Extra Nara tip: If you love a slower pace when you travel – most people day trip to Nara .. but how about spending the night? It’s just a lovely sleepy little quaint town in the evening. You’ll love it.
If you do decide to stay in Nara with children, I recommend staying at :
Shikitei Ryokan
Located next to Nara Park. This ryokan is really welcoming to families with children and even have child sized yukata and a child-friendly meal option ( a kids plate with fried potatoes, hamburger patty, fried chicken and salmon. for kids as a part of a kaiseki meal. The living area is also separate space (via sliding door, of course) from the sleeping area which is fab for parents who don’t want to go to bed at the same time as the kids. This ryokan gives nostalgic “real Japan” vibes as it has been around since 1899 – so it’s creaky and pokey in the best ways. There is a public bath for guests to use. There is no attached small garden or anything – not that it matters as there is Nara Park right there.
Miroku Nara
Rooms can accommodate 2 or 4 people. There is a lounge area for guests as well as an onsite restaurant. If you are on the terrace while dining, you will be able to see deer in the grassy area at the back of the hotel. Guests can choose rooms with a mixture of beds and futons or just do western style bedding. There is an onsite coin laundry.
Miroku Nara is 11 mins walk or 5 mins in a taxi from Kintetsu Nara Station. It is 7 mins by taxi from JR Nara Station.
Novotel Nara
Novotel Nara is 5 mins walk from Shin-Omiya Station or 5 mins in a taxi from JR Nara Station. Rooms can sleep up to 4 people (more if children are small enough to bed share.) The hotel has a gym, room service and an on-site restaurant.
If you’re here for restaurant tips – see my Where to eat in Nara with kids? blog post here.
Here are all of my general Nara with kids tips here – what to do, where to eat, how to make it amazing!
Use google maps to plan your trip to Nara. It doesn’t really matter if you arrive into JR Nara Station or Kintetsu Nara Station – just use the easiest option from your starting point.
