Nara

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Nara Half Day Trip Walking Tour

Badge of ExcellenceNara, Japan

5 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

The ideal introduction for first-time visitors, this half-day, small-group walking tour of Nara covers a mix of must-see and under-the-radar sights. Enter a historic merchant’s house, discover a hidden Japanese pyramid, and visit the iconic shrines of the temple complex—with plenty of time to interact with Nara’s resident deer. A tasty lunch and admission tickets to all shrines are included.

A half-day guided walking tour of Nara, with admission tickets and lunch
Visit the UNESCO-listed Todaiji temple and Kasuga Taisha shrine
Listen to context and commentary on the historic temple town
Cover the most famous shrines and temples—and other sights— in just a few hours

What's Included

Entrance fee for all of the temples and shrines we are visiting.
One packet of cracker to feed a deer
Lunch (Vegan menu available)

Extra food & drinks on the street (Available for purchase)

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

行基菩薩像
27 Higashimuki Nakamachi, Nara, 630-8215, Japan
In front of the Gyoki Bosatsu statue near Exit 2 or East Exist of Kintetsu Nara Station. Please don’t go JR Nara station, you need to be at Kintetsu Nara Station. It takes 10 minutes to get to Kintetsu Nara station from JR Nara station.

Start time

10:00 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions

Most travelers can participate
The itinerary for this tour includes some locations that are not accessible by a wheelchair or stroller.
We are unable to accommodate gluten-free requests for this tour.
Please note that we are unable to guarantee allergy-free or cater to dietary restrictions as the food is prepared in kitchens that do not belong to MagicalTrip. Additionally, there may be instances where substitutions are not possible at certain stops; however, we will make every effort to compensate at different stops throughout the tour.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 7 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

355 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 355 reviews

Wonderful city and tour

Nikki_G, May 2024

Our guide, Shin Takeda, gave a wonderful tour of Nara. We developed a great appreciation for this city and might like it more than Kyoto since it offers similar experiences but without so many tourists. Mr. Shin provided insight into the shrines and temples. We enjoyed the food and shopping. It was a memorable day in a city that is easy to navigate and we would love to visit again.

Great experience

Bevin_L, May 2024

Our tour guide Eri was excellent. She was very well researched and took the effort to find out anything she didn’t know. She also knew the area very well and we didn’t feel rushed at all during our tour - we were given ample time to buy souvenirs and enjoy our time in Nara. She also had a folder of print outs to teach us things about the area

Wonderful Tour, Beautiful Sites, Incredible Experience

Caitlyn_H, May 2024

This experience is unlike any other with the incredible sites, the bowing deer and the amazing amount of history you learn throughout! You are provided a good amount of crackers to feed to the deer and they will come right up to you. It is so fun and unique to Nara! This also takes you to beautiful shrines and temples, including a temple with the world’s largest Buddha statue which is stunning to see in person. Our guide, Shin, was so knowledgeable and friendly! He was happy to take pictures throughout the tour and pointed out some perfect picture spots along the way. This tour was such a highlight of our trip and one I would highly recommend to anyone!

Japan's first capital is worth visiting

Eleni_K, May 2024

A must see if you are near Kyoto. Our guide Nobu was very knowledgeable and helpful. We were late and did not manage to see the whole tour but she was flexible and tried to accommodate as much as possible.

Wonderful tour

Renato_M, Apr 2024

We were a small group and Eri was a wonderful guide with all their energy, positive mood and knowledge. I would recommend this tour to anyone.

My guide HIDE was very...

claudia_l, Apr 2024

My guide HIDE was very kind and knowledgeable and excellent at what he does. This was a perfect visit, I got a lot of information. Also, the lunch was really excellent, 100% recommend this tour!! Thank you Hide good job.

Great walking route with excellent tour guide

Winnie_K, Apr 2024

Our tour guide, Ms. Eri was friendly, very knowledgeable and ensured that everyone in the tour group (8 pax) was well taken care of. The chosen walking route was great - focus on key sites. I am a vegetarian and the lunch provided was delicious and plentiful. I would highly recommend this tour and of course Ms. Eri to be the tour guide.

Love Japan

Maria_A, Apr 2024

Everything was incredible. Our tour operator was fantastic very professional, knowable, friendly, funny, accommodating. Explained with detail the traditional Japanese lunch included with the tour. Enjoy Japan 😃

My parents loved it!

emmaruhlepersonal, Apr 2024

My parents went on this group walking tour and loved it and especially their host, Duncan. They definitely recommend doing this tour if you’re wanting one in the Nara area.

Perfect

xy4qzx2b4b, Apr 2024

My guide Nicholas was very kind and knowledgeable and excellent at what he does. This was a perfect visit, I got a lot of information. Also, the lunch was really excellent, not basic at all. 100% recommend this tour.

A wonderful day!

laurence_c, Apr 2024

We walked and walked . I think the tour actually lasted longer than it was supposed to. But it was great! The guide was incredibly informative and just a nice young lady . Do not hesitate to go on this tour

Temples and shrines amid the cherry blossoms well worth the visit

JOHN_D, Apr 2024

Nara deer. Biggest Budddhist temple statues and the wonderful Shinto shrine with all the lanterns and old family shrines.

Best walking Nara trip

Jamie_B, Apr 2024

Our tour guide Knoa was nothing short of Amazing! Knoa was born & raised in the area and is so knowledgeable and had so much information & History to share. Her enthusiasm and friendly personality made our tour so comfortable and enjoyable. I also really loved that the tour consisted of a very small group so you have time to ask all questions you have and always get them answered.she also set up a lunch in a private room just for our tour group. Which felt so personalized and special. At the end of the tour Knoa even went above and beyond by assuring we got onto our train and rode with us on her trip home. If you are looking for the best walking tour in Nara, I definitely recommend this tour and hopefully you get lucky enough to have Knoa as your guide. Thanks so much Knoa, you made our first visit to Nara such a great experience. Aloha The Baxter’s

Wonderful Small Group Tour of Nara!

Clara_D, Apr 2024

Peco was a phenomenal tour guide - very knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and warm! We had a wonderful time learning about Nara, visiting the temples and shrine, and, of course, feeding the adorable shinka!

We were guided by Shin...

Mahmoud_M, Mar 2024

We were guided by Shin Takeda who did a great job. It was all a walking tour but you get a sense of the town that way. Feeding park deers was a big part. Lots of attractions. Well worth it.

Great Tour.

Reshma_R, Mar 2024

Had a great day with Hide. He provided a great tour and even though it rained quite a bit we really enjoyed the Tour. Hide is a very personable guide and provided a lot of great information about the various historical sites we visited. The lunch is not to be missed. I highly recommend this tour.

Nara, Japan Gods and Dears

rodrigo_V, Mar 2024

This was a perfect tour, Nick our guide explain everything we need in detail and went through all of Nara. Wonderfull experience highly recommend it and for the amount of time we cover everything. Thanks nick for a magnificent day

You’ll never find a better walking tour

Sharon_W, Feb 2024

Thank you Hiro for such a wonderful day. The walk was a good pace for everyone, the information provided was interesting and relevantage. Lunch was fabulous and we got to try things we possibly wouldn’t have on our own. Hiro was such a breathe of fresh air, funny, and very personable ensuring everyone in the group was happy and enjoying themselves

Awesome walking tour of Nara

Kathy_K, Feb 2024

Our guide was very personable, explained the history of the shrines in detail and his English was excellent . We throughly enjoyed our tour and highly recommend it.

Good Nara Walking Tour

Anabelle_M, Jan 2024

Our guide is very friendly and has a good sense of humor. We were able to visit the Nara tourist spots from 10am to 3pm. My only comment is he walks too fast and there is no enough time to sight see and take pictures in some areas but overall our tour guide is very skilled, we love the food and we had a great time! Thank you!!

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