Nara has some of the most impressive sights in all of Japan. Here I provide three Nara itineraries to help you make the most of your time in Nara.
I’ve spent a lot of time in Nara working on the perfect itineraries for travelers. Here are my suggestions for the perfect half-day, full-day and two-day Nara itineraries to make the most of your precious time in the city.
Perfect Nara One-Day Itinerary
One day is sufficient to see most of the sights within Nara. You can do this itinerary starting and finishing in Kyoto or Osaka if you wish, but you might find it more relaxing to stay one night in Nara. (See my personal recommendations of where to stay on the Nara Ryokan and Nara Hotels pages).
You’ll most likely start this itinerary at Kintetsu Nara or JR Nara Stations. Either way, get yourself to the fountain just up the stairs from Kintetsu Nara Station to begin this walk.
- Walk up Nobori-oji Street. You’ll start to encounter Nara’s famous sacred deer as you go.
- Use the underground crossings to get to the northeast corner of the Nobori-oji/Route 169. Walk from there to Isui-en Garden. If you have time, pop into the free and excellent Yoshiki-en next door.
- Walk from Isui-en along the backstreets to Todai-ji Temple. Before entering the Daibutsu-den Hall to see the Great Buddha (Daibutsu), walk a little south to check out the Nandai-mon Gate, with its two huge guardian figures.
- Enter the Daibutsu-den. Take your time marveling at the Daibutsu and then exit the Daibutsu-den. Walk along the east wall of the Daibutsu-den and then go up the path that turns up to the right just past the small pond to reach Nigatsu-do Hall.
- Check out Nigatsu-do and then walk in the direction of the base of Wakakusa-yama. If you’re traveling at a normal pace, you’ll probably reach this area around lunchtime. See my list of Places To Eat In Nara for some lunch picks in this area.
- Follow the narrow pathways through the forest to Kasuga-Taisha Shrine.
- Follow the main path from Kasuga-Taisha all the way west until you reach Kofuku-ji Temple. If you haven’t eaten lunch yet, you’ll find lots of place in the shopping streets nearby (in Downtown Nara and Naramachi)
- In the afternoon, make a loop south through Naramachi, checking out Sarusawa-no-ike Pond, Koshi-no-Ie and the shops and galleries of the area.
- Return to your lodgings or one of the main train stations.
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Ideal Nara Two-Day Itinerary
Two days really gives you time to spread out and explore Nara. I suggest spending the night in a hotel or ryokan in Downtown Nara; see my Nara Ryokan and Nara Hotels pages for some suggested places.
Day 1: Do the Perfect Nara One-Day Itinerary described above.
Day 2: Sightseeing in Nara and Nishinokyo
- Start with a visit to the Nara National Museum. If there’s an interesting special exhibition on, then visit that. Either way, be sure to check out the permanent collection of Buddhist images.
- If you didn’t have time or energy to visit Naramachi on the preceding day, take a short stroll in Naramachi.
- Head to the main bus stops outside JR Nara Station or Kintetsu Nara Station.
- Take Nara bus No 97 to the Nishinokyo District, which is 4km southwest of Downtown Nara (note that you can also get to Nishinokyo by a local, or futsu, train on the Kintetsu Kashihara Line, which runs between Kyoto and Kashihara).
- Get off the bus at the Yakushiji Parking Lot.
- Explore Yakushi-ji Temple.
- Exit via the north gate of Yakushi-ji and walk 500 meters north to Toshodai-ji Temple.
- Explore Toshodai-ji and then return to Downtown Nara by bus No 97 or Kintetsu Line trains.
- If you have more time for sightseeing and an abiding interest in Japanese Buddhist history, consider visiting Horyu-ji Temple after visiting Toshodai-ji. Nara Kotsu offers buses between Yakushi-ji or Toshodai-ji and Horyu-ji. The bus takes about 48 minutes and costs either Y560 or Y600, depending upon where you catch it. After visiting Horyu-ji, you can return to Downtown Nara by another Nara Kotsu bus or by JR trains.
Brilliant Nara Half-Day Itinerary
As noted above, Nara can be visited as a daytrip from nearby Kyoto or Osaka (see the How To Get To Nara page for details). While six or eight hours is ideal for a daytrip, you might find yourself with a mere half day to spend in Nara. If that is the case, don’t despair: A half-day (four hours) is enough to see a lot of Nara’s major sights. The itinerary described here is basically an abbreviated version of the one-day itinerary above.
- Start from Kintetsu Nara Station and walk up Nobori-oji Street. You’ll start to encounter Nara’s famous sacred deer as you go.
- Use the underground crossings to get to the northeast corner of the Nobori-oji/Route 169. Walk from there to Isui-en Garden.
- Walk from Isui-en along the backstreets to Todai-ji Temple. Before entering the Daibutsu-den Hall to see the Great Buddha (Daibutsu), walk a little south to check out the Nandai-mon Gate, with its two huge guardian figures.
- Take your time marveling at the Daibutsu and then exit the Daibutsu-den. Walk along the east wall of the Daibutsu-den and then go up the path that turns up to the right just past the small pond to reach Nigatsu-do Hall.
- Check out Nigatsu-do and then walk in the direction of the base of Wakakusa-yama.
- Follow the narrow pathways through the forest to Kasuga-Taisha Shrine.
- Follow the main path from Kasuga-Taisha all the way west until you reach Kofuku-ji Temple.
- Cut through the precincts of Kofuku-ji Temple to get back to Kintetsu Nara Station or JR Nara Station.
- Note that if you’re really, really pressed for time, you can cut out the visit to Kasuga-Taisha Shrine. In this case, after visiting Nigatsu-do Hall, simply return the way you came to Kintetsu Nara Station.
Where Are These Places Located?
See these places on our Nara Google map:- Open the Nara map
- You will see the list of places on the left hand side. (Click the 3-line icon in the top left corner if not). Scroll down or use the map search (the magnifying glass icon) to find the place you want.
- Click the name of the place in the list. Its location pin will be highlighted on the map.
- Map pins are color coded - BLUE: Hotels | VIOLET: Ryokan | PINK: Places to Eat | YELLOW: Things to See and Do
- If you're using the map on your phone, open the map and then search for the name of the place. The map will then zoom in on its location.
Nara Travel Guide:
- Nara Travel Guide Overview
- Things To Do In Nara
- Nara Walking Tour
- Places To Eat In Nara
- Nara Itineraries
- Nara Districts
- Nara Hotels
- Nara Ryokan
- Nara Cherry Blossoms
- Nara Fall Foliage
- Best Time To Go To Nara
- How To Get To Nara
- Getting Around Nara
- Nara Annual Festivals And Events
Itineraries For Other Cities In Japan:
We also have carefully crafted itineraries for Kyoto, Tokyo, Osaka, Kanazawa, Takayama, Hiroshima and Miyiyama.
Japan Itineraries:
To fully plan your trip to Japan, see my comprehensive Japan itineraries which guide you to the best locations and map out each day for you.
- Japan Itineraries Overview
- 1 Week Japan Itinerary: Tokyo and Kyoto
- 10 Day Japan Itinerary: Tokyo, Kyoto and Kanazawa
- 10 Day Japan Itinerary: Tokyo, Kyoto and Takayama
- 2 Week Japan Itinerary: The Grand Tour
- 7 to 10 Day Japan Itinerary: Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Hiroshima
- Japan With Children Itinerary
Nara Districts Map
Click for more information about each Nara district
