Recommended Way to Go Sightseeing in Nara City on a Bus

Today, once again, Nara City is bustling with many tourists.
 
When you hear “Nara tourism”, what comes to mind?
Nara Park? Todai-ji Temple? Or maybe Horyu-ji Temple?
There are many beautiful temples, shrines, and attractions in Nara City, and they are all becoming more and more accessible.
 
You can walk around the area of Todai-ji Temple, Kasuga-taisha Shrine, and Nara Park, but since they are all a little far from the JR station, many people use a bus.
Especially for those with a limited amount of time, we recommend using a bus to save time.
 
Nara Kotsu runs many bus lines within Nara City, and there is a limited-time, limited-area all-you-can-ride “Free Ride” pass that we recommend for tourists.
There are mainly three types. There is the 1-Day Pass that covers World Heritage sites like Nara Park and Nishi-no-kyo. There is also the 1-Day Pass Wide, which includes Nara Park, Nishi-no-kyo, and Horyu-ji Temple. There is also the 2-Day Pass that includes Murou-ji Temple, Asuka, and other parts of the Nara and Yamato Road.
 
The 1-Day Pass is 500 yen for adults, and 250 yen for children (currently, as of Oct. 2019)
You can use it to see many of the main tourism spots of Nara, including Todai-ji Temple, Kasuga-taisha Shrine, Nara Park, Kohfuku-ji Temple, Naramachi, the Heijo-kyo Remains, Yakushi-ji Temple, Toshodai-ji Temple, etc.
 

 
The 1-Day Pass Wide is 1,000 yen for adults, and 500 yen for children (currently, as of Oct. 2019)
In addition to the area of the 1-Day Pass, it also covers Horyu-ji Temple, Chugu-ji Temple, and Jiko-in Temple.
We recommend this pass for people who want to visit the World Heritage site Horyu-ji Temple, in addition to sightseeing in Nara City.
 

 
The 2-Day Pass is 1,500 yen for adults, and 750 yen for children (currently, as of Oct. 2019)
This pass has an especially wide area. In addition to the area of the 1-Day Pass Wide, it also includes from the entirety of Asuka Village, Sakurai Station to Tanzan-jinja Shrine, Murou-guchi Ono Station to Murou-ji Temple.
※Caution) This pass doesn’t include JR or Kintetsu trains from Nara Station to Asuka Station, or Nara Station to Sakurai Station or Murou-guchi Ono Station, so please purchase those tickets separately.
 

 
You can purchase these “Free Ride” passes at the information desks in JR Nara Station and Kintetsu Nara Station. There are also shops and attractions that will give you a discount or something special if you show them your “Free Ride” bus pass.