The 3 City Tours in Kyoto That Earn Their Price

1.City Secrets eBike Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 196 reviews · 3h 45m · from $127Our pick

Spend 225 minutes riding a 9-kilometer route through Kyoto with an English-speaking guide and up to seven other guests. You’ll see the Golden Pavilion, a historic Geisha district, Zen temples, quiet shrines, mountain roads, and traditional cafés. Guides such as Yuta, Henry, Sean, and Michael add history, local detail, and careful bike handling.

“We had a wonderful bike tour with Henry – he was extremely knowledgeable about Kyoto and shared with us some lovely off the beaten path places that we rode to on our bicycles. Kyoto is a very busy city, but we felt very safe on our travels with Henry! I would not recommend this tour if are a first time visitor to Kyoto, but if you are a return visitor or add this in conjunction with a more typical tour,, it’s a perfect package!”

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2.Calligraphy class at Buddhist temple in city center

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 167 reviews · 1h 10m · from $55Best value

Meet a teacher and English, Spanish, Japanese, or Dutch translator at Seigan-ji Temple in Kyoto’s Shinkyogoku shopping street. In 70 minutes, you will learn brush basics, practice your chosen kanji, create artwork on shikishi board, and receive a small personalized key chain.

“I'd recommend this delightful Japanese Calligraphy class. The group was small—just three of us, along with the teacher and a translator— meaning we each received plenty of individual attention. The session began with an introduction to the traditional equipment we'd be using, followed by several demonstrations from the teacher. We were given a template to follow, which helped us get started before trying it on our own. As a left-handed person, I found it a bit more challenging, as it's typically easier with the right hand. However, the environment was relaxed, and we were encouraged to make mistakes and learn through the process, also trying right hand too. Once we…”

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3.Private departure transfer from Kyoto city to Kansai International airport

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 72 reviews · from $109

Leave Kyoto from your selected hotel in a private sedan, MPV, or van for Kansai International Airport. Your driver arrives early, helps with luggage, monitors flight details, and takes your group of up to nine passengers directly to the terminal.

“The driver was extremely helpful and accommodated our request to leave 30 minutes earlier than the original departure time requested.”

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