Nara Prefecture hotels & places to stay

Locating in the most convenient location (3-min walk to Kintetsu Nara Station and the main bus stop and 8-min walk to JR station), Dear Guesthouse is walking distance to major spots such as the Nara National Museum, Nara Art Museum, Koufukuji, and Toudaiji. The Guesthouse is transformed from the traditional house, so you can imagine inside it's not too spacious, but the wooden structure and open kitchen gives the guesthouse a very intimate feeling, and the exquisite Japanese garden in between the front area and the back area is a hidden gem. And the owner (and manager) Yamamoto san is perhaps the biggest reason why the guest feel so much at home. He is funny(a bit of the quirky side), easy-going, generous and helpful and he speaks good English, Chinese, Korean and Spanish (maybe in a lesser extent lol), so no worries about any sort of language barrier.Most of the guests get along pretty well, and the atmosphere is laid back and authentic. I would definitely go back there when I go to Nara again.

Since it's a guesthouse (dormitory style), it's a lot cheaper than hotels. That said, the place is really clean and I would recommend it to solo travellers. The owner was also really helpful and nice with me - he waited until almost 11pm for me to check in, due to a confusion with the address. From here it's easy to go to the train station, and also easy to walk to the major attractions in Nara (about 20-30 minutes, depending on how relaxed you go). TIP: When I typed it in Google Maps, I got instantly redirected to Nara Guesthouse. Make sure you select and have Nara Deer Hostel instead, because they're two different places (and the guesthouse is farther from the station).

I have a great time staying at HARUYA Naramachi. I book for a dorm but been given a FREE upgrade to single room by the time I check in. This is so cool and I am very happy with that. The price is cheap. Location is a bit far from subway station but it is near to Nara Park. Room is clean and staff is super nice. Facilities also excellent with free wifi. Have to keep in mind that this is a very old traditional wooden house, you will heard other tourists walking in the house but I still have a great time staying for 2 nights in Nara. =)

Excellent location with reasonable price. 7-to-10-minute walk to 近鉄奈良駅 and just next to the shopping stree, with many restaurants and gift shops. Go to 興福寺 just need 5 minute and you can get into Nara Park through this way. The host is a young man with good English. He is wellcome for luggage storage if you come early or leave Nara late. And also the common area on 1/F is opened for all use. The house has 2 floors, both with shared toliet but bathroom is only on 1/F. The only bad thing is that warm water is just got in the kitchen and bathrooms(I think hot enough for bath). Though these are shared facilities, all are clear and the others seem polite and considerate so no trouble with using those. The rooms are not so noise-proof so you may hear some sounds of chating from other rooms. Yet the neighbours talk quietly and the environment around is so peaceful. We lived in a family room, with 2 double-deck beds. So enough space for 4 people to sleep, place the luggage, and sit.

My single room is exactly what you get from a standard business hotel setting and it's newer and cleaner! For 3500 yen it's totally worth the deal. The even better bits: location location location. It's only 2 min from the kintetsu Nara station, the numerous bus stops and at the entrance of the Nara park area. There's also the whole shopping street nearby. The nice little izakaya restaurant nearby (Japan, 〒6308266 奈良県奈良市花芝町Hanashibachō, 6番地プラザ花芝101 酒とめし おてんがら) is a recommendation! Nice food and nice owners at cheap price! The staff at oak hostel is very helpful and can speak English well. The 100yen breads breakfast and free coffee are just some minor add ons that make the stay even better! Highly recommended and will definitely stay again when I come back to Nara (which will surely happen sooner rather than later).

My initial reason/s for booking: It was a highly-rated new property that was close to the Shin-Omiya rail station. Duration of stay: 2 nights First impressions: Most of the space inside the double room is taken up by the bunk beds, so I'd recommend that everything you need to bring out once inside the room (electronics, change/s of clothes) should fit in a small backpack. If you're bringing a big backpack or a trolley bag, it's better to ask the reception to store them. Later realizations: Pick the lower bunk bed if you're used to sleeping in chilly temperatures, & pick the upper bunk bed if you're used to sleeping in warmer temps. Most shops in the department store downstairs close at 8 PM so plan accordingly if you want to buy a cheap dinner from the foodcourt. If the distance between the rail station & the hostel is too far for you, the nearest bus stop that takes you to the city center is just a very short distance away, in front of Nara City Hall. Will I recommend it? Yes

I absolutely loved my stay at Nara Guesthouse, Akie and the staff are so kind, polite and welcoming. If you're looking for a cosy traditional stay, then look no further. I would definitely come to this hostel if I come back to Nara. They have all the facilities you need, the bathroom style is like a mini 'Sento' great way to relax after a long day of walking. The whole place is decorated tastefully and the ambience is lovely, it is also super clean! It is close to Nara Park the highlight of Nara. Hope I have a chance to see you again Akie, I will bring my friend Kumamon :)

If you're ever in Nara and need a place to crash, I would reccomend Nara Guesthouse 3F! It was simple, clean, and great location. We decided to leave early in the morning, and they packed us sack breakfasts. Both of the staff members we interacted were very friendly. It was in a central location from both of the major train stations as well as Nara park and its surrounding temples. If w ever spend a night in Nara we wouldn't hesitate to stay here again!

There is no minor. Everything good and complete. There is microwave and londr in 5 th fllooor. Near aeon mall in nara station, which sell many arten from foods .Situation inthe city is awesome like in the village , not croweded especially rides one or two stop from nara. 100 m from station is farmer market which sell frsh fruits and vegetables, but not so big stores. Front yard from trainstation are bus stations to all destination of obyect tourism like nara park. Great Budha temple and Kashoga shrine. Check out time is from 10 till 11 oclock when people begin to leaving for hotel. Panorama from hotel is Trains bridge leaving from nara station.

I really regret not booking a longer stay here. This guesthouse was by far the best one in Japan that I have stayed in so far. For starters, the location is excellent and located in the beautiful Naramachi area, with lots of art galleries, cafes and izakaya. The cafe owns its own cafe/bar IRO, with reasonably priced drinks and coffee. (Maker's Mark Highball is a solid 10 for ¥600!) The staff is extremely polite. They allowed us to check in early (around 11 am) and rest in our rooms, unlike most other guesthouses which have strict check in times. There are personal safety boxes and the beds have sliding Japanese wooden doors that ensure privacy. Even though it was a mixed dorm, I felt very comfortable staying here. The smoking area is right by the entrance and if you're a light sleeper like me you can rent a pair of ear plugs and a sleeping mask for a mere ¥200. FREE towels everyday and FREE slippers. This is my go-to place in Nara and I will never stay anywhere else in Nara!

The host is very kind and helpful. She can also speak good English so don't worry if you can't understand Nihongo. The traditional breakfast is vegetarian with various bowls of small serving side dishes together with home grown rice and tea as well as miso soup. The house is clean and toilets as well. The house is located just beside Nara hotel so the park is just nearby. I even saw deers as I got out of the house. You will feel an authentic Japanese experience in the house. Sad enough I had to stay only for 1 night because I had to go to Kyoto already. Next time I'll definitely stay longer.

It's a beautiful inn inside the deer park. Exceptionally friendly and helpful staff. The common room had a great feel to it. Clean showers and toilets. It is within walking distance from Todaiji, Kasuga Taisha, Wakakusayama, Kofukuji and of course all the deers. It makes it the ideal location to visit these places by avoiding the peak hours. The walk to the inn takes about 30 min from the JR Nara station and a little less from the Kintetsu Nara station. I was later informed that there is a loop bus that runs from the JR station to close to the inn for 200Yen. On weekends and holidays there is a red Gurutto bus for 100Yen from both stations. If you are taking the Gurutto bus, get off at My Wakakusayama and the inn is just a flight of stairs away. Being inside the deer park there is hardly anything open past 6pm but the staff said they could help order food delivery if needed. There is a cafe upstairs which offers the inn residents a discount. I would definitely stay here again!

The boss runs the hotel alone, he speaks fluent English and lives on 1st floor. The hotel is 800m from Kintetsu Nara station, passing through a Higashimuki shopping street where there are 3 medicine/cosmetics stores and 1 Daiso. From the map there’re several blocks away, but the blocks are small. Across the street of hotel it’s the Nara Library (can navigate the library) and a few Mobike shared bicycles, but 33 minutes’ ride costed nearly RMB15. Then we booked 2 bikes from hotel at 500 Yen/day. On 2nd day we found the hotel is only 150 meters from Deer Park and many other attractions, we had to park the bikes downstairs, and never used them until tour end. You could cook in the dining room with eggs and bread from hotel. The room is very spacious for a Japan hotel and smells of grass, only public toilets on each floor and shower rooms on 2nd floor, but the good part is after you check out, you could still take a shower. All in all, The hotel is near to Railway station and sightseeing attractions, it’s definitely worth the price. Will drop by if next trip.

This is our 2nd visit after 2 years and it is very very satisfactory. The location is close to Keihan or Kintetsu Line (Sorry could not recall correctly) but it is quite a far distance from JR station. The hotel itself is in a quite area and the surrounding is nice where Kofukuji Temple is just beside the hotel. The staff is very very helpful and speak fluent English just the same as our 1st visit 2 years ago. In future, if there is another trip to Nara. Hotel Pagoda is the only choice i will choose. The room we took was double bed room with Tatami flooring. The best part was the room was the same one as per 2 years ago.

The owner was a sweetheart. She really cared for her guests and the place was immaculate! She offered me tea and cookies when I got there, helped me to find my way around and even offered dinner. I stayed in the Japanese style room which was beautifully decorated with tadional Japanese ink art on the sliding doors and bamboo floors. I definitely recommend this place, you won't be disappointed!

The couple who run Nara Komachi were very friendly and helpful. They both spoke English very well. We arrived in Nara before the 3pm check in but were warmly greeted and allowed to store our luggage so we could start to explore the city, when we returned our luggage was in our room. The room and the common area were immaculate, not a speck of dust. Our double room was small but very efficient, the full table or half the table could be flipped down for more room. My first impression of the toilet was that it was on a raised stage behind a glass door but there was a large shade that could be drawn down for privacy. There is free coffee and tea in the common area that you can have anytime. The bed with the down comforter were exceptionally comfortable. The TV in the room had access to only Japanese stations but the TV in the lobby was always tuned in to CNN. The location was perfect, close to the JR Nara station and 2 bus stops for the Kintetsu station or a short 15 minute walk. There are many restaurants and shops close by especially on the main tourist street to the park. Would definitely recommend Nara Komachi.

This was our first stop in Japan and thought that if all the hostels where we were going to be staying would be like this one, we were in Paradise! Unfortunately, they weren't and I must say that this was the best guest house where we stayed in during our trip in Japan. The staff was really nice, friendly and helpful with all our questions. We were a group of four (2 couples) and stayed in a family room, with two bulk beds. The beds were very very comfortable and the room was spotless and really spacious. We had a table with four chairs and a bathroom fully equipped. I must say that the bathroom was super clean! The guest house has a kitchen with coffee and tea available for free. You can also use the kitchen to cook or store food in the fridge if you need to. The room and the guest house in general was very quiet so I am sure you will get a good night sleep (as we all did). The location is unbeatable. The hostel is about 6 minutes walking to the train station and about the same distance (10 mins) to the Nara Park (the main attraction in Nara and a place you cannot miss). The directions given by the host to get from the train station to the guest house were really accurate so I advise you to print the map he will send you by email. The tourist centre is 2 minutes walking from the guest house where you can get tour guides for free for few hours. You can also get the tour guide for free from the guest house Iki, ask for it at the reception and they will arrange the guide for you. There are lots of restaurants around the guest house (about 4 minutes walking). I cannot sell this place enough but if I am going back to Nara one day I will not consider anything else but this guest house to stay.

room is awesome, staff are okay (aside from the "we cant microwave your small pizza" issue we had..). Its a very "discreet" hotel, you aren't supposed to leave your room too much, but overall it was definately worth staying. we booked as it was the cheapest room and ended up staying another night. location isnt great but its ok- mcdonalds is nearby and a super cheap supermarket near that too (head away from town from the mcdonalds). Nara Park is maybe 2 hours walk or theres a bus stop near mcdonalds. definately recommended.

I must really thank all the past reviewers for their past comments. This hotel indeed hold up to its rating as the best nara hotel in 2015. The hotel is connected to the JR nara station to the hotel lift that brings you to the check-in counter. Very convenient for travelling couples or family with big luggages. The staffs can speak English and are very eager to help. Not only did they offer complementary good japanese breakfast with 5 types of bread freshly baked every morning, they are free access to onsen (indoor and outdoor) to recupurate your tired body. Little things we appreaciate is that the lift to the rooms are nicely scented too. How not to remember this hotel? The supermart is also just few steps away. For the location, services and price, I will definately stay with Super Lohas hotel in my next Nara trip. 👍👍👍👍👍👍

pros: clean environment, and helpful staff. cons: far away from train/ subway station, require about 20minutes walk. very small place, a bit over crowd from bed to bed. living room, laundry machine, shower all jammed at the ground floor, which could be very noisy. all in all, I am not gona come back. As,it could be better place to stay in Nara, or would move to osaka or Kyoto for better hostel.

The hotel is next to Nara JR Station. It is very convenient to visit Nara Park which is a few minutes bus ride. Since JR Station is also a bus hub, it is also a good point to start a trip to visit other parts of Nara region. There is also a supermarket at the JR station which closes late. The air conditioner has a full function remote controller which is better than other centralized system. The breakfast is fair.

An experience, no less. But a fantastic one. It is a 10 minute walk from JR Nara Station to the hotel. The front counter is covered by a curtain (presumably to give customers privacy when they speak to reception). There you indicate at what time you want to have breakfast delivered to your room. Then as you walk to your room, you hear sultry jazz music wafting through the corridors. Then you open the door. The bed is enormous and incredibly comfortable. That's the best part. The room is complete with body products, of decent quality. The Wi-Fi is pretty good, the hot water and heating are great too. Then the next morning you get breakfast delivered to your room, which was fantastic. All for a tick under 4,000 yen. If you're a couple, you'd be a bit mad to go anywhere else. A very comfortable stay.

Very clean and new hotel. Room is small but not too small. Comfortable with comfy bed, clean and new bathroom. For us, the cleanness is definitely 5 stars. Breakfast is good but more japanese style than western style. Machine coffee but tase good. The downside for us is the location. It is near JR station which is convenient. However, the area around is a bit industrial and it is quite far from all the main attractions. You have to take taxi or at least more than half an hr walk to the main sightseeing. Staffs is very nice, english is good.

The hotel is only about eight minutes’ walk from the station and a few minutes from the five-tiered pagoda, which is at the southern end of Nara Park and the temple complex. I found the staff friendly and helpful, and English was spoken so there were no communication problems. There’s free internet access via a computer in the reception area. My only criticism was that my single room was small, so unpacking a suitcase was a bit difficult, but it was comfortable in other respects. As I was staying only two nights it didn’t matter very much. The street where the hotel is situated is quiet, with very little traffic. I would certainly stay there again.