was very easy to understand, had great stories and history, and knew a lot about the places we were visiting. This tour was the highlight of my 12 day trip to Japan.
Review by: Tanja S, September 2016
Great bike tour of Kyoto and the surrounding area. We rode along the river to see three temples. Guide was wonderful and knew a lot about Kyoto and Japanese life style. Note that this was a rigorous bike ride and riding between cars and crossing busy intersections means that you should be an experienced bike rider to enjoy this. Would definitely recommend this tour!
Review by: Alison W, August 2016
The bike tour was too long for high summer heat mid 90's F and high humidity. We were dying... but we loved it and our guide was the nicest, most wonderful person.
Review by: Jamie B, August 2016
This was THE BEST way to get introduced to Kyoto. Even with the intense heat and humidity, the bike tour easily makes one of top highlights of my month in Japan. The tour guide was laid back, knowledgeable, and approachable. And the sake stop at the very end was a nice touch!
Review by: Fiona F, August 2016
We were a very small group so it was lovely and personal and we also had an extra guide along who was doing some training. Clearly this is a quality company! We did about 22k and saw some good examples of Shinto and Buddhist places of worship, cycled along the river, the Pholosophy Path, backgrounds of town, learning history and getting a good flavor for Kyoto. We got some suggestions for afternoon activities and good eats too! _br/_ Totally recommend this way to see a bit of the town.
Review by: Gregory R, August 2016
Fantastic tour through back roads and alleys, and along the river, with stops at gorgeous temples, parks, and even a well-known spot for fresh rice milk drink. interesting taste! Our guide was very good, and had a great understanding of the history of the city and temples. It was an easy ride, too- pretty flat terrain most of the time. I would highly recommend this tour. The only part we didn't like was it was VERY hard to find the meeting spot. We had to call them twice.
Review by: Adam H, July 2016
The tour was splendid! Guide was kind and spoke perfect english. The views were AWESOME!!! REALLY REALLY RECOMMEND this tour!!! The only thing that the tour lacked was time to take photos, something that to me was very important. The scenery was BEAUTIFUL!! Worth the money :
Review by: Wai Hung Dennis C, July 2016
The booking procedure was easy and simple. The views along the route were beautiful and the guide was so nice.
Review by: Laura B, July 2016
We covered a lot of ground and saw a lot of Kyoto while we were riding. route was along the river (great!), we rode the Philosophers Trail and that might have been my favorite part. Our guide was laid back and eaSy to talk to. Stopping at a tea shop for a short break or to buy twould have been nice.
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