Temple & Shrine Tours in Nagano: Choosing Between 12

1.1-Day Snow Monkeys, Zenko-ji Temple & Sake in Nagano

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,020 reviews · from $151Our pick

Spend about eight hours with an English-speaking guide at Zenko-ji Temple, a Nagano sake brewery, and Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park. Guides such as Tom, Kieran, Nadine, and Endo have helped make the day informative and easy to follow. Lunch, transport, sake tasting, and park admission are included. Expect a forest walk and icy footing in winter.

“This excursion surpassed our expectations and added cultural experiences to our day. We were leaving Japan the next day so it really enhanced our trip.”

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2.Snow Monkeys, Zenkoji Temple & Sake Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 833 reviews · 8 - 12 hours · from $135

Spend a full day exploring Nagano with guides such as Dylan, Brent, Tom, or Hiroshi, depending on your departure. Visit Zenkoji Temple, sample several sakes, enjoy a generous local lunch, then walk 1.6 km through a forest trail to Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park. Transport, entry, lunch, and sake tasting are included.

“I had a brilliant time exploring Zenkoji Temple and seeing the snow monkeys! Hishiro and Shin were brilliant!”

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3.Private Tour Snow Monkey Park & Zenko-ji Temple

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 184 reviews · 1 day

Travel from Tokyo to Nagano in a private Toyota Vellfire, Crown, or Land Cruiser with an English-speaking driver. See Jigokudani’s snow monkeys, Zenko-ji Temple, Matsushiro Castle Ruins, Shibu Onsen, and Obuse. Guides such as Waqas and Bilal are praised for patient service, local tips, snacks, and flexible stops.

“Bilal - our guide - picked us up early morning for a long drive to the snow monkeys. He is polite, respectful, helpful and went out of his way to ensure that we had every experience possible on our tour. We had a fantastic day, snow monkeys and the walk to them was a highlight. We can recommend Bilal highly.”

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4.Private Nagano 1-Day Tour:Snow Monkeys,Zenko-ji,Obuse,Sake,Onsen

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 71 reviews · from $337

Spend about eight hours with a private English-speaking guide visiting Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park, Zenko-ji Temple, Obuse, and the Hokusai Museum. Guides such as Hori, Mutsumi, and Emi have helped shape flexible days around food, sake, family needs, and walking pace. Choose an onsen stop when available, with admissions and lunch extra.

“Being a nature lover, the snow monkeys of Nagano were among the last unique experience left in my bucket list. Although September is clearly not the ideal time for it, my brothers and I enjoyed the walk in the forest before reaching the park and there were enough monkeys frolicking in the pond to make it a worthwhile experience. After that we were treated to an excellent tonkatsu, chestnut ice-cream and sake degustation which made for a very nice day. Our guide Hitomi was very accommodating, and gave us good advice on how to optimize our tour content. She was also very friendly and used a translating software a lot…”

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5.Food & Cultural Walking Tour around Zenkoji temple in Nagano

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 58 reviews · from $91

Meet your guide, often Masa, Kasumi, or Tak, outside Starbucks at Nagano Station for a three-hour walk through Zenkoji’s temple town. You’ll eat wood-fired oyaki, sample sake and miso soup, visit local shops, and enjoy matcha with Japanese sweets. Small groups, local access, and complimentary photos make this a useful first look at Nagano.

“Our family had a great tour with Masa while on a stopover in Nagano. The food was delicious, and it was interesting to get a more personal perspective on the sights we visited. We would definitely recommend this one to anyone!”

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6.Nagano/Tokyo: Snow Monkey and Zenkoji Temple Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 54 reviews

Travel from Tokyo to Nagano in a private, air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking driver. See Jigokudani’s snow monkeys, Zenkoji Temple, Obuse, Matsushiro, Yamanochi, and Shibu Onsen. Guides and drivers such as Ali, Sunny, Raza, Hadi, and Fahad have been praised for patience and flexibility. Expect a long day with about seven hours on the road.

“Ali was an exceptional tour guide! Polite, patient, and incredibly accommodating. Despite booking the tour 2 days prior, the company and Ali were very responsive and helpful with organising the day. He went out of his way to ensure everyone felt comfortable and engaged throughout the tour. He made sure we arrived at the snow monkey park early enough before it got super busy, and was flexible as we decided to go to Obuse instead of Zenkoji Temple. The day didn’t feel too rushed considering it’s a ~ 11 hour tour from Tokyo with about 7 hours total driving time. Highly recommend!Read more”

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7.Snow Monkeys & Best of Nagano: Togakushi, Zenko-ji and more

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 36 reviews · 5 hours - 570 minutes · from $126

Travel by private car from Nagano or nearby towns to Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park, then choose a second Nagano-area stop. Guides such as Dai, Chris, and Graeme provide local insight, help with the icy forest walk, and take family photos. Pickup and drop-off are flexible, making this a useful choice around train travel.

“Chris was a terrific guide. He shared lots of interesting information about the area on our drive from Nagano and about his life anf family. he was consuderate and polite, confident and calm , saving us both from falling a number of times on the icy path and was quick to help me up when i did fall twice. it was such a fun day out. Thanks Chris for such an amazing once in a life time experience.”

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8.Snow Monkeys & Togakushi Shrine Two-Spot in-One Day

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 35 reviews · 8 hours · from $202

Spend eight hours with an English-speaking guide and private car visiting Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park and Togakushi Shrine. Guides such as Chris, Dai, Kazu, Shuhei, and Taketo adjust the day to your pace, recommend local soba, and take photos for delivery after the tour. A 30 to 40 minute walk leads to the monkey viewing area.

“My brother and niece had a fun day. It was great that the guide was flexible and accommodating with children. I'd book this tour again for other friends and family coming to Japan.”

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9.Nagano Snow Monkeys and Zenkoji Tour with Temples

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 19 reviews · 12 hours

Travel in a private, climate-controlled vehicle with an English-speaking driver to Nagano’s Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park, Zenko-ji Temple, Obuse, Shibu Onsen, and Matsushiro Castle Ruins. Pickup is available across Tokyo and nearby areas. The tour suits groups of up to six, with Wi-Fi, child seats on request, and photo help along the way.

“A truly special experience to view the snow monkeys up close and well worth the time. Thank you Salar for making sure we made the most of the day and for sharing your insights and experiences. I highly recommend this as a day trip from Tokyo.”

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10.Food & Cultural Walking Tour around Zenkoji temple in Nagano

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 16 reviews · 3 hours · from $88Best value

Meet your English-speaking guide at Nagano Station for a three-hour walk through Zenkoji’s temple town. You’ll taste fire-warmed oyaki, soba tea, sake with small bites, and matcha with sweets. Guides including Masa and Takuma share local history, food customs, and useful Nagano tips while taking you through back streets and neighborhood businesses.

“An excellent tour to learn more about Nagano. Has lots of variety and Masa provided the history of each destination. Good food and sake tasting spots for a little break on the tour.”

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11.From Nozawa Onsen: Snow Monkeys and Zenko-ji Day Trip & Sake

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 13 reviews · 10 hours · from $135

Spend 10 hours exploring Nagano with an English-speaking local guide. Walk the snowy forest trail to Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park, enjoy lunch, visit Zenko-ji Temple, and finish with sake tasting. Guides such as Endo, Kieron, Lin, and Yama have led past departures. Non-alcoholic drinks are available.

“It was a great experience, made only possible by an awesome guide Endo!”

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12.Tokyo/Nagano: private Tour with Snow Monkey Park & Temples

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 13 reviews · 10 - 12 hours

Travel by private SUV from Tokyo to Nagano with an English-speaking driver-guide such as Ali, Kashif, or Mirza. See macaques at Jigokudani, visit Zenkoji Temple, walk Shibu Onsen, explore Obuse’s miso tradition, and stop at Matsushiro Castle Ruins. The day takes 10 to 12 hours, with about seven hours on the road.

“Ali confirmed via text the night before and arrived right on time. He was very warm and friendly and his English was fluent. He drove very safely and went out of his way to make sure I had a great time. He generously offered to stop anywhere I wanted to photograph. He had water and snacks on hand. It was a wonderful experience, fun, interesting and well worth it. Highly recommend!”

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