Kyoto Private 6 hour Tour: Explore Kyoto's Iconic Attractions with an English Speaking Driver

Discover Kyoto’s iconic attractions on a private 6-hour tour with an English-speaking driver. Visit the Golden Temple, Kiyomizu temple, and Arashiyama’s bamboo forest at your own pace. No guide included.

Duration: 6 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Kiyomizu-dera Temple - Kiyomizu-dera, formally Otowa-san Kiyomizu-dera, is a Buddhist temple in eastern Kyoto. The temple is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto UNESCO World Heritage site.
What's Included
  • Private vehicle
  • English speaking driver
  • Customizable Tour of your choice of 3-4 sites from ‘What to expect’ list’
What's Not Included
  • Licensed Local English Speaking Guide
  • Entrance fees, Lunch, and Other personal expenses
  • You cannot combine multiple tour groups.
Additional Information

The ideal pick for time-tight travelers that want to enjoy Kyoto. Avoid the potential confusion of Kyoto’s subway and bus systems; travel comfortably in a private vehicle instead!
On this tour, some of the destinations you can choose to visit include the glittering Golden Temple, the architectural masterpiece that is Kiyomizu temple in the Gion Geisha…

Location
Kiyomizu-dera Temple
1-294 Kiyomizu, Higashiyama-ku
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(71 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Stephanie_o
Apr 2, 2025
A wonderful experience - Sachi was an amazing driver. She is very friendly, professional, accommodating, and flexible. It was wonderful to see all the highlights of Kyoto. Then she found us a place to purchase kimonos and translated for us. We will definitely hire her again in the future.
Review provided by Viator
Herb
Mar 31, 2025
One great day in Kyoto - Our driver was really great, joking around with us and very accommodating. And very informative and helpful as well. Our favorite day in Japan.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
David_c
Mar 3, 2025
Nob was a very good... - Nob was a very good driver & tour guide, friendly, experienced & knowledgeable on Kyoto. Walked with us through sites & gave valuable insights. Brought us to great sushi restaurant
Review provided by Viator
P2693otanav
Jan 2, 2025
No one better! - We had the best experience with Hiroshi! He is absolutely amazing! He made sure that we made it to every destination that I wanted and then even took us to some places that he liked which ended up being even better spots than the ones I had! Whenever I mentioned a place, he would immediately write it down and look it up so that he was able to make a plan so as to get the most out of the day and not waste any time.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pau-v-1992
Jan 2, 2025
Amazing! - Hiroshi is by far the absolute best at what he does! He is professional, dedicated, thorough and above all else incredibly nice. This is the second time that Hiroshi has helped my mom and I while in Kyoto and he never disappoints! He truly goes above and beyond to please and is always trying to make sure that the guests are happy and comfortable. This second time around I had a couple of places that I wanted to go to and Hiroshi made sure that we visited everything I wanted and then added some amazing spots that he recommended which were absolutely beautiful! He made it his mission to make sure that we had enough time to get to everything! There is absolutely no one like him!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maurice_a
Dec 7, 2024
An excellent trip. - Hari/Harry was excellent. He went at our pace, taking into account our age and mobility. He was very knowledgeable and a perfect gentleman.
Review provided by Viator
Gregory_k
Nov 20, 2024
Excellent Experience in Kyoto - We had a very memorable experience in Kyoto due to the hospitality of Haruhito “Harry” Teramura. Harry was much more than a driver. He was a friend, a tour escort, and a historian of Kyoto. My wife and I depart Kyoto having a very positive feeling of Kyoto. Thank you Harry for sharing an extraordinary day with us in Kyoto! We look forward to another meeting with you in the near future!
Review provided by Viator
940bobg
Oct 19, 2024
Wow, a Simply Amazing Tour! - We were incredibly fortunate to have Mr. Yutaka Ito as our driver for the day. His vehicle was a very spacious and comfortable minivan. Yutaka was so much more than a driver as he very efficiently conveyed us around Kyoto and accommodated my wife's mobility issues. We provided Yutaka with our desired sights and he planned the best route for us. We started at the Arashiyama bamboo grove. Yutaka dropped us off at the top of the walkway and we could enjoy the stroll down with minimal numbers of other tourists. We then went through the lovely Tenryu-ji garden. Yutaka had noted some rain had started and he met us in the garden with two umbrellas, so very thoughtful! Then a short drive to Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) for a beautiful scene. Yutaka walked in with us and guided us back to avoid walking the entire circumference of the garden. He pointed out some unique items for us. On to the Fushimi-Inari tori gates. Yutaka once again directed us to the somewhat hidden elevator so we could avoid a number of steps to the gates. He recommended a family style Japanese restaurant for a quick lunch. Our final stop was Daigo-ji to see the oldest wooden structure (5 story pagoda) in Kyoto. This was an incredible tour that allowed us to see sights that are widely spread out and which otherwise would be difficult given our mobility constraint. Yutaka was so much more than a driver and he took outstanding care of us throughout the tour and provided very informative background information. I highly recommend this tour and Yutaka Ito in particular.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
191rethat
Oct 11, 2024
Great day trip with Ali our driver - Saw exact sites we wanted to see in a timely basis. great photos. Great having a WiFi hotspot in the car easy to meet the driver from the cruise ship. He was very prompt
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gayed4
Sep 28, 2024
You Gotta Get Taka! - Taka our driver was very responsive and communicative prior to our trip so we would be clear with the details and instructions of the tour. He picked us up from our Airbnb and we went to four places, Arashiyama bamboo forest, Kinkaku-ji, Nijo castle and Ginkaku-ji. He spoke English very well and told such interesting facts while on route to all the locations and even gave us a guided tour while we were at the sites. He’s a great photographer and he has a wonderful sense of humor! highly recommended Taka if you’re on a limited schedule or even if you’re not, but want to see the beautiful sights of Kyoto. He takes away the hassle of trying to figure out how to get from one place to another. We were safely driven in an air conditioned, impeccably clean car to the four parts of Kyoto in 6 hours with plenty of time to take in the beauty and information of each one. He is so reasonably priced compared to his competitors. Definitely choose Taka! He’s 6 stars!!⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $369 (Per Vehicle)
up to 8 guests
1 - Traveler
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).