DRINKING TOURS IN KYOTO · Japan
The good drinking tours in Kyoto fill weeks ahead and the great ones go first. Below: the 12 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
Kyoto night food tour in Gion and Pontocho with 9+ dishes and 6 sake tastings, guided walking and a full meal plan.
“Value for money and fun Kyoto experience with our guide Yuma. Highly recommend this food and drink experience - something for everyone.”
3 hours in Kyoto’s Gekkeikan Okura museum and tasting room, with 10 sake pours, food pairings, and a guide cheat sheet.
“This was such an amazing experience! Our guide was very informative, we learned so much about Sake!! We would highly recommend this tour💕”
A 5-hour Kyoto walking tour of Arashiyama bamboo, Tenryuji temple, Okochi Sanso garden, monkeys at Iwatayama, plus lunch or sake tasting.
“Kevin was my guide and he was absolutely fantastic! Really friendly and took the time to chat to everyone - he was also happy to suggest other things to do in Kyoto and how to avoid the crowds. This is really a full morning with lots of things to see but also opportunities to sit and relax. Would really recommend!! Thanks Kevin”
A 3 hour Kyoto walking bar hop with a local guide, sake tastings, and hard to find izakaya spots in Kawaramachi and Kiyamachi.
“Lyou was super professional, knowledgeable and thoughtful during the tour. I enjoyed all the food and drinks he selected based on my generaal preferences. I highly recommend the tour!”
Learn Kyoto sake in Fushimi, tour Gekkeikan, taste 10+ styles with food pairings, and leave with a bottle-reading cheat sheet.
“Kyoko was an excellent tour guide. Not only was she extremely knowledgeable about all things sake, she was a very kind and funny tour guide. Learned so much about sake, its history, and what kind exactly that I would like. Definitely would recommend this tour if you’re interested in sake and its history.”
Kyoto’s Fushimi sake walk blends the Gekkeikan Okura museum with a guided tasting of many local styles in a small group.
“Our afternoon spent during the sake tour was rich in history who would know that the Gekkeinan brewery existed since the 1600’s. Our guide was knowledgeable regarding the brewing process and stepped us through the tasting process. We had a wonderful time being sociable and tasting 17 types of sake. Our tour finished with our guide giving us advice on how to get to other areas more efficiently and hailing a taxi for us. I would thoroughly recommend our guide and the sake tour. It was a wonderful experience!”
Join MagicalTrip on a 3-hour Kyoto bar-hopping night walk through Pontocho backstreets, with 3-4 dishes, 3-4 drinks, and photos.
“Food isn’t good compared to every other tour or even street vendors offer. Drinks are fine. Highly unorganized, not a lot of information to learn anything. We did have fun at a karaoke bar though.”
Kyoto bar crawl in Kawaramachi: 3-hour guided evening with izakaya bites, sake and local bars in Shijo and Kiyamachi.
“Excellent tour. Taiga took us to places you will not find yourself and made sure the entire group felt comfortable all along. Can recommend especially for solo travellers!”
A 90-minute Kyoto sake workshop in Fushimi with a sommelier, 7 tastings, and otsumami pairings, plus a cheat sheet to order confidently.
“This was a great experience. Our host, Mayo, was amazing and explained the process of making sake and how changes to process create different flavors in the same. Super cool and gave me a whole new appreciation for it. I am vegan and was a bit worried about the snack parings, but there were able to easily accommodate me when I arrived and sub out the non-vegan snacks for other options.”
Learn sake in Kyoto with 7 tastings, otsumami snacks, and a cheat sheet to read labels and order with confidence.
“We loved the sake tasting and food pairing experience. Our sake sommelier Kotaro was very knowledgeable and a great teacher. We now know which type of sake we prefer, how to order it, and what to pair it with. I definitely recommend this to anyone visiting Kyoto!”
Kyoto izakaya cooking class: make 2 to 3 home dishes, eat your creations, and take easy recipes home in a 3-hour session.
“Very fun and te guides were great Yumi and Yumiko were very nice and entertaining”
Make Kyoto dinner in an izakaya-style cooking class, learning dashi and seasoning, cooking several dishes, then eating what you make.
“We had a great time and did was excellent! They did a nice job prepping ingredients and explaining what we cooked. Highly recommended”
Pick the kind of day first. The tour comes second.
