Nara lies outside the shinkansen route and only a minimum of long-distance regular buses pass through the city.
In most cases you will travel to Nara from Osaka or Kyoto, the two nearest major cities through which the shinkansen pass.
Book your hotel in Nara in advance
Nara is mainly accessible by the JR and Kintetsu rail lines.
Transportation Osaka - Nara
Two different carriers operate several lines to Nara from Osaka.
| From the station | Carrier | Price | Travel time | JR Pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Namba | Kintetsu | 680 jpy | 42 minutes | - |
| JR-Namba | JR | 580 jpy | 50 minutes | ✓ |
| Osaka (Umeda) | JR | 820 jpy | 52 minutes | ✓ |
| Tennoji | JR | 510 jpy | 33 minutes | ✓ |
Kintetsu
The Kintetsu Railway is the closest railway to the Nara Park tourist area. The Kintetsu-Nara terminus is about 1,100 metres from the deer park.
Kintetsu trains also stop at Yamato-Saidaijo and Shin-Omiya stations (some express trains do not stop at this station).
From Osaka, these trains run from these stations with a frequency of about 10-15 minutes:
- Namba (underground station) - Dotonbori, Shinsaibashi districts
- Kintetsu-Nippombashi - Nipponbashi district
- Osaka-Uehommachi
There are several types of trains on this route, varying according to the number of stops and ticket price:
- Limited Express - additional seat reservation fee required, must always be purchased at the ticket machine or ticket office
- Travel time Namba - Kintetsu-Nara approx. 35 minutes
- Does not stop at Shin-Omiya station in Nara or Nippombashi station in Osaka
- Express, Semi-Express, Rapid Express - regular fare at no extra charge
- Travel time Namba - Kintetsu-Nara approx. 40-55 minutes
Tickets and fares
You can buy your ticket from a ticket machine or at the ticket office. A map of the lines is displayed above each machine, where you can find your destination station and then select the appropriate amount on the machine screen.
Fares can also be paid with one of 10 Japanese transport cards (Icoca, Suica, etc.). In this case, you just need to have enough money on the card and just bring the card to the turnstile.
- JR Pass, JR-WEST Pass - cannot be used
- Kansai Railway Pass - can be used
Prices to Kintetsu-Nara Station:
- Namba - 680 jpy (the Limited Express train surcharge is 520 jpy)
- Nippombashi - 680 jpy
- Uehommachi - 680 jpy
Find connection search, timetables and other information on the website: kintetsu.co.jp.
JR-WEST
State-owned JR-West trains operate at Nara-JR station, located approximately 2,100 metres from Nara Park. Use these trains if you have purchased a Japan Rail Pass.
There are two different lines to Osaka which only run trains with no reservation fee:
- Osaka Station (Umeda) via Kyobasi (e.g. Osaka Castle)
- Price - 820 jpy
- Travel time - 52 minutes
- Frequency - 15 to 20 minutes
- Most trains continue on a circuitous route, for example via Nishikujo Station (towards Universal Studios)
- Tennoji via Yao and some trains (mainly in the afternoon) continue without changing trains to JR-Nambastation
- Price. 510 jpy
- Travel time - 33 minutes
- Frequency - 15 minutes
Search for connections and prices on westjr.co.jp
You can buy your ticket from a ticket machine or at the ticket office. A map of the lines is displayed above each machine, where you can find your destination station and then select the appropriate amount on the machine screen.
Fares can also be paid with one of 10 Japanese transport cards (Icoca, Suica, etc.). In this case, you just need to have enough money on the card and just bring the card to the turnstile.
- JR Pass, JR-WEST Pass - can be used
- Kansai Railway Pass - cannot be used
Transportation Kyoto - Nara
Also to Kyoto you have the option to choose from JR (ideal if you are travelling in Japan with a JR Pass) or Kintetsu (the station is closer to Nara Park).
Both carriers run to central Kyoto Station.
| Carrier | Price | Travel time | JR Pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kintetsu | 760 jpy | 40 minutes | - |
| JR | 720 jpy | 45 minutes | ✓ |
Kintetsu
Direct trains to Kintetsu-Nara Station from Kyoto run twice an hour, with the more expensive Limited Express running once an hour and the regular train running once an hour.
Significantly more frequent trains, roughly once every 10-15 minutes, run from Kyoto to Yamato-Saidaiji Station, where you change trains in the direction of central Nara (once every 5-10 minutes on average).
There are several types of trains on this route, varying according to the number of stops and ticket price:
- Limited Express - extra charge for seat reservation required, must always be bought at the ticket machine or ticket office
- Travel time Kyoto - Kintetsu-Nara approx. 40 minutes
- Does not stop at Shin-Omiya station
- Express, Semi-Express, Rapid Express - regular fare at no extra charge
- Travel time Kyoto - Kintetsu-Nara approx. 50 minutes
Tickets and fares
You can buy your ticket from a ticket machine or at the ticket office. A route map is displayed above each machine, where you can find your destination station and then select the appropriate amount on the machine screen.
Fares can also be paid with one of 10 Japanese transport cards (Icoca, Suica, etc.). In this case, you just need to have enough money on the card and just bring the card to the turnstile.
- JR Pass, JR-WEST Pass - cannot be used
- Kansai Railway Pass - can be used
Prices from Kyoto to Kintetsu-Nara Station:
- Limited Express - 760 jpy + extra charge for train seat reservation 520 jpy
- Other trains - 760 jpy
For connection search, timetables and other information, visit: kintetsu.co.jp.
JR-WEST
State-owned JR-West trains operate at Nara-JR station, located approximately 2,100 metres from Nara Park. Use these trains if you have purchased a Japan Rail Pass.
There is one line to Kyoto, which only runs trains without mandatory seat reservation.
The journey time is 45 minutes and trains run every 20-30 minutes.
Search for connections and prices at westjr.co.jp
Fares and tickets
You can buy your ticket from a ticket machine or at the ticket office. A map of the lines is displayed above each machine, where you can find your destination station and then select the appropriate amount on the machine screen.
The price is 720 jpy.
Fares can also be paid with one of 10 Japanese transport cards (Icoca, Suica, etc.). In this case, you just need to have enough money on the card and just bring the card to the turnstile.
- JR Pass, JR-WEST Pass - can be used
- Kansai Railway Pass - cannot be used
Transportation to other cities
Both Kintetsu and JR direct trains run to the town of Kashiru, about 20 km south of Nara.
The journey here is particularly worthwhile on Kintetsu trains, as other trains from the same carrier connect to Yoshino National Park in Kashiru.
All other places in Japan can only be reached via Osaka or Kyoto.
Even the city of Nagoya, which looks relatively close to Nara on the map, is not accessible by direct trains or buses.
For long-distance travel, we recommend using the Kyoto route, as both railways running from Kyoto to Nara (Kintetsu and JR) start at Kyoto Central Station, where the shinkansen also stop.
There are no direct trains from Nara to Shin-Osaka Shinkansen Station.
Nearest airports
Nara does not have its own airport and the nearest ones are in Osaka.
Direct buses run from Nara to Osaka's two largest airports:
- Itami ITM - the airports for frequent domestic traffic.
- Buses run approximately once an hour and the journey takes 90 minutes
- Price. 1 750 jpy
- Timetable on the carrier's website: hankyu-kankobus-co.jp
- Kansai KIX - major international airports
- Buses run only 5 times a day and the journey takes 105 minutes
- Price. 2 400 jpy
- Timetable on the carrier's website: kate.co.jp
