Nara travel guide

Deer park and the giant Buddha. Most people stay Day trip or 1 night. Best months: Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov.

Highlights

• Todai-ji
• Nara Park deer
• Kasuga Taisha

Things to do in Nara

• Nara deer park & Todai-ji day trip · 6 h · about ₹600 per person. Deer bow for crackers but nip and headbutt — keep food out of sight with small kids. Todai-ji opens at 7:30am.
• Kasuga Taisha lantern shrine · 1.5 h · about ₹300 per person
• Isui-en & Yoshiki-en gardens · 1 h · about ₹700 per person. Yoshiki-en next door is free for foreign visitors with a passport.

What to eat

• Kakinoha-zushi (persimmon-leaf sushi): Around Nara Station
• Yomogi mochi: Higashimuki shopping street

Getting there

• Kintetsu or JR from Kyoto ~45 min
• Kintetsu from Osaka-Namba ~40 min

Japan itineraries with Nara

• Kyoto, Nara & Osaka · 5 nights · 6 days, Kyoto → Osaka · from ₹47,650 per person, base estimate before flights. A short Kansai trip in and out of Kansai Airport: Kyoto temples, a Nara day trip and Osaka food.
• Kyoto, Hiroshima & Osaka · 7 nights · 8 days, Kyoto → Hiroshima → Osaka · from ₹73,350 per person, base estimate before flights. Western Japan in a week, in and out of Kansai Airport: Kyoto and Nara, Hiroshima and Miyajima, then Osaka food.
• Cherry blossom Japan · 9 nights · 10 days, Tokyo → Kawaguchiko (Mt Fuji) → Kyoto → Osaka · from ₹95,800 per person, base estimate before flights. Blossom parks in Tokyo, the Chureito Pagoda with Mt Fuji, and Kyoto's canals at peak bloom. Book stays 3–4 months ahead.
• Golden Route · 9 nights · 10 days, Tokyo → Hakone → Kyoto → Osaka · from ₹97,050 per person, base estimate before flights. Tokyo, an onsen night in Hakone, Kyoto with a Nara day trip, and Osaka for food — fly into Tokyo, out of Osaka.
• Japan on a budget · 10 nights · 11 days, Tokyo → Kawaguchiko (Mt Fuji) → Kyoto → Hiroshima → Osaka · from ₹1,22,300 per person, base estimate before flights. Hostels and business hotels, highway buses where they save money, and mostly free sights.
• Golden Route & Hiroshima · 12 nights · 13 days, Tokyo → Hakone → Kyoto → Hiroshima → Osaka · from ₹1,41,250 per person, base estimate before flights. The classic route at an easier pace, with four nights in Kyoto, Miyajima and a Universal Studios day in Osaka.
• Grand tour of Japan · 14 nights · 15 days, Tokyo → Kanazawa → Takayama → Kyoto → Hiroshima → Osaka · from ₹1,53,500 per person, base estimate before flights. Two weeks from Tokyo to Hiroshima via Nikko, the Japan Alps, Kyoto and Nara. Point-to-point tickets usually beat the JR Pass.