The Kyoto VIP Experience!

A really great experience with a fun and knowledgeable and interesting guide. Hard to imagine a better day

Have completed a few guided tours in various places as when you have limited time somewhere new it’s such an efficient and rewarding way to discover things. This tour, this city and especially our guide Milo were the best we’ve ever experienced- can’t say much more than that !:) If you’re considering this tour, just book it, and entrust Milo to show you the best of this incredible place. You’ll have no regrets and memories for a lifetime.

Outstanding! Our guide, Milo, was engaging, knowledgeable, and made the wonderful day go by in a blink. Pacing of the tour was perfect and we saw everything on our wish list (Kinkakuji, Ginkakuji, Nanzenji, Philosophers Walk, etc) + plenty of Easter eggs and secret findings along the way. We are not usually guided tour travelers but we were super glad we booked this tour. We will be recommending this tour to all of our friends visiting Kyoto!

Neil was one of the best tour guide ever met in our traveling life; such a great guy and so patient and careful to everyone’s needs !!! highly recommended

Milo was brilliant. He was a wealth of knowledge & looked after us very well. We learned so much interesting history.

We had an incredible guide! He was a very thoughtful and extremely knowledgeable. We feel fortunate that we booked him!

Niall was a great guide! 👍 Informative, knowledgeable, friendly & great sense of humor 🤗. We really appreciated how he considered what we were interested in & planned the day for us.

This would be my 2nd visit to one of my favorite cities in the world, Kyoto. The last time 5 years ago, my girlfriend and I enjoyed a maiko experience in a regular restaurant with the music piped in from a radio. It was good, but I wanted something more original in a members only ochaya (tea-house) with a real geiko and real music from an instrument. My online search found Kyoto VIP Experience and I am glad for it. To begin with, my son and I were picked up from our hotel by a private limousine van and given a nice tour of the Gion district. I asked for the Shirakawa section of Gion as we saw the Hanami-koji section 5 years back. Well, we saw both sections and walked a bit toward Yasaka pagoda for some pictures. Niall knows all the good photo spots and was very good at taking pictures of us. All his pictures and pictures from the geiko experience were expertly taken and transferred to our email expeditiously. We then entered the ochaya on Hanami-koji street and the experience was mind blowing. The tea house will offer snacks and unlimited drinks throughout the experience. Then 2 geikos and 1 maiko entered and introduced themselves. They gave us their business cards while our photographer was snapping pictures. This is a must do, hiring a professional photographer, so you can enjoy the performances uninterrupted. The other must do thing is to ask Niall if the only English speaking geiko in Kyoto can perform. Well, we were lucky and her English had a delightful New Zealand accent. We were able to ask tons of questions about maiko/geiko life before the performances start. Listening to a geiko who can play the shamisen was worth the high price for this experience. There were several dances by the maiko and geiko, followed by some games. Of course, my son and I always lost as we don't practice these games. But they were so much fun!! Lastly, many pictures were taken alone and together of everyone there. After this once in a lifetime experience, Niall took us to his favorite restaurant for kaiseki-ryori. Another special experience!! Then a taxi was called for our trip back to the hotel. I cannot say thank you enough to Niall for arranging that night. A night to remember forever!

Such a fun day with Niall! He took us to some incredible spots in West Tokyo and taught us so much about the culture and areas we were visiting. We had a wonderful lunch together and felt like we were part of the city. I highly recommend booking him for an incredibly Kyoto experience!

We spent several hours with Niall who was friendly, knowledgeable, and professional. We were picked up at our hotel and we decided on the morning where we wanted to visit based on our interests. Niall was fully prepared to talk us through all the options (with pictures) so we got the most out of the tour. The vehicle was luxury (Lexus) and comfortable. We had a wonderful time, took photos which will last a lifetime and finished feeling educated, enlightened, relaxed and satisfied. Worth every penny!