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Nara Highlights: Discover Japan's First Capital
4.8
19 Ratings
Nara
Discover Nara’s rich heritage with expert guides. Explore temples, gardens, and iconic deer. Customize your tour for an unforgettable experience.
Discover Nara’s rich heritage with expert guides. Explore temples, gardens, and iconic deer. Customize your tour for an unforgettable experience.
Duration:
8 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Naramachi - This charming old town is beautifully preserved, featuring traditional wooden townhouses (machiya), unique boutique shops, and inviting cafés. It’s an ideal spot to delve into Nara’s rich merchant history while enjoying a leisurely stroll.
- Nara Park - Famous for its freely roaming deer, Nara Park provides a unique opportunity for…
- Naramachi - This charming old town is beautifully preserved, featuring traditional wooden townhouses (machiya), unique boutique shops, and inviting cafés. It’s an ideal spot to delve into Nara’s rich merchant history while enjoying a leisurely stroll.
- Nara Park - Famous for its freely roaming deer, Nara Park provides a unique opportunity for visitors to engage with these gentle animals. The park also houses Todai-ji and Kasuga Taisha, making it a key destination for sightseeing.
- Todai-ji Temple - Known for the Great Buddha (Daibutsu), Todai-ji stands as one of Japan’s most renowned temples. Its enormous wooden hall, the Daibutsuden, ranks among the largest wooden structures globally.
- Shosoin Temple - This historical treasure house safeguards imperial artifacts from the Nara period (8th century). The collection features silk textiles, musical instruments, and items influenced by the Silk Road.
- Kasuga Grand Shrine - Visitors can admire thousands of iconic stone and bronze lanterns and interact with the friendly deer, considered divine messengers. The vermilion main hall and surrounding ancient forest are part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, offering a serene and beautiful experience.
- Heijō Palace Site Historical Park - Once the imperial palace of Japan’s first permanent capital, this site offers insights into ancient court life. Visitors can explore reconstructions of the Audience Hall and other historical buildings.
- Yakushi-ji Temple - This important Buddhist temple is celebrated for its twin pagodas and exquisite architecture. Dedicated to Yakushi Nyorai, the Buddha of healing, it exudes a tranquil, spiritual ambiance.
- Horyu-ji Temple - A UNESCO World Heritage site, Horyuji Temple is home to the world’s oldest wooden buildings. Founded by Prince Shotoku, the temple complex, including the magnificent five-story pagoda and Main Hall, highlights ancient Japanese Buddhist architecture.
What's Included
- Licensed Local English Speaking Guide
- Licensed Local English Speaking Guide
What's Not Included
- Entrance fees
- Admission fees
- Meals
- Public transportation (bus, subway, cable car, etc.)
- Private transportation
- Entrance fees
- Admission fees
- Meals
- Public transportation (bus, subway, cable car, etc.)
- Private transportation
Additional Information
Explore the highlights of Nara with our friendly local guides who are not only knowledgeable but also passionate about their city. They will take you around the sites in most efficient way and provide you with in-depth insights into each site, ensuring you get the most out of your visit.
Nara, the first capital of Japan, is a captivating city that offers…
Explore the highlights of Nara with our friendly local guides who are not only knowledgeable but also passionate about their city. They will take you around the sites in most efficient way and provide you with in-depth insights into each site, ensuring you get the most out of your visit.
Nara, the first capital of Japan, is a captivating city that offers a journey back in time to the country’s rich cultural and historical heritage. Famous for its serene temples and a shrine, stunning garden, and the iconic free-roaming deer. This tour allows you to choose several locations of your choice.
Join us for an unforgettable stop in Nara, the heart of Japan.
Please choose 3 to 4 must-see spots from “What To Expect” that you wish to visit.
- A moderate amount of walking is included. Please wear comfortable walking shoes.
- The tour will take place rain or shine.
Location
JR Nara Station
Meet at JR Nara Station (in front of a ticket gate)
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(19 Ratings)
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Helen_m
May 15, 2026
From Sacred Temples to Art in the Forest - We had the most wonderful day with Tossy, our private guide, and Haruka, our driver. The itinerary was perfectly planned and gave us enough time to enjoy every stop without ever feeling rushed. We visited the Deer Park, the Great Buddha of Nara, enjoyed a beautiful lunch beside a peaceful river listening to birdsong, and then finished at the stunning Muro-sanjo Art Forest.
We travelled in a luxury car which made the whole experience feel very relaxed and comfortable. Tossy was knowledgeable, friendly, and spoke excellent English. He even brought visual aids with him which really added to the experience and helped bring the history and culture to life.
Everything felt thoughtful, calm, and well paced from start to finish. This ended up being one of the highlights of our trip to Japan and we would absolutely recommend this tour to anyone wanting a more personal and memorable experience.
Review provided by Viator
Carlosbv2412ig
Jan 13, 2026
A special New Year’s in Nara - Our guide Toshi made this such a special experience. He shared so much of his experience and expertise about his city and Japanese culture in general, and also shared of himself as he celebrated the New Year’s holidays day with us. Thank you Toshy!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Doris
Oct 22, 2024
Culture and cuisine in Nara ! - Today I took a beautiful day tour in Nara with Kiyoto (guide) where he introduced me to both the cultural and culinary Unpacked!
This tour is highly recommended!
Maria
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joavb2024
Aug 18, 2024
Amazing Experience! - We had Kiyoto as our tour guide. He was great, very knowledgeable and flexible to adapt to our needs on the fly. Nara and Kyoto were amazing. Thank you!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nicoleai2337gz
Jun 12, 2024
Very good experience with Chiko as guide - My guide Chiko was very friendly and patient, and was a local who really understood the best way to pack in as much in our day as possible!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dianekj26ox
Jun 11, 2024
Walking tour of Nara. - We visited Kasuga Taisha Shrine, Mt. Wakakusa and Isuien Garden.
We were blessed with good weather which was fortunate because the places we went to were all outdoors.
Fortunately, the shrine wasn't busy so we could take our time getting nice photos. Our guide was very cheerful and knowledgeable about the history and culture and gave us interesting snippets about the area.
We had lunch at a local restaurant before hiking up Mt. Wakakusa. The walk wasn't too challenging and the views from the top were wonderful. We got to spend quality time with the deer too.
The garden was beautiful. Very peaceful and calming.
It was a lovely day.
The pace was perfect and we got to enjoy the other places we passed through on our travels.
I'm so glad I took the tour and would definitely recommend it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Yasukon219
Jun 5, 2024
Beautiful Nara - Nara is so beautiful place!
Hiking on Mt.Wakakusa made me forget my usual life. Views from top of the mountain look like I was in an different place, even It was very close to the center Nara city. Greens are so beautiful, air is clean, and everything made me feel good.
Kasuga Grand Shrine also washed my heart. There are lots of shrine buildings colored in red and green and 3,000 lanterns coverd with moss. Cute deers in Nara park are divene messengers! The tour guide gave me a lot of interesing stories about the shrine.
Isuien garden was another wonderful place. Two Japanese gardens with rivers are so beautiful and I strolled in the wide garden. Mt. Wakakusa I climbed today is used as a borrowed scenery which made the garden looks very wide.
Thank you so much to give me such a wonderful experience today!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
_t7890ly
Jun 5, 2024
Cozy atmosphere - The shrine was really beautiful with unique lanterns. And it was peaceful and quiet. Deer were always close to us and sometimes playful so they made feel us relaxed. After that we climbed up the hill and found the amazing view on the top! Lastly we visited a cozy Japanese garden you can walk around with beautiful green trees. The guide explains a lot about Japanese culture and it was easy to understand. I completely enjoyed all of the places. Thank you!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
983teachera
Jun 5, 2024
Nara Deep Dive with Nature and Deer - Until now I had only stuck around Toji temple so it was wonderful to experience Kasuga Taisha Shine, Mt Wakasuka and Isuien gardens and tea house with an experienced guide.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Salserap
May 27, 2024
Good guide! - It was nice though not very informative. But the guide was very nice and friendly.
And I agree with the comments that you could add at least one more place to this tour.
Thank you!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
