Nara Deer Park Walking Tour – Free & Self-Guided 2025

If you’re planning to visit the Nara Deer Park in Japan, we have written this guide just for you. In this guide, we’ll share the route and details for a free self-guided walking tour, including all of the best bits.

This article should also help you get to grips with what to expect and how to plan for your visit. The Nara Deer Park is definitely a unique experience and it certainly does require some careful preparation and planning.

So, if you’re planning your own independent trip to the Nara Deer Park, please read this article carefully to make sure you don’t miss a thing. Where relevant, we have tried to include all of the details that you need, such as prices, activities, and opening times.

Top tip: One section of this walk takes you through a free garden, but you do need to do this within the opening hours (9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)

Looking for a full in-depth planning guide? Don’t miss our Nara Visitor’s Guide– Everything you need to know before you go

What about a guided walking tour?

Alternatively, you may want to book a guided tour of the area. Although a guided tour is more expensive, there are several advantages to taking a guided tour. Firstly, you can explore with a local expert and find some of the best gems in the area. Secondly, a guided tour is a perfect way to deepen your understanding and appreciation of the history, culture, and context of the area you are exploring. For example, this half-day UNESCO heritage tour on Get Your Guide covers greater distances and includes several attractions that we have not included in this free walking tour.

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The Nara Deer Park is an extensive area of woodland, ponds, streams, and grass fields situated on the east side of Nara town. The iconic bowing deer of Nara roam free in this area. No entry tickets or permits are needed to explore the park area. Furthermore, there are plenty of paths and trails leading you around different parts of the park. Along the route, there are a couple of attractions which require an entry ticket (where relevant, we have included the details to help you plan your trip). It is not difficult to find deer in this area (in fact, it is sometimes quite hard to avoid them). They are very keen to be fed by visitors, so if you are exploring with kids, supervise them carefully.

The Nara Deer Park is relatively flat, so you don’t need to worry about climbing hills. The terrain is also very easy, with well-marked paths, trails, and roads to follow. There are two main challenges in this area. Firstly, the popularity means that many areas can get crowded. Secondly, the deer can be quite enthusiastic if they think you have food, and from time to time, they have been known to chase, headbutt, or kick people.

Walking Tour Route

1 Kōfuku-ji Temple and Noborioji  Park

This walking tour starts at the Kintetsu Nara train station. Most people travelling to Nara will arrive at this station. When you arrive, exit the station and walk south down the Konishi Sakura Dori Walking Street. You will see a lot of cafes and restaurants along this section.

Watch out for a left turn which takes you to Kōfuku-ji Temple, a large and impressive Buddhist temple which was opened in 710 AD. (You may see a few deer exploring this area.) After exploring the temple, head east along Sanjo Dori Street. Turn left and walk through Noborioji Park.

In this park, you will find people selling deer crackers (for 200 yen per pack). The deer in this area are quite intense, so it is important to give them space and be careful as they sometimes headbutt and kick.

2 Yoshikien Garden

Exit the park and use the underpass to cross the road. (There is a 7-Eleven convenience store on the opposite side of the road. This has a seating area and is a great place to get some affordable food and drinks.) The next section of this walk follows a road to the entrance of Yoshikien Garden.

It is free to enter and is open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This beautiful garden is scenic and relatively quiet, so take your time, grab some photos, and take a moment to sit down and enjoy the scenery. You can walk all the way through this garden and exit next to Himuro Shrine. We recommend you also take a little time to explore this temple before you start the next section of the walk.

3 Shrine and Pond

Walk east along the main road (away from town) until you reach a junction where you can turn left towards Tōdai-ji Temple and Museum. Before you reach the gate, we recommend taking a detour to the Nemu Shrine and Pond.

This is a great place to get beautiful deer photos. If you are visiting in blossom season you can also get some nice blossom shots in this area. After enjoying the pond, keep walking towards the temple.

4 Tōdai-ji Temple

Tōdai-ji Temple is one of the most prominent and important attractions in Nara. Firstly, you’ll see the impressive South Gate. This is another fantastic spot for some photography. On the left, you will see the Tōdai-ji Museum and ticket office.

The prices are as follows: to explore the museum only, it costs 800 yen for adults (13 years and older) and 400 yen for children (6 to 12 years old). If you are hoping to explore the museum and temple, it costs 1,200 yen for adults and 600 yen for children.

When you buy tickets, it is important to note that the temple is referred to as the Great Buddha Hall.

5 Walk around Nara Park

We recommend a scenic walk around the park which passes the Tōdai-ji Itsukushima Pond. Along this section, you can mix it up and explore some different trails. You can even take a scenic detour to visit the Manyo Botanical Gardens. After exploring Nara Park, we recommend that you head to the Nara National Museum to learn more about the religious history and culture of the area. The museum grounds are also a great area to get photos with deer. If you still have energy and are interested in a detour, you could also take a walk south to visit the Ukimido Pond and Pavilion. This is a very picturesque and photogenic area.