Nara Early Morning Tour (Kyoto or Osaka Departure Available)
Recommended by 98% of travellers
Badge of Excellence
Nara, Japan
- 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Explore our promoted experiences
Overview
Nara is one of Japan's most-visited destinations, which means it gets crowded during the day. Dodge the biggest crowds and enjoy a more intimate experience of the ancient Japanese capital on this early-morning, small-group tour. Admire landmarks including Kofuku-ji Temple and Nara Park, home to free-roaming deer, while learning about the long history of this sacred place.
- Explore Nara at its best, before the biggest crowds get there
- Option to include pickup at Kyoto Station
- Small-group tour (maximum 12 people): A more personal experience
- Learn about the ancient capital of Nara from your guide
What's Included
- English-Speaking guide
- Transportation Fee from Kyoto/Osaka to Nara (Only if you select the option)
- Food and Drinks
- Transportation Fee for returning from Nara to Kyoto/Osaka
- Entrance fee - Todai-ji TempleJP¥800.00 per person
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting points
Select a meeting point
End point
- Nara ParkNara, Japan
Itinerary
1
Kofuku-ji Temple
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Kasuga Grand Shrine
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
3
Nara Park
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Todai-ji Temple
1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Not recommended for travellers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travellers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travellers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- We will walk about 10,000 steps during this tour.
- Not recommended for guests over 75.
- Guests under the age of 6 cannot join.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travellers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveller Photos
Reviews
4.9
based on 975 reviews
Riku_S, May 2026
Had a fantastic morning in Nara! Our tour guide Moe was wonderful! She was genuinely kind and made the whole experience both relaxing and engaging. Her English was excellent, so everything was easy to follow, and she explained each site clearly and brought them to life. It never felt like a dry history lecture. What really stood out was how she took the time to get to know each person in the group individually, which made the morning feel personal and welcoming. 10/10 would absolutely do it again. Highly recommend!!
Florence_S, May 2026
Josh Price was our tour guide and we had a really excellent time with him. He was extremely knowledgeable about the architecture, religions and folklore as well as being friendly and considerate. We highly recommend that you take one of his tours! There is far more to see that you can cover in one morning but the highlights were wonderful.
Shoshana_C, May 2026
This was such a fantastic experience and I highly HIGHLY recommend it! Hokona was such a sweet tour guide and very knowledgeable about everything- the buildings, deer, culture and history of the places we visited. Unsurprisingly, my favorite was feeding and petting the deers, but we also visited a lot of buildings and statues as well. Make sure to bring water to stay hydrated and snacks too. **Bring cash for deer rice-snacks!** Also, the deers will bow if you bow to them!
Susan_R, May 2026
Keith was a fabulous guide: truly bilingual, informative, engaging and very helpful. Nara is a must-see. The deer are fascinating and the main temple is a real knock-out. Probably my Japan highlight!
Isabella_J, May 2026
The tour guide was helpful from the beginning. And, answers all our questions. He was very knowledgeable about the areas we visited.
The park was great and we loved the deer. Getting back to the train station was easy to find.
Elena_K, May 2026
Hina was so great, highly reccomend this excursion! It was a really excellent and well paced tour. Temples and park were beautiful and we avoided a lot of crowds. Special shout out to Hina, who was so thoughtful and knowledge and made sure everyone had a great time. Also, goes without saying but deer were awesome and adorable.
Jazzmine_J, May 2026
Haruka was an absolutely amazing tour guide for Nara. She was incredibly kind, patient, attentive, and very understanding throughout the entire tour. She was also extremely thorough, knowledgeable, and passionate about the history behind every temple, shrine, and statuette we visited. She was able to answer every question I had with so much detail and care that it truly felt like I was living in the moment rather than just sightseeing.
One of the things I appreciated most was how she explained the cultural and spiritual significance behind everything we saw, including the two different ways Japanese people pray and who they pray to. Her storytelling and explanations made the experience feel deeply meaningful and unforgettable.
If you are visiting Nara, I highly recommend booking a tour with Haruka. She made the experience educational, immersive, and genuinely special.
Rebecca_S, May 2026
Early morning is the best time because it was still cool and relatively uncrowded until the end. We loved our guide, Hina! She was so friendly, knowledgeable, and excited to share this experience with us. The temples are amazing and the deer are very interactive. Great tour and fabulous guide. Thank you, Hina.
Rebecca_D, May 2026
Ayame was the absolute best guide. I learned so much and had the best time understanding the history of Nara and feeding the deer. I highly recommend this trip I'd your visiting!
Dale_O, May 2026
Great way to experience Nara. Our guide Josh was very friendly and knowledgeable. He navigated all of us from Kyoto to Nara for a memorable tour. He knew all the details about the sites of Nara, and knew all the best photo spots. He also provided helpful tips on dealing with the famous and very hungry bowing deer!
Donal_K, May 2026
Tour was great, AyameF was the tour guide and did a great job telling us about the different sites and was good fun.
JOHNSON_A, May 2026
The guide was very pleasant informative patient and. considerate. The tour was enjoyable and I would like to recommend this guide and this tour in nara tour guide name is Miss AyameF
Ian_W, May 2026
Aki was a great tour guide. Showed us all the sights while giving us all the info. Very educational as well as fun. I highly recommend
Kelly_R, May 2026
Our tour with Josh was great! We chose the 7:05 option and are glad we did - by the time we finished around 11:30, the crowds were getting quite large. The deer were adorable (once you got away from the mob of them by the ladies selling biscuits) and the temples and shrines were very cool. Josh was super knowledgable, patient, and taught us a lot of cool facts/tips. Would totally recommend!
karina_v, May 2026
I almost missed the tour because the guide Ayame sent me away I had to insist before I was almost left offs. Second she was very disorganized. What made it worst is that she made fun of Christianity with as a Christian I find it disrespectful. I would not recommended at all. She is not knowledgeable about the history and much less about religion
Michael_B, May 2026
Fantastic day out in Nara. Be prepared for lots of walking,
The tour was led by Haruka, whose local knowledge of local history, culture, and hidden details elevated the entire experience. Rather than just pointing out landmarks, she brought context, stories, and personality that made each stop feel meaningful. Her explanations around the temples, shrines, and Nara’s role in Japan’s early history added real depth to the day.
Con_M, May 2026
Fun, very informative, Josh was a great tour guide! He was very patient and very knowledgeable on the history of Nara and the sites. We also loved feeding the cute deer!
SUSAN_L, May 2026
Had a great tour with our guide, Nana. She was an amazing guide, very kind and knowledgeable. There are SO many deer in the park and there are stands where you can buy crackers to feed them. Most of the deer will bow at you to ask for crackers which is just the most amazing thing. Can’t wait to go back again!
LISA_D, May 2026
Great tour lead by Aki who had great knowledge and our tour was amazing and relaxed answered all our questions and gave us recommendations for food and things to see
Jennifer_P, May 2026
I highly recommend the early morning tour. Nana was a great leader with so much knowledge to share! She was patient but also kept us moving along, answering questions as we we t.
mariapaula_g, May 2026
Nana was our tour guide she was very kind and helpful. She was very knowledgeable on the history behind the shrines in Nara. Would definitely recommend :)
ZiElad, May 2026
Our tour guide was Josh, He was very knowledgable and always had intersting things to say.
My wife and I had a great time, feeding the deers was awesome.
Marissa_M, May 2026
Aki was a fantastic guide. She’s incredibly knowledgeable and fun. The Nara tour was definitely one for the memory books. So worth it!
Sara_M, May 2026
We had a lovely time with our guide, Airi.
It was quite fun interacting with the Nara deer and learning about the history of the former capital.
Julian_B, May 2026
Our first time in Nara, so we chose a short easy tour to see the sights. This was perfect, to the see temples and deer! Josh our guide was very knowledgable and made the tour really interesting. Definitely a great choice if you have limited time and want to see the main sights. Josh was so helpful by recommending a Katsu restaurant near Nara station, the food was amazing!
Lee_P, May 2026
My wife and I were incredibly lucky to have our wonderful guide, Ayame, just to ourselves.
She was knowledgeable, very friendly, and welcoming, and made the tour such a pleasant experience for us.
I'm guessing, like many, I mainly booked the tour for the dear experience, yet we were blown away by what we saw, the park and temples were so serene and beautiful. The statues are truly magnificent!
Well worth the money and a fabulous experience!
Abby_G, May 2026
Tyki was a great tour guide! We learned so much from him. He was so helpful with navigating the train station in the beginning. The whole tour he gave us new facts and we learned a lot about the history of each spot. He was very personable and easy to talk to. His English was phenomenal. This was one of our favorite tours so far in Japan! He really made the day enjoyable and we would highly recommend the tour with him.
Karni_B, May 2026
We had an amazing Nara tour with Itsuki! She gave a lot of personalized attention and truly made the tour worthwhile and fun. Provided a lot of interesting background information- we learned a lot!
Douglas_C, May 2026
We loved this tour. You get to see all the key sights in the Nara area and there is plenty of time to feed and interact with the deer along the way. It was Golden Week and Emperor’s Day so we expected more people overall and while there were a lot of people around, our guide, Tyki, knew how to weave us through, find little pockets of space, and point out all the important points along the way. My partner and I really appreciated Tyki’s style. He seemed to know exactly how much we wanted to hear and how quickly or slowly we wanted to move through a space. We got to see everything we wanted in a few hours. Tyki was very knowledgeable and able to answer all our questions. He had a really relaxed but confident vibe and offered honest insight that made the whole thing enjoyable. We would highly recommend this tour.
Mark_D, May 2026
Be prepared to walk and bring cash. This for the food for the deer and entrance fee to get into the temple.
Mei was a great tour guide.
From US$80.19
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
Compare Similar Experiences
Current
Nara Early Morning Tour (Kyoto or Osaka Departure Available)
975
4 hours 30 minutes
Free Cancellation
From
US$80.19
