Kyoto Night Tour Options: Which Evening Suits You
There are twelve guided evenings in Kyoto covered here and they are not variations on one thing. Some buy you a guide, some buy you dinner, and one buys you an hour and a half with a maiko. This page sorts them by what you want from the night rather than by price. If you would rather compare specifications, the best Kyoto night tour homepage does that.
The whole set, sorted by the reader rather than by the product.
| If you are… | Book | Price | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| On your first night in Kyoto | A Gion walk | From $22 | 2 hours |
| Back for a second time | The Arashiyama ghost walk | From $41 | 2.5 hours |
| Here for the food | The premium foodie evening | From $127 | 3.5 hours |
| Short of time | The 100-minute Gion walk | From $21 | 100 minutes |
| Counting every yen | The three-hour Gion walk | From $18 | 3 hours |
| Travelling with teenagers | The small-group geisha walk | From $120 | 3.5 hours |
| After one unrepeatable night | The maiko dinner | From $290 | 3.5 hours |
If this is your first night in Kyoto
Take the two-hour Gion walk. Thirteen named stops run from Shirakawa Lane to Chion-in. You get the geography of the whole eastern city in one evening, and you leave knowing which lanes you may walk down on your own.
Best for: Anyone who has just arrived and wants their bearings.
What it costs: From $22 per person.
What it does not include: Transport to the meeting point, and any food.
If you have seen Gion in daylight and want the other version
Go west to Arashiyama. The ghost walk runs two and a half hours on urban legends and real criminal history. It ends with a solo walk through a bamboo grove that has no lighting at all, and it is the one evening that leaves the eastern districts.
Best for: Repeat visitors, and anyone who is not going to be scared.
What it costs: From $41 per person.
What it does not include: Anything to eat; the drink is included.
If dinner is the point
The premium foodie evening runs three and a half hours across Gion, Pontocho and Kawaramachi-dori. A full dinner course, dessert, two drinks and three sake tastings are all inside the fare. Seven people is the cap, so it is a table rather than a crowd.
Best for: Anyone who would otherwise spend the evening reading menus they cannot read.
What it costs: From $127 per person.
What it does not include: Nothing material — food, drink and guide are all in it.
If you have ninety minutes
The shortest evening here is a hundred minutes around Gion and Higashiyama, capped at ten people, with a guide who also takes your photographs. In summer the 6:00pm and 6:20pm departures run as early-evening walks, because sunset is after seven.
Best for: A tight schedule, or a late dinner reservation.
What it costs: From $21 per person.
What it does not include: Food, drink and transport.
If you want the evening nobody else on your flight had
Fushimi Inari after dark. Up to two hours on the torii path with the mountain effectively empty, guided from the fox statue at the main entrance. The shrine itself is free and never closes, so what you are paying for is somebody who knows the mountain in the dark.
Best for: Photographers, and anyone tired of queueing.
What it costs: From $41 per person.
What it does not include: Food, drink and transport to Inari.
If you are counting every yen
Three hours through Gion, Hanamikoji and Yasaka Shrine at the lowest fare of any guided evening in this set. The trade-off is stated plainly by its own reviewers: twenty-five is the departure cap and there are no headsets, so stand near the front.
Best for: Budget travellers who do not mind a bigger group.
What it costs: From $18 per person.
What it does not include: Meals, drinks, hotel pick-up and personal expenses.
If you are travelling with teenagers
Twelve stops across three and a half hours, capped at ten, with snacks and a guide speaking native English. One reviewer travelling with teenagers rates it on exactly that basis: nobody was bored. There are steps and unpaved sections, so it is a long evening on your feet.
Best for: Families with older children who will walk.
What it costs: From $120 per person.
What it does not include: Personal expenses and tips.
If you want one unrepeatable night
A short Gion walk, then two hours and forty minutes over a Kyoto-style course meal with a maiko who performs, plays games and answers questions through your guide. All-you-can-drink is included and eight guests is the cap.
Best for: A special occasion, and anyone fifteen or over.
What it costs: From $290 per person.
What it does not include: Nothing material, but note the two published refund windows disagree.
If you are travelling on your own
Book the pub crawl. A guide orders for the table and the group is capped at seven. Two reviewers travelling alone record being the only booking on a quiet night and having the evening run anyway.
Best for: Solo travellers who would rather not eat alone.
What it costs: From $41 per person.
What it does not include: The food and drink, which you order and pay for at each stop.
If you want to be back by nine
Take a two-hour Gion walk. It leaves in the early evening and finishes a short walk from Gion-Shijo. Nothing to eat is included, so you are free to have dinner afterwards on your own terms.
Best for: Anyone with a dinner booking or an early start.
What it costs: From $19 per person.
What it does not include: Food, drink and transport.
Whichever you pick, what to expect on the night covers the shoes, the cash and the lane rules. For the last train, read planning your night. Every departure is compared on the Kyoto Night Tours homepage.