Nara Day Trip Cost: A Real Family Breakdown
Same as my Tokyo, Hakone, and Kyoto breakdowns, I’m keeping this one short and focused on the numbers. Transit isn't included here, since I tracked transportation trip-wide rather than city-by-city. For a general sense of what transportation costs, check out our full 14-day Japan cost breakdown.
Nara was a day trip on our itinerary, not an overnight stop which makes it one of the lowest-cost stretches of the entire trip, and honestly one of the most budget-friendly day trips in Japan if you're looking for one.
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Nara Day Trip Subtotal (Food + Experiences): $101.78
Getting to Nara
We didn't book a separate hotel for Nara since it was a day trip built into our itinerary from a Osaka, so there's no accommodation cost to report here. Nara is an easy, popular day trip from both Kyoto and Osaka, typically reachable by train from either location in well under an hour.
What We Ate in Nara
Nara Food: $70.21
The food we had in Nara was absolutely fabulous. We found a completely gluten-free cafe. If you want the details, check out my Gluten-Free Japan Guidebook. I know we were in Japan, but we had one of the best gluten-free pizzas we've ever had on any of our trips... I know... crazy! It was so yummy. We also had burgers, fries, drinks, and several desserts, all because it was gluten-free, and again, I'll say it: I can't resist when I actually have options especially, when they're this delicious.
What We Did: Nara Park and the Famous Deer
Nara Experiences: $31.57
Deer crackers, to feed Nara's famous wild deer in Nara Park
Todai-ji Temple entry
Bike rental
Nara is one of those destinations where the highlights are genuinely inexpensive. Feeding the free-roaming deer, walking through Nara Park, and exploring the historic temple grounds can all be done without a large attraction budget and is a big part of why Nara is such a popular, affordable day trip from Kyoto or Osaka.
The deer here are a hoot. They're used to being fed by tourists and expect it. If you purchase crackers, be prepared to hand them out quickly because you will be swarmed. We even had a few deer taste-test us, just something to be aware of, but it's a lot of fun overall. One less fun note: I did find a tick on Jackson later, after a few deer interactions, so be sure to check your kids after your visit, and maybe don't let them give the deer hugs the way Jackson was doing.
More From Our Japan Trip
This is one piece of a full 14-day trip through Japan. For the complete picture of our Nara day trip, check out our Nara experience post.
For the complete route, see our 14-Day Japan Itinerary, or check out the full trip cost breakdown.
Want the exact plan we used, hotel-by-hotel and day-by-day? Grab our 14-Day Japan Guidebook for our full itinerary, transportation, hotels, timing, and planning logistics, built from this exact trip.
