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Hiroshima-Himeji-Nara 1 day 2016/7/5 20:54
Hello, I need some help with my itinerary..
I was thinking to visit Himeji Castle and Nara in the same day.
I will depart Hiroshima very early in the morning to be at Himeji Castle at it's opening hour (09:00) and then around 12 catch a JR covered train to Nara.
If necessary I can spend the.night in Nara and in the morning I should have time to finish my Nara- itinerary before going to Kyoto for 3 full days and a morning prior to leaving for Koyasan.
How does this sound?
My other options are:
1. After Himeji go to.Kyoto and visit Nara as a half-day trip (1 of the 3 full days mentioned above)
2. After Himeji go to Kyoto. After 3 days in Kyoto go to Koyasan. 1 night there. In the morning go to Nara and in the afternoon go to Osaka. 1 night there.
In the.morning - flight home

I suppose going from Himeji straight to Koyasan will be a stretch.

Please advise

Thank you!

by altaica  

Re: Hiroshima-Himeji-Nara 1 day 2016/7/6 09:55
Himeji actually opens at 8.30, I think. If you want to go inside the castle, I'd suggest arriving even earlier to line up as it's very popular since the renovation.

Provided you are in the first group to enter the castle, you should be able to leave Himeji around 12. I've heard it's not worth going inside though, so maybe keep your arriving time of 9 and just view the exterior. The garden next door is also worth a visit.

Nara can be done in half a day if you know where you want to go. The JR station is further from the attractions than the Kintetsu station.

Any of your options would work, it's totally up to you!
by sq (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Hiroshima-Himeji-Nara 1 day 2016/7/6 12:33
I would do either the original plan or option 2.
There is not much difference in time saving between all of them. Just that option 1 uses Kyoto time for Nara which is against my book. Though, if you really dislike Kyoto and want to leave it there are other places in the vicinity like Kobe, Uji etc

In my book; you should prioritie based on
Kyoto
Hiroshima
Koya San
Nara
Osaka
That said, Koya san does not need more than an overnight and a few daylight hours.
by jh (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Hiroshima-Himeji-Nara 1 day 2016/7/6 12:40
I suppose going from Himeji straight to Koyasan will be a stretch.

I don't think so. It will take about 3 hrs fom Himeji to Koyasan.

http://goo.gl/HXyozU

Himeji to Nara, 2 hrs.

http://goo.gl/kP5tS1

Nara to Kyoto, 1 hr.

http://goo.gl/pw3hpO

Kyoto to Koyasan, about 3 hrs.

http://goo.gl/NvhHHh

Koyasan to Nara, 2.5 hrs.

http://goo.gl/3Pg4Vi

Himeji-Nara-Kyoto-Koyasan-Kyoto

2+1+3+3=9hrs.

Himeji-Koyasan-Nara-Kyoto

3+2+1=6hrs.

This is very rough estimate, but in general, if you intend to visit Himeji, Nara, Koyasan and end-up in Kyoto, you should not do Kyoto-Koyasan-Kyoto route.
by frog1954 rate this post as useful

Re: Hiroshima-Himeji-Nara 1 day 2016/7/6 17:55
No problems with visiting Himeji during working days. Weekends and holidays attract crowds but from Monday to Thursday at least you shouldn't wait to enter.
by agspb (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Hiroshima-Himeji-Nara 1 day 2016/7/6 19:19
I went to Himeji last week, I got there just after lunch and it was quiet. No queues to get inside the castle and to be perfectly honest there isn't much to see when you get inside. It is pretty dark and most rooms are empty. There are a lot of steep stairs with some low beams so watch your head! When you walk to the castle if you turn right after crossing the main road there is a small shrine about 100 metres along the road. It was empty and worth stopping in to take some photos. 200M past the shrine is a viewing point for some long views of the castle. That was deserted too as most people just went straight over the bridge and into the castle grounds. Two or three hours is all you need here.
by NineEleven rate this post as useful

Re: Hiroshima-Himeji-Nara 1 day 2016/7/6 19:30
http://sohsha.jp/

Harimakokusoja?
by hakata14 rate this post as useful

Re: Hiroshima-Himeji-Nara 1 day 2016/7/7 21:37
Thank you all for your responses!!
I'm gonna visit Himeji and Nara in one day..and in the evening I'll go to Kyoto.

Happy Travels!
by altaica rate this post as useful

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