Nara Park and Todai-ji Tickets (2026): Prices, Hours, and Whether You Need to Book
You're planning a day in Nara and wondering what to book. The short answer: almost nothing. Nara Park is open and free, and Todai-ji sells its tickets at the hall, with no online booking on its official site.
What you do need to plan is the train, the hours (the Great Buddha Hall closes at 17:00 from November to March) and the deer. A guided tour only makes sense if you want Kyoto or Uji on the same day without planning the trains yourself.
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Do you need to book Todai-ji tickets in advance?
No. You buy your ticket at the window in front of the hall on the day. Todai-ji's English information page gives the fees and hours, but it doesn't mention online sales or timed entry, and the only reservation it describes is for groups of 10 or more using the audio guide.
The official site doesn't say which payment methods the window takes, so carry some cash in yen.
todaiji.or.jp/en/information/haikan: one fee table for the Great Buddha Hall, Hokke-do, Kaidan-do and the Museum (¥800 adults, ¥400 ages 6–12), the ¥1,200 combo sold at the Museum and the Great Buddha Hall, and seasonal hours. No online ticket sales listed.
The English top page that day showed "Daibutsu-den Open-Close 8:00 - 17:00".
On Nov 7, 2026 we re-read the fee page (no change) and the Nara City Tourism Association's Nara Park page, which says the park is free and open 24 hours, 365 days a year.
How much does Todai-ji cost, hall by hall?
If you only have time for one thing, make it the Great Buddha Hall. The combo is worth it if you like museums: it saves ¥400 over buying both separately.
What's the best order for a day in Nara?
A simple loop from Kintetsu Nara Station: Kofuku-ji, the deer lawns, Todai-ji, then Nigatsu-do, and back. The times below assume a winter day, when the Great Buddha Hall closes at 17:00.
- 9:30Arrive at Kintetsu Nara. Walk east past Kofuku-ji into the park.
- 10:00Deer lawns. Buy crackers only if you want to feed them (see below).
- 11:00Nandai-mon gate, then the Great Buddha Hall (¥800).
- 12:00Up to Nigatsu-do and Hokke-do (Hokke-do is ¥800 and closes at 16:00).
- 13:00Lunch near Naramachi or back toward the station.
- 14:30Kasuga Taisha, or head back to Kyoto or Osaka.
How do you feed the deer safely?
Deer crackers (shika senbei) are sold in the park. The Nara Deer Preservation Foundation reminds visitors that the deer look tame but are wild animals, not pets.
- If a deer bows to you, give it the cracker straight away.
- Don't hold a cracker back on purpose or pretend to have one. It stresses the deer and can make them aggressive.
- Watch children closely: their eyes are at the deer's head height, so a charge or head-butt is more dangerous for them.
- In autumn the stags are in rut and can attack people. Keep away from stags with antlers and from deer that are fighting.
- Don't touch the deer. If you do, wash your hands.
Is a Nara day tour worth it?
You don't need one for Nara on its own: there's nothing to book, the JR fare from Kyoto is ¥720 and the hall ticket is ¥800. A tour is for when you want a second place such as Uji or Arashiyama in the same day without planning the connections, or a guide to explain what you're looking at. Check on the product page whether the Great Buddha Hall ticket is included.
Go on your own by train
¥720 from Kyoto on JR, plus ¥800 at the hall. Easy to fit around your own pace.
A day tour from Osaka or Kyoto
Compare the stops, what's included and the cancellation terms before you pick one.
Affiliate linkHow do you get to Nara Park from Kyoto and Osaka?
How ICOCA works for visitors → · Kintetsu Rail Pass: worth it? →
Is Todai-ji worth it if you've already seen Kyoto's temples?
That's your call, but it's a different sight from Kyoto's temples: the Great Buddha Hall is a huge wooden building that houses the bronze Great Buddha, and the ticket is ¥800.
The main thing to plan around is the closing time: from November to March the hall closes at 17:00 (17:30 from April to October), so leave yourself time inside.
What else can you book for a Kansai trip?
Kiyomizu-dera and Fushimi Inari
Two Kyoto sights you can walk into without booking.
Before you go
Nothing to book: bring some cash in yen for the ¥800 hall ticket, check the closing time for your month, and give the deer space. If you'd rather not plan the trains, a day tour can add Uji or Kyoto to the same day.
Prices and hours here were checked on Todai-ji's official site on Nov 6 and Nov 7, 2026. If something has changed, please tell us.
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