Nara Day Trip: The Ultimate One Day Nara Itinerary With Kids
If you only take one day trip from Kyoto or Osaka with kids, it should definitely be a trip to Nara. A Nara day trip to Nara is one of the easiest and most rewarding family adventures in Japan, with loads to see in this compact city, and it’s easy to explore in a short space of time.
Famous for its free-roaming deer, enormous Buddha statue and beautiful temples, Nara offers enough attractions to fill a full day without feeling rushed. We visited on a day trip from Kyoto with our two boys and found it to be one of the most laidback day trips of our entire Japan itinerary, because we took the time to focus on what was important to us, and we didn’t try to cram too much in.
Ready to plan your own Nara itinerary? Here’s exactly how we spent our perfect day in Nara with kids.
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Getting to Nara From Osaka
Nara is one of the easiest day trips you can take from Osaka, so if you’re planning a two-center break (staying in Tokyo and Osaka) then you should definitely consider adding Nara to your Japan itinerary. I’m going to break down the two easiest ways of getting to Nara from Osaka:
Option 1: Take the Train (What We Did)
If you’re a long-time reader you’ll know we like the freedom of travelling independently, so we took the train from Osaka to Nara.
The fastest option is the Kintetsu Limited Express, which is a direct train that takes around 35-40 minutes from Osaka-Namba Station to Kintetsu Nara Station.
If you plan to take the Express Train I recommend booking this in advance, as it’s the most popular option:
👉 Check prices and availability for Osaka to Nara Express train tickets here
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Alternatively, if you’re travelling from JR Osaka Station you can take the JR Yamatoji Line to JR Nara Station: the tickets are a little cheaper, but the pay-off is that the journey time takes slightly longer. If you have a JR Rail Pass, this is the train that’s included for free with your ticket.
If not, information for buying these tickets is below:
👉 Book one way or return Shinkansen tickets here
🎁 Use code THATMUMTRAVEL5KLOOK for an extra reader-exclusive discount
Option 2: Book a Guided Day Tour
If you’d rather not worry about navigating trains, buses, buying tickets, or planning your own itinerary then a guided day trip might be the best option for you.
One tour that caught my eye incudes many of Nara’s highlights, including:
- Feeding the famous Nara deer
- Visiting the Todai-ji Temple and the giant Great Buddha
- Exploring the beautiful town of Uji
- Stopping in the natural hot springs at Genji no Yu Onsen
For first-time visitors to Japan or families that want to most stress-free possible day, this is a great way to explore Nara and the surrounding area without any of the work and stress of planning your own trip.
👉 You can check prices and availability for this awesome Nara day trip here
🎁 Use code THATMUMTRAVEL5KLOOK for an extra reader-exclusive discount on your booking
Our Nara Day Trip Itinerary
Stop 1: Nara Deer Park
No trip to Nara is complete without meeting the famous deer. This is the main reason that tourists visit Nara, and for good reason. There are approximately 1,465 deer in the city, and these are considered sacred, which is why they are allowed to roam freely in and around Nara Great Park.
It takes around 30 minutes to walk to Nara Great Park from Nara JR Station, or there is a hop on-hop off bus service you can take. But because we wanted to beat the crowds, we jumped in a taxi instead. This cost around 2,200 yen. The Nara City Loop bus would have cost 250 yen per adult and 130 yen per child.
The first deer we spotted were walking down the middle of the road near the JR station, and it was fascinating to see the taxi driver defer to them, giving an amazing first impression of just how important these sacred deer are to local people.
The vast majority of the city’s deer are located throughout Nara Park and visitors can purchase special deer crackers to feed them. There are stands selling these crackers all over the park, and they cost 200 yen for a stack of 10. Their main ‘party trick’ is that when you bow to offer the deer a cracker, they will accept the cracker and bow in return.
However, I have one very important tip if you’re visiting with children: Don’t feed the first deer you see.
We made this mistake at first, and we very quickly learnt our lesson. See real footage of me running from angry deer below:
The deer closest to the main entrances quickly learn where the food is and can be surprisingly aggressive, jumping up to get the crackers, and fighting each other for your attention. Some will follow you, tug at your clothing, head butt you, and crowd around anyone holding crackers. This can be pretty overwhelming for adults, so imagine how scary it can feel for kids!
Instead, do what we did after our first failed attempt. Buy and then immediately hide your crackers in a bag or backpack, then walk further into the park before you start feeding the deer. We found the deer further from the busiest entrances much calmer, friendly, and relaxed, which made the experience far more enjoyable for all of us.
This simple trick dramatically reduced the chances of the boys being knocked over by an enthusiastic deer, and they each befriended gentle deer that they fell in love with, and ultimately wanted to bring home!
Allow around an hour here for feeding the deer and taking photos.
Stop 2: Todai-ji Temple and the Giant Buddha
After visiting the deer, make your way to Todai-ji Temple, with is actually located inside the park. You’ll find hundreds of free-roaming deer in the temple site too.
The Todai-ji Temple is home to one of Japan’s most impressive sights: the Great Buddha. There are several Buddha’s inside this temple, but the largest of these is the largest bronze statue in the world, standing at 15 meters (49 feet) tall. This enormous bronze Buddha statue never fails to impress children and adults alike.
The Buddha lives inside the Great Buddha Hall, and this building itself breaks records: at 49 metres tall it is considered one of the largest wooden structures in the world. It can be incredibly crowded inside, but it’s still work joining the crowds and seeing this incredible building, and its contents, for yourself.
As soon as you go into the temple grounds, on your left hand side, you’ll see ticket booths. Buy your tickets here.
Many visitors continue straight to the Great Buddha Hall entrance and then join the much longer ticket queue. You can buy tickets here, but the queue is always colossal. Purchasing your tickets earlier allows you to walk straight into the temple and skip this line entirely. (The boys said it felt like having fast passes at Universal Studios!)
Tickets to enter the Great Buddha Hall cost 800 yen per adult and 400 yen per child, with children under 6 entering for free. Find out more here.
One of the most fun things for kids to do inside is to crawl through the Pillar with a Nostril. This is a hole in the base of one of the massive wooden pillars in the building, and the hole is exactly the same size as the Great Buddha’s nostril. Tradition says if you can squeeze through the hole then you will have good health, long life, and enlightenment in your next life. Both boys managed to squeeze through, and were so delighted as they did it!
Allow around 60-90 minutes for the temple and surrounding grounds.
Stop 3: Watch the Famous Mochi Pounding
Next we headed to Nakatanidou, Nara’s famous mochi shop. This is around a 20 minute walk from the Great Park, longer if (like us) you stop to pet and feed every deer you see along the way!
The shop is known for its incredibly fast mochi-pounding demonstrations, where staff work together to pound sticky rice into traditional Japanese sweets. This isn’t a paid-for demonstration, you watch it take place through the window of the store. These demonstrations take place every hour, on the hour. I’d seen so many videos of this before we visited, and was keen to see it for myself.
I’ll be honest….this was probably the most overrated part of our day. The crowds were enormous and it was difficult to get a good view. That said, the demonstration only lasts a few minutes and it’s still fun to say you’ve seen it. Plus we all bought mochi balls afterwards and that, at least, was delicious!
I know this is an attraction that gets a lot of hype online, but I’m giving an honest, family-focused perspective here. Your kids won’t be able to see anything; adult tourists push fowards, leaving our boys without a view. If you’re already nearby, it’s worth stopping briefly (and it’s good for a sweet treat) but I wouldn’t build your entire schedule around it.
Lunch: Cafe Etranger
At this point we checked the time and the boys were getting hungry, so we headed to Cafe Etranger for a late lunch.
I know travelling to Japan and recommending an Italian Restaurant might sound strange, but sometimes familiar food is exactly what kids need after a busy morning. And the food here was amazing, which is why I’m recommending it. I had a wonderfully fresh mozerella salad. Mike and the boys opted for pizza, and the pizzas here were stone baked, delicious and excellent quality. Someone sat next to us had a pasta dish that looked so good I regretted my salad!
The restaurant interior was very cool and fashionable, but as it was such a lovely day, we sat outside in the sunshine. It was one of those meals that everyone enjoyed, which is always a win when travelling as a family. And added to the lovely laidback feel of the whole day.
If your children are becoming slightly overwhelmed by Japanese food, this is a great option.
Afternoon: Shopping, Pokémon and Arcades
After eating mochi, lunch, and ice cream cones, we explored Nara’s shopping streets. As parents of Pokémon-obsessed boys, there was absolutely no chance we were leaving without visiting the Pokémon stores and gaming shops. We spent time browsing:
- Pokémon merchandise
- Japanese character stores
- Family-friendly arcades
I was also on a mission to buy a pair of tabi shoes on this trip to Japan, and Nara is home to a tabi shoe shop that’s considered one of the best. TABI-JI has branches in Nara and Kamakura and they specialise in modern-style tabi trainers in colourful fabrics and patterns that are designed for walking.
The shopping streets themselves are pleasant to explore and offer a nice contrast to the temples and deer-filled park. If your children enjoy gaming, anime or Pokémon, this section of the day will probably become one of their highlights, and I know this wouldn’t appear in the conventional Nara itinerary, but when you’re travelling with kids, it’s so important to tailor your activities to their interests as well as what you’re told you need to do in each spot.
Bonus Find: A Craft Market Outside Nara Station
One of our favourite unexpected discoveries was a craft market outside Nara Station. The Nara Station Front Marche is an amazing communtiy even that sets up on the east exit pavement plaze of JR Nara Station.
Its goal is to bring travellers and small scale local artisans together. Local makers are selling handmade gifts, artwork and crafts, creating a lovely atmosphere and giving us the opportunity to pick up some unique souvenirs.
I actually got my prized possession from an independent maker called Kimono and Obi Remaking: a denim jacket with recycled kimono fabric as its back panel. A wonderful way of taking authentic kimonos and turning these into something you can and will wear at home.
The Nara Station Front March takes place once or twice a month, and is a two day event that operates across a weekend (we visited on a Sunday). If you’re visiting Nara during a weekend then it’s definitely not to be missed: chatting and connecting with local artisans was such a highlight of our day in Nara for me!
Is One Day Enough For Nara?
In my opinion, yes! One day is enough for longer, especially if you’re visiting as part of a wider Japan trip.
While you could easily spend longer exploring the city, one day is enough to experience Nara’s main highlights with children. By combining the deer park, Todai-ji Temple, the giant Buddha, shopping streets and a few family-friendly stops, you’ll get an excellent introduction to one of Japan’s most popular day trips., and amazing memories your kids will talk about when you get home!
If you do have more time in your schedule? We’ve keen to go back to Nara to visit the Minami Hokkeiji Temple, which is just south of Nara city. This is a beautiful pastel pink two storey pagoda, and during cherry blossom season, its massive stone Buddha statues are almost completely covered in soft pink blossoms. I’d love to see this for myself!
Final Thoughts and Further Reading
Nara was one of our favourite day trips from Kyoto. The deer were a huge hit with the boys, the Great Buddha was genuinely impressive and the mix of culture, history and child-friendly attractions made it a destination that worked for the whole family.
If you’re visiting Japan with kids, I wouldn’t hesitate to add Nara to your itinerary. It’s one of the best day trips that you can take from Osaka.
Still planning your Japan itinerary? Check out some of our other guides and itineraries to help make your trip planning as smooth as possible:
👉 Kyoto Itinerary With Kids: The Ultimate 3 Day Kyoto Itinerary (2026 Guide)
👉 3 Day Osaka Itinerary For Families (2026): Best Things To Do With Kids
👉 Culture in Tokyo: 8 Cultural Tokyo Experiences You Have to Try
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Heads up! This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a very small commission – at no extra cost to you. This helps to keep the blog going. Thanks for the support!
