Nara travel guide

Walk Nara's Great Buddha Hall and the deer park in the same morning. Individual adult admission is 800 yen, cash only, with no reservations.

Feed the deer only the shika senbei crackers sold in the park (10 for 200 yen) and take the paper wrapper with you.

Leave Kasuga Taisha's outer precincts and lunch in Naramachi for the next day. From Kansai Airport, take the airport train into Osaka and change to Kintetsu (times on the timetable). Kintetsu Nara Station is close to the park; JR Nara Station is farther away.

If you arrive in the evening, save the temples for the next morning, and get cash in advance.

Visa and entry requirements for Japan

Whether you need a visa, how long you can stay and which pre-arrival forms apply all depend on your nationality and the purpose of your trip. Check the official source below, and your own government's travel advice, before you book.

• Visa information and exemptions (short-term stay) (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan)
• Visit Japan Web (online immigration and customs registration) (Digital Agency, Government of Japan)

With 2 nights: day one is the Great Buddha Hall and the deer, day two Kasuga Taisha and Naramachi, and day three you leave for Kyoto or Osaka. The Great Buddha Hall is open 7:30 to 17:30 from April to October and 8:00 to 17:00 from November to March. Todai-ji is about 20 minutes' walk east of Kintetsu Nara Station, or about 5 minutes on foot from the loop-bus stops in front of the hall and Kasuga. Don't add Kofuku-ji on day one; save the 1,600 yen combined ticket for a 4-night trip.

With 4 nights: on day one, put lunch between Kofuku-ji and the Great Buddha Hall; day two is Naramachi, starting with Kasuga's outer precincts if you have energy in the morning. On day three, take Kintetsu to Kyoto; the access page says about 50 minutes to Kintetsu Kyoto, but the timetable takes priority. Day four is the temples of eastern Kyoto; check their prices and closing times on their own pages.

From Kansai Airport, take the airport train into Osaka and change to Kintetsu; check transfer stations, times and fares on the timetable. Kintetsu Nara Station is closer to the park and Naramachi than JR Nara Station, so don't get off at the farther station if you have heavy bags.

If you arrive in the morning, go straight to the Great Buddha Hall (800 yen cash for adults, no reservations); if you arrive in the evening, go to your hotel first. When leaving, take Kintetsu to Osaka and then the airport train. Don't put the park back into your departure day. The stop names for Nara's loop bus are on the Great Buddha Hall access page; don't mix them up with airport limousine times.

Give the deer only shika senbei (10 for 200 yen), no other food or paper, and don't chase them. When you have finished, show them your open palms, and take your rubbish with you. Lunch in Naramachi is kakinoha-zushi (persimmon-leaf sushi) and tea porridge at Hiraso, which the city's feature calls the original house; set prices are not listed, so check the shop's menu. The 2,750 yen and 4,000 yen experience fees are for school programs, not lunch prices.

For kuzukiri, check whether it is made with Yoshino kudzu and read it as a different dish from kudzu mochi. Narazuke are vegetables pickled in sake lees, and moon-viewing dumplings are only sold around mid-autumn. Kasuga's outer precincts are free; the 700 yen special visit is for entering the inner precincts.

Recheck Japan's entry requirements before you travel. The Great Buddha Hall and Kofuku-ji take cash. Kofuku-ji's combined ticket is sold from 9:00 to 16:00, with only individual tickets after 16:00. Kasuga's morning break times can differ between language versions of its pages, so check the notice on the day. Keep your distance from the stags in rutting season and from fawns from May to July.

The night before you fly, check the airport train and Kintetsu timetables, and check your airline's rules on carrying narazuke and wagashi. On a 4-night trip via Kyoto, check closing times for the eastern temples the night before departure, and don't go back to Nara Park on your departure morning.

Before you leave Nara

• Great Buddha Hall and deer in the same morning, Naramachi the next day
• Kintetsu Nara Station is closer; train times on the timetable
• Cash for the 800 yen and 1,600 yen tickets
• Recheck entry requirements on the official sources

• First time in Nara: with 2 nights, split the Great Buddha Hall and the lanes; save Kofuku-ji and Kyoto for a 4-night trip.
• Arriving at Kansai Airport: change to Kintetsu in Osaka; times on the timetable.
• Planning deer and lunch: deer crackers are a snack, persimmon-leaf sushi is lunch in Naramachi and wagashi come after lunch.