Tokyo to Kyoto 1-Day Tour by Shinkansen with Afternoon Leisure Time reviews, Tokyo tours & activities, fun things to do in Tokyo | VELTRA

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Tokyo to Kyoto 1-Day Tour by Shinkansen with Afternoon Leisure Time

Overall Rating

4.17 4.17 / 5

Reviews

41 reviews
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Excellent Kyoto day tour

Reviewed by: Avid Traveler, 2020/01/21

I was a bit apprehensive after reading the other reviews, but I had no problem at all during the trip. The tickets were at my hotel by the time I checked in. The tour starting point in Kyoto was pretty easy to find if you know how to read a map and follow the signs in Kyoto station.
The tour itself was amazing. We were taken inside Nijo Castle and saw the intricate paintings in the rooms. Then there was the beautiful Kinkakuji temple with it's amazing gold leaf covered lake side pavilion. The only part that was a bit underwhelming was the imperial palace (as you can't go inside any buildings).
For the free time, I bought the afternoon tour by the same company (Sunrise Tours) that did the morning tour. That covered the other must see temples of Kyoto. In fact Veltra should package that in as well. It only costs an additional $60.
The downside of the long day was that it was quite tiring at the end. I mostly slept during the train journey back.

Rating:
Attended as:Solo Travelers
Activity Date:2020/01/18
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A perfect day in Kyoto!

Reviewed by: Claudia Cordero, 2020/01/12

The guide was great, he shows us three beautiful temples. And give us important facts and information. We enjoyed a lot. The afternoon free was a great oportunity to explore Kyoto by our own, with plety of time to see shops, Gion and Yasaka shrine.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2019/12/19
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Disappointed

Reviewed by: Richard, 2019/08/30

1. Disappointed with the map we had, stressful trying to find the meeting point.

2. Seemed very rushed.

3. Train tickets for return was to late and when asked to change them they said no I had to pay an extra £330 for train ticket and no help with the refund.

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2019/08/28
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Morning tour was good; rest of trip was way too long

Reviewed by: Courtney , 2019/06/21

When considering this tour, we were concerned about the length. The morning three-stop tour sounded great, but what were we supposed to do with 7 hours of free time? We decided to go anyways, thinking we could spend the day leisurely and then change the time on the ticket later (something I’ve done often before with bullet train tickets). YOU CANNOT CHANGE THE TIME OF RETURN. NO MATTER WHAT. If you decide you want to leave earlier, too bad. Find a bit of floor and just wait. This is a poorly planned ticket package, and I would instead recommend booking your own bullet train tickets that can be changed whenever you like and buying just the morning (or better yet, afternoon—that 6AM bullet train is brutal) tour separately from Sunrise Tours. The tour itself was also a little rushed, but you have to accept that with a tour like this, so can’t really complain.

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2019/06/19
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Fab trip

Reviewed by: yousopugly, 2019/06/09

The company was super helpful with organising the arrival of my train tickets and always responded to my questions promptly. The morning tour of Kyoto was good, if a little short. It was a bit annoying not being able to choose your return train time, but otherwise an excellent day and a great way to see Kyoto if you don't have that long in Japan.

Rating:
Attended as:Solo Travelers
Activity Date:2019/06/06
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Very good Guide

Reviewed by: Sympathie , 2019/04/27

Very good Guide
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
All very good
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2019/04/25
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Fantastic Experience

Reviewed by: Parker, 2019/04/09

This was an absolutely fantastic experience from start to finish. I was able to travel from Tokyo to Kyoto quickly and easily and thoroughly enjoyed the logistics of the entire tour. Everything was set up and led very well making this trip unforgettable. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone interested in seeing as much of Kyoto as possible in one day. The only constructive comment was the AVANTI desk was relatively difficult to find. It would be great to include more detailed directions from Kyoto station to the desk. Thank you Veltra and thank you AVANTI!

Rating:
Attended as:Solo Travelers
Activity Date:2018/11/20
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Kyoto day trip

Reviewed by: Cin, 2019/03/24

Tourguide was funny. Places were interesting. Fast paced enough so it wasnt boring. Right amount to visit and then free afternoon time was perfect to relax and see a few things and go shopping after.

Rating:
Attended as:Friends
Activity Date:2019/03/17
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Full day Kyoto trip with 4 hour freetime revirw

Reviewed by: Mclovin Japan, 2018/11/11

First of all, the sites that you will visit are outstanding and impressive. All of these are well worth seeing. The negative is that we only spent 15 to 30 minutes at each site. The group felt incredibly rushed. Spending at least 45 minutes (more at the imperial palace) would be helpful.
The complaint is that the trip description did not tell us that the 4 hour free time is "complete" freedom. The option was to be left ar the imperial palace or take a bus ride back to the train station. We opted to stay at the palace to get a better look. We then hailed a taxi and spent the rest of the day at Fushimi Inari-taisha (must see). Luckily there was a train station right in front of Fushimi Inari-taisha that got us back to the train station. All worked out fine but would inform to take extra money for the taxi.

Rating:
Attended as:Friends
Activity Date:2018/11/09
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Not worth the money

Reviewed by: Stacey C., 2018/11/04

The location is hard to find... the directions they give are awful. One of the bullet train tickets didn't work and had to be processed manually - in each direction. The tours were super rushed, then the bus was late coming back to the first spot so we were even more rushed at the other two locations because we met up with other groups later. You can either look around, take pictures or look at souvenirs - but only one as there is no time at any location. The guide spoke very broken English that made it hard to understand. During the actual tours, she stayed in the front of the group and her microphone barely worked, so you couldn't hear. The group was so big that by the time you caught up to the front, they were moving to the next spot. The places we went were cool, but I would recommend another tour group or going on your own. I would not recommend this tour, sadly.

Rating:
Attended as:Friends
Activity Date:2018/11/02
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Seemless Tour

Reviewed by: Solo Traveler , 2018/09/25

I experienced this tour as a solo traveler, and it was the best decision I’ve made. When I got to My hotel in Japan, my Shinkansen Tickets were already there. Having the afternoon all to myself allowed my to explore more of Kyoto on my own terms, such as Bamboo Grove, Tenryuji Temple, and Fushimi Inari before catching the Shinkansen back to my hotel. Only downside is the places this tour takes you are very crowded, but it’s not the company’s fault.

Rating:
Attended as:Solo Travelers
Activity Date:2018/09/23
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Perfect day trip from Tokyo on Bullet Train!

Reviewed by: Katy, 2018/07/02

Loved the fact Bullet Train tickets were included, and great into to Kyoto with AM Bus Tour. Really liked getting information on sites, our guide was very nice - a bit soft spoken so wasn't able to hear everything.

In PM we did Fushimi Inari-taisha (shrine with orange gates), super easy to get to and really enjoyed climb up mountain.

FYI Tour Office to check in was a bit hard to find

  • Golden Pavilion - amazing!

  • not on tour - highly recommend Fushimi Inari

  • be sure to try matcha ice cream at Golden Pavilion - perfect treat on hot day

  • loved the bus decorations

  • loved the kimonos and traditional dress - so beautiful!

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2018/06/15
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Not good

Reviewed by: Rob, 2018/06/01

Poor care of guests. Not very accommodating
Took guests to most crowded sites and very hard to enjoy
Guide and office staff not very polite

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2018/05/30
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Kyoto day trip

Reviewed by: Kim, 2018/05/19

Super easy. Thank you for making it easy to preplan a lovely day of morning tours in Kyoto and the experience on the bullet train was exciting. It was nice having our all fine prior to travel.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2018/04/24
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Excellent trip

Reviewed by: Anuj, 2018/04/28

Trip was excellent and well organised.
recommend other to book both morning as well as afternoon trip.

Rating:
Attended as:Solo Travelers
Activity Date:2018/04/25
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Great for young able-bodied individuals!

Reviewed by: Meiling, 2018/04/01

We participated in the morning tour of Kyoto. We really enjoyed our guide. She was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. The places we went were very good choices! The tour was very fast though. It would've been great with an extra half hour or so at each location. At Nijo castle, our guide did a great job of keeping the group moving and being very informative. We had about 15 minutes of free time to explore, I wish we had slightly more time but this was the least rushed stop of them all. The other two stops were extremely fast and we didn't get to explore as much as we had hoped. A lot of people on the tour were lagging behind and I'm sure they didn't get as much from the experience as we did. I would highly recommend booking this tour if you are in your 20-30s and able to walk fast and keep up with the guide. Most of the people lagging behind were in their 40-60s and barely got to the spot where the group was before the guide stopped talking and moved to the next location. It is a very fast tour and would not be for people who like to take their time. The value for the price was good though since round trip bullet train tickets are essentially the same as this tour + roundtrip tickets. The tour guides are great, but the actual tour is very cramped for time. If the tour was longer I'm sure this experience would get 5 stars! This is a very tourist heavy city as most of the people you'll see are tourists. If you're looking for a more authentic Japanese experience this is not the tour.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2018/03/29
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Great Tour and Great Value

Reviewed by: Rick, 2018/03/26

Totally worth it. Kyoto is a must see. Bus tour in the morning to 3 spots with guide and the whole afternoon to explore.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2018/02/28
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Kyoto trip

Reviewed by: Deepak Thakur, 2017/11/25

We had a great time. Very accommodating, helpful, knowledgeable and friendly staff. We'd go with Veltra again and again. We'd booked on the morning tour only but were able to get the afternoon trip so we could use the full day sightseeing at Kyoto.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2017/11/05
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Kyoto Day Trip

Reviewed by: Robert M., 2017/11/08

Outstanding visit to the imperial palace , shrine and temple which included a decent lunch. The tour staff were extremely helpful and professional. I will definitely use this tour company in the future for other visits. Good value for the money too. :)

Reply from activity provider

Thank you for your review. We are glad to hear your comment. We look forward to your next participation.

Rating:
Attended as:Friends
Activity Date:2017/11/01
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Kyoto Morning Trip

Reviewed by: Pierre Guzman, 2017/08/07

A good summary on the history of this city. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable, while at the same time friendly.

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2017/07/29
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Veltra is a good service provider for tours

Reviewed by: Sandra USA, 2017/08/07

I used Veltra twice as a tour travel agent. Both tours were organised and went according to plan. I was given clear instructions. The Kyoto Tour was great! Informative and scenic both. Our guide was excellent. I highly recommend booking tours through Veltra!

Rating:
Attended as:Solo Travelers
Activity Date:2017/07/16
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Kyoto is beautiful

Reviewed by: Tarsila Felix, 2017/05/08

Kyoto is super interesting historically speaking and very different from the actual Tokyo, so very worth the day trip!

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2017/04/09
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Kyoto morning tour.

Reviewed by: Mietek, 2017/05/07

Very well organized. Our guide Caiko and our driver were excellent. I would recommend this tour to all.
Great tour of Kyoto with free time to explore
Having the afternoon off to explore was a great way to relax in a new city.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2017/05/05
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Kyoto 1 day bullet train from Tokyo

Reviewed by: Oca, 2017/04/18

if you need to visit Kyoto in 1 day from Tokyo this is the tour for you. Best price too its like the half day tour of Kyoto its free vs getting the tickets on your own. I wish the the bullet train comming back was 7pm and not 8:35pm. do yourself a favor and call Sunrise tours or go to their website (the company giving the morning half day tour) and reserve either the Kyoto afternoon tour ($5900JPY)or even better the Nara afternoon tour($7400JPY) so you dont have to wait 8.5 hours for the train back or try to figure out what to visit and spend a fortune in taxi. I added the afternoon tour and visited additional 3 beautiful temples Heian Jingu shrine, sanjusangendo and Kiyomizudera being the last the most impresive 5 story temple. If you go to Nara instead you will see the Great Budda in the Todaji temple. Ask the guide to leave you in the Kyoto train station they will do so dont need to pay taxi to go back I did had to wait 3 hours for the 8:35 train (but much better than waiting 8.5 hours) if you go to Nara I suppose you will spend 1 more hour comming back to wait 2 hours thats what I think if the bullet train tickets were at 7pm would be perfect for either additional tour. Notice the company also offers a night tour but dont reserve if you are taking the bullet train, wont make it on time (the company could instead give bullet train tickets for later in that case so they can sell you the night tour?) -would be nice but even the way its currently set (and you adding the afternoon tour or Nara) makes it perfect.

Rating:
Attended as:Friends
Activity Date:2017/04/16
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Great trip

Reviewed by: Rao, 2017/04/17

Very well organized. Our guide Taka and our driver were excellent. I would recommend this tour to all

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2017/04/14
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Great tour of Kyoto with free time to explore

Reviewed by: Aaron, 2017/01/26

Tour was excellent and easy to manage. Good points of interest and great guide. We didn't go for the meal but I would recommend it. Having the afternoon off to explore was a great way to relax in a new city.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2016/03/27
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Great Tour!

Reviewed by: ARJ, 2016/10/25

The tour was good. We did the half day tour and had the rest of the day to ourselves. I don't recommend this if you don't have any other activities lined up. The train that they will have you on is at 830p at night. The tour lets out around 1230a/1p.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2016/10/22
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A rushed tour...

Reviewed by: Lily, 2016/04/28

Since we had to take the first train out to Kyoto from Tokyo, we figure the morning would be jam backed. It really felt rushed, overcrowd because the bus was at capacity so we could not hear the guide and due to the fact that we needed to be at the Imperial Palace at a certain time, we really could not enjoy the stops as much as we wanted. With that being said, what we did see what beautiful even thought it was raining and cold. Be mindful that the tour ends at noon but your train will not leave until 8 pm so you must find things to do because you cannot change your ticket to an earlier time.

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2016/04/28
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Beautiful and Historic Kyoto

Reviewed by: Laura M., 2016/04/22

This is a fantastic tour for people who are staying in Tokyo but want to see Kyoto. Because of scheduling, we were unable to stay outside of Tokyo but this allowed us to travel to Kyoto and experience its beauty. The bullet train tickets arrived at our hotel with instructions on how to get from Tokyo to Kyoto. We had no problems at all and the bullet train was a great experience in itself. Once we got to Kyoto, we simply followed the map to our meet-up. The morning tour was fabulous and we were able to see many sights such as Kinkaku-ji and Nijo Castle with a guided tour. Our tour guide was fabulous and helped us understand more about the culture in Kyoto. After the tour, lunch and the afternoon were free. We spent the evening at Kiyomizu-dera but there were so many options to explore with a free afternoon that one could do almost anything in Kyoto before needing to return to the train station. We had no problem getting back to Tokyo at the end of the day. I would definitely recommend making the time in your schedule for this tour if you are staying in Tokyo. It was an amazing experience.

  • Kiyomizu-dera in the afternoon

  • Kinkaku-ji in the morning

Rating:
Attended as:Friends
Activity Date:2015/10/24
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Thank you

Reviewed by: Tatiana , 2016/03/31

Our tour was great! I wish we saw more of Kyoto. Our guide was very knowledgeable

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2016/03/28
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