Kyoto Discovery, half day

Kyoto, city of a thousand temples and gardens, is undoubtedly the historical and cultural capital of Japan. Discover Kyoto's best attractions with a private guide.

The perfect way to visit Kyoto

Approaching Kyoto for a foreign visitor wishing to simply "tour" can quickly turn out to be an impossible task, given the city's abundance of treasures in many areas. One often has the unpleasant sensation of having to prune the trunk of a tree with many magnificent branches due to lack of time or lack of knowledge of this complex civilisation.

First of all, it is surprising to see that Kyoto, far from being a small retro town, is a large metropolis of more than 1.5 million inhabitants (not counting visitors) with several geographical areas far from each other, each with its own share of the "loot". You can get around mainly by bus, sometimes by metro, sometimes by bike and occasionally on foot if you are exploring a particular area.

This last option is obviously the best, provided that you evaluate the distances carefully and sometimes dare to take certain detours, because if the city was built as a chessboard, its history is long and convoluted.

Kyoto, old capital of Japan, proud of its past

If Nara is its respectable elder and Tokyo a breathtaking younger sibling, Kyoto is without a doubt the winner of the prize for longevity in the Japan's history. The emperor resided there for 11 centuries, and even though not all the shoguns chose to reign there, they built and maintained prestigious places of power within its walls and encouraged the construction (or reconstruction) of many of its most prestigious temples.

By one of those fortunate coincidences of which History is fond, it miraculously escaped total destruction by nuclear and incendiary fire, thus allowing us to admire even today many survivors of a bygone past. Over, but not quite, because if a city of conservation exists, that's Kyoto. Many of its businesses are proud to have existed for centuries and to have passed on their knowledge from generation to generation without modifying the technique or composition of a recipe even remotely.

These places, not always obvious to the untrained eye, can be discovered step by step next to an old, forgotten temple or between two modern residences inherited from the post-war economic bubble, which also left its mark here.

A myriad of attractions and spots to choose from

Of course, the temples and gardens here are probably the most beautiful and important in Japan, no matter what the season. Kinkakuji, Ginkauji, Gion, the Philosopher's Walk, Kiyomizu-dera, etc... The now very important influx of tourists is changing the situation a little by adding its own element to the pleasure of visiting them, and the informed traveller will have to think more deeply both about the time of their visits and their choice of itinerary. 

A guided tour tailored to your needs and desires

As part of our discovery days, your guide will prepare the best itinerary for you, although we also offer the possibility of contacting your guide beforehand if you have specific requests (dietary restrictions, parts of the programme you would like to discuss, etc.).

Please meet with your guide at the corner of Shijo and Karasuma streets in front of LAQUE Shijo Karasuma mall at 9am or 2pm in order to start the guided tour, which will last about 4 hours. Travel will be by public transport.

Not included in the offer:

- Transport - Paid admissions

Cancellation policy:

Up to 7 days before: 0%

Between 7 days before and 5:00 p.m.the previous day: 50%

After 5:00 p.m.the previous day and same day: 100%