Osaka & Kyoto & Nara Top Hightlights English Speaking Tour
Description
Daily departures with a minimum of one traveler. Your tour is guaranteed to depart on the day of your choice. Visit the iconic Kiyomizu-dera Temple and step back in time while strolling through historic streets, then encounter geisha in Gion. Experience the Senbon Torii gates of Fushimi Inari Shrine and enjoy interacting with the friendly deer in Nara Park—a perfect way to see Kyoto and Nara in one day. Travel with a local professional driver offering reliable and attentive service, sharing insights into Japanese customs and culture. Optional kimono experience available—reserve in advance to complete your cultural journey.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Kiyomizu-Dera Temple (about 2.5 hours, including lunchtime) Route 1: Kiyomizu-dera Temple( fee excluded）- Nineizaka & Sanneizaka - Ishibei-koji Alley -Hanamikoji Street- Yasaka Shrine. Tourists have the freedom to choose scenic spots based on their preferences and physical abilities. Route 2: Kimono experience. Tourists who are interested can change into kimonos and take a stroll through the ancient streets, and visit the Kiyomizu-dera Temple. （You can visit any kimono shops, including Kiyomizu-dera Temple and Fushimi Inari Shrine. It is recommended that you borrow from Kiyomizu-dera Temple and return to Fushimi Inari Shrinefor a discounted price.）
Fushimi-Inari Taisha Shrine （about 70 minutes, free time） Fushimi-Inari Taisha Shrine is famous for its " Senbon Torii ". It attracts countless tourists from Japan and abroad every year and ranked Top 1 in the survey of the world's largest travel website for three consecutive years as "the most popular tourist attraction for foreigners in Japan". Let's pray for our dear family and ourselves here. In addition, the Ema of Fushimi-Inari Taisha Shrine is also unique with the shape of a white fox which can be doodled into various god expressions.
Nara Park (about 1.5 hours of free time) Nara Park is an urban park located at the foot of Mt. Wakakusa in Nara City where famous places of interest such as Todaiji Temple and Kasuga Taisha Shrine are located here. It is a must-see when visiting Nara. Wakakusa which is located near the park is a wonderful place to overlook the scenery of Nara, and traditional events such as "Wakakusa Burning Mount." are held here every January. A leisurely stroll is the best way to visit the park. There is a large herd of deer. Feeding the cute deer is also the biggest viewing point for tourists. The deer here are also very smart. If they see deer senbei in the hands of tourists, they will take the initiative to come, so be careful of the flocks of deer that may knock you down.
Todaiji Temple(Price excluded) Also known as Suzumushi Temple was built in 752 by Emperor Shengmu to house the Great Buddha and serve as the main temple of Japanese temples. It is the home mountain of the Huayan Sect. The building was destroyed by two fires and was rebuilt in 1692 which is two-thirds the size of the original building. The main Buddha Hall of Todaiji Temple, with a front width of 57 meters and a depth of 50 meters, is the largest wooden building in the world. In the hall of the Great Buddha, there is a large Buddha statue that stands over 15 meters high. In the Todaiji Temple, there are also the South Gate, the Nigatsu-do, and the Hokke-do. （Admission fee for the main hall of Todaiji Temple: Adults, JP600, Children,JP300; Admission fee for the main hall+ Museum: Adults, JP1000, Children, JP400 ）
Tourists can choose to spend about 1 hour in the Shinsaibashi area of Osaka. After the tour is over, tourists with the pick-up and drop-off combo at the meeting point can disband directly in the Shinsaibashi area to end the tour. Tourists with the Hotel B&B pick-up/drop-off/transfer combo please wait for the shuttle bus to arrive, and then return to the hotel/B&B to conclude the trip. Shinsaibashi Shopping Street: One of the most famous shopping streets in Osaka. There are large department stores, chain beauty drugstores, old brand stores and small shops selling all types of goods. Hello kitty and Disney boutiques are also located here. This is the gathering place of the beauty drugstores selling cosmetics and skin care products that girls like. Most stores have Chinese shopping guides and support UnionPay card payment, so you can easily enjoy shopping.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- The night before the tour, you will receive a departure reminder email in your mailbox, which contains the vehicle registration number, the contact information of the guide and the pick up time. Guides do not initiate contact with guests.Please wait for the bus at the specified location according to the meeting time in the email.
- Kindly understand that the above itinerary schedule may be adjusted according to weather, road conditions and other reasons.
- One-day trip itinerary, it is not recommended to carry luggage, if you need to carry luggage, please register clearly when you book your order. 1 luggage is allowed per person. An extra 100 yuan per piece will be charged if you failed to make a note when booking your order or if it turns out more than 1 piece of luggage per guest.
- Foldable stroller can be carried, please be sure to inform customer service when placing an order, if not informed in advance, the driver has the right to refuse customer to board.
- During the trip, please carry your passport and valuables with you and keep them safe. If there is any loss, theft, damage, etc., you will be responsible for it yourself.
- Please note that if you fail to participate or cancel the trip due to personal problems, lateness, etc., no fees will be refunded.
- If a person leaves the group on his own during the trip, the transaction will be deemed invalid and no fees will be refunded. And if this results in personal or property safety, you must bear the consequences yourself.
- Once confirmed, the date cannot be changed, late or no-show will be non-refundable.
- For small group tour,children will occupy a seat and will be charged the same price as adults. For bus tour, Children 0-2 years old are free of charge for carrying and not occupying a seat.
- Traffic jams may occur on weekends and red days, so if you are worried about traffic jams, you can avoid joining the tour on weekends or red days.
- The remaining hours are allotted for the travel time and lunch time.
- The tour group ends in Osaka and does not return to Kyoto.
- Small-group tour only provides a driver-guide.
Reviews(34)
This was an independent tour activity with a driver and private transport visiting 3 places and exactly our style of tour. We zbsolutely enjoyed the day. Our driver was excellent and messaged us with clear instructions and important points of interest. He even went above and beyond when people were late or got lost.
A lot of locations in a limited amount of time. Definitely make sure that you are rested and ready to hustle. It is definitely a sampler tour, but it is done right. We didn't have too much time in Kyoto so it was perfect for us to see many locations in one stop. My family and I had a great time. The bus was comfortable, and the stops were great. We found our way back from Osaka to Kyoto easily with public transportation.
Do not book with this company!!! Customer service is horrible.. I attempted to book this trip in 3 months and the date reverted back to “tomorrow”. I booked and paid for it. I messaged viators customer service and the company’s customer service; Viator couldn’t get a hold of the company and the company told me directly, since the tour is booked for the next day, it’s no refunds. I asked them multiple times just to change the date, they refused and said i should just show up to the tour. I explained that I live in the states and won’t be there for a few months. They said the policy is not refunds or changes. Even though I literally booked the same day as I attempted to change the date… Also, the actual tour guide messaged me to confirm the details and stated “sorry my English is not that great”, this is supposed to be an English speaking tour! I lost $270 and no tour! I am scheduled with another company with much better reviews! Again, DO NOT BOOK WITH THEM!
Thank you for bringing this to our attention, and please accept our most sincere apologies for the unacceptable experience you’ve described. To ensure fairness, please adhere to the cancellation policy on the page.While our policy does not allow refunds or date changes for next-day bookings, we take your feedback seriously — especially regarding customer service and guide English level. To future guests: we welcome you to review our policy carefully, and we are working to improve our service and clarity. Thank you for helping us get better. Thank you again for your honest feedback — it helps us become better. Best regards
I really enjoyed the experience. Love to visit the places again next time I visit Japan. Overall it was amazing.
Thank you for your wonderful feedback. We're so glad to hear that you really enjoyed the experience and that it left such a positive impression on you. It would be our great pleasure to welcome you again next time you visit Japan. To future guests: you are warmly invited to come and create your own amazing memories with us. Best regards
Learn to adapt to other country’s culture especially their language. David, our tour guide went out of his way to serve us and please us even if we have language barriers
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your tour and that David, your guide, made such a positive impression on you. It's great to know that his efforts to bridge the language barrier and ensure your satisfaction were appreciated. We truly value your kind words and are so glad that you had a memorable experience. For any future travelers considering a tour with us, we want to assure them that our team, including guides like David, is always dedicated to providing exceptional service and creating unforgettable experiences, no matter the challenges. Thank you once again for choosing us, and we hope to welcome you back on another adventure soon! Best regards
See many places in one day. Rick is the best. Very friendly. I recommend Rick to he their guide. Great day today.
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We are thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your day exploring multiple places with Rick. Your kind words truly mean a lot to us, and we will make sure to pass along your compliments to Rick. We are always here to provide memorable experiences, and we look forward to welcoming you—and any potential guests you recommend—back for another great adventure soon! Best regards
The information provided about this tour needs to be clarified for persons taking it from Kyoto. There is no guided tour in Osaka - which is misleading - so we were recommended to make our own way back to Kyoto station by train. This was not clearly communicated before the start of the tour and was not planned for. On other tours that don’t go back to the start point, guides have provided clear details on return routes — this was lacking for this tour. As mentioned by others, it is less of a guided tour and more of a transport service - that favors the passengers that start from Osaka.
Dear Guest, Thank you sincerely for taking the time to share your detailed feedback about your recent tour experience. Your insights are incredibly valuable to us as they help us identify service gaps and enhance transparency for all travelers. We apologize for the confusion and inconvenience you encountered, and we would like to address each of your concerns thoroughly. 1. Misunderstanding About Guide Service Between Osaka and Kyoto We have verified the situation with our local team regarding the guide service. Our guide does travel with the bus from Osaka to Kyoto, but no commentary is provided during this segment. This is because the tour has two pick-up points—Osaka and Kyoto. To ensure all guests receive consistent and comprehensive information, the guide starts formal explanations only after all participants (including those boarding in Kyoto) have assembled. We suspect this may have led to your misunderstanding about the guide service, and we apologize for not clarifying this timing in advance. 2. Lack of Clarity About Return Arrangements to Kyoto While the tour’s end point and itinerary sections on our page clearly state that "The tour group ends in Osaka and does not return to Kyoto," we sincerely appreciate your feedback about the lack of sufficient prior notice. To prevent similar confusion, we have added explicit reminders about this return arrangement in two additional prominent locations: the pick-up point instructions and the package selection section on our booking page. We are committed to continuously improving the clarity of our tour information and service quality. Thank you again for bringing these issues to our attention. We sincerely hope to have the opportunity to serve you better in the future and provide a more seamless and satisfying travel experience. Best regards,
Great amount of free time to explore each stop.the tour guide was knowledgeable and informative and gave good tips about the important things to see.
Thank you for sharing your positive experience with us. We are delighted to hear that you appreciated the balance we strive to achieve: providing a great amount of free time for personal exploration at each stop, while also benefiting from a knowledgeable and informative guide who offers valuable insights. It's wonderful to know that our guide's tips helped you focus on the important sights. We truly appreciate your recognition of our tour structure. To all our future guests: we welcome you to experience this ideal blend of structured guidance and personal freedom. Our tours are carefully designed to offer you both deep cultural insights from our expert guides and the autonomy to discover and connect with the destinations at your own pace. We are confident this approach will make your journey both enriching and uniquely your own. We look forward to exploring with you again soon. Warm regards
Little disappointed the tour guide just drop us at the tour site with no direction and explanation, as a tourist we were lost and had to ask people and had to follow the map On our own. Instructions were not clear. Even the final drop off location was not at the same place we were picked up.
Thank you for your feedback. As comments cannot be linked to orders, we are unable to verify your order number. Should you wish, you may contact us via Viator's messaging platform to provide further details, and we shall reconfirm with our local colleagues. Please feel free to reach out with any further questions or concerns. Best regards!
The translator did a great job translating in multiple different languages. I learn a lot about the places we visited.
Thank you so much for your positive feedback! We are delighted to hear that our translator provided excellent multilingual support and helped you learn more about the places you visited. We will be sure to share your kind words with the translation team — your recognition means a lot! We also warmly welcome all potential guests who value informative and accessible tours, especially in multilingual settings. If you or anyone you know is interested in exploring with clear and engaging translation support, we would be happy to assist with your booking. Best regards
