Kyoto and Nara Day Trip
About this activity
Highlights
- Explore Kyoto's historic temples
- Visit Nara's famous deer park
- Experience traditional matcha tea in Uji
- Discover UNESCO World Heritage sites
- Enjoy a guided tour with local insights
Full description
Included / Excluded
- Round-trip transportation from Kyoto
- Guided tours of Kyoto and Nara
- Matcha tea experience in Uji
- Meals and personal expenses
Itinerary
Nara's most celebrated shrine
There are 1,400 deer living around vast Nara Park
The magnificent South Gate (Nandaimon) is a stunning example of traditional Japanese architecture. Its impressive structure and historic significance make it a must-see, offering a glimpse into the grandeur of Japan’s past.
Todaiji Temple housing the Great Buddha of Nara and it is one of the world’s largest wooden buildings.
Pass by: The palace site is included as one of the World Heritage Sites of Nara
【Lunch】 ・Enjoy a traditional Japanese set meal at a restaurant along the beautiful Uji River. ・Vegetarian option available. (If you prefer a vegetarian meal, please indicate this in the notes when making your reservation. Please note that the soup contains fish broth.)
It is very famous because the Phoenix Hall is depicted on the 10 yen coin
【Matcha Making Experience】 Enjoy a matcha-making experience at a historic tea shop with over 500 years of tradition. You will prepare your own bowl of matcha and learn the proper traditional way to drink it.
Let's walk around and taste matcha sweets
Meeting point
Start Location
Unknown location
Important information
Know before you book
- The tour is conducted in English; proficiency is recommended.
- Some temples may require an additional entrance fee; check in advance.
- The matcha tea experience is included; additional purchases are optional.
Know before you go
- Wear comfortable walking shoes for temple visits and park exploration.
- Bring a camera to capture the scenic beauty and historic sites.
- Carry a bottle of water to stay hydrated throughout the day.
Cancellation policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Accessibility
- Infants Required On Laps
- Easy Public Transport
- Stroller Accessible
Good to know
- A Professional English-speaking guide attend this tour. Additionally, multilingual audio guidance is available on the bus in English, Spanish, French, Italian, Germany, Portuguese, Ukrainan
- Vegetarian meal options are available.
- We are unable to accommodate vegan, gluten-free, or wheat allergy requests. We are also unable to accommodate other specific allergies such as fish or soy. If you have any other dietary restrictions or allergies, please be sure to inform us at least 2 days prior to the tour date. We may not be able to accommodate any requests made after this deadline.
- Please let us know your booking numbers and total number of people before the tour, if you have several bookings or if you have booked separately so that we can arrange same bus for you..
- Please make sure to bring cash with you. Deer crackers can only be purchased with cash, and some shops also accept cash only, so having cash will be necessary and convenient.
- We do not supply any extra pick up & drop off service.
- The lunch/restaurant may change due to operational reasons.
- If any of the visiting places is closed, we will try to attend an alternative place.
- Customers will walk including stairs and hills in each places
- Due to the weather conditions, traffic conditions, or suspension of operation, we may have a possibility not to achieve all the activities. The tour will be attending to alternative place or giving out a gift as a compensation, depending on the situation at that time. There will not be any refunds for these changes.
- Itinerary order is subject to change depending on traffic, weather, and operation.
- Late arrivals will not be entertained and joining midway is not feasible for the tour. Please arrive the meeting point on time.
Traveler reviews
Den was 10/10 Nara and Uji tour guide
Amazing experience visiting nara and uji. The park is fun and the deers are very chilled and now to you. Be warned they perk up when you have crackers or any sort of food so don't panic and you will be fine. Our tour guide den was so friendly and knowledgeable and we really enjoyed asking her questions. The matcha making experience is really good and enjoyable the hosts are extremely friendly and polite and you get a lunch when you reach uji would highly recommend this tour.
Nice tour
Nice tour, tour guide Den was really nice and polite.
Amazing tour!!!!
The cherry on top of the trip was the Matcha workshop at the finest matcha family owned company in the world (Kambayashi), suppliers to the royal family of Japan. The actual owner is the 16th generation, the last oficial samurai still standing at 71 years old, matcha champion of the world, is who actually greets you and will proudly talk about his samurai lineage, will show you antique photos. Here in Uji you have to buy the matcha, is the best in Japan. The deer feeding activity is really fun if you are not scared of wild animals, if not, don’t feed them. If they smell food on you they go crazy, they will harass you, but we actually really enjoyed it. You get a good laugh and a few soft bites. However if you don’t have any food with you, they love to be touched and pet. They are sweet and well behaved with no food around. The Buddha in the Todaiji temple is very impressive. The biggest wooden statue in the world. Kinda crowded but worth it. The Byodo In temple is beautiful and peaceful, with very few tourists. You can easily get photos. Our guide Chi-Chan was very sweet, patient and was happy to take you photos.
Nara and Uji Tour
Chi-chan had great energy and was very informative throughout the whole tour, explaining various aspects of the temples and shrines we visited. The Nara Deer park was very fun with the bowing deer and the matcha-making experience amazing!
Fantástic Day trip to Nara & Uji
Fantástic Day trip from Kyoto to Nara and Uji! The tour guide, chii-chan, so kind and knowledgeable. She really made a memorable trip by sharing so many insights about Japan & local customs! She Taught us many Japoneses therminology. The matcha experience was fantastic, it took place in a former Samurai generation shop, very special and interesting at the same time. Highly recommended!!