Best Kyoto Night Tours

Tailoring each experience to your wishes by locals who love their city

Local guide showing tourists around the city on a night tour of Kyoto

Top Kyoto night tours and other experiences

From exploring cool neighborhoods to eating with the locals to seeing iconic sites, these are some of our favorite experiences

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The best Kyoto night tours & experiences with locals

There’s nowhere in the world quite as mystical as Kyoto after dark. As the sun sets over the Kamo River, turning its water a thousand shades of orange, Kyoto’s traditional entertainment district, Gion, wakes up. Lanterns light up cobbled streets and wooden buildings are cast in a golden glow, signaling the start of the night. Japan doesn’t get much more vibrant or atmospheric than night tours in Kyoto, when previously quiet streets packed with restaurants, vibey local haunts, and tucked-away shrines become crowded. With so much to see, you don’t want to get caught in a tourist trap – let night tours in Kyoto with City Unscripted show you where locals spend their free time.

Meet some of our Kyoto local hosts

Tess

Kyoto

Cultural enthusiast with an insider's knowledge of Kyoto's traditional neighborhoods, tea ceremonies, and all the amazing cultural and historical spots.

Choose your own adventure

Night tours in Kyoto with City Unscripted can go many different ways – it all depends on your interests, your travel style, and your mood. We know that every traveler’s idea of the ultimate night out is a little different, which is why all our Kyoto night tours are 100% personalized to suit your pace. Sit back and relax, because we’ll do all the work of planning the perfect experience for you. Whether you prefer a high-energy party scene or low-key leisure, with a local guide to reveal all the hotspots and hidden gems of the Kyoto nightlife scene, the best of the city is yours to discover.

Local guide showing a tourist the fresh foods of Nishiki Market on a night tour of Kyoto

Not your average night tours

Though tranquil by day, Kyoto transforms into a hub of nightlife when the sun sets. What the city lacks in dancing-till-dawn nightclubs, it makes up for with 24-hour karaoke bars, amazing traditional theater performances, incredible street food, and swanky restaurants and bars keeping the wealthy amused. The city after sunset is a hive of activity – but with a local guide to lead your private night tour in Kyoto, you’ll bypass the tourist traps and instead be swept up in a tide of locals making their way to their favorite hole-in-the-wall izakayas, dimly lit bars, and 100-yen sushi restaurants.

A Geisha posing in front of a Shingon Buddhist temple in the Minami-ku ward of Kyoto at night

Discover centuries-ago Japan

You don’t need to go too far to experience the full spectrum of Kyoto nightlife – in fact, you’ll find it all in Gion. At night, this living snapshot of the Japan of yesteryear is the most magical place on earth. On our night tours in Kyoto, keep your eyes peeled for one of Gion’s most incredible sights: elegant geisha that look like they’ve floated from the pages of a fairytale. Whether you spy them at the traditional Japanese theater, putting on streetside performances, or simply strolling to their next engagement, the glimpse of a geisha makes a night in Kyoto especially unforgettable.

Kyoto travel tips and inspiration from our Travel Magazine

Find essential city info, the best things to do at night and lots of travel tips in Kyoto and around the world recommended by our local hosts

Latest reviews from our guests

He did a great job adjusting on the fly. We highly recommend

January 2025

Steve C
Andy was a wonderful guide. He had already laid out the best places to see for our night tour of Gion. The night tour gave us a different look of Kyoto, and was interesting to see. While the day is full of crowds, at night you are able to quietly move through small streets and alleyways and see things you might never during the day. We got lucky and saw Maiko and Geiko on our journey, and never would have otherwise. Andy not only showed us great spots but also had a wealth of knowledge to answer all of my questions about what makes this part of Japan so unique, and the history of how it came to be.

December 2024

Brian K
Austen was extremely knowledgeable, well prepared, and formed an itinerary combining iconic Kyoto with present day Kyoto. I would highly recommend him.

December 2024

Karen M
It was a food tour and we get a super overview

November 2024

Andreas K