15 Drinking Tours in Kyoto That Earn the Train Fare

Drinking Tours, Drinking Tours in Kyoto, Food & Drink, Food Tours, Food Tours in Kyoto, Kyoto Tours, Sake Tasting, Sake Tastings in Kyoto, Tour Reviews, Tours

Kyoto Night Foodie Tour in Gion (9+ dishes + 6 Sake tastings)

1.Kyoto Night Foodie Tour in Gion (9+ dishes + 6 Sake tastings)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,762 reviews · from $163Our pick

Spend about three and a half hours walking through Gion, Pontocho, Kawaramachidori, and along the Kamo River while eating 9-plus Kyoto dishes and sampling sake. A guide such as Jimmy, Kumi, Emma, Rika, or Yuki leads the small group into local restaurants and bars. Expect a full evening meal, cultural stories, and up to six sake tastings.

“Value for money and fun Kyoto experience with our guide Yuma. Highly recommend this food and drink experience - something for everyone.”

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3-Hour Kyoto Insider Sake Brewery Tour with Tastings & Pairings

2.3-Hour Kyoto Insider Sake Brewery Tour with Tastings & Pairings

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 917 reviews · from $84

Spend three hours in Kyoto’s Fushimi sake district with a certified sake sommelier. Visit the Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum, then taste 10 sake styles in a private room with traditional otsumami pairings. Guides such as Kyoko, Miyuki, Momo, Mai, and Shogo explain labels, brewing choices, and flavor differences in clear English.

“WOW! Our guide Kyoko was so friendly and cared so much about helping us learn about sake. The museum tour was very interesting and gave us a good base level of understanding before we tasted so much sake! The way the tasting waRead more”

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Arashiyama Bamboo, Temple, Monkeys, or Secret Sake Brewery

3.Arashiyama Bamboo, Temple, Monkeys, or Secret Sake Brewery

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 886 reviews · 5 hours - 330 minutes · from $87

Walk from Saga-Arashiyama Station through the bamboo grove, Nonomiya Shrine, Okochi Sanso Garden, Tenryuji Temple, and Arashiyama’s shopping streets. You’ll see koi ponds, Kimono Forest, Togetsukyo Bridge, and macaques at Iwatayama. Depending on the option, finish with monkey-park views or a local lunch and sake tasting at Tanzan Brewery.

“Amazing tour!!! Francis was such an awesome guide. I loved the monkeys and the zen garden. 😊🦧”

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Kyoto: Izakaya Bars Guided Walking Tour

4.Izakaya Bars Guided Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 815 reviews · 3 hours · from $25Best value

Join an English-speaking local guide such as Moto, Taiga, Mia, or Lyou for three hours around Kyoto’s Kawaramachi and Kiyamachi districts. You’ll walk narrow streets, visit local izakayas and bars, taste Japanese drinks and food at your own cost, and finish at a tucked-away bar. Groups usually number 5 to 10 people.

“Taiga was our guide and he did such an amazing job showing us around the izakayas while giving us a nice background about the drinks and Kyoto!! So much fun!!!”

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Kyoto: Insider Sake Brewery Tour with Sake and Food Pairing

5.Insider Sake Brewery Tour with Sake and Food Pairing

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 704 reviews · 3 hours · from $87

Meet an English-speaking sake expert at Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum in Fushimi. You’ll tour the brewery museum, compare 10 or more sake styles, learn to read labels, and taste sake with otsumami. Guides such as Kyoko, Miyuki, Momo, and Chika bring a friendly, clear teaching style to this three-hour experience.

“The best ever we had great tour thanks to miyomi 🙏🏿🙏🏿🤗”

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Kyoto Sake Brewery & Tasting Walking Tour

6.Kyoto Sake Brewery & Tasting Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 623 reviews · from $98

Walk through Fushimi with a certified MagicalTrip guide, visit the Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum and Kappa Gallery, pass historic Teradaya, then compare up to 18 Kyoto sakes at a local sake restaurant. Guides such as Matt, Rika, Kumi, and Yukari add clear explanations and friendly local advice.

“Great guide & wonderful tour that gives you an understanding of how significant Sake is to this area in particular. Awesome tour for both the beginner & experienced Sake fan.”

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Kyoto Bar Hopping Night Tour

7.Kyoto Bar Hopping Night Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 613 reviews · from $105

Join MagicalTrip for a three-hour evening walk through Kyoto’s Pontocho and Kiyamachi areas. A certified local guide such as Yumi, Nami, Noriko, or Louis leads you to three izakayas and bars, with 3 to 4 drinks, 3 to 4 dinner dishes, local sake, and possible karaoke. The small group is limited to seven people.

“This tour was so much fun! Nami was a wonderful guide, and we had such a great time with her, and we learned so much about Kyoto and Japanese language and culture! The food and drinks were delicious and the company was so much fun and we had a blast!”

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Kyoto Local Bar Crawl in Kawaramachi Area

8.Kyoto Local Bar Crawl in Kawaramachi Area

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 378 reviews · from $28

Spend about three hours with a local guide around Shijo Kawaramachi and Kiyamachi. You’ll eat at an izakaya, sample sake and other drinks, and visit small bars that are easy to miss on your own. Guides such as Taiga, Mia, Moto, and Kazuma are praised for making solo visitors feel welcome. Food and drinks cost extra.

“Mia was a great host! I went solo and she was very welcoming and had a made it a very fun experience for everyone! She brought us to three places in the area we we could eat and drink. All the others on this bar crawl were solo travelers too and they were all cool”

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1.5-Hour Kyoto Insider Sake Experience with 7 Tastings & Pairings

9.1.5-Hour Kyoto Insider Sake Experience with 7 Tastings & Pairings

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 297 reviews · from $68

In Kyoto’s Fushimi sake district, a certified sommelier guides you through seven sake tastings and Japanese otsumami pairings in a private room. You’ll compare styles, learn how brewing changes flavor, and leave with tasting notes and a handy ordering guide. Sessions last about 90 minutes and allow up to 14 people.

“Great experience. We were taught all the basics of sake and it really helped our understanding and we even received a little card which we used throughout our trip to pick our sake. I would really recommend this experience!”

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Kyoto: Insider Sake Experience with 7 Tastings and Snacks

10.Insider Sake Experience with 7 Tastings and Snacks

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 266 reviews · 1h 30m · from $66

In a dedicated Kyoto tasting room, an English-speaking sake expert such as Mayo, Kotaro, Kiyomi, or Greg guides you through seven pours, food pairings, brewing basics, and bottle-reading practice. You compare dry, sweet, crisp, and fruity styles, then leave with a cheat sheet for ordering sake in Japan.

“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!”

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Kyoto: Afternoon Japanese Izakaya Cooking Class

11.Afternoon Japanese Izakaya Cooking Class

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 241 reviews · 3 hours · from $67

Spend three hours at Cooking Sun in Kyoto’s Funayacho kitchen, preparing several Japanese home and izakaya dishes with English-speaking instructors such as Yumi and Yumiko. You cook, eat, and return to the stove for a second round, with ingredients, utensils, an apron, and recipes provided.

“Excellent cooking class. Great instruction fantastic food. Highly recommend”

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Izakaya Style Cooking Class

12.Izakaya Style Cooking Class

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 219 reviews · from $71

Spend three hours at Cooking Sun Kyoto learning dashi, sauces, knife work, and seasonal izakaya dishes with an English-speaking chef. You will cook several recipes, then sit down for dinner and take the recipes home. Keiko and her team are known for clear instruction, careful organization, and friendly help with dietary needs.

“This Izakaya cooking class was one of our absolute favorite activities for our two week trip to Japan. The hosts were incredibly kind and fun to learn from. We got to learn a ton about the culture and food was cooking very easy to follow recipes that we will definitely be making at home! I would give them a 6th star if I could!”

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Kyoto Private Night Tour with a Local – Bars, Bites & Culture

13.Kyoto Private Night Tour with a Local – Bars, Bites & Culture

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 48 reviews · from $150

Meet your private host near Shijo Kawaramachi for an evening walk through Gion, Shimbashi, Pontocho, and nearby shrines. The route can focus on history, food, bars, photography, or local life. Hosts such as Taiga, Miki, Kenya, and Chai have tailored walks with drinks, snacks, and offbeat stops.

“We had a wonderful evening with Austen on our Kyoto night tour. He was extremely knowledgeable and stuck to the planned itinerary of combining iconic and contemporary Kyoto. I would highly recommend him.”

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Advanced Kyoto Insider Sake Tasting Experience

14.Advanced Kyoto Insider Sake Tasting Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 44 reviews · from $74

Spend two hours in Kyoto’s Fushimi Ward tasting 10 carefully chosen sakes with a certified sake expert. Compare ancient brewing methods, unusual fermentation, local wood, and classic styles while learning to read real restaurant bottles. The class is open to curious beginners but especially useful if you already enjoy nihonshu.

“Two of our party were familar with sake, but one was new to sake. The class was very educational in what goes into making sake and the various flavors that are available. There were plenty of sake tasted.”

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Kyoto: Gion Evening Walk with Hidden Gems, Geisha & Sake

15.Gion Evening Walk with Hidden Gems, Geisha & Sake

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 41 reviews · 1h 30m · from $32

Walk Kyoto’s Gion district for 90 minutes with an English-speaking local guide and up to nine other people. See Hanamikoji Street, Yasui Kompira-gū, Yasaka Pagoda, Ninenzaka, and Yasaka Shrine, while learning about Geiko and Maiko traditions. A cup of local sake and photo help are included.