How to Travel from Kyoto to Nara

Nara is only about 50km (30mi) far from Kyoto. The cheapest and most convenient way to travel from Kyoto to Nara is taking train. Due to different train routes, the required time ranges from about half an hour to 1 hour 10 minutes and the ticket price from 720 to 1,280 yen. Another fast way is taking taxi, but it is not recommended because the cost is relatively high.

Best Way - Train, 35min - 1h 10min, 720 - 1,280 yen

1. Kintetsu Train to Nara

Kintetsu has 2 trains of different speeds running from Kyoto to Nara directly: Kintetsu Limited Express and Kintetsu Kyoto Line. The time and ticket fare are different.

	Kintetsu Limited Express	Kintetsu Kyoto Line
Depart from	Kyoto Station
Get off at	Kintetsu Nara Station
Time Needed (from Kyoto Station)	35 min	45min
Ticket Fare (from Kyoto Station)	760 yen	1,280 yen

Apart from Kyoto Station, you can also travel from Toji Station and Jujo Station to get on the train. However, note that the time needed and ticket fare vary accordingly.

2. JR Train Nara Line

JR Train Nara Line also have direct trains to Nara and the speeds vary for different trains.

	Local Train	Rapid Train
Depart from	Kyoto Station
Get off at	JR Nara Station
Time Needed	55 min	1h 10min
Ticket Fare	720 yen

You can also get on the train at Kyoto’s other stations including Umahori Station, Saga Arashiyama Station, Uzumasa Station, Nijo Station, Inari Station, and Uji Station.

3. Kyoto Subway’s Karasuma Line

Time Needed: 50minutes
Ticket Price: 1,020 yen
Get on at: Kyoto Station
Get off at: Kintetsu Nara Station

Karasuma Line from Kyoto to Nara

Tips

1. If you want to quickly get to Nara Park after getting off the Train, it is more recommended to take Kintetsu Train or Kyoto Subway’s Karasuma Line as you can get off at Kintetsu Nara Station which is only about 5 minutes’ walk far from Nara Park. However, if you take JR Train and get off at JR Nara Station, then you have to walk 20 minutes to get there.

2. As all the above trains can depart from Kyoto Station, to avoid getting on the wrong train, please check the platform number and confirm the arrival time of the train you plan to aboard.

3. If you have JR Passes of Kansai area such as Kansai Mini Pass or Kansai Wide Area Passes, and decide to take JR Train Nara Line, then you can use this pass Click JR-West Passes in Kansai to learn more.

Convenient but Expensive Way - Taxi, 16,000 – 19,000 yen, half an hour

Taking taxi from Kyoto to Nara is very convenient. Unlike taking trains, it saves time of waiting for trains. The time needed is about half an hour. However, the fare is high to 16,000 – 19,000 yen. Even if you plan to carpool with other people, the cost is much higher than taking train.