Nara Day Trips from Kyoto

One Day is enough to Visit Nara from Kyoto

Considering the close distance (40 km or 25mi) between Kyoto and Nara and the developed railway lines – JR and Kintetsu railway, 1 day is totally enough for a Nara day trip from Kyoto. In addition, many superb attractions in Nara are close to each other. You have no worries about spending too much time on transportation.

Nara Day Trip from Kyoto Itinerary

Depart from Kyoto around 8:00– Take Kintetsu/JR Train

To get to Nara, the best way is take JR Train or Kintetsu Railway and their departure station is Kyoto Station. Taking Kintetsu may be more convenient as its final station – Kintetsu Nara Station, is only minutes’ walk to Nara Park. If you take JR train, you have to walk for about 20 minutes to get to attractions after getting off at JR Nara Station.

1. By JR’s Nara Line

Platform location: platforms 8, 9 &10 at the Station’s north entrance
Arrive at: JR Nara Station
Time needed: 44 minutes
Ticket: 720 yen

2. By Kintetsu’s Kyoto Line

Platform location: Station’s south entrance
Arrive at: Kintetsu Nara Station
Time needed: 34 minutes
Kintetsu: 1,280 yen

Other than taking train, you can also go to Nara by taxi. It is more comfortable than riding a train. The time needed is also less than 1 hour, but it should be noted taking taxi is very expensive.

Stop 1 – 9:00: Nara Park (1 hour)

From Kintetsu Nara Station, walk eastward for 3 minutes.
The 660-hectares-large (1,630 acres) Nara Park owns a group of gentle deer. You will see the harmonious scene of tourists feeding deer biscuits and deer bowing to “show thanks to people”. Also, the Mt. Kasuga Primeval Forest is for you to explore after feeding deer: along the sightseeing walkway built among the oak trees and evergreen broad-leaved trees, you can occasionally see animals.

Nara Park

Stop 2 – 10:00: Todai-ji Temple (half an hour)

Todai-ji Temple

Just 1 minutes’ walk from the Park is Todai-ji Temple. To seek inner peace, visiting temples never goes wrong. Todai-ji is famous for the giant Buddhist sculpture with the solemn expression with 1,200-year-old history.

Stop 3 – 10:30: Nara National Museum (2 hours)

Exiting from Todai-ji, walk for 5 minutes to National Museum. 
Nara National Museum has 4 halls and the Buddha sculpture hall and the bronze hall are must-see.

Stop 4 – 12:30: Nara Higashimuki Shopping Street (1 hour)

The Street is about 1 km far from the Museum, which takes you about 15 minutes’ walk.

Must eat: Persimmon Leaf Sushi & Miwa Somen
Persimmon Leaf Sushi & Miwa Somen are 2 food unique to Nara. Persimmon Leaf Sushi consists of 3 parts: vinegar rice, salmon or mackerel, and persimmon leaves outside. The leaves give the common sushi a unique aroma, thus enriching its tastiness. Miwa Somen, a handmade noodle, is very thin and looks almost transparent. It tastes smooth and chewy and can be matched with you can eat it matched with soy sauce, broth, or mirin.

Stop 5 – 13:45: Isuien Garden (1 hour)

After lunch, you can either walk for 15 minutes to go to Isuien Garden or rent a bike near the Street.
Isuien Garden mainly consists of 3 parts: teahouses, residences, and garden. In this Garden once only open to Japanese high class, you can see hills in the distance. There is also a small art museum where antiques from China, Korea, and Japan are displayed.

Stop 6 – 15:00: Kasuga Taisha Shrine (1 hour)

Walk for 9 minutes from the Garden to the Shrine.
Many visitors come to Kasuga Taisha Shrine for about 2,000 stone lanterns coated with green moss and over 1,000 yellow bronze lanterns.

Kasuga Taisha Shrine

Stop 7 – 16:00: Mountain Wakakusa (1.5 hours)

Walk for 2 minutes to get to Mount Wakakusa
The best thing to do on Mount Wakakusa is climbing to its top to see sunset and the panorama of Nara. To save energy, you can also take a taxi to the mount top.

Stop 8 – 17:45: Ikeda Gankodo Craft Shop(15 minutes)

To get to Ikeda Gankodo from Mount Wakakusa, please walk 3 minutes to reach the bus stop near Kasuga Taisha Shrine’s Kokuhoden first, take Bus No.98 or 78, get off at Kintetsu Nara Bus Stop, and then walk for 4 minutes to get there.

Folding Fans used by Geisha

In Nara, Ikeda Gankodo is a century-old store madding various Japanese fans like fixed fans, folding fans, and war fans with patterns on the surface.

Return from Nara at 18:00

Walk for 4 minutes from Ikeda Gankodo to get to Kintetsu Nara Station and take train return to Kyoto.

For more trip plans from Kyoto to other cities, you can click Best Day Trips from Kyoto.