--- title: "Nara Day Trip from Kyoto: Customized Tour, Licensed Guide" lang: en type: tour city: Kyoto country: Japan price: 168 currency: EUR price_unit: per_person availability: bookable rating: 4.91 reviews: 119 duration_minutes: 480 languages: [ja, en] free_cancellation: "true" rank_in_category: 6 of 15 (Nara Day Trips) schedule_checked: 2026-11-08 data_updated: 2026-11-08 canonical: https://guidekin.com/japan/kyoto/tours/nara-day-trip-from-kyoto-customized-tour-licensed-guide/ --- # Nara Day Trip from Kyoto: Customized Tour, Licensed Guide **Guidekin's take:** Customise a walking day in Nara around three or four sights on a private tour for your party. A licensed guide meets you on foot in Kyoto; transport, entry fees and lunch are extra, and a private vehicle is not included. 4.91 from 119 reviews at €168 per person for 8h. In our comparison: #6 of 15 in Nara Day Trips, by rating weighted by review volume (table below). ## Overview Explore Nara with a government-licensed and experienced multilingual guide! Your guide will help you efficiently enjoy a full-day walking tour of Nara and introduce both modern and traditional sides of this dynamic and ancient Japanese city. Nara's proximity to Kyoto, and its rich collection of traditional sites, make it an ideal destination for a day trip from either of its larger neighbors. Your private guide can help you efficiently enjoy a full-day walking tour of this ancient Japanese city. You can start your day at your hotel in Kyoto. Let us know what you would like to experience and we will customize Nara day tour that's best for you! Note*1: Please select your must-see spots from a list in the tour information to create your customized itinerary. Note*2: The National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter certification is issued by the Japanese government requires a good knowledge and understanding of Japanese culture and history. ## Before you book - Hotel pickup: no car needed - Entry ticket not included: buy it separately - Min. 2 to book: not for solo travellers - 7 start times: between 07:00 and 10:00 - Food not included: Transportation fees, Entrance fees, Lunch,… - Wheelchair accessible: operator-marked - Strollers OK: infants accepted **Pickup:** Hotel pickup included ## Key facts - Price: from €168 per person - Duration: 8h - Rating: 4.91/5 from 119 reviews (collected from Guidekin & Viator & Tripadvisor) - Free cancellation (see policy below) - Operator: Japan Guide Agency - Minimum booking: 2 travellers at this price - Group: Private tour, your party only - Guide languages: Japanese, English - Tickets: Admission not included, pay on site - Start times: 07:00, 07:30, 08:00, 08:30, 09:00, 09:30, 10:00 - Booking: Instant confirmation, mobile ticket - Price checked on Viator: 2026-11-08 ## Reviews 4.91 from 119 ratings on Guidekin, Viator & Tripadvisor. 98% of ratings with a star breakdown are 4 or 5 stars: 117 of 119. - 5 stars: 112 (94%) - 4 stars: 5 (4%) - 3 stars: 1 (1%) - 2 stars: 0 (0%) - 1 star: 1 (1%) ## What's included - Meet up with guide on foot within designated area of Kyoto - Licensed Local English Speaking Guide - Customizable Tour of your choice of 3-4 sites from 'What to expect' list ## Not included - Transportation fees, Entrance fees, Lunch, and Other personal expenses - Private Vehicle - You cannot combine multiple tour groups. - Guide Entry fees are only covered for sights listed under What to Expect. ## Itinerary 1. **Todai-ji Temple** (30m) - Todaiji (東大寺, Tōdaiji, "Great Eastern Temple") is one of Japan's most famous and historically significant temples and a landmark of Nara. The temple was constructed in 752 as the head temple of all provincial Buddhist temples of Japan and grew so powerful that the capital was... 2. **Nara Park** (30m) - (奈良公園, Nara Kōen) is a large park in central Nara. Established in 1880, it is the location of many of Nara's main attractions including Todaiji, Kasuga Taisha, Kofukuji and the Nara National Museum. It is also home to hundreds of freely roaming deer. 3. **Kasuga Taisha (春日大社) is Nara's most celebrated shrine** (30m) - It was established at the same time as the capital and is dedicated to the deity responsible for the protection of the city. Kasuga Taisha was also the tutelary shrine of the Fujiwara, Japan's most powerful family clan during most of the Nara and Heian Periods. Like the Ise... 4. **Mount Wakakusayama (若草山) is the grass covered mountain behind Nara Park, loca...** (30m) - Mount Wakakusayama (若草山) is the grass covered mountain behind Nara Park, located between Todaiji Temple and Kasuga Shrine. The mountain is about 350 meters tall and affords unobstructed views over Nara City. Tourists are allowed to climb Mount Wakakusayama all year round... 5. **Horyu-ji Temple** (30m) - Horyuji Temple (法隆寺, Hōryūji) was founded in 607 by Prince Shotoku, who is credited with the early promotion of Buddhism in Japan. Horyuji is one of the country's oldest temples and contains the world's oldest surviving wooden structures. It was designated a world heritage... 6. **Naramachi** (30m) - (奈良町, literally "Nara Town") is the former merchant district of Nara, where several traditional residential buildings and warehouses are preserved and open to the public. Boutiques, shops, cafes, restaurants and a few museums now line the district's narrow lanes. Many of... 7. **Kofuku-ji Temple** (30m) - Kofukuji (興福寺, Kōfukuji) used to be the family temple of the Fujiwara, the most powerful aristocratic clan during much of the Nara and Heian Periods. The temple was established in Nara at the same time as the capital in 710. At the height of Fujiwara power, the temple... 8. **Yakushiji Temple** (30m) - Yakushiji (薬師寺) was constructed by Emperor Tenmu in the late 7th century for the recovery of the emperor's sick wife. One of Japan's oldest temples, Yakushiji has a strictly symmetric layout, with the main hall and lecture hall standing on a central axis, flanked by two... 9. **Shinyakushiji Temple** (30m) - Shin-Yakushiji Temple (新薬師寺) was founded during the Nara Period (710-794) by an empress for the sake of the ailing emperor. It is devoted to Yakushi Buddha, the patron of medicine in Japanese Buddhism. Shin-Yakushiji means "New Yakushi Temple", because there already existed a... 10. **Nara National Museum** (30m) - The Nara National Museum (奈良国立博物館, Nara Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan), located in Nara Park, is an art museum which primarily displays Japanese Buddhist art. Established in 1889, the museum retains its original building and is joined by a new wing that is connected to the original... 11. **During most of the Nara Period (710-794), Nara served as the capital of Japan...** (30m) - During most of the Nara Period (710-794), Nara served as the capital of Japan and was known as Heijo-kyo. The Heijo Palace extended about one kilometer wide and one kilometer long and served as the site of the emperor's residence and government offices. For its great... 12. **Toshodai-ji** (30m) - Toshodaiji (唐招提寺, Tōshōdaiji) was founded in the year 759 by Ganjin, a Chinese priest who was invited to Japan by the emperor in order to train priests and improve Japanese Buddhism. Ganjin's influence in the introduction of Buddhism to Japan was monumental, and his arrival... 13. **Isuien Garden** (30m) - Isuien (依水園) is an attractive Japanese garden with a variety of features, such as the use of Todaiji Temple's Nandaimon Gate and Mount Wakakusayama as "borrowed scenery". Isuien means "garden founded on water", and the garden's name is derived from the fact that its ponds are... 14. **Yoshikien** (30m) - (吉城園) is a pleasant Japanese garden located in central Nara. It is named after the Yoshikigawa River, a small river that runs beside the garden, and was built on the site of Kofukuji Temple's former priest residences. The entry fee to the garden is waived for foreign... ## Schedule - Runs: daily - Departures: 07:00, 07:30, 08:00, 08:30, 09:00, 09:30, 10:00 - Schedule last checked: 2026-11-08 - These are published departures, not a live seat count; availability is confirmed at checkout. ## Cancellation For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time. ## Good to know - Service animals allowed - Public transportation options are available nearby - Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller - All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible - Transportation options are wheelchair accessible - Wheelchair accessible - Suitable for all physical fitness levels - A guide will be designated to them after the booking is made - This is a walking tour. Pick up is on foot. ## Cost for your party | People | Total | Per person | |---|---|---| | 2 | €336 | €168 | | 4 | €336 | €84 | | 6 | €402 | €67 | Cheapest option for that party size from the operator's current price tiers; the calendar shows the exact figure for your date. Shared tours in Nara Day Trips start at €90 per person. ## Compared with other Nara Day Trips | Tour | Price | Duration | Rating | Group | |---|---|---|---|---| | **This tour · #6 of 15** | €168 | 8h | 4.91 (119) | private | | [World Heritage Kyoto & Nara Uji Authentic Matcha Experience](/japan/kyoto/tours/world-heritage-kyoto-nara-uji-authentic-matcha-experience/?format=md) | €113 | 8h 30m | 4.93 (2933) | shared | | [Osaka and Nara Day Tour with Private Transportation](/japan/kyoto/tours/osaka-and-nara-day-tour-with-private-transportation/?format=md) | €229 | 6h | 4.98 (116) | private | | [Kyoto Private Car Tour – Full Day with Local Guide & Nara Option](/japan/kyoto/tours/kyoto-private-car-tour-full-day-with-local-guide-nara-option/?format=md) | €145 | 8h | 4.92 (370) | private | Ranked #6 of 15 in Nara Day Trips by Guidekin score (rating weighted by review volume). Prices here run from €90 to €290, median €157; typical length 8h. 12 of 15 are private. Figures are live from the tour cards; the rubric is our handpicked set, not the whole market. Full list: https://guidekin.com/japan/kyoto/nara-day-trips-from-kyoto/?format=md ## More in Kyoto - All Kyoto tours: https://guidekin.com/japan/kyoto/?format=md - This page as HTML: https://guidekin.com/japan/kyoto/tours/nara-day-trip-from-kyoto-customized-tour-licensed-guide/ Filters, the full catalogue and the URL contract for this city: https://guidekin.com/japan/kyoto/?format=md