For couples · Nara · Japan
Romantic things to do in Nara
Ideas for a couples' trip, from small moments to a special day out.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: 663highland, CC BY 2.5
Quick answer
Nara is calm and atmospheric once day-trippers leave, with lantern-lit shrines, sunset views and old townhouse streets. Couples tend to stay in Kintetsu Nara and Higashimuki.
Key facts
- Romantic ideas
- 5
- Couple-friendly sights
- 4
- Area for couples
- Kintetsu Nara and Higashimuki
- Best months
- March
Romantic ideas
1.Sunset at Nigatsu-do
Watch the sun set over the Great Buddha Hall's roof and the city from the hall's wooden veranda.
2.Ukimido at dusk
Walk to the hexagonal pavilion on Sagi-ike pond, lit up in the evening, a short walk from Kasuga Taisha.
3.Naramachi café and sake
Share kuzu sweets in a machiya café, then try local sake at a tasting counter in the old quarter.
4.A night in a ryokan
Stay near the park to walk among the deer before breakfast and see the temples in morning quiet.
5.Lantern festivals
Time your trip for the Mantoro festivals at Kasuga Taisha or Nara Tokae in August.
Sights couples love
Religious site · Nara Park
Kasuga Taisha
Walk the stone-lantern approach early in the morning, and come back for the Mantoro lantern festivals in early February or mid-August if your dates allow.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Photo spot
- Couples
Garden · Nara Park
Isui-en and Yoshiki-en gardens
Combine both with lunch at Isui-en's restaurant overlooking the pond; Yoshiki-en has been free for foreign visitors showing a passport.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Couples
- Outdoors
- Photo spot
- Off the beaten path
Religious site · Nara Park
Nigatsu-do Hall
Climb the stone steps behind the hall at sunset for the best free view in Nara.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- History
- Couples
Viewpoint · Nara Park
Mount Wakakusa
Climb to the first plateau for sunset views; the summit can also be reached by car via the Nara Okuyama Driveway.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- Outdoors
- Active
- Couples
Where couples should stay
$$$ · Best for first-timers, families and couples
Kintetsu Nara and Higashimuki
Kintetsu Nara station, served by direct trains from Kyoto and Osaka's Namba, sits right at the western edge of Nara Park; Kofuku-ji is a five-minute walk and Todai-ji about 15 minutes. The covered Higashimuki shopping street and Mochiidono arcade run south with cafés, souvenir shops and restaurants, and several hotels are close by.
- Good
- Closest station to the main sights; Direct trains to Kyoto and Osaka; Restaurants on the doorstep
- Watch out
- Busy with day-trippers from mid-morning; Limited hotel choice for the location
- Nearby
- Kofuku-ji, Nara Park, Higashimuki shopping street, Naramachi
Romantic day trips
- Uji (About 30–45 minutes by train) — A riverside town famous for green tea and for Byodo-in, whose Phoenix Hall from 1053 appears on the ¥10 coin.
- Fushimi Inari-taisha (About 45 minutes by train) — The shrine's tunnels of thousands of vermilion torii gates climb Mount Inari on the southern edge of Kyoto.
- Mount Yoshino (About 1.5–2 hours by train and ropeway) — A mountain covered with tens of thousands of cherry trees that bloom in stages up the slopes, usually in early to mid-April.
- Hase-dera (About 1 hour by train) — A mountainside temple reached by a covered stairway of 399 steps, famous for peonies in spring and hydrangeas and autumn leaves, with a wooden veranda over the valley and a large Kannon statue.
For dinner
Share local specialities such as Persimmon-leaf sushi, Miwa somen and Asuka-nabe. Tap water is safe and served free.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Nara romantic?
Nara is calm and atmospheric once day-trippers leave, with lantern-lit shrines, sunset views and old townhouse streets.
+What is the most romantic thing to do in Nara?
Sunset at Nigatsu-do: Watch the sun set over the Great Buddha Hall's roof and the city from the hall's wooden veranda.
+Where should couples stay in Nara?
Kintetsu Nara and Higashimuki: Station area beside Nara Park with the covered Higashimuki arcade.