Things to do · Nara · Japan
15 best things to do in Nara
15 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
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Quick answer
The essential sights in Nara are Todai-ji and the Great Buddha, Nara Park and its deer and Kasuga Taisha. Of the 15 picks below, 5 are free, 1 work on a rainy day and 2 suit children. Allow about 2 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Todai-ji and the Great Buddha
- Free sights
- 5
- Good on a rainy day
- Nara National Museum
- Time to see the highlights
- 2 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Todai-ji and the Great Buddha | Nara Park | 1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Nara Park and its deer | Nara Park | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Kasuga Taisha | Nara Park | 1–1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Kofuku-ji | Kintetsu Nara and Higashimuki | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Nara National Museum | Nara Park | 1.5–2 hours | Low cost |
| Isui-en and Yoshiki-en gardens | Nara Park | 1–1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Nigatsu-do Hall | Nara Park | 45 minutes | Free |
| Naramachi | Naramachi | 1.5–2 hours | Free |
| Gango-ji | Naramachi | 40 minutes | Low cost |
| Mount Wakakusa | Nara Park | 1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Kasugayama Primeval Forest | Nara Park | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Shin-Yakushi-ji | Takabatake | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Heijo Palace site | Nishinokyo | 2 hours | Free |
| Yakushi-ji | Nishinokyo | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Toshodai-ji | Nishinokyo | 1 hour | Low cost |
The 15 best things to do
Religious site · Nara Park
1.Todai-ji and the Great Buddha
Founded in the 8th century as the head of Japan's provincial temples, Todai-ji's Daibutsuden (Great Buddha Hall) holds a seated bronze Buddha about 15 m tall. The present hall, rebuilt in 1709, is still one of the largest wooden buildings in the world. The approach passes through the Nandaimon gate, guarded by two carved wooden kongōrikishi statues about 8 m tall.
Arrive at opening to see the Buddha before school groups, and look for the pillar with a hole said to be the size of the Buddha's nostril.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
- Kids
Park · Nara Park
2.Nara Park and its deer
This large public park of lawns, ponds and forest links Todai-ji, Kofuku-ji and Kasuga Taisha. More than a thousand sika deer, regarded as messengers of the gods and protected as a national natural monument, roam freely and bow to visitors who offer shika senbei, deer crackers sold at stands.
Feed crackers one at a time and show empty hands when you are done; deer can nip or butt when they see food, especially in autumn rutting season.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Kids
- Free
- Outdoors
- Photo spot
Religious site · Nara Park
3.Kasuga Taisha
Founded in 768 for the guardian deities of the Fujiwara clan, this vermilion shrine sits at the foot of the sacred Mount Kasuga. About 3,000 lanterns, donated over centuries, line the approach and hang in the corridors; inside, the Fujiwara-no-Toro room shows bronze lanterns lit in darkness.
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
Religious site · Kintetsu Nara and Higashimuki
4.Kofuku-ji
Once the family temple of the powerful Fujiwara clan, Kofuku-ji has a rebuilt Central Golden Hall (2018) and a National Treasure Museum whose star is the three-faced, six-armed Ashura statue from 734. Its five-storey pagoda, one of the city's symbols, has been under a major restoration with scaffolding expected to last until around 2031.
Prioritise the National Treasure Museum, which holds some of the finest Buddhist sculpture in Japan.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Art
- Architecture
Museum · Nara Park
5.Nara National Museum
Japan's leading collection of Buddhist art fills a 1894 Western-style building and a modern wing linked by an underground passage. Each autumn the Shoso-in Exhibition shows a selection of imperial treasures from the 8th century, which draws long queues.
Visit the permanent Buddhist sculpture galleries in the old building, a good stop on a rainy afternoon.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Book ahead
- During the autumn Shoso-in Exhibition, timed or advance tickets have been needed; check the museum's site.
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
Garden · Nara Park
6.Isui-en and Yoshiki-en gardens
Two neighbouring gardens west of Todai-ji. Isui-en, a Meiji-era strolling garden, uses Todai-ji's Nandaimon gate and Mount Wakakusa as borrowed scenery, and has a small museum of Chinese and Korean ceramics. Yoshiki-en next door has moss, pond and tea 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
7.Nigatsu-do Hall
A hillside hall of Todai-ji with a wooden veranda looking over the Great Buddha Hall's roof and the city. It is the stage for Omizutori, a rite held every March for more than 1,250 years, when monks swing huge flaming torches along the balcony.
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
Neighbourhood · Naramachi
8.Naramachi
Lanes of wooden machiya townhouses south of Sarusawa Pond, where the Naramachi Koshi-no-Ie model house shows a merchant's home and red monkey charms (migawari-zaru) hang under the eaves to ward off misfortune. Cafés, sake shops and craft stores fill the old houses.
Visit the free Koshi-no-Ie townhouse to see how a narrow, deep machiya works inside.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Food
- Shopping
- Architecture
Religious site · Naramachi
1.Gango-ji
This UNESCO-listed temple in Naramachi traces its origins to Asuka-dera, one of Japan's first Buddhist temples, and some of its roof tiles date from the late 6th century. Its small grounds have rows of stone Buddhas and a quiet atmosphere.
Look up at the Gokuraku-bo hall's roof, where older, darker tiles mark those carried from the original temple.
- Time needed
- 40 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Off the beaten path
- Architecture
Viewpoint · Nara Park
2.Mount Wakakusa
A grassy hill of about 342 m on the eastern edge of Nara Park, open from spring to autumn, with a panoramic view over the city and the Great Buddha Hall. Each January its slopes are burned in the Yamayaki festival with fireworks.
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
Nature · Nara Park
3.Kasugayama Primeval Forest
Hunting and logging have been banned in this sacred forest behind Kasuga Taisha for more than a thousand years, preserving old-growth trees. A walking trail climbs through it past moss-covered stone Buddhas carved into the rock.
Walk the trail in the morning and carry water; it is quiet and has few facilities.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Nature
- Free
- Outdoors
- Off the beaten path
Religious site · Takabatake
4.Shin-Yakushi-ji
A small 8th-century temple in Takabatake whose main hall holds a seated Healing Buddha surrounded by twelve clay Heavenly Generals, eleven of them original National Treasures, arranged in a dim circle.
Combine it with a walk through Takabatake's lanes and the forest path back to Kasuga Taisha.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Art
- Off the beaten path
Historic site · Nishinokyo
5.Heijo Palace site
The huge open site of the 8th-century imperial palace, west of the centre, has full-size reconstructions of the Daigokuden (Imperial Audience Hall) and the Suzakumon gate, plus free museums on the excavations.
It is large and exposed; visit in spring or autumn and rent a bike from near Yamato-Saidaiji station.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- History
- Free
- Outdoors
- Architecture
Religious site · Nishinokyo
6.Yakushi-ji
One of Nara's great temples, Yakushi-ji has twin pagodas: the East Pagoda, from 730 and restored in a recent long renovation, and the rebuilt West Pagoda. Its Golden Hall houses a bronze Yakushi triad, a masterpiece of 7th–8th-century sculpture.
Walk the 10 minutes north to Toshodai-ji afterwards; the two temples make a natural half-day.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Art
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Religious site · Nishinokyo
7.Toshodai-ji
Founded in 759 by Ganjin, the Chinese monk who crossed the sea after several failed attempts to bring Buddhist precepts to Japan, Toshodai-ji has an original 8th-century Golden Hall with a row of massive columns, set in calm, mossy grounds.
Find Ganjin's tomb at the back of the grounds, surrounded by moss.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Off the beaten path
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Kofuku-ji, Nara National Museum, Shin-Yakushi-ji and Yakushi-ji |
| History | Todai-ji and the Great Buddha, Kasuga Taisha, Kofuku-ji and Nara National Museum |
| Views | Nigatsu-do Hall and Mount Wakakusa |
| Outdoors and nature | Nara Park and its deer, Isui-en and Yoshiki-en gardens, Mount Wakakusa and Kasugayama Primeval Forest |
| Food and markets | Naramachi |
| With children | Todai-ji and the Great Buddha and Nara Park and its deer |
| On a rainy day | Nara National Museum |
What to book ahead
- Nara National Museum: During the autumn Shoso-in Exhibition, timed or advance tickets have been needed; check the museum's site.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Nara?
Todai-ji and the Great Buddha. Founded in the 8th century as the head of Japan's provincial temples, Todai-ji's Daibutsuden (Great Buddha Hall) holds a seated bronze Buddha about 15 m tall.
+What can you do for free in Nara?
Nara Park and its deer, Nigatsu-do Hall, Naramachi, Kasugayama Primeval Forest and Heijo Palace site. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Nara when it rains?
Head indoors to Nara National Museum.