Kyoto Nijo Castle & Ninomaru Palace 60-Minute Guided Tour

Tour Nijo Castle for 60 minutes
with an official guide

This is a 60-minute guided tour conducted in English by an official guide of the Kyoto City Tourism Association. In a group of up to 15 people, you start at the Higashi-Otemon (East Main Gate) and visit the Karamon Gate, Ninomaru Palace and Ninomaru Garden in turn. At the end of the tour, you return to the meeting point.

Learn the history of the Tokugawa shoguns' Kyoto residence

Nijo Castle was built in 1603 as the Kyoto residence of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo period. After the fall of the Edo shogunate in 1867, it served as an imperial palace, and was later donated to the city of Kyoto and opened to the public as a historic site. It was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 and is divided into the Honmaru (main circle of defense), the Ninomaru (secondary circle of defense) and the gardens surrounding them.

Pass through the Karamon Gate into Ninomaru Palace

Walk through the ornately decorated Karamon Gate to Ninomaru Palace, the castle's main attraction. It once served as the shogun's residence and office when he visited Kyoto, and it remains intact to this day. During the tour, you also get exclusive access to parts of the castle that are usually closed to general visitors.

Finish the tour with a stroll through Ninomaru Garden

After the palace, explore Ninomaru Garden while listening to your guide. Seeing surviving feudal castle architecture up close will deepen your understanding of Japanese history and culture.

※ Admission to Nijo Castle is not included and must be paid on site.
※ Due to the closure of Ninomaru Palace, there are no tours on Tuesdays in July, August, December and January, or from December 26 to January 3.