Kyoto...

[ezspirit72]

We are looking forward to our Princess cruise in Feb of 2020.  The port I'm most excited about is Kobe,  really anxious to visit Kyoto.  It's too early to book my excursions, but I'd love to hear from previous cruisers on their favorite excursion which included Kyoto.   I want to visit the temples and do some shopping in the old district....

[Miaminice]

I recommend booking a private tour with ToursbyLocals or TripleLights.com. They will customize a tour for you.

Kyoto offers so many fabulous places - too many to see in one or two days. Look at our travelogues for ideas:

 

Japan on Millennium:

http://www.travelandcruise.net/travellove_en/Our-Trips/Celebrity-Millennium-Japan/celebrity-millennium-japan.html

 

Japan on HAL:

 

We absolutely love Japan and have already booked another Japan cruise for 2021. This time on Ovation otS.

 

Enjoy!

 

Edited July 11, 2019 by Miaminice

[Milhouse]

We've never been to Kobe and Kyoto via a cruise so can't speak specifically about excursions but have visited Kobe once and Kyoto 5 times during land trips.  A few of our favourite attractions/activities in Kyoto are (in no particular order and not knowing how much time you have in port)

 

• Arashiyama bamboo forest.  This is kind of in the outskirts of Kyoto so you may lose time travelling to/from.
• Teramachi-dori.  This is six block long covered shopping arcade street running N-S.  Very lively with eateries and shopping.
• Nishiki Market:  This a six? block long food street that runs E-W splitting off from Teramachi-dori.  It's somewhat narrow though and can get really packed.  We usually buy spices and tea here.  We've also bough some knives from Aritsugu Knives.  
• Maiko (apprentice geisha) "stalking" in Gion:  A block away from the Starbucks in Gion, there's an area where you can catch a few Maikos around 6pm walking to their engagements for the evening.  
• Pontocho Alley:  This is narrow lane of restaurants that line the Kamo River.  Really nice at night.  
• Fushimi Inari Taisha:  This is a shrine also on the outskirts of the city.  The shrine is a bit of an uphill hike but you pass through "a thousand" toriis.
• Kiyomizu-dera Temple:  This is a nearby temple east of the city that's a bit of an hike up with a great view of the city

We also went to Imperial Palace grounds and Nijo Castle during one of our first visits.  We thought they were kind of interesting but we don't think they are must sees; though YMMV.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ezspirit72]

Thank You so much... having only one day will be a challenge...  We'll definitely need to book a land tour on our next visit...  The recommendations were very helpful...

[Miaminice]

Both of our visits were 1 day tours. If managed well, you can see a lot... as shown in the travelogues.

Edited July 12, 2019 by Miaminice