Ray was absolutely brilliant. He made this experience shine for us. His depth of knowledge was impeccable and the speed of the tour was perfect. Electric bikes they have are absolutely top notch! Don’t be scared to contact directly as the owners are all Kyoto-based Americans. Highly recommend you book this tour.

I did this tour on a very hot, early September day. There ended up only being one other person, but I’m so glad I braved the weather (and my own already-tired body) to do this tour- it was so, so good. Yuki was the most personable and knowledgeable guide- it really felt like we were getting shown around the best spots by an old friend. Every location was beautiful, he gave us background and cultural insights on each temple and historical location, and biking was such a great way to enjoy the city and avoid the crowded busses. Would absolutely recommend this no matter how long you have in Kyoto, whether it’s one day or one month!

Our family of four (two teens, patents) did a full day tour with Castellano and had a fantastic time. It was scorching hot (96F) and the parents at least really needed the e-bikes in the heat, but we all did fine. Castellano was a great guide - patient, cheerful, knowledgeable and very attuned to how everyone was doing. This is a very full day. In addition to the major sights, you bike through a lot of neighborhoods and even some semi-rural areas. We love just getting the feel for someplace and so this was a big plus for our family, to get a little off the tourist track and just look around, but know there’s a lot of biking between “sights.” We stayed in Kyoto 3 days and it felt like a great way to see it. As for fitness level—I am over 50 and moderately active (lots of walking, once a week workout). Like I said, I did fine with the e-bike and absolutely needed it in the heat, but probably would have needed it in any case for the couple of big hills. It also let me accelerate better through the occasional intersection. We loved this tour and it was one of the highlights of our trip

Beautiful tour with a super enjoyable guide! Very recommended! I super appreciated the places we visited and very interested in such a great culture like the Japanese one.

This tour completely exceeded any expectations! Rob was so knowledgeable about all of the sites we visited and was so great at helping us safely navigate all of the roads. We got to see all of the top Kyoto sites in 1 day, plus additional places we would have never seen on our own! I recommend this to anyone looking to explore Kyoto!

Was a great way to see the top 5 attractions in Kyoto. My guide Cass was very knowledgeable and great company. He took me through many back streets that tourist normally would not venture to. The lunch spot was an amazing hand made udon restaurant.

What an amazing tour! My wife and I travel a lot, and this was the best tour of any type that we’ve done anywhere. Ray was such an awesome guide who really knew his stuff and had a great sense of humor, and as a huge added bonus he took fantastic photographs of us. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Once I read reviews and decided on Kyoto Bike Tour, I loved how easy it was to book directly through their website (I’m always a bit leery about booking through 3rd party sites). My wife was also a bit worried about keeping up as she’s not a very fast cyclist, so we were so glad that they offered e-bikes, and my wife had such a great time on hers that we’ve now purchased one for her back home. I cycle a lot, so I’m much pickier about my bikes, and the Cannondale they provided was a sweet ride in excellent shape and fit me perfect. Lastly, I have to say that my wife and I really loved the Arashiyama area. It was our favorite part of Kyoto, and I don’t know that we would have seen it had we not done the bike tour. Amazing place, and this bike tour is the most amazing way to see it!

This bike tour far exceeded my expectations! It gave a us a chance to see Kyoto from a perspective that most tourists wouldn't see on their own or with any other form of transportation. Biking is always a great way to get familiar with any new area. I loved biking along designated bike paths, along the rivers, through quaint city alleys, in rice fields, etc. We hit many of the typical city highlights and got to see so much more! Most importantly we had a fabulous tour guide, Rob, who was extremely knowledgable and loved to share his respect for his adopted country of 20+ years. He is originally from the US so his English was impeccable.

Thank you Peter and Cass for a memorable day biking in beautiful Kyoto . Yes, it was 96 degrees and humid, but those sweet e-bikes made riding a breeze! We loved hearing the history of the sites visited and hoping the prayer at Mikami Shrine will ensure hair growth for the follicly challenged in our group. Looking forward to a nice cold Kyoto sake knowing we rode through fields where the rice was harvested to create it. The bike tour was definitely a highlight of our trip!!

Peter was considerate of the heat wave currently happening in Japan so got in touch with us a few days before to move our afternoon tour to the morning time of 8am. He was very knowledgeable about the history of all the places we visited. He gave us 2 bottles of water which one was an ice block in addition to giving us hydration tablets (like sweets). He made it fun and relatable and took time to get to know us. Overall, the bike journey was relatively flat with a few inclines (so your legs won’t burn too much) and included a lot of stops. The pace was steady and he would constantly look back to see if everybody was ok. All tickets were paid for by the tour and he gave us enough time to explore the monkey park (it is quite steep at the beginning with the steps so bear that in mind). In the end, he gave us restaurant recommendations. He took loads of pictures and emailed it over to us by the end of the day. Would highly recommend this tour and would come back in the spring.

Fantastic way to get around and see the sights of Kyoto. Our guide (Rob) is an American expat who was able to give us unique perspectives on Japanese language, culture, and society, as well as an extensive knowledge of Kyoto and its surroundings. A long day for sure, but highly recommended. The e-bikes were a godsend on a brutally hot day!

Our group of 6 had a fantastic day with Rob exploring Kyoto. He was incredibly knowledgeable and able to ask our groups wide range on questions. Rob also did his best to help us bear the heat and get those extra special pictures. We loved seeing all the out of the way areas like the rice paddies and learning about the architecture, history and culture of Kyoto. Highly recommend Kyoto Bikes. Ask for Rob and you’ll have a great time.

What an amazing day. Kyoto Bike Tours ‘the best of kyoto’ was an action packed day where we got to visit an array of temples, shrines, and other interesting places where we got some great photos. Our tour guides Ray and Cas were so enthusiastic, friendly, and personable. Ray put a lot of care into crafting interesting stories regarding the history and significance of each stop on the tour, while making it an interactive experience. I personally felt very safe in both of their hands. Being a hot day, they were constantly checking in to make sure everyone was doing okay. The amount of time at each stop was perfect, and wasn’t strict at all. Lunch was delicious, being a vegetarian I wasn’t sure what to expect, but there were no issues whatsoever (however I would still let them know in advance). Another thing I was impressed with was the photo taking techniques, each stop was quite busy but our guides had the best ‘methods’ (as Ray called them), to get photos with no other tourists in it! (It’s all in the camera angle!!) Riding was long, about 40kms, but was flat and easy for the most part, a few hills but we were given the option of walking up if we needed. The later half of the tour is a lot of downhill which made for an enjoyable time of soaking in the sites after a long day! I cannot recommend the tour enough, it is a great way to see the sites of Kyoto, while also getting a feel for the street culture (something you wouldn’t get on a bus tour)! Thank you Kyoto Bike Tours!

I can't say enough about our tour Guide Ray and the sites that were include in this bike tour. There was a great variety from the Bamboo Forest to the Inara Shrine. He knew exactly where the best photo ops were, a great lunch spot, and a fun route through Kyoto. He explained enough about each site without going overboard, and even taught us some Japanese numbers. The biking was easily done on an electric or regular bike even though it was a full day. We highly recommend this experience!!

We did the full day bike tour with Rob. I have to say Rob was an incredible guide. He was very knowledgeable and explained Japanese culture and each of the areas we visited. Rob was great at making sure we were safe navigating the streets, giving us head-up when a car or bike was oncoming - which was helpful for me as I was often staring at all the sights! Rob did little things like make sure the entire group was feeling good, kept the three kids (14, 15, and 19) entertained and filled out water bottles at lunch (in the background). The tour was not strenuous - if you are a cyclist, it was easy - for my daughter we rented an e-bike which made the tour very easy for her. This was a great way - the best way - to see Kyoto. The sights are spread across the city and would involve lots of public transport. Rather than jumping on busses and trains and trying to navigate the city, we were able to ride to each sight. Both my kids said this day was the highlight of their trip to Japan - beating the Mt Fuji climb and TeamLabs! Please do not hesitate to book this trip, and request Rob as your guide!!