How to Get around Nara

To get around Nara, walking and riding bicycle are good ways because Nara’s major attractions are very close to each other. As for some scenic areas that are far away, taking bus or train is a better choice.

1. Walking: Enough for Touring Nara’s Major Attractions

Nara’s major attractions, especially those around Nara Park are within several hundred meters of each other, so as long as your physical strength permits, you can walk to tour Nara. These attractions include Todai-ji Temple, Nara National Museum, Kofuku-ji Temple, Kasuga Taisha Shrine, Mount Wakakusa, and Fukuchi-in Temple.

Tips for Walking or Biking around Nara
1. If you plan to visit Nara on foot, to avoid backtrack, you can visit attractions according to the below tour route: Kofuku-ji Temple → Nara National Museum → Todai-ji Temple → Mount Wakakusa → Kasuga Taisha Shrine → Fukuchi-in Temple
2. There are some uphill roads in Nara, so it might be of some change for some people.

Walk around Nara

2. Biking: Time-saving and Comfortable

If you don't like walking or find it tiring, riding bicycle is another good way to tour Nara. There are many advantages:
(1) First, riding bicycle saves much time..
(2) It is more comfortable than walking and taking bus. In specific, there are many people waiting to get on bus and it may be very crowded on the bus. For uphill roads, you can rent an electric bicycle to save energy.

Visitors Bicycling around Nara

Where and How to Rent a Bike in Nara

Near JR Nara Station and Kintetsu Nara Station, there are bicycle rental stores. There, common bikes and electric ones are all accessible. In addition, some stores support returning bicycles at different stores. Don’t worry about parking issue as there are particular parking sites around attractions. There are also locks in case of steal.

Rental Fees for reference:

Electronic bikes: 1,500 yen for a day; 1,000 yen for 3 hours
Common bikes: 1,000 yen for a day; 800 yen for 3 hours

Note that in Nara’s tourist peak season like April and November, there are many tourists on the road near the scenic spot, so it may be difficult to ride a bicycle on the road. In such case, you can only get off the bike and push the bicycle to walk.

3. Bus and Train: To Attractions a Little Far Away

If you plan to go to attractions that are a little far from Nara Park like Toshodai-ji Temple and Horyuji Temple, taking bus or train is more convenient than bicycles because of their higher speed. However, note that sometimes there is no direct train or bus to your destination and transfer is often unavoidable.

Destination	Take JR/Kintetsu Train or Bus from Nara Station	Get off at
Kashihara Jingu Shrine	Kintetsu	Kashiharajingu-mae Station
Taimadera Temple	Kintetsu	Taimadera Station
Yatadera Temple	Kintetsu transfer to Bus 20	Yatadera Bus Stop
Horyu-ji Temple	JR	Horyuji Station
Saidai-ji Temple	Bus 72/74	Saidai-ji Bus Stop
Toshodai-ji Temple	Bus 97	Yakushi-ji Chushajo Station
Yakushi-ji Temple	Bus 97	Yakushi-ji Chushajo Station
Heijo Palace Site	Bus 14/73	Nijocho Bus Stop

Trains at JR Nara Railway Station

Tips:
1. Compared with train, the bus net distribute broader. When you can’t get to some place by train, consider going there by bus.
2. You can buy bus passes like Nara 1-Day Pass, Nara 1-Day Pass Wide, and Nara 2-Day Pass to save money if you take bus frequently.

Read More: Nara Train Station, Nara Bus and Bus Passes

4. Taxi

Taking a taxi to get around Nara is also very convenient and fast, but the price is higher than taking buses, trains and renting bikes. For example, the fare of taking taxi from JR Nara Station to Wakayama Mountain summit is about 3000 yen and the distance is just about 6.5km (4 mi). Therefore, it is recommended to carpool to save money.