Sagano Bamboo ForestArashiyama Day Tour with Train, Boat and Onsen
The Arashiyama day tour with train, boat and onsen is the scenery-first way through the district: the Sagano Romantic Train up the Hozugawa gorge, a two-hour traditional boat run back down the rapids, a guided walk through the Sagano Bamboo Forest, and a hot-spring soak to finish. Four and a half to five hours, $150, capped at nine people, rated 5.0 across 129 reviews — the most expensive listing in this catalog and the only one that ends in an onsen.
About This Day Tour
4.5 to 5 hours through Arashiyama and the Hozugawa gorge
$150 per adult, train and boat tickets included
5.0 from 129 reviews on GetYourGuide
Small group, limited to 9 participants
About two hours descending the Hozugawa rapids by traditional boat
Arashiyama hot-spring soak; onsen entry is an optional extra
Listing at a Glance
The same fields on every tour page here, read from the operator's listing in August 2026. Prices and availability are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
- Tour name Kyoto: Arashiyama Day Tour with Train, Boat, and Onsen
- Operator Kyoto compass tour
- Booking platform GetYourGuide
- Product ID 1053925
- Starting price $150 USD per adult
- Price last checked August 2026
- Rating 5.0 out of 5
- Review count 129 reviews
- Review source GetYourGuide verified bookings
- Duration 4.5 to 5 hours
- Time in the bamboo grove Guided stroll included
- Meeting point Arashiyama; exact point confirmed at booking
- Expected return Ends in Arashiyama after 4.5 to 5 hours
- Transport Scenic train, traditional river boat, on foot
- Group size Small group, max 9
- Guide language English, Japanese
- Tickets Sagano Romantic Train and Hozugawa boat included
- Onsen entry Optional extra, paid separately
- Lunch Not included
- Drinks Not included
- Hotel pickup Not included
- Cancellation deadline 24 hours before the start time
- Reserve now, pay later Available
- Minimum age Children under 90 cm not admitted
- Physical difficulty Easy walking
- Wheelchair accessibility Not suitable for wheelchair users
- Not suitable for Pregnant women; wheelchair users; children under 90 cm
- Not allowed None stated
- What to bring Comfortable shoes, hat, sunscreen, sunglasses
- Weather limitations January–February the scenic train pauses; a temple or monkey park stop substitutes
- Alternative tour Shorter and cheaper district walk: see /walking-tour/
Check Dates and Availability
Live prices and departures from GetYourGuide. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start, and reserve now pay later.
Quick answer
This tour packages the Sagano Romantic Train, the Hozugawa River boat descent, a guided bamboo grove walk and an onsen finish into 4.5 to 5 hours for $150, with both scenic tickets included and the group capped at nine. Rated 5.0 from 129 reviews. In January and February the train pauses and a temple or monkey park visit stands in.
Key takeaways
- Doing train plus boat independently means two tickets and a transfer at Kameoka; here both are booked for you. Compare all six tours
- The boat descent runs about two hours through the gorge with crews who work the rapids — and the crowd never follows you onto the water
- Onsen entry is an optional extra on top of the $150, so budget for it if the soak is your finish
- Children under 90 cm are not admitted, and the boat rules it out for pregnant travellers
- The bamboo grove walk lands mid-tour — the guided version of the free path
The Loop: Up by Rail, Down by River
The Sagano Romantic Train
The old-line trolley leaves from Saga-Torokko Station beside the JR stop and climbs seven kilometres up the Hozugawa gorge at 25 km/h, windows open, river below. It is the classic Arashiyama excursion and its tickets sell out on autumn weekends by mid-morning — one of the quiet advantages of a tour that holds them for you.
Two timing notes the listing states plainly: the train does not run in January and February, when this tour substitutes a temple or the Iwatayama Monkey Park, and the current rolling stock is scheduled for replacement, so the exact train you ride depends on when you come.
The Hozugawa boat: two hours down the rapids
At Kameoka you swap rail for water. The flat-bottomed boats carry about 25 people and take roughly two hours to run the winding gorge back down to Togetsukyo Bridge, poled and steered by crews who read the rapids for a living and clown for the passengers between them. Reviewers single the boatmen out as the surprise highlight; Amanda from the UK, March 2026, called the whole day brilliant and the crew hard-working and entertaining.
It is a genuine river descent rather than a cruise: mild whitewater, spray in the fast sections, and the reason the listing bars expectant mothers and children under 90 cm.
Bamboo and the bath
Off the boat, the guided section walks the Sagano Bamboo Forest — the same free corridor described on the homepage, but with the routing and history handled — before ending at an Arashiyama onsen for the soak. The onsen entry fee is an optional extra on top of the tour price, which the listing is upfront about; carry cash for it and for lunch, which is also not included. If a bundled meal matters more than the water, the all-inclusive bus day is the listing built that way.
How the Five Hours Run
Order can flex with train times; this is the published shape of the day.
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0:00
Meet in Arashiyama
Meeting point confirmed at booking. Groups cap at nine, so the introductions are short.
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0:20
Sagano Romantic Train
The trolley climbs the gorge to Kameoka, about 25 minutes of open windows over the river. January–February: a temple or monkey park stop substitutes.
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1:00
Transfer at Kameoka
Short land connection from the trolley terminus to the boat pier.
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1:30
Hozugawa River descent
Roughly two hours down the rapids to Togetsukyo Bridge. Spray in the quick sections; bags go in the middle of the boat.
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3:30
Sagano Bamboo Forest
Guided walk through the grove and its approaches, with the history that the free path does not explain itself.
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4:15
Onsen
The hot-spring finish in Arashiyama. Entry fee optional and separate; towels rentable on site.
Where the Day Goes
The loop runs from Arashiyama up the gorge to Kameoka by rail and back down by water — about seven kilometres each way, ending where the bamboo and the baths are.
Who This Tour Suits
Book it if
You want Arashiyama to be the whole day rather than a stop, and the landscape interests you more than temple count.
- You wanted the Romantic Train anyway — its tickets plus the boat's, handled
- Small groups matter: nine people, one guide, no headsets
- You want to end a walking day in hot water
- The gorge scenery is the point, not a checklist of shrines
Book something else if
Budget, temples or logistics point elsewhere.
- $150 is the catalog ceiling — the walking tour covers the grove side for $48.57
- You want Kinkaku-ji and Fushimi Inari in the same day: the bus tours do that
- Travelling with a child under 90 cm or expecting — the boat bars both
- January or February visit and the train was your reason: it pauses those months
Practical notes from the listing
Not suitable for: Pregnant women; wheelchair users; children under 90 cm. What to bring: comfortable shoes, hat, sunscreen and sunglasses. Not allowed: None stated.
These lines are read from the operator's own listing, last checked August 2026 — the listing text at checkout is the binding version.
Train, Boat and Onsen Questions
Is the Sagano Romantic Train included in the price?
Yes — both the trolley ticket and the Hozugawa boat ticket are inside the $150, which is the practical argument for the tour: on autumn weekends the train sells out early and the boat pier is a transfer away in Kameoka. The onsen entry at the end is the one component that stays optional and separately paid.
What happens in winter when the train stops?
The Sagano Romantic Train does not operate in January and February. The operator states the substitution in the listing: those departures visit a temple or the Iwatayama Monkey Park instead, with the boat and onsen unchanged. If the train specifically is why you are booking, aim for March through December. Season-by-season detail sits in best time to visit.
Is the boat ride rough?
Mild whitewater rather than rafting: flat-bottomed boats of about 25 seats, professional crews, spray in the faster sections. The operator bars pregnant travellers, wheelchair users and children under 90 cm, and notes the crews speak working English on the water even though the boat carries no dedicated guide.
How much time does the bamboo forest get?
A guided stroll after the boat lands — enough for the corridor and its stories, not a half day. The grove itself is free and 400 m long, so the tour treats it as one movement of the day rather than the destination. If you want it at its emptiest, walk it yourself before 8:00 and let the tour show you the gorge instead.
Does it include lunch or hotel pickup?
Neither. You meet in Arashiyama, and meals are on you — the listing's Includes section is explicit that meals, personal expenses and transport to the meeting point are excluded. Reserve now pay later and free cancellation to 24 hours both apply, so the booking risk is low.
What Travellers Said
We had a brilliant day on the Sagano romantic train, river ride and Bamboo forest. Itsuki, our guide, was lovely and very informative. She made sure the day went smoothly and made it fun for us. The guys on the boat worked hard but were also very entertaining. I highly recommend this trip!
Our guide Itsuki was so personable and friendly. The group was small so easy to ask questions. The railroad trip was very scenic and the crew on the boat trip were extremely entertaining. The tour was well planned and we transitioned to each venue smoothly. Great value for the money.
Verified GetYourGuide reviews for this tour.
Page last reviewed August 2026. Price, rating and review count read from the listing on August 2026. Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
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