Nara Day Trip Guide

Nara is a relatively small but oh-so-charming town. Who wouldn’t love to explore a place where countless wild deer roam the streets and greet visitors with a polite Japanese bow? Nara’ location makes it very easily accessible from all parts of the country. This guide helps you plan a Nara day trip from Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo and also covers the best things to do in Nara once you’ve reached the city of deer.

A lot of visitors travel to Nara from Kyoto and the best way to travel from Kyoto to Nara is by train. You can choose between two train operators to reach Nara: JR West and Kintetsu Railways.

If you hold a Japan Rail Pass, it might be best to take the JR Nara line from Kyoto Station to JR Nara station. Trains here run three times per hour and the trip takes around 70 minutes.

If you want to get to Nara faster, you can take the Miyakoji Kaisoku express train, which only takes 45 minutes. The only downside with this option is that the express train doesn’t start running until after 9:30am.

Taking the first rapid train from Kyoto to Nara would get you there by 10:20am – a little late or a Nara day trip. I recommend arriving in Nara no later than 9:30 otherwise the day trip will be too short.

Japanese Express Train

There are several trains running between Kyoto Station and Kintetsu-Nara Station. The Kintetsu-Limited Express train is the fastest option with only 35 minutes and run twice daily. To take this train, yo need to have a seat reservation for Limited Express trains and book your tickets in advance at the counter or machine.

An alternative option is the Kintetsu-Kyoto local line, which takes 45 minutes. You need to be careful when choosing this options as only a few of the trains go directly to Nara – some other trains requrie a transfer at Yamato-Saidaiji Station. Read up on these detailed instructions before making this trip.

Regardless of which option you choose, you’ll get to Nara Deer City from Kyoto in about one hour giving you plenty of time to explore Nara in one day.

Getting from Osaka to Nara is actually super easy and fast. It only takes 55 minutes to get from Osaka Station to JR Nara Station via the JR Yamatoji Rapid Service.

Trains run frequently, too, making a Nara day trip a no-brainer if you’re based in Osaka.

If you don’t stay in the Kansai area (near Osaka or Kyoto) but are determined to do a Nara day trip – it’s possible to get to Nara all the way from Tokyo.

First, you have to take the Tokkaido-Sanyo Line Shinkansen from Tokyo Station or Shinagawa Station down to Kyoto Station. If you take a Kodama or Hikari train you can use your JR pass and reach Kyoto in 2 hours and 40 minutes. From Kyoto Station, you can take either the JR Nara line or the Kintetsu line.

This whole trip takes around 4 hours to get from Tokyo to Nara Park and would set you back around ￥13,000 per Shinkansen ticket – an expensive day trip! I wouldn’t recommend this route – unless you have a JR Pass.

Temple in Nara

You can even travel between Kansai Airport and Nara via the Airport Express Bus service. My husband and I did our Nara day trip on the last day of our Osaka trip and we headed straight to Kansai Airport to catch our flight back to South Korea in the evening. To book the bus tickets in Nara, head to the Nara City Tourist Information Center right next to JR Nara Station. I recommend booking the bus tickets once you arrive in Nara in the morning to secure your seat. You can find more details about the schedule here. The bus ride from Nara to Kansai Airport takes a little over 90 minutes.

This Nara one-day itinerary is completely walkable as all attractions aren’t too far away from each other. If you need transportation, however, the public buses in Nara are very well-connected.

For those arriving at JR Nara Station, the red Gurutto bus route might be the ideal choice. This bus makes a circular route around Nara and also stops directly at Nara Park. Gurutto buses run from 9:00am-5:00pm and tickets only cost ￥100, making it a cost-effective option for anyone that can’t or doesn’t want to walk around Nara the whole day.