Hop-on Hop-off Kyoto Bus Tours

All top attractions covered
All top attractions covered
Regular Schedule. Unlimited rides
Regular Schedule. Unlimited rides
Last minute availability. Instant confirmation.
Last minute availability. Instant confirmation.
























Kyoto Sky Hop Bus passing by traditional Japanese architecture on a hop-on hop-off tour.
Kyoto sightseeing bus passing Kinkaku-ji Temple with tourists onboard.
Kyoto sightseeing bus passing Kinkaku-ji Temple, Japan.
Kyoto sightseeing bus passing by traditional Japanese architecture.
Kyoto Sky Hop Bus passing by traditional Japanese architecture on a hop-on hop-off tour.
Kyoto sightseeing bus passing Kinkaku-ji Temple with tourists on board.
Kyoto sightseeing bus passing by traditional Japanese architecture.
Kyoto Sky Hop Bus passing by traditional Japanese architecture on a hop-on hop-off tour.
Kyoto sightseeing bus passing Kinkaku-ji Temple with tourists onboard.
Kyoto sightseeing bus passing Kinkaku-ji Temple, Japan.
Kyoto sightseeing bus passing by traditional Japanese architecture.
Kyoto Sky Hop Bus passing by traditional Japanese architecture on a hop-on hop-off tour.
Kyoto sightseeing bus passing Kinkaku-ji Temple with tourists on board.
Kyoto sightseeing bus passing by traditional Japanese architecture.
Kyoto Sky Hop Bus passing by traditional Japanese architecture on a hop-on hop-off tour.
Kyoto sightseeing bus passing Kinkaku-ji Temple with tourists onboard.
Kyoto sightseeing bus passing Kinkaku-ji Temple, Japan.
Kyoto sightseeing bus passing by traditional Japanese architecture.
Kyoto Sky Hop Bus passing by traditional Japanese architecture on a hop-on hop-off tour.
Kyoto sightseeing bus passing Kinkaku-ji Temple with tourists on board.
Kyoto sightseeing bus passing by traditional Japanese architecture.
4.3(224)

Sky Hop Bus: Kyoto Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour

from
¥4,300
Extended validity
Instant confirmation
Mobile ticket
Flexible duration
Audio guide
  • Buckle up for Kyoto's best ride! This 1 or 2 day hop-on hop-off tour will have you zigzagging through the city like a ninja on a sugar rush.
  • Choose from 3 routes with 14 strategic stops across Kyoto. Buses arrive every 40 mins, allowing you to immerse yourself in each location at your own pace.
  • Open-top buses? Check. Seven-language audio guide? You bet! Prepare for sensory overload as Kyoto's vibrant tapestry unravels before your eyes.
  • Storm Nijo Castle, a UNESCO UNESCO World Heritage site, time-travel at the Imperial Palace, and get starry-eyed over Kamo River along your route.
  • Buckle up for Kyoto's best ride! This 1 or 2 day hop-on hop-off tour will have you zigzagging through the city like a ninja on a sugar rush.
  • Choose from 3 routes with 14 strategic stops across Kyoto. Buses arrive every 40 mins, allowing you to immerse yourself in each location at your own pace.
  • Open-top buses? Check. Seven-language audio guide? You bet! Prepare for sensory overload as Kyoto's vibrant tapestry unravels before your eyes.
  • Storm Nijo Castle, a UNESCO UNESCO World Heritage site, time-travel at the Imperial Palace, and get starry-eyed over Kamo River along your route.

Inclusions

  • 1 or 2-day unlimited hop-on-hop-off pass
  • Access to Red, Purple & Green routes
  • Audio guide in Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, French & German
  • Free Wi-Fi
  • Poncho/raincoat (during rainy season)

Exclusions

  • Entry to attractions

Please click here for a detailed route map and boarding points.

You can join the tour at any stop and hop on and off for the duration of your ticket.

Red route

  • First bus: 9am from Kyoto Station
  • Last bus: 7pm from Kyoto Station
  • Frequency: Every 40 mins
  • Popular stops: Nijo-Jo Castle, Kinkaku-ji Temple

Purple route

  • First bus: 9:20am from Kyoto Station
  • Last bus: 5:09pm from Kyoto Station
  • Frequency: Every 40 mins
  • Popular stops: Daitoku-ji Temple, Kyoto Imperial Palace

Green route

  • First bus: 12:15pm from Kyoto Station
  • Last bus: 6:01pm from Kyoto Station
  • Frequency: Every 2 hours
  • Popular stops: Ginkaku-ji Temple, Kyoto National Museum
  • Children under six years of age can travel for free if they are not occupying a separate seat.
  • Facilities: lockers, rooves, air conditioning/heating (depending on the season).
  • These tickets can’t be cancelled. However, you can use them any time within the next 3 months.
  • These tickets are valid for 3 months from the date of purchase.
Reviews
How do we collect reviews?
Snapshots from our guests
4.3
224 ratings
102
100
10
7
5
  • Australia
  • United States
  • Canada
  • Netherlands
  • United Kingdom
  • Germany
  • Switzerland
  • Brazil
  • Uruguay
  • Singapore
Guests from Australia, United States, Canada and over 13 countries have loved this experience
What our guests say
reviewer
Carlos
Apr 2025Verified booking
4/5

It was easy to use the site, the QR Code ticket is convenient since I don't have to worry about losing it, the staff was very friendly and helpful and it was great that there were trash cans on the bus. The view from Ginkaku-ji was beautiful, the food on Nishiki-Ichiba Market was delicious! On the other hand, what I think could be improved is putting the business hours of the main attractions on the leaflet, it would make it easier to plan the route for the day. It would also be nice to synchronize better the times of the travel and the guide voiceover, since it would start after a long-ish period from setting off and frequently cut off before the end of the stories when we got to the stations. All things considered, great tour, we could go to many different spots very conveniently.

reviewer
Kichung
Apr 2025Verified booking
4/5

🌺was hard find the us station at the Kyoto station. We had to wonder around and adj questions many times

reviewer
Barbara
Apr 2025Verified booking
5/5

Love that the Hop on Hop off Bus experiences are so well laid out as I use them in many cities!

reviewer
Christiane
May 2025Verified booking
5/5

reviewer
P
May 2025Verified booking
5/5

reviewer
Rene
May 2025Verified booking
4/5

reviewer
Florencia
Apr 2025Verified booking
4/5

reviewer
Sassan
May 2025Verified booking
2/5

No air condition on one bus. On the other it was only a few seats and today was hot and muggy weather. Taxi is faster for these places if your one or two travelers. Not worth the headache

reviewer
Jenny
May 2025Verified booking
1/5

This is the worst hop on hop off tour I have ever been on. Do not waste your money. The commentary. Hardly happened. Most of the time it was just music playing. The very brief spells of information were often cut off when approaching a stop so you didn't get to learn anything. Better to just arrange your own buses. It's easy to hop onto local busses and less than half the price. I chose this because I expected constant commentary to learn about Kyoto and the stops but sadly this didn't happen

reviewer
ELIZABETH
Apr 2025Verified booking
1/5

Frustrating experience with no response from the management. Customer support was very poor on this issue we had. We were in another country and to get a support from the US was very hard. They couldn't provide a number we can call in Japan, kept saying the tour was from a third party company and they don't have a number to call.

reviewer
Stephanie
Apr 2025Verified booking
1/5

Nothing

reviewer
Burkhard
Feb 2025Verified booking
4/5

Ticketing was very good and also the tour was excellent with most of the people very friendly and helpful. One issue was on 6th 2.morning the first bus of yours: the people told us the lower deck of the bus was not available due to japanese law. So we should sit on the top roof - open and we had 4 degrees centigrade temp. Plus driving wind - we would have been frozen. So we had to refuse. Strange law (?) and driver.

reviewer
Amanda
Dec 2024Verified booking
5/5

Very easy with clear list of destinations. I have travelled to Kyoto numerous times, but I learnt so much new information from the audio. Will definitely be using on our next visit.

reviewer
Catriona
Nov 2024Verified booking
4/5

The commentary is pretty informative but delivered in a rather robotic voice. Worth improving the delivery. Also, the on board staff member tended to speak over the commentary to say what the next stop was. Better timing of announcements needed.

reviewer
Jankees
Jan 2025Verified booking
3/5

It was okay but not great.

reviewer
Michelle
Feb 2025Verified booking
4/5

reviewer
Christelle
Jan 2025Verified booking
5/5

reviewer
Denise
Dec 2024Verified booking
5/5

reviewer
Coral
Nov 2024Verified booking
5/5

We had great staff helping us with our stroller and wheelchair, everything was very well explained and Ilwe loved the tour and the city! Keep up with the great work!

reviewer
Stephanie
Nov 2024Verified booking
4/5

We had a one day pass and managed to see the sites we wanted to (not all the sites in the tour). Visited Nijo-Jo Castle, The Golden Pavillion and SanjuSangendo on the red bus then caught the purple bus back to Kyoto Station and another purple bus to Gion for late pm early eve. Got the last bus back from Gion. All worked really well

reviewer
Camille
Oct 2024Verified booking
4/5

On time bus was good because you could rely on catching the next bus. But the Museum was closed at one of the stops but we NOT advised of that. So we wasted time doing nothing waiting for next bus. As a tourist service, the people who run the service should know this and advise passengers.

reviewer
Gillian
Oct 2024Verified booking
3/5

Liked the idea of hop on hop off, but found finding some of the stop points hard to locate particularly when stop was incorporated in a general bus stop - the sign sign was not obvious. Also you can't do much with a one day ticket at the most3/4 stops

reviewer
Robert
Nov 2024Verified booking
5/5

The sites busted and the punctuality of the buses in relation to the timetable.

reviewer
Ian
Nov 2024Verified booking
5/5

Ticketing Help at checking in Audio good

reviewer
Christopher
Oct 2024Verified booking
4/5

Prompt and on time departure and on schedule pickups and drop office.

24521 - Kyoto - Combo (Save 5%): 1 or 2-Day Hop-On Hop-Off Tour of Kyoto + Kyoto Tower Tickets - 06
Kyoto Sky Hop Bus passing by traditional Japanese architecture on a hop-on hop-off tour.
Kyoto sightseeing bus passing Kinkaku-ji Temple with tourists onboard.
Kyoto Sky Hop Bus passing by traditional Japanese architecture on a hop-on hop-off tour.
Kyoto sightseeing bus passing by traditional Japanese architecture.
Kyoto Tower view with cityscape in Kyoto, Japan.
Binoculars from the viewing deck at Kyoto Tower
Kyoto Tower observation deck view overlooking cityscape and distant mountains.
Kyoto cityscape from Kyoto Tower at sunset, highlighting urban skyline and distant mountains.
Kyoto Tower observation deck illuminated at night with cityscape view.
24521 - Kyoto - Combo (Save 5%): 1 or 2-Day Hop-On Hop-Off Tour of Kyoto + Kyoto Tower Tickets - 06
Kyoto Sky Hop Bus passing by traditional Japanese architecture on a hop-on hop-off tour.
Kyoto sightseeing bus passing Kinkaku-ji Temple with tourists onboard.
Kyoto Sky Hop Bus passing by traditional Japanese architecture on a hop-on hop-off tour.
Kyoto sightseeing bus passing by traditional Japanese architecture.
Kyoto Tower view with cityscape in Kyoto, Japan.
Binoculars from the viewing deck at Kyoto Tower
Kyoto Tower observation deck view overlooking cityscape and distant mountains.
Kyoto cityscape from Kyoto Tower at sunset, highlighting urban skyline and distant mountains.
Kyoto Tower observation deck illuminated at night with cityscape view.
24521 - Kyoto - Combo (Save 5%): 1 or 2-Day Hop-On Hop-Off Tour of Kyoto + Kyoto Tower Tickets - 06
Kyoto Sky Hop Bus passing by traditional Japanese architecture on a hop-on hop-off tour.
Kyoto sightseeing bus passing Kinkaku-ji Temple with tourists onboard.
Kyoto Sky Hop Bus passing by traditional Japanese architecture on a hop-on hop-off tour.
Kyoto sightseeing bus passing by traditional Japanese architecture.
Kyoto Tower view with cityscape in Kyoto, Japan.
Binoculars from the viewing deck at Kyoto Tower
Kyoto Tower observation deck view overlooking cityscape and distant mountains.
Kyoto cityscape from Kyoto Tower at sunset, highlighting urban skyline and distant mountains.
Kyoto Tower observation deck illuminated at night with cityscape view.
4.3(2,257)

Combo (Save 5%): Kyoto Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour + Nidec Kyoto Tower Tickets

from ¥5,200
¥4,940

5% off

Instant confirmation
Mobile ticket
Audio guide
  • Kyoto's ultimate combo: 1 or 2-day hop-on hop-off tours plus Kyoto Tower access. It's like having the whole city in your pocket, with a birds-eye view to boot.
  • Hop on and hop off, and conquer Kyoto! The open-top bus whisks you to 14 hotspots, from ancient castles to flowing rivers like Nijo Castle and the Kamo River.
  • Cruise in style on the double-decker as a 7-language audio guide spills Kyoto's famous tale – it's like a history podcast come to life!
  • Ascend Kyoto's crown jewel! Built atop a lighthouse-shaped building, Kyoto Tower offers sprawling cityscape views that'll leave you breathless.
  • Elevate your experience at the observation deck and spot historic shrines and temples through telescopes. It's like time travel, but with better views.
  • Kyoto's ultimate combo: 1 or 2-day hop-on hop-off tours plus Kyoto Tower access. It's like having the whole city in your pocket, with a birds-eye view to boot.
  • Hop on and hop off, and conquer Kyoto! The open-top bus whisks you to 14 hotspots, from ancient castles to flowing rivers like Nijo Castle and the Kamo River.
  • Cruise in style on the double-decker as a 7-language audio guide spills Kyoto's famous tale – it's like a history podcast come to life!
  • Ascend Kyoto's crown jewel! Built atop a lighthouse-shaped building, Kyoto Tower offers sprawling cityscape views that'll leave you breathless.
  • Elevate your experience at the observation deck and spot historic shrines and temples through telescopes. It's like time travel, but with better views.

Inclusions

Kyoto HOHO

  • 1 or 2-day unlimited hop-on-hop-off pass by Sky Hop Bus
  • Access to Red, Purple & Green routes
  • Audio guide in Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, French & German
  • Free Wi-Fi
  • Poncho/raincoat (during rainy season)

Kyoto Tower

  • Entry to Kyoto Tower (near stop 1, Red, Purple & Green routes)

Please click here for a detailed route map and boarding points.

You can join the tour at any stop and hop on and off for the duration of your ticket.

Red route

  • First bus: 9am from Kyoto Station
  • Last bus: 7pm from Kyoto Station
  • Frequency: Every 40 mins
  • Popular stops: Nijo-Jo Castle, Kinkaku-ji Temple

Purple route

  • First bus: 9:20am from Kyoto Station
  • Last bus: 5:09pm from Kyoto Station
  • Frequency: Every 40 mins
  • Popular stops: Daitoku-ji Temple, Kyoto Imperial Palace

Green route

  • First bus: 12:15pm from Kyoto Station
  • Last bus: 6:01pm from Kyoto Station
  • Frequency: Every 2 hours
  • Popular stops: Ginkaku-ji Temple, Kyoto National Museum

Kyoto HOHO

  • Children under six years of age can travel for free if they are not occupying a separate seat.
  • Facilities: lockers, rooves, air conditioning/heating (depending on the season).

Kyoto Tower

  • Tip: On the 5th-floor observation deck of Kyoto Tower, you can find 8 touch-panel tourist information monitors for you to download onto your smartphone by scanning the QR codes.
  • This experience is wheelchair and pram/stroller accessible.
  • You can use the telescopes installed on the observation deck of the 5th floor of Kyoto Tower for free.
  • Children under 3 years of age can enter for free and for children aged 3-5 tickets must be purchased onsite.
  • These tickets can't be cancelled or rescheduled.
Reviews
How do we collect reviews?
Snapshots from our guests
4.3
2,257 ratings
1.4K
615
70
69
147
  • United States
  • Australia
  • Germany
  • Switzerland
  • Canada
  • United Kingdom
  • Argentina
  • Denmark
  • Italy
  • Czech Republic
Guests from United States, Australia, Germany and over 19 countries have loved this experience
What our guests say
reviewer
Carlos
Apr 2025Verified booking
4/5

It was easy to use the site, the QR Code ticket is convenient since I don't have to worry about losing it, the staff was very friendly and helpful and it was great that there were trash cans on the bus. The view from Ginkaku-ji was beautiful, the food on Nishiki-Ichiba Market was delicious! On the other hand, what I think could be improved is putting the business hours of the main attractions on the leaflet, it would make it easier to plan the route for the day. It would also be nice to synchronize better the times of the travel and the guide voiceover, since it would start after a long-ish period from setting off and frequently cut off before the end of the stories when we got to the stations. All things considered, great tour, we could go to many different spots very conveniently.

reviewer
WOOD
Mar 2025Verified booking
5/5

The bus was on time and very convenient. The bus got us to all the attracions. The price was much reasonable compare to the one in Seoul. The bus in seoul was late for very stops for 15 minutes or more.

reviewer
Kichung
Apr 2025Verified booking
4/5

🌺was hard find the us station at the Kyoto station. We had to wonder around and adj questions many times

reviewer
Barbara
Apr 2025Verified booking
5/5

Love that the Hop on Hop off Bus experiences are so well laid out as I use them in many cities!

reviewer
Jesica
Mar 2025Verified booking
5/5

I really liked the sightseeing bus, it goes around all the important temples in Kyoto. Not to be missed.

View original review in Spanish

reviewer
Tat-Medgyessy
Mar 2025Verified booking
4/5

Good the bus was quite efficient and fitted in well within our travel schedule

reviewer
Aldo
Feb 2025Verified booking
5/5

Amazing stuff and amazing tower we love Kyoto!

reviewer
Sascha
May 2025Verified booking
5/5

reviewer
Kevin
May 2025Verified booking
4/5

reviewer
Christiane
May 2025Verified booking
5/5

reviewer
P
May 2025Verified booking
5/5

reviewer
Rene
May 2025Verified booking
4/5

reviewer
Raúl
Apr 2025Verified booking
5/5

reviewer
Lilla
Apr 2025Verified booking
5/5

reviewer
Zane
Apr 2025Verified booking
4/5

reviewer
Florencia
Apr 2025Verified booking
4/5

reviewer
Lynda.
Mar 2025Verified booking
5/5

reviewer
Michael
Mar 2025Verified booking
5/5

reviewer
Dave
Mar 2025Verified booking
5/5

reviewer
Pioquinto
Mar 2025Verified booking
4/5

reviewer
Sassan
May 2025Verified booking
2/5

No air condition on one bus. On the other it was only a few seats and today was hot and muggy weather. Taxi is faster for these places if your one or two travelers. Not worth the headache

reviewer
Helmut
Apr 2025Verified booking
2/5

reviewer
Valérie
Apr 2025Verified booking
2/5

reviewer
Jenny
May 2025Verified booking
1/5

This is the worst hop on hop off tour I have ever been on. Do not waste your money. The commentary. Hardly happened. Most of the time it was just music playing. The very brief spells of information were often cut off when approaching a stop so you didn't get to learn anything. Better to just arrange your own buses. It's easy to hop onto local busses and less than half the price. I chose this because I expected constant commentary to learn about Kyoto and the stops but sadly this didn't happen

reviewer
ELIZABETH
Apr 2025Verified booking
1/5

Frustrating experience with no response from the management. Customer support was very poor on this issue we had. We were in another country and to get a support from the US was very hard. They couldn't provide a number we can call in Japan, kept saying the tour was from a third party company and they don't have a number to call.