Kyoto · DRINKING TOURS
28 reviewed
Kyoto rewards booking ahead, and the 15 drinking tours here are why. Compare the prices, the durations and what makes each one different, then lock in the one that fits your days.
A 3.5-hour small-group night food walk in Kyoto’s Gion and Pontocho with 9+ dishes and six sake tastings from local makers.
“Jimmy took me out to experience a great dinner and drinks evening, co-mingling with the local Friday night crowd, which I probably would have otherwise totally missed”
A 3-hour Kyoto sake tour at Gekkeikan Okura plus a certified tasting of 10 sakes with otsumami pairings and label tips.
“Very interesting and informative. Loved the tastings. Food pairings were great and very enlighten how it changes the taste of some sake.”
Walk Kyoto’s Arashiyama highlights: bamboo grove, Tenryuji and Okochi Sanso, monkeys, top views, optional sake tasting. 5-hour guide.
“Fantastic activity and special shout out to our guide, Francis. Pleasure to have him taking us round today, personable and knowledgeable.”
Kyoto izakaya bars walking tour from Kawaramachi to Kiyamachi. Small group, sake tasting, local-only spots, ends at a late-night bar.
“Really good food and drinks and an excellent atmosphere on the night out!”
A 3-hour Kyoto sake tour in Fushimi with a museum visit, 10+ tastings, and otsumami pairings to help you order with confidence.
“Chika was an amazing guide! We started off with an hour long tour of the sake museum and she explained the entire process. The sake tasting after was phenomenal and she provided great recommendations for different food pairings. I’m glad I did not plan anything afterwards because I needed time to unwind and enjoy the experience to its fullest. I ended up buying two bottles and now I feel confident on my sake skills!”
Kyoto’s Fushimi sake district in 3 hours: museum intro, Kyoto-style tastings, and a small-group walk with plenty of samples.
“had a really wonderful time in kyoto, our tour guide was yuka, she was very informative and helpful and even took time after the tour to show us to a liquor store to find a specific sake we had. 10/10 experience if you're going to kyoto, sign up for this!”
Walk Kyoto’s Pontocho backstreets with a certified guide, sampling 3 bars, drinks, and dishes. Small group, big local vibe.
“Had a wonderful time with our guide walking along some of the small streets in the Gion area. The bars weren’t touristy, which is a plus in my mind, and there were plenty of options of food and drinks to select from.”
A guided Kyoto bar crawl through Kawaramachi and Kiyamachi with izakaya bites, sake vibes, and alley bars you’d miss alone.
“Very much enjoyed the tour, we had a large group but Tiga did great job taking us around and sharing information on the local food and drinks.”
1.5-hour Fushimi sake tasting with 7 pours and food pairings, led by a certified sommelier, plus a cheat sheet.
“Excellent explanation of the different types and flavours of Sake. The guide was knowledgeable and the surroundings comfortable. A great experience.”
Kyoto’s Insider Sake Experience teaches you to choose sake with 7 guided tastings, otsumami pairings, and a bottle-reading cheat sheet.
“My husband and I took the Kyoto Insider Sake Experience with Shogo, and it was absolutely fantastic! Shogo was so funny, thoughtful, and engaging. His presentation was clear, easy to follow, and incredibly well structured. You could tell a lot of care went into how everything was designed. What I loved most was that it wasn’t just about tasting different types of nihonshu (sake) it was about truly understanding it. We learned the basics of how sake is made, how to read the labels, and even how to choose a bottle for ourselves. Each of us had our own bottle to explore and find the key information on, which made…”
Kyoto afternoon izakaya cooking class at Cooking Sun. Cook home dishes, eat what you make, and take recipes home.
“A completely brilliant afternoon of making local Japanese food which we could easily make again at home. Wonderful instruction, friendly staff and we loved the food we made. A really great experience. Thank you for helping to make Japanese food accessible. Delicious.”
Hands-on izakaya cooking in Kyoto: learn dashi and seasoning, make 5–6 dishes, eat your dinner, and take home recipes with an English chef.
“I had a wonderful time learning how to cook various Japanese dishes. The food was delicious. The hosts were kind and delightful. However, they offered us a glass of sake with our meal and I assumed it was already included with what we paid for, but at the end she unexpectedly said we owed 600 yen per glass. I don’t mind paying for it but I feel like they should have said the cost when offering it.”
Private matcha tea ceremony in a 300-year Kyoto samurai house, plus sake or whisky tasting and kimono/katana photo time.
“Excellent experience! The hosts and tea master were very warm and welcoming. They spoke fluent English and were wonderful teachers. They made us feel as if we were part of their family.”
Walk Kyoto’s Fushimi sake district, visit the Gekkeikan Ōkura Museum, then taste 18 Kyoto sakes in a small-group tour.
“Tour guide is a very nice and talkative person 🥹 She will recommend and order he food for sakae✨✨ Kawaiii person❤️”
A private Kyoto night walk through lantern-lit Gion and Pontocho, with two included drinks and a guide who tailors your stops.
“This was one of the best walking tours we've been on. Our host, Taiga, was absolutely brilliant - he took us through a number of hidden back streets and alleys of Gion that were off the tourist path, and was a wealth of information about the history of the area. We visited a local Shrine and Taiga told us about the difference between a shrine and a temple, and really personalised the information to our interests. He also took us to a local restaurant and bar where we samples some local dishes. He was great fun and we thoroughly enjoyed walking around Gion with him, learning about the history, culture…”
