Gangō-ji to Kasuga-taisha, Nara: free self-guided walking tour
Quick answer. A free self-guided walking tour from Gangō-ji to Kasuga-taisha: 6 stops, about 4.9 km, about 65 minutes of walking plus about 37 minutes of listening. Start in Naramachi at Gangō-ji, one of Japan’s first Buddhist temples, whose grounds the old town filled after a fire in 1451. Walk up to Kōfuku-ji, the Fujiwara family temple, on this site since 710, and the Nara National Museum in its 1894 French Renaissance building. Then Tōdai-ji, begun in 745 under Emperor Shōmu, where the Great Buddha sits in a hall rebuilt in 1709. Cross Nara Park and its 1,500 sika deer to Kasuga-taisha, founded in 768, with about 2,000 stone lanterns.
- Stops:
- 6
- Distance:
- about 4.9 km
- Walking:
- about 65 min
- Listening:
- about 37 min
Two ways to do this walk
Nara with Mappu
Walk Mode, in the free Mappu app
It knows where you are, tells you about everything you pass between the stops, answers your questions and keeps you on the route. Your phone stays in your pocket.
A 2-hour live walk, €4.99.
50 credits from the Starter pack. One-time purchase, no subscription.
Self-guided audio walk. No guide accompanies you. Not affiliated with the sites.
Free: the audio guides
Listen to each stop’s audio guide in your browser and find your own way between the stops.
Walking directions in Google MapsGangō-ji to Kasuga-taisha, Nara: how long does the walk take?
About 102 minutes in all: about 65 minutes on foot over about 4.9 km, plus about 37 minutes of audio at the 6 stops. Time inside the sites is extra.
Gangō-ji to Kasuga-taisha, Nara: in what order should you visit the stops?
Follow the stops in this order: Gangō-ji, Kōfuku-ji, Nara National Museum, Tōdai-ji, Nara Park, and Kasuga-taisha. The longest stretch between two stops is about 1.3 km, about 17 min on foot.
Route and map
Indicative route. While you walk, watch where you're going, mind the traffic and follow local signs and rules. The map is an aid, not a safety guide. Terms
Follow Mappu’s map: the route runs along the streets from stop to stop, and the stories keep playing as you walk.
Google Maps opens up to 5 stops at a time on a phone, so the route comes in parts: each part starts where the last one ends.
Stop 1
One of Japan’s first Buddhist temples, among the Seven Great Temples of Nara; its Gokuraku-dō, a National Treasure, holds the Chiko Mandala of the Pure Land.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Kōfuku-ji · about 0.9 km, about 11 min on foot
Stop 2
The Fujiwara family temple, rebuilt on this site in 710 and head temple of the Hossō school, with Shaka Nyorai in its Central Golden Hall.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Nara National Museum · about 0.8 km, about 11 min on foot
Stop 3
A museum of Buddhist art founded to protect Nara’s temple treasures, in a French Renaissance building of 1894; every autumn it holds the Shosoin Exhibition.
about 7 min of audio
Next stop: Tōdai-ji · about 1.3 km, about 17 min on foot
Stop 4
Emperor Shōmu’s temple, begun in 745, home of the Great Buddha of Nara in a hall rebuilt in 1709 that is still one of the world’s largest wooden buildings.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Nara Park · about 0.9 km, about 12 min on foot
Stop 5
One of Japan’s oldest parks, opened in 1880 and about 500 hectares, where more than 1,500 sika deer, national Natural Treasures, roam among the temples.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Kasuga-taisha · about 1.1 km, about 14 min on foot
Stop 6
The Fujiwara shrine founded in 768, whose god is said to have arrived on a white deer, with vermilion corridors and about 3,000 stone and hanging lanterns.
about 6 min of audio
The stop stories are AI-generated audio guides and can contain mistakes. Check opening hours and tickets on the official sites.
Planning a trip to Nara?
Get your plan
Mappu sketches your days free in the chat, no account needed. Then take the full plan with you:
- Weekend trip, €9.99: Your day-by-day plan plus 2 live walks
- Save your trip’s free guides on your phone in the Mappu app: they play with no signal
Before you go
- Check opening hours, tickets and access on each site’s official page before you go.
- Distances and times are estimates: the walking route between stops, from OpenStreetMap, at 4.5 km/h. Your route on the street may differ.
Plan more days in Nara
These day-by-day Mappu itineraries include Nara. The day links open the days that visit stops on this walk.
Useful for your visit
Tickets, tours and practical extras for this trip, from Mappu's partners.
- Nara Park: guided tourViator · Partner(opens the partner's site in a new tab)
- Nara Park and more: guided tourViator · Partner(opens the partner's site in a new tab)
Partner links (Airalo, Amazon, Booking.com, GetYourGuide, Klook, Tiqets, Trip.com, Viator, Welcome Pickups): if you book or buy through them, Mappu may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Route checked by Mappu on November 1, 2026. Stop descriptions come from each place’s published Mappu audio guide. Mappu is a Fenutech product.