| Train tours (bookable as a private tour) | |
| There are several train lines in and around Kyoto that allow you to explore some of the main attractions of Kyoto with a day ticket. This type of transportation gives you the chance to experience some of the most famous sights in Kyoto while experiencing the pulse of local life. These train tours are particularly suitable in bad weather. Please note that these tours also involve a considerable amount of walking. These tours can be booked as private tours. Please see the conditions under private tour.
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East Kyoto Keihan Train Tour
See the highlights of eastern Kyoto by train and short walks, and let an expert with an MA in Japanese Studies introduce you to the history and culture of Kyoto. We will visit several places in Kyoto that have had traditional culture for centuries. After a short train ride we reach the Fushimi Inari Shrine. There we take a stroll through the hundreds of crimson shrine gates. With a bit of luck we can also see a Shinto ceremony there. Uji is associated with green tea in Japan. There are many tea shops where you can try green tea in all its manifestations, in beverages, desserts, ice cream and noodles. There is an opportunity for a lunch break there. Between the two districts is the Manpuku-ji Temple, the main temple of the Obaku Zen School, which has retained its distinctive Chinese appearance. Fushimi is a traditional sake brewing center. The area of traditional sake breweries and warehouses in Fushimi has been used as a backdrop in many films. We will visit the Gekkeikan Sake Museum where you can learn about the sake production process and try sake. The final stroll through Gion's geisha district and old city of Kyoto completes this tour. This tour also takes place every Tuesday. Please see the Tour East Kyoto Highlights.
Meeting point: Minami Za Kabuki Theater or by appointment
Cost: ¥ 1700 (day ticket and admissions)
North - West Kyoto Keifuku Train Tour
With the Keifuku tram, which connects Kyoto with the western district of Arashiyama, you can comfortably explore the northwest of Kyoto. After a short ride we reach the Ryoanji Zen Temple with its world famous rock garden. After the visit with a walk through the extensive landscape garden, we continue by train to the Ninnaji Temple. This temple is connected to the imperial house and its furnishings are accordingly magnificent. Afterwards we continue to the terminal in Arashiyama. Arashiyama is a traditional neighborhood with many temples and traditional houses. We visit the extensive Zen temple Tenryuji with its famous garden. At the back exit we are right in the famous bamboo grove. After a long stroll through the bamboo grove, we return to the train station, from where we ride back to Kyoto.
Meeting point: Kitano Hakubaicho station or by appointment
Cost: ¥ 2600 (day ticket and admissions)
Northern Kyoto Eiden Train Tour
During this train tour you can visit the two traditional villages of Kibune and Kurama at the outskirts of Kyoto. Between the two places you can also take a walk that leads over a hill. In Kurama there is the possibility to visit an open-air onsen thermal bath. This tour can also be extended by a cable car ride up to Mt Hiei, where Enryakuji Monastery is located. There is a choice of either returning to Kyoto or continue by cable car to Biwako Lake on the other side.
Meeting point: Demachiyanagi train station or by appointment
Costs: ¥ 1200 (day ticket and admissions), ¥ 3200 by cable car