Kyoto Tour with Photography

This is an unforgettable half-day adventure through Kyoto’s cultural heart, exploring some of its most iconic landmarks.

PiQtour is unique–there’s no other experience like this!

This guided, private tour embarks to three of Kyoto’s most important locations. Your guide, a professional photographer, will help you learn, explore, and create a personalized visual story of your time in Kyoto.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to explore the amazing sites, getting interesting history and facts, while also getting beautiful photos to take home with you and cherish!

Please note that this tour varies in length, usually about 3-4 hours. It is a scheduled tour on a set route, but we will make sure to give you the time to enjoy the things you want to see most during the tour. It also involves walking.

Please check the tour details for the route!

For pricing, click the More Info button!

Our route

• Kyoto Station: We will meet in the middle of Kyoto at Kyoto Station. There, we’ll take the train together to our first destination, Fushimi Inari Shrine. More info on the meeting spot will be provided after you book.
• Fushimi Inari Shrine: We will guide you up the mountain, with interesting stories of the history, making several stops and taking the most pictures near the halfway point where the crowd has died down. This is an awesome place to get iconic photos with the orange gates around you.
• Sannenzaka-Ninenzaka: We recommend taking a taxi to this next location, which will run about 1500 yen per taxi. Upon arriving to Ninenzaka, we will explore the streets of Higashiyama, take some pictures, such as by the gorgeous Hokan-ji Pagoda, and give you a chance to do some shopping. Our host will give you various recommendations on souvenirs and street food. This is where we will get many of those “traditional Kyoto” shots!
• Kiyomizu Temple: Finally, we will explore the many different areas of this temple, learning about the interesting history here and enjoying a few hidden experiences. Admission to the rear shrine is optional, but is 500 yen per person that you should bring in cash for yourself and for the guide. (We aren’t able to get photos here, just enjoy with our eyes.) We finish the tour here, but your host will then escort you to the closest station/bus stop/taxi stand you’d like to use to continue on your day.

What You Get

• This tour is totally private–just you and the host! No need to worry about other people or rushing around to keep up.
• 40-60 professionally-edited photos in a private online gallery.
• History and fun facts that people of all ages can enjoy.
• The chance to enjoy street-food, drinks, souvenir shopping, etc. while we head up to Kiyomizu Temple!

tips! Important info!

• If you want to wear kimonos, please don’t book a timeslot earlier than 10am (for one or two people) or 10:30am (three or more people). After you’ve booked, I’ll recommend a few kimono rental shops near where we’ll meet.
• Bring cash. You will want it for street food, making a wish at the shrine, possibly for the cab, etc. (Always have some cash with you while you’re in Japan, anyways.)
• We will take a taxi halfway through the tour which will be around 1500 yen per taxi. If you have more than three people in your group, we can usually grab a bigger taxi. However, in very busy times, it may be necessary to take two. There is no convenient public transport to move around certain areas of Kyoto, so this is by and far the best way to travel. You will be responsible for paying this fare.