Where to Stay in Nara

Good for

• Couples
• Architecture lovers
• Luxury travelers

Couples who want a quiet, design-conscious stay inside Naramachi's old machiya streets rather than a standard hotel room.

Why we like it

• Set inside a restored former sake brewery, with much of the original wooden structure kept intact
• Right in Naramachi, an easy walk to its old streets, cafés, and craft shops
• Only a handful of rooms, each built around the building's original layout and courtyards
• A quieter, more residential feel than staying near Nara Park's main gates

What to know

• Very few rooms, so it books out well in advance, especially on weekends
• Being an old building converted for hotel use, some rooms are reached via stairs with no elevator

Good for

• Budget travelers
• First-time visitors

Travelers who want an affordable, traditional ryokan stay steps from both Nara Park and Naramachi's old streets, rather than a Western-style hotel room.

Why we like it

• Sits directly on Sarusawa Pond, right where Nara Park meets Naramachi's old streets — an easy walk to both
• Traditional tatami-mat rooms with futon bedding, and a handful of rooms with private pond-view baths
• A noticeably lower price point than the area's other recommended hotels
• Small and family-run, with a more personal feel than a standard hotel

What to know

• Traditional ryokan-style rooms — futons on tatami mats rather than Western beds, which won't suit every traveler
• Only around two dozen rooms, so it can book out early during cherry blossom and autumn foliage season