15 Best Private Hidden Gems Tours in Kyoto

“Thank you Usuke! Super fun tour guide and was great with everyone including the family that came along. Great shortcut up to a non-busy area of the hike. Make. Make sure you're prepared, it's a bit of a moderate hike!”

“Take your time walking through the shrine, the old town and admire the beauty all around you: the trees that have been so carefully grown and shaped, the care put into the gardens, the mountains, the quiet…”

“Kwan was an excellent guide!!! He was very well organised, made a great tour proposal. He was flexibel, sympathetic and made us enjoy an unforgettable day in Tokyo! Thanks a lot!!! :-)”

“Our guide Ted was truly amazing. He brought so much history, culture, religion, and more, layering it into our tour experience. And making Kyoto come alive for us. Ted made each area we visited that much more relevant and enjoyable. Read more”

“We had an amazing e-bike tour in Kyoto with Mana. She was very kind and helpful even before the trip, reaching out to answer my questions and giving great advice about Kyoto and also Kobe, the city she is from. During the tour, we visited…”

“Our tour with Daiki was wonderful. He is energetic and knowledgeable and took us to out of the way places we would have never seen with a group. Daiki had his own larger van so the 3 of us had plenty of room. We went…”

“Louis was a great tour leader on this walking excursion in April 2025. His route allowed us to have a quiet hike through some beautiful places on the way to the bustling peaks and torii passages. Louis explained some of the history and mythRead more”

“We had a great time visiting the Kyoto sites with Paren on a rainy afternoon! The tour was casual, informative, and flexible enough to give everyone in the family a little bit of what they like to experience in a tour. Thanks, Paren!”

“Our guide Hiro was great and showed us amazing locations off the beaten path, with less crowds. Amazing experience!”

“We had an amazing time with our guide Alvin. The itinerary he came up with was perfectly timed, and he had so much knowledge about the history and lore/legends. He talked anime and video games with my husband, which was nice. It really felt like…”

“Daiki was fantastic! His van is comfortable and air conditioned. He is very friendly and easy going. He took us to some amazing spots that we would have never found on our own. He is a very good driver and my son and two teenage…”

“Activité très intéressante, l’hôte sachi est de grande qualité ! Ses explications en anglais sont top!”

“The host was incredibly kind and explained everything with great care. Experiencing a traditional tea ceremony in a private setting was unforgettable.”

“While we had been to Kyoto before, we decided to take a private guided tour on this trip and our guide was Kaori-san. Kaori-san was very accommodating in allowing us to customize our tour and also included temples/places that I would hRead more”

“What a great day we had! I asked my 2 teens and husband what the best part of our Japan trip was, and they all agreed it was the day we spent in Kyoto with Kazu. Kazu asked what we were interested in seeing and…”