Nara itineraries

Deer, the Big Buddha and Old Lanes

Step off at Kintetsu Nara, walk east through Kofukuji, Todaiji and Kasuga Taisha, then drift back down into the Naramachi lanes as the light goes. The route most day-trippers from Osaka and Kyoto end up walking.

Sleep by the Park, Walk the Woods

Built around the park after the day-trippers leave and before they arrive. Day one covers the museum and the north side of Todaiji; day two climbs through the Kasuga woods to Wakakusayama and on to Shin-Yakushiji.

West Temples, Horyuji, Yoshino

Beyond the park: Yakushiji and Toshodaiji in Nishinokyo, Horyuji with the world's oldest wooden buildings, and Yoshino, a whole mountain of cherry trees. Sleep by JR Nara and all three are a train ride away.

Festivals & seasons

Souvenirs