Private Highlights of Kyoto Tour

This was a perfect introduction to Kyoto first-time visitors. Our guide Mie was caring, knowledgeable, and professional. We felt like we had a friend showing us around her country. We saw all the highlights listed, plus Mie gave us so much additional information during our in-between travel times. We weren't sure which level of guide to book, and decided on the most experienced for a little extra money. We were very happy with our decision. Thank you, Mie, for a great day!

The tour was absolutely amazing! The sights were great, but what set the tour apart and made it great was the guide. Yuri, our guide, completely exceeded our expectations. She was extremely knowledgeable about the history and significance of all the sights we saw during the tour, but her knowledge and expertise went well beyond. She never tired of our endless questions about Kyoto, Japanese culture and Japanese history. She seemed to be able to answer anything we asked and was constantly enlightening us with fun facts AND doing so in excellent English. In a word, she was outstanding! My only complaint is that we didn't have another day or two in Kyoto to do more tours. Has we had at least one more day I think we would have tried the Southeast tour and we would definitely request Yuri by name. On our Northwest tour we had the option of Nijio Castle or Nishiki Market. We chose the castle and I'm glad we did. It is so nice having a guide with you at the castle explaining the historical significance of what your are seeing. Yuri was nice enough to ride the bus with us to Nishiki Market at the conclusion of our tour. Once she got us there I think we were able to get the flavor of the market without a guide.

Tour takes in a lot, so you dont spend a lot of time at the venues. But you can go back and visit the sites you particularly liked on another day. Lots of good information given while on the bus. Lunch was OK.

Loved this tour! We had an amazing time and an awesome guide! It aws great to be with a person who had such great knowlege and communication skills! She showed us the sights we asked to explore, plus a few others as well. It was nice to have a private tour as well.

We took the North option for our tour. Yumi was our guide and she was awesome. She was very knowledgable on the history of the bamboo forest, the Golden Pavillion, the zen garden, and Nijo Castle. She even took us to a great omurice restaurant for lunch which we loved. We recommend taking private tours like this because they are less rushed and you learn a lot more.

Saw all the important sites - bamboo forest, golden palace, etc - plus cherry blossom was in full bloom. The pace of the tour was good - not too rushed. It was all brought alive by our guide Mia who was well informed and could provide the background story.

Our guide was fabulous and the gardens were BEAUTIFUL

Yuri was our guide on this tour and we had an amazing day. All our entry fees and travel costs were included which was great. We went to Arashimaya Bamboo Grove, Ryoanji Temple, Kinkakuji Temple and Nijo Castle. It was a busy day, but Yuri was extremely organised and our transition from one place to another via public transport was seamless. Her knowledge of the sights was excellent, and we felt so lucky to see so much of Kyoto in one day. We would highly recommend Yuri as a guide on any tour.

This was our second visit to Kyoto, and we were eager to really see and understand more about this lovely, very traditional city. Mia was exactly what we were hoping forshe shared many insights into Japanese society, she told us a lot about the places we visited, she was fun to be with and we enjoyed everything about our tour. Kyoto is a city of contrastsvery modern in some ways, very traditional in others. Certainly its the place to fully understand Japanese culture. Thanks to Mia, my children and I feel like we learned a great deal, and are leaving Kyoto and Japan with a much better understanding of this country and its people. As a result, we cant wait to return! Thanks to Mia!

We could not have been more delighted with our half-day tour of the Golden Pavilion, bamboo forest, and other beautiful sights on the Northwestern side of Kyoto. Our guide, Mia, was a wonderful hostess and teacher. With her flawless English and lovely sense of humor, she enhanced our understanding and enjoyment greatly. The pace of the tour was perfect and we would not have changed a single thing. Highly recommended!