Japan

Niigata

Our local guides are ready to help you plan, customize and realize your ideal tour in Niigata. All GoWithGuide guides are real locals who know the area on a deep and personal level, and they can’t wait to share their knowledge with you.

When traveling, everyone wants to get the most bang out of their buck. How to do that? Ask the right person to be your tour guide, of course! As opposed to fixed itineraries that are too formal and geared towards large groups, arranging a trip with the help of a local guide will mean the trip will be about what YOU want to see and do.

Go ahead and send a message to one (or several!) of our local guides. They would love to show you their Niigata!

Local Tour Guides in Niigata

When unable to travel, bring travel to the comfort of your house! Sometimes it is difficult to physically travel to your destination, that’s where virtual guided tours become a perfect alternative.

You can find all sort of activities and tours offered by GoWithGuide’s local guides: cooking classes, history lessons, walking tours, interaction with locals, exploration of the wilderness.. and much more! So let our local Niigata guides share their part of the world with you.

Connect with the guide virtually, and then simply to sit back, relax with your favorite beverage and enjoy the tour!

Niigata Virtual Tours & Experiences

Whether it’s your first time to Niigata or you are back to discover more, a good tour guide can make all the difference. Enjoy the best of what Niigata has to offer, without all the fuss of planning everything by yourself!

You can pick your favorite itinerary from the Niigata tours offered by our local guides, but feel free to ask for customizations based on your preferences. We want to help travelers get the most out of their trips, and we believe a good tour with a local guide is the best way to ensure that.

There is so much to see and do in Niigata, and the best way to get the most out of your time there is to have a local expert with you. GoWithGuide is committed to delivering unforgettable tour experiences, so let us help you create your next favorite memory.

Niigata Private Tour Guide

Travel like a real local. With our lineup of varied tours we want to help you customize and realize your ideal tour in Niigata. Our guides can arrange for you to visit areas specific to your interests, so there will be no filler in the itinerary!

Browse all the tours we offer in Niigata, and find the perfect one for you. The tours come in a variety of categories and lengths, so chances are you will be able to find the tour for you. Looking for something you couldn’t find in our lineup? Go ahead and send a message to one of the guides, they will create your tour for you!

Teaming up with a local guide and getting their help in planning the itinerary is the smart way to travel, so let them sort everything out for you.

Private Tours in Niigata

Are you in need of transportation on your trip to Niigata? On this page you can find pick-up, airport transfers and chauffeur (Private car charter with professional drivers).

We meticulously check all drivers and Car Companies you find on this page to make sure they have all the necessary documentation and qualifications to run transfer services for their area. Choose from the available listings, or message one of the suppliers directly to inquire about their services.

Having reliable and good quality transportation is an important but often overlooked part of planning a trip. Let our Niigata car & van service providers take care of transportation for you, so you can enjoy your sightseeing!

Niigata Private Cars, Van & Transfers

1.  You will feel refreshed and energized.
Joetsu City was the capital city of Echigo Province.  As you stay away from crowds, you can enjoy walking along former castle town streets in a calm way.  There are many historical sites and scenic spots.  The city is surrounded by the Sea of Japan and snow-capped mountains.  And you can find people having environmentally friendly lifestyles.

2.  You can stay 7 hours in Joetsu by using the Hokuriku Bullet Train.
  leave Tokyo Station  7:52
  arrive at Joetsu-Myoko Station 9:54 → 17:13　(7hours)
  return to Tokyo Station 19:12

  The last train leaves Joetsu-Myoko Station at 21:21.
  You can enjoy staying at night in Joetsu, too.

3.  You will visit several following places of your choice.
1) local train: Tokimeki Line
After meeting at Joetsu-Myoko Station, let’s take a local train to Takada Station.
It takes less than ten minutes.  

2) Takada Park: a former castle site
Takada Castle was built in 1614 by Matsudaira Tadateru, a sixth son of the first Shogun.
It is one of the biggest castle site in Japan.  
Takada Park is famous for cherry trees in spring and lotus flowers in summer.  
Red and yellow leaves fascinate people in fall, and all trees and moats are covered white in snow.  
Local people love this park all the year-round. 

3) Machiya (townhouses) and Gangi Streets in castle town 
Machiya: townhouses are small in width at the entrance and long in-depth, like in Kyoto City.  Local people try to live comfortably in such houses.  You can visit some of the townhouses and find what they are.

Gangi Streets: snow shelters
Joetsu has a lot of snow in winter.  In order to walk easily in winter, they have built Gangi along the streets, which people can walk without getting wet.

4) Sake brewery
There are 13 breweries in Joetsu.  You will visit Musashino Brewery and taste some sake and learn how sake is brewed.   When you taste some of their sake in Rakusuitei-garden, you will be refreshed and be happy.  

5) Temple Street.
There are 66 temples in temple street in the west of the town.   You can visit one of the temples and find your time there.

6) Ski Museum
Joetsu is the first place where Alpine skiing was introduced in Japan by a military officer from Austria in 1911.   You will find how skiing has been developed in Japan.  As this museum is a little away from the center of the town, a taxi will be recommended to visit there.


Joetsu City One Day Walking Tour, Takada Area

This route takes you to the area which gives Niigata City the name of the "City of Water."  You can experience the port city history and culture such as the former Saito Family Villa and Hakusan Shrine.

Central Niigata City 1-Day Tour

Visitors can view the beautiful castle and learn how the city has been developed based on the history of Shibata Clan.  Walk along the streets, enjoy the ambience of the Edo Period and get acquainted with the town and its history.  

Shibata Castle and Central Shibata

Visitors are to walk between JR Yahiko Station and Yahiko Shrine, which is a good excercise and gives a good chance to see the local shrine town.  You can buy one or two snacks on the way to and from the shrine such as Panda-yaki rice pancakes and konnyaku.  Breathe in serene air in the woods of the precinct to get to the gondola station.  The gondola ride takes 5 minutes to get to the top and visitors take a 15 walk to the uppermost shrine if the weather is fine.  (No walk on snowy days.)  After getting down to the ground, visiting deer and messenger birds is waiting for fun.  Enjoy feeding sacred deer wishing good fortune.  Then please do not forget the main event, to visit the main worship hall of Yahiko Shrine.  Practice 2 bows, 4 claps and 1 bow manner at Yahiko, which is different from most other shrines in Japan.  This tells how unique Yahiko Shrine is.  Yahiko is also well-known as a hot spring resort, so please soak your feet into a  foot bath prepared for visitors to the town at Omotenashihirowa.

Gondola Ride to Mt Yahiko Top and Yahiko Shrine Visit

Visitors will see the vast rice fields in Echigo Plain and people's way of life centering rice in the culture.  You will taste various kinds of local sake, foods including miso, soy sauce and snacks in downtown Tsukioka.  Also experience a bit of Onsen by soaking your feet in an outdoor bath there or taking a public hot bath of Tsukioka Onsen.  Enjoy viewing greenery and seasonal colors with blossoms and observing creatures living in the wetlands.

Niigata Day Trip

Book a Niigata Day Trip Tour with a Local Tour Guide

The best tours and activities

The option to personalize your tour

Only private tours!

Niigata Day Trip Tours

Joetsu City One Day Walking Tour, Takada Area

Central Niigata City 1-Day Tour

Shibata Castle and Central Shibata

Visitors can take the beautiful view of Shibata Castle, and feel the ambience of the castle town by walking along the streets. Please choose 6 spots to visit out of the highlights in central Shibata City.

Gondola Ride to Mt Yahiko Top and Yahiko Shrine Visit

Northern Culture Museum, Tsukioka and Fukushimagata Wetlands