Kyoto Imperial Palace & Nijo Castle Guided Walking Tour - 3 Hours
Description
Discover two of Kyoto's amazing attractions with a warm and knowledgeable local guide by your side. Step into the Kyoto Imperial Palace, once home to Japan's imperial family, and learn about its history. Explore Nijo Castle on a guided tour to admire its exquisite feudal-era architecture. (Note: For the Nijo Castle visit, tour guides will only bring you to the Ninomaru-goten Palace and Garden.) Book at your convenience – we even welcome last-minute reservations! Select from various start times that suit your schedule. Relish the personal touch of a small group tour, limited to just 9 participants.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The historical city of Kyoto is one of Japan’s most famous cities. It was once the capital of Japan and the place of the emperor’s residence for more than a thousand years. In this guided walking tour, we’ll explore the grandeur and rich history of Japan’s past with a visit to Nijo Castle. Admire the castle’s impressive architecture, beautiful gardens, and intricate interiors that offer a glimpse into the lives of Japan’s shoguns.
Learn about the Kyoto Imperial Palace and how it was once the residence of Japan’s imperial family. Your friendly TripGuru will take you around the impressive structure, giving you time to admire the stunning architecture, beautiful gardens, and more.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(170)
Before you read the whole thing, the synopsis is that you should just book through the Enligh guided tour service provided by the castle, and plan on downloading and listening to the very good audio tour at the palace. We had read many online reviews about how awesome this tour is, and therefore booked the $200 tour. Our guide was not a local person or even Japenese, which would have been fine, except she offered almost no active guidance during the tour and was unable to answer a single question we had regarding the castle history, structure, paintings, or significant events held there. She also spent a lot of time on her phone. We essentially had a self guided tour of the castle, at which point we requested to part ways and not continue with her to the Imperial Palace. We immediately reached out to the organization that provided the tour (TripGuru booked through Viator) and explained the situation, to which they offered a 10% refund. We then reached out to Viator, as a $20 refund for such an absymal performace by their guide was shocking. Viator offered no further refund, stating the costs had already been incurred for the tour guide to get to the location (the guide arrived via the same public transit we did which was not overly expensive) and to obtain the tickets for the castle (which were about $10 USD each). It was truly an awful expereince which Viator did nothing to remediate. Despite several great experiences booked through Viator, I would strongly recommend against this, and given their lack of remediation for the experience, am hesitant to book with Viator again in the future.
We’re disappointed your Kyoto Imperial Palace & Nijo Castle tour didn’t allow for meaningful guidance, Rebecca_C. Your guide’s limited interaction affected the experience, and we’ll ensure better training for our staff. Feel free to contact reservations@thetripguru.com to discuss this further.
We took recently this guided tour, and it turned out to be one of the highlights of my time in Kyoto—despite the sweltering summer heat testing our endurance! Our guide was very nice, helpful, and clearly knowledgeable about the history and architecture of both sites. He kept a certain speed during the visit, which kept us going to push through and complete both visits despite the oppressive heat. The sites are definitely worth the discomfort of a blistering heat. Also, visiting both sites offers an interesting contrast : the Imperial Palace speaks to quiet, ceremonial legitimacy—you really feel the weight of tradition in its understated elegance. Nijo Castle, broadcasts military power and wealth, from the famous nightingale floors to the ornate painted screens that once impressed (and intimidated) visiting daimyo. This is truly a must-visit combination for anyone interested in Japanese history and architecture. Just my advice: bring water, wear sun protection, bring an umbrella, and if you're visiting in summer like I did, embrace the heat as part of the adventure—it's absolutely worth it.
Our guide’s historical knowledge truly enhanced your experience—the duality of palaces felt especially striking in summer. Despite the heat, we’re glad you found the journey rewarding and the advice about hydration practical. Kyoto’s heritage remains accessible year-round, though an umbrella might serve you better than a sun hat next time.
Our tour was changed the night prior to the tour due to closure of both palaces. Our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable, but we only got to walk through the surrounding gardens. The gardens were beautiful, but this was not the tour we booked. Very disappointing.
Hi Kenny, we’re glad you enjoyed the gardens at Kyoto’s Imperial Palace. We understand how disappointing it was not to visit the palaces. If you’d like, we’d be happy to discuss options for a future tour at your convenience.
Our experience with Ceci was really good. She was very kind and supportive towards different members of our family. She had very good knowledge and knew exactly what she was doing. Overall this was a great experience for first time visitors in Kyoto, Japan.
Ceci’s passion for Kyoto’s history made our tour especially meaningful for our family, as she shared stories that connected with everyone’s interests. Her patience and warmth with each group member created a comfortable, engaging experience that felt genuinely personal. We’re glad you had that chance to explore Kyoto with her—it was a highlight of our services.
We had an amazing tour! We learned so much about the Kyoto Imperial Palace and the surrounding area. Miyake shared so many fascinating historical details and made everything engaging and easy to understand. The small group made it feel very personal, and he was incredibly friendly and easy to talk to. He also gave us fantastic Kyoto recommendations that will make the rest of our trip even better. Thank you so much for everything—we highly recommend booking with him!
Your 5-star rating means the world to us! We're glad to know that you were completely satisfied with your experience.
This does take you to two of Kyoto’s major attractions. I felt that the narration didn’t add much beyond the signs and would have benefited from some historical narrative to explain the significance. As it was summer and very hot we had to take a taxi between the two sites, you need to add the cost of this onto your trip as it isn’t included. The guide was very friendly and pleasant but didn’t add much depth of knowledge.
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. We sincerely apologize that the tour did not fully meet your expectations. We understand your concerns regarding the narration and the level of historical context provided during the tour. We appreciate your feedback about wanting more detailed explanations of the significance and background of the attractions, as this is an important part of creating a meaningful experience for our guests. We also understand that traveling between the two locations during the summer heat was challenging. We appreciate you sharing your experience regarding the transportation arrangements and the additional taxi expense. We will take your comments into consideration as we continue to review ways to improve the overall guest experience. We are pleased to hear that you found the guide friendly and pleasant, and we will also share your feedback with our team to help enhance the depth of knowledge and storytelling provided during future tours. Thank you again for your valuable feedback. We truly appreciate your input and hope to have the opportunity to provide you with a better experience in the future.
Very interesting tour and a good way to learn about Kyoto and Japan's political system. Eloise was a great guide with gave a lot of interesting infornation about the palace, castle, shogun and the emperor. She kept a great pace for all of us in the tour.
Eloise's enthusiasm and expertise clearly made your tour of the Kyoto Imperial Palace and Nijo Castle a memorable experience. We're grateful for her dedication to sharing Japan's rich history with our guests. Your kind words about her guidance are a wonderful testament to her hard work!
Very kind tour guide! We had a great experience leaning about the history of Kyoto, shogun era and imperial palace
What a wonderful experience you had with our tour, Roberta_J, especially with our knowledgeable guide who brought the history of Kyoto to life for you! We're so glad you enjoyed learning about the shogun era and the imperial palace. It's always a pleasure to share Japan's rich heritage with visitors like you!
David was helpful and knowledgeable about the history of the castles.
Thank you for your kind words and 5-star rating. We're so happy to hear that you had a great experience with us.
David was a wealth of information. He answered all our numerous questions! A super great guide and very friendly.
What a wonderful experience for you, claireh, with our knowledgeable guide David leading the way in Kyoto's historic landmarks, bringing the city's rich history to life with his engaging explanations. His friendly demeanor put everyone at ease, making for a truly memorable tour. We're overjoyed to hear that David exceeded your expectations, and we can't wait to welcome you back to our city on your next adventure!
