Private Tour Guides In Kyoto

Tailoring each experience to your wishes by locals who love their city

Top private tours in Kyoto

From exploring cool neighborhoods to eating with the locals to seeing iconic sites, these are some of our favorite experiences

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The best private guides and local insiders in Kyoto

If you’re seeking the best private tour guides in Kyoto to help you make the most of your visit, look no further than City Unscripted. The most magical city in all of Japan, Kyoto is a perfectly preserved pocket of Japanese history and culture that feels like stepping into a fairytale. Our fantastic private tour guides in Kyoto are eager to share with you the Japan of centuries ago. All of our handpicked private guides in Kyoto are intimately familiar with every inch of their city, and they’ll help you experience this historic gem beyond major tourist sights like lantern-lit Gion, the famous geisha district, and 1200-year-old Kiyomizu-dera Temple.

Meet some of our Kyoto private guides

Tess

Kyoto

Culture lover sharing Kyoto’s traditions, tea, and the city’s most amazing spots!

Vanessa

Kyoto

Kyoto host who loves hidden temples, top teas, and the city's natural magic!

From tourist sights to secret gems

Kyoto may be known for iconic attractions like the wood-built Higashiyama district, ancient temples, and traditional teahouses, but there’s so much more to be explored when you have one of our knowledgeable private tour guides in Kyoto leading the way. Whether you jostle through centuries-old Nishiki Market, the crowded “Kitchen of Kyoto”, join locals snacking on gyoza dumplings as the sun sets over Kamo River, or even belt out a song at a karaoke bar, our private tour guides in Kyoto will help you strike the perfect balance between the highlights and hidden gems off the tourist trail.

A range of top-notch tours

City Unscripted offers a wide range of diverse tours in Kyoto – simply pick your type of tour, and our private tour guides in Kyoto will personalize the experience for you! You might want to squeeze in as many tourist sights as possible on a must-see experience, or take a day trip to the Arashiyama bamboo grove. Perhaps you’ll book our fantastic food experience, or maybe you’ll simply spend a full day with one of our private tour guides in Kyoto exploring a combination of iconic sights and hidden gems you wouldn’t find in your guidebook. Whatever you decide, we’ll make this a day to remember.

Itineraries 100% tailored to you

At City Unscripted, we understand that no two travelers are the same. You could be a history buff who wants to move between Kyoto’s ancient temples and shrines, a culture-lover eager to catch a geisha performance at Gion Corner, or a fanatic foodie who dreams of experiencing traditional Kaiseki dining. That’s why our private tour guides in Kyoto take the time to plan the perfect tour 100% personalized to you! All our itineraries are created with your personality and passions in mind. With one of our private guides in Kyoto planning your trip, your dream day will be made a reality.

Kyoto travel tips and inspiration from our Travel Magazine

Find essential city info, travel tips and the best things to do in Kyoto and around the world recommended by our local hosts

Latest reviews from our guests

Kenta was a phenomenal tour guide. We had a big age range in our group (9 to 73) and had to take many breaks. Kenta was very accommodating and let us set our own pace. He knew a ton about Kyoto and its history and was ready to answer all our questions. He picked a perfect itinerary for our interests and our abilities. It was a wonderful tour and we would highly recommend it for anyone visiting Kyoto.

Jul 2025
If you are staying in the Gion area (or even if you are not) this is a really great tour! Our guide, Emi, walked us all about and explained about the culture and history of Gion, Kyoto and Japan. She was very patient with us and answered all of our questions. We had her choose the itinerary for us and she did an excellent job!

Jul 2025
What a fantastic tour. We love the personal touch. Great communication building up to the tour. You get to really tailor your tour to what you want to see. Our guide Emi was a fabulous host. Very friendly and knowledgeable. She knew all the short cuts to avoid the crowds and we seen lots of little back streets that we just wouldn't have found on our own. She even helped us get our IC cards from the station at the end of our trip. I highly recommend doing this trip at the start of your holiday. It gets you up close and personal with your surrounding area and gives you the confidence to carry on exploring on your own. Nothing beats a bit of local knowledge. A must do for those of you who prefer small group tours. Big shout out to Emi, we'll done.

Jul 2025
Milo was outstanding. So knowledgeable and catered the tour to our requests. Highly reccomend him. .

Jul 2025