How to Spend 2-3 Perfect Days in Beppu: Japan’s Onsen Capital

When is the best time to visit Beppu?

Beppu is a coastal city known for its hot springs, so the best time to visit requires pleasant temperatures for both sightseeing and enjoying the local onsen (hot spring) culture.

So, the best months to visit Beppu are in the spring, during April and May, and in the autumn, between October and December. Many people also enjoy Beppu in winter, when the hot springs feel particularly cosy due to the lower temperatures.

How many days do you need to visit Beppu?

Despite being a decently sized, spread-out city, you can enjoy Beppu’s main sights in 1-2 days at a relaxed pace.

I really recommend visiting for at least 2 days to fully experience what Beppu has to offer, as well as taking a day trip outside the city.

How to get to Beppu

Beppu is located in Japan’s southernmost island, Kyushu, and easily reachable by train, bus, car, flight, and ferry.

I travelled to Beppu from Osaka by train – I took the Shinkansen towards Hakata, changing at Kokura Station onto a Limited Express train towards Oita. You can also easily reach Beppu by train or bus from Fukuoka City in 2-3 hours.

However, if you don’t want to spend daylight hours travelling to Beppu, there is also an overnight ferry connecting Beppu and Osaka! The Sunflower is a luxury ferry that feels more like a floating hotel, complete with shared baths and all! The overnight journey takes about 12 hours.

Beppu 2-3 Days Itinerary & Things to Do

A summary of your perfect 2-3 days in Beppu:

Day 1: Enjoy all the different ways in which the hot springs shape Beppu into the unique destination that it is! Visit Beppu’s impressive Hells, indulge in onsen-steamed cuisine that you can cook yourself (jigoku mushi), relax in an onsen, and taste some of the city’s local dishes.

Day 2: Admire Beppu from the summit of Mt. Tsurumi by riding the Beppu Ropeway, on your way to visiting the picturesque onsen town of Yufuin as a day trip.

Day 3: Explore more of Beppu city at a relaxed pace, or (my best recommendation) rent a car for the day and explore some of Kyushu’s beautiful natural sights – perfect if you visit during the spring blossom or autumn foliage seasons.

Day 1 – Hot springs and the highlights of Beppu

Morning: Beppu Jigoku (Hells of Beppu)

As Beppu’s main attraction, the Hells of Beppu are a collection of seven hot springs dotted around the city, and designated as a Place of Scenic Beauty in Japan.

The hot springs are far too hot for bathing, with temperatures ranging from 78ºC-150ºC (170ºF-300ºF!), so they can only be viewed from the outside. You can visit all the seven Hells on foot or by local bus in 3-4 hours at a leisurely pace, as most of the Hells are not very big.

You can buy a combined ticket for all the 7 Hells*, or individual tickets for each one at the door.

*Use my code “JESSVKLOOK” for 10% off your first purchase, or 3% off for existing customers

Each Hell is unique – some of them have vibrant blue or red water, while others contain boiling grey mud. One of the Hells even has a geyser which erupts every 30-40 minutes.

Some of the Hells also house activities, stalls, and shops, where you can taste the hot spring water or eat onsen eggs (eggs cooked in the hot spring water) and other steam-cooked treats.

I recommend starting at opening time (8 AM), at the largest and most popular “Sea Hell” (海地獄, Umi Jigoku), to avoid the crowds. I visited 5 out of the 7 Hells, as I personally chose to avoid both the “Crocodile Hell” and Shiraike Hell due to my own concerns about the wellbeing of the animals kept there.

Lunch: Cook your own steamed lunch (jigoku mushi)

Beppu’s hot springs fuel much of the city, from its Hells to onsen baths… and the food, too!

Jigoku Mushi Kobo is probably the most popular restaurant in Beppu for experiencing its traditional jigoku mushi (hell-steamed) cuisine. You pick your meal from the vending machine, lower it into the steamer yourself (the staff will help you doing so safely), and enjoy it once it’s cooked.

This won’t necessarily be the best meal you’ll have in Japan, but it is a fun way to immerse yourself and fully experience Beppu’s traditional cuisine!

Tip: As a very popular place for lunch in Beppu, queueing starts early and waiting times can be long. I recommend dropping by the restaurant around 11 AM (the restaurant is only a few minutes’ walk from some of the nearby Hells) for a ticket.

You can continue visiting some of the nearby Hells while waiting for your turn.

Alternatively, Hyotan Onsen (the next stop in this itinerary) also offers a traditional jigoku mushi (hell-steamed) lunch experience as part of the baths. You can make a reservation up to one week in advance.

Afternoon: Visit Japan’s only 3-Green-Michelin-Star Onsen

Hyotan Onsen is a tattoo-friendly day-use onsen with 100% free-flowing natural hot spring water baths. The onsen has been operating for over 100 years, and it’s the only onsen in Japan awarded with three Green Michelin Stars!

The onsen has large gender-separated shared baths, a sand bath, and steam rooms. Apart from the shared baths, you can also book private family baths and open-air baths with sauna (which are great if you are not used to Japanese onsen culture).

Hyotan Onsen is a coin-operated onsen – you can pay for your day-use ticket at the vending machine on arrival, starting from ¥1,160 (approx. USD 7.30 – all prices here).

The private family baths require booking up to one week in advance by phone (contact info here) and the private open-air baths can only be reserved in-person. Prices start from ¥2,400 (approx. USD 15) for one hour.

Opening times: Open every day from 9 AM to 12 AM.

(Optional): See Beppu from above at Beppu Tower

Depending on how much time you have left of the day (and the time of year of your visit), you may be able to get a 360-degree view of Beppu from Beppu Tower’s Observatory Deck around sunset.

Beppu Tower was built in 1957, designed by Tachyu Naito (who also designed Tokyo Tower and Osaka’s Tsutenkaku Tower). From the Observation Deck, you can admire both Beppu City and the Bay, as well as the surrounding mountains and the steam from the hot springs in the distance.

Beppu Tower tickets* for the Observation Deck cost ¥800 (approx. USD 5) for adults. You can also combine your visit with the Beppu Art Museum for ¥1,300 (approx. USD 8).

Opening times: Open year-round from 9:30 AM to 9:30 PM

*Use my code “JESSVKLOOK” for 10% off your first purchase, or 3% off for existing customers

Dinner: Taste Local Food from Beppu

Of course, if you are staying at a ryokan that offers a plentiful kaiseki dinner with local ingredients, you should definitely take advantage of this!

However, if you need to head out for dinner, this is a great chance to explore the restaurant scene in the city centre and taste some of Beppu’s traditional foods.

Check out my Beppu local food guide for a full list of traditional foods to try, and where to try them!

Day 2 – Beppu Ropeway and Yufuin Day Trip

Morning: Ride the Beppu Ropeway to the summit of Mt. Tsurumi

The Beppu Ropeway is a popular 10-minute cable car ride that takes visitors near the summit of Mount Tsurumi. At the top, there’s a park with various observation decks with panoramic views overlooking Beppu, Oita City, and Mount Yufu.

It’s especially popular during spring, when the cherry blossoms cover the mountain in beautiful shades of pink.

To reach the cable car’s lower station, take Bus 36 from Beppu Station to the Beppu Ropeway stop. The bus journey takes about 20 minutes, and most people spend between 1.5-2 hours riding the cable car and walking the observation deck trails at the top.

Tip: Unfortunately, if the weather is rainy or cloudy, visibility drops and it may not be worth the visit.

However, since the lower station of the Beppu Ropeway is along the same road connecting Beppu and Yufuin, you can postpone your visit to later in the day once you return, if the weather forecast is better then.

Opening times: 9 AM – 5:30 PM daily (9 AM – 5 PM between November 15 and March 14).
Entry fee: 1,800 THB round-trip (cash-only).

Lunch and Afternoon: Yufuin Day Trip

After (hopefully) taking in the views from the top of the Beppu Ropeway, you can hop back onto Bus 36 towards Yufuin.

Yufuin is a small and picturesque hot spring town sitting at the foot of Mount Yufu. Since the town’s main attractions, small cafes, and souvenir shops are mostly located along the main street, it’s very easy to stroll around and soak in its charming atmosphere.

I recommend stopping by Gen Ekimae ten (蕎麦 玄 駅前店) for a sushi set or a delicious serving of local Oita beef, just around the corner from the bus station. I had lunch there and it was not busy at all, whereas the upstairs restaurant had a long queue outside.

Make sure to wander through Yufuin’s Floral Village – a small Ghibli-esque attraction inspired by the Cotswolds, in England. I must admit that I was slightly disappointed when I visited, because I didn’t expect it to be so tiny (it really is just a small alley lined with little touristy shops), but it’s still pretty and fun to walk through.

There are many souvenir shops around selling local snacks and quirky trinkets, as well as cute cafes like the Miffy Cafe and the Snoopy Cafe.

My favourite part of Yufuin was wandering around Lake Kinrin, at the end of the town, and stopping by the picturesque Tenso shrine. When I visited, during Autumn, the atmosphere was very peaceful and the foliage looked particularly beautiful around the gardens and the lake.

Evening: Dinner in Beppu

Once again, you should take the opportunity to taste more of Beppu’s local dishes. Between a delicious bowl of ryukyu or a plate of toriten, make sure to explore among the many restaurants in the city!

Check out my Beppu local food guide for a full list of traditional foods to try, and where to try them!

Day 3 – Beppu Exploring OR Kyushu Driving Day Trip

Option 1: Relaxed Exploring in Beppu

With more than 2 days in Beppu, you may choose to explore the city with a bit more ease and take in all the things that make it special. Here are a few things you can do:

• Relax again in one of the many onsen scattered around the city – I recommend visiting Myoban Yunosato, Beppu’s highest-elevation onsen. It’s tattoo-friendly and unique for its traditional thatched-roof structures (Yunohana Huts) used for the production of natural bath salts;

• Visit the Jigoku Onsen Museum, to learn more about onsen as a natural phenomena;

• Admire the view over Beppu from Kifune Castle;

• Visit the Beppu Art Museum, located in Beppu Tower;

• Learn about the traditional craft of bamboo weaving at the Beppu City Traditional Bamboo Crafts Center – you can even join a bamboo craft workshop (advance booking required);

Option 2 (best option): Rent a Car and Explore Kyushu

If you can rent a car, my best recommendation would be to take the day to drive around Kyushu and explore some of its beautiful sights. It can be a long day’ driving’s drive, depending on how far you explore, but I promise you won’t regret it!

I did this and had the chance to drive through Kyushu’s mountains dressed in colourful Autumn foliage, visit the beautiful Takachiho Gorge, and even step inside Ama-no-Iwato Shrine in Miyazaki – a shrine located inside a sacred cave.

I rented a car in Beppu from Toyota Rent-a-Car and I highly recommend them! Book your rental car here.

Note: Please make sure you have a valid IDP to rent a car in Japan.

Visiting Beppu, Japan: FAQ

Last thoughts

If visiting Beppu is on your Japan bucket list, I hope my guide helps you plan your journey and make the most of your time! With 2-3 days to spend in Beppu, you’ll be able to fully enjoy this part of Japan, and get a taste for the beauty of the island of Kyushu.

Feel free to write any questions you may have in the comments – I’ll do my best to help.

Visiting soon? Check out my Japan guides:

• Sleeping with a Tokyo Tower View: Park Hotel Tokyo Review

• How to Visit Okuōikojō Station: Japan’s Most Beautiful Remote Train Station

• Tokyo Food Guide: 15 Local Must-Try Foods in Tokyo, Japan

• Kyoto Food Guide: 18 Best Local Foods to Try in Kyoto, Japan

• Nara Food Guide: 9 Best Local Foods to Try in Nara, Japan