Top Nara Prefecture Tours by Duration

Join the highlights Tour at Nara Cycle Tours and meet other travelers, or do it in private and your guide can make this day special for your own group.

If you don’t speak Japanese, it can be hard to navigate Japan like a local. This tour of Nara, Japan’s ancient capital, is designed to  help you do just that. Leave the crowds of Kyoto behind and discover the peaceful city of Nara: its temples, shrines, traditional houses and divine deer. Explore the backstreets and alleys of the merchants district, and try authentic street food.

Explore Nara away from all tourists, on a bike, reach the top of Wakakusayama Mountain, explore a lost temple in the forest, admire hidden Buddhist statues carved in stone... A tour that mixes sport, nature and Japanese history for a very unique experience and amazing memories.

-Time to start the Nara historical walking tour- We will explore a Japanese old town that is extremely different from what we know of metropolitan Tokyo. Walking between the historical buildings, we can go inside a merchant's house and see how the people around here lived. -Continue to walk to a secret spot, which has been hidden for centuries- Welcome to a hidden Japanese pyramid. Let's take a break from walking(or hiking) as you observe this mysterious structure in the middle of a quiet town. -Walk inside Nara park and interact with cute wild deer- Explore the beautiful red shrine housing hundreds of lanterns and go see a huge temple with a great Buddha statue. Around here, you can interact with some wild deers. You will see how "polite" they are! Magical Trip is a local tour operator with the TripAdvisor certificate of excellence that offers various types of small-group tours throughout Japan! Check out our Trip Advisor Page for more tours and our reviews!

Discover a town famed for its Edo-style castles and orange goldfish on a half-day tour of Yamato-Koriyama from Nara. In a small group limited to 9, you’ll visit town highlights such as Koriyama Castle and a Goldfish Museum before stopping for a snack at K Coffee, a cafe that features fish tank converted from a phone booth. Plus, you’ll visit a goldfish farm to learn more about the popular pets.

Nara's charm is not only deers but also its traditional country lifestyle, which has been inherited from generations to generations.Half a day off-the-beaten walk to an oldest road "Yamanobe no michi" will lead you to deep cultural understanding on satoyama villages. You will come across small farm stands and people's life.

Explore Nara with a nationally-licensed and experienced multilingual guide! Your guide will help you efficiently enjoy a half-day walking tour of Nara and introduce both modern and traditional sides of this dynamic and ancient Japanese city. Nara's proximity to Kyoto and Osaka, and its rich collection of traditional sites, make it an ideal destination for a day trip from either of its larger neighbors. Your private guide can help you efficiently enjoy a half-day walking tour of this ancient Japanese city. You can start your day at your hotel in Osaka, Kyoto. Let us know what you would like to experience and we will customize a four-hour tour that's best for you! Note*1: Please select your must-see spots from a list in the tour information to create your customized itinerary. Note*2: The Nationally-licensed Tour Guide-Interpreter certification is issued by the Japanese government requires a good knowledge and understanding of Japanese culture and history.

Come with me to discover Yoshino, in the South of Nara prefecture! Surrounded by nature and inside mountains, Yoshino is the place to visit especially during the beautiful sakura season, better between April 13~15. But even out season, Yoshino is a high place of History, mostly with Kukai, Buddhist monk from the 9th century the Southern Imperial Court of Japan (14th century).

Nara city is rapidly gaining popularity as a tourist destination. As the capital of Japan in the 8th century, it can offer a variety of old temples and shrines, but also the charm of its former merchants’ quarter with quaint old houses serving as shops or restaurants. In this tour we will visit the biggest and most famous temple and shrine dating back to the 8th century as well as the old townscape.

This is a Nara private tour using by public transportation from Kyoto. The guide will pick you up at the hotel. No problem with train and bus transfers, as the guides are with you! The destinations of the tour includes Todai-ji Temple, Kasuga Taisha, deer park, and other UNESCO World Heritage Site temples! For details of the tour, you can look at the what to expect section and inclusions excursions section of this web page.

This private and customizable tour for Nara is perfect for guests who would like to have their own itinerary planned based on their interests and preferences, allowing guests to experience the city at their own pace.

I lived three years in Nara and I am a registered Interpreter Guide for Nara Prefecture. I can even close my eyes and guide you there! Hehe. In this tour, we will discover the Yamato-Koriyama, famous city in Japan for its gold fishes. Wonderful! Through this tour, you will know more about Japan and Yamato-Koriyama History.

Kashihara-jingu shrine is quite new (1889) and was built during Meiji imperial restauration. The emperor wanted his power to be reaffirmed and so built this shrine, even giving some buildings from Kyoto imperial palace, in the very place where were held the first imperial government (660 BC). Emperor Jinmu is enshrined in this place. After visiting Kashihara-jingu, we go to Imai-cho, Japanese traditionnal city. At first, temple town, it became a trade city during Edo period. Its architecture did not change and now, we still can visit this town as it was during Edo. Visiting Kashihara, we can know more about Japanese History while having a great time outside.

Yoshino, famous for its cherry blossoms, is also the birthplace of a mystic religion called Shugen-do that draws elements from Buddhism, Shintoism, and animism. While walking through this temple town you might be able to see practitioners clad in their peculiar costumes and hear the sound of the giant conch being blown. The three fierce-looking main statues of Zao-do Hall are exhibited only for a limited period of time a year in spring and in fall. We can look at them really closely and in peace and quiet. Moreover we will visit a sweets shop that makes a special kind of sweet typical of this region and the gorgeous room where emperors ruled from 1336 to 1392. Nature, culture, and history all come together in this exciting and extraordinary tour that will give you new insights into Japan.

~Explore numerous national treasures with a local guide in the early but quiet morning ~ Our certified guide who lives in Nara will take you to all the highlights. Be an early bird and take advantage of fewer tourists and the fresh air on a placid morning in the ancient capital. It is a great pleasure for us to take you to our beloved Nara and its highlights.

This is the perfect tour for first-time visitors to Nara who want to get a good overview in a short space of time. You won’t have to worry about navigating as a guide takes you around a shortlist of Nara’s best sights. See the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Todai-ji Temple, and Kasuga Taisha Shrine, visit the traditional houses of Naramachi, and see the city’s many semi-wild deer.

How about visiting the oldest five-storied pagoda in the world and world heritage, Horyuji Temple with your otomo guide? Horyuji Temple has brought the dawn of Japanese Buddhism and is the oldest world heritage in Japan. There are many historical Buddhist image and structures that will make you excited and overwhelmed! The five-storied pagoda there is the oldest one in the world, but its quake-proof technique of the structure is the same as used in TOKYO SKYTREE! You will also visit an ancient tomb, a unique temple, the countryside with fields and rice fields, and a café peculiar to a historical city! Don’t forget to book your tour to visit the oldest world heritage in Japan!

This is a guided walking tour covering all must-sees of Nara Park area. Instead of looking down at your smartphones or guidebooks for information, look up and around to enjoy the city. Our guide is sure to tell you history, picture spots, about deer and so on. The tour usually ends around 1 pm; you have enough time to explore the city on your own afterwards.

Don’t miss the famous Buddhist image of Todai-Ji temple and the three thousand bamboo lamps at “Kasuga-Taisha” if you come to Nara! We will take you there and give detail explanation about them on this tour. You will first visit the popular hall of the great Buddha which is a national treasure and world cultural heritage. “Nigatsu-do” which is located behind Todai-Ji temple is not so popular, but the view of the whole city from there is superb! After hiking through a forest with wild deer and visiting a famous Japanese sword shop, we will get to “Kasuga Taisha”. The three thousand bamboo lamps there is beyond description! Don’t forget to book your photogenic tour!

You will visit three world heritages of the eight in Nara on this tour! If you like Japanese architecture, history or art you better book this tour right now! Each of the spots you will visit has interesting features such as a three-storied pagoda which looks like to have six stories and a small five-storied pagoda stored in a room. If you are lucky, you can take pictures of the illuminated five-storied pagoda with deer around it! To visit all those spots, you will have to use public transportation which is troublesome in a foreign country, but you have your otomo guide on this tour who will take you around! Don’t forget to book your tour to visit the world heritage with your otomo guide!

Nara has flourished as a central city of Japan more than 1,000 years ago so it still has many remains and streets with ancient atmosphere! You will visit those streets on this tour, but also a café where you can play with owls and a spot where you can make your own plastic food model! You will also rent a “kimono”! Imagine the pictures you will take on historical streets wearing a “kimono”. No doubt that it will be the best souvenir for yourself of this tour! Talking about souvenirs for yourself, you will also make an Incense and an accessory made from deer horn! Don’t forget to book your tour to discover Nara and walk around the city in a “kimono”, with your otomo guide!

Hiking tour in Mt. Kasuga Primeval Forest, surrounded by beautiful nature, various plants and animals, and amazing picturesque views. Mt. Kasuga Primeval Forest is located in the main area of Nara City and very close to Nara Park. It has remained untouched for thousands of years and has been carefully protected as the sacred forest of the Kasugataisha Shrine. There are over 800 types of trees, wild animals, rare birds and insects. Takisaka-no-Michi path, one of the famous hiking courses in the forest, passes a waterfall and small caves carved with Buddha figures. It is said to be a training path for monks in Nara and you can see the objects of faith along the way. The path leads to Yagyu Village known as the birthplace of the Yagyu Shinkage School of swordsmanship. The statue of Kubikiri Jizo appears along the way. It has been sliced at the neck by a sword. According to folklore, it was used by the master swordsman to test his blade.

Nothing better than to discover Nara by the explanations from an -almost-local person! The first fixed capital of Japan, a high city of tradition and history, you will learn more about the history of this city and Japan. I lived in Nara for 3 years and it is my favorite place in Japan. You will discover an ancient capital which became a calm countryside city. Nothing to hurry, nothing to worry!

Interested in an elegant mixture of ancient and modern Japanese culture? The ancient city Nara with a history of longer than 1,000 years would be the best place for you! Especially, the Naramachi area still has beautiful traditional houses and modern shops renovated from ancient facilities. You will have a Japanese breakfast at a renovated traditional Japanese style house. There is a lot that makes this tour a special one: a traditional Japanese style house which is older than 300 years, toys children used to play with back then, a breathtaking statue of Buddha, and more! Don’t forget to book your tour to appreciate the great harmony of the ancient and modern Japanese culture!