Most people just spend one day in Beppu as a day trip from Fukuoka. While I think that’s totally fine and you can definitely do a lot in a day, Beppu far exceeded all my expectations and I was really glad to have 2 full days in the city.
Beppu is an onsen town in the Oita Prefecture in Kyushu. It’s famous for its nutrient rich water and it actually produces the most hot spring water of any onsen town in the whole of Japan!
If you’re spending time in Kyushu or even just have an extra day or two in Fukuoka, there are so many things to do in Beppu that I really think it’s worth a visit and I’ll share why in this Beppu travel guide.
Steam rising over Beppu town
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How to get to Beppu
Beppu doesn’t have an airport, the nearest is Oita airport for domestic flights. But most people fly into Fukuoka on a trip to Kyushu and include Beppu in their Kyushu itinerary.
We hired a car for our Kyushu road trip and I’d definitely say that’s the best option for exploring.
But there is also a train from Fukuoka Hakata station to Beppu hourly which takes around 2 hours and does make it possible to do a day trip to Beppu from Fukuoka.
Where to stay in Beppu, Japan
I’ve got to put this at the top because our Beppu hotel was my favourite hotel of our whole Kyushu road trip – it exceeded all expectations for such an affordable price!
This hotel is in an incredible location in the centre of Beppu, parking for our rental car was over the road, it has a traditional onsen on the top floor, a heated pool and jacuzzi on the rooftop, 1000 yen all-you-can-drink every evening in the lobby, breakfast included and beautiful, modern rooms.
We tend to book our accommodation pretty on-the-fly and I’m not sure how we lucked out with this one but we definitely did and I highly recommend it!
Note: there is a sister hotel next door called AMANEK Inn, we did not stay here and I can’t vouch for this hotel but it is slightly cheaper than the main hotel.
AMANEK BEPPU YULA-RE Beppu Hotel Room
Rooftop pool
Lobby
How many days in Beppu?
It is very easy to do a day trip to Beppu from Fukuoka using the train route I mentioned above, but I do think one day in Beppu isn’t enough.
Don’t get me wrong, if you only have a day then you can definitely see the Hells of Beppu and maybe fit in a day use onsen too, but Beppu exceeded my expectations (even with the awful rain we had while we were there as we visited during rainy season!)
So I’d recommend at least 2 days in Beppu.
We arrived in the evening and then had 3 nights and 2 full days in Beppu before leaving early on the 3rd day to visit Yufuin on our way back to Fukuoka.
Beppu itinerary: how to spend 2 days in Beppu
Day 1 in Beppu
Hells of Beppu
Of course one of the best things to do in Beppu is the city’s most famous attraction!
The Hells of Beppu are 7 thermal hot spring pools, many of them vivid colours like bright turquoise or vivid red due to the mineral content in them. They are not hot springs you can swim in, most of their temperatures are around boiling temperature so you can only view them from designated viewing areas.
The main attraction entrance is located here on Google Maps, in the hills just above the town.
This is the main area that I’d suggest going to as this is where 5 of the Beppu Hells are located. The other two are an 8 minute drive from this main area (or a 40 minute walk).
I’d only recommend going to see the other two Hells if you have a car as the walk between them is on busy main roads and up a mountainous road that’s a bit steep.
Tickets cost 2,400 yen and grant entry to all 7 Hells and are valid for 2 days so you can visit the sites across 2 days if that’s easier.
At the main site you’ll find the vivid turquoise Umi Jigoku with steam rising from it and the iconic red torii gate next to it. There’s also Oniishi Bozu Jigoku which is bubbling hot mud, Kamado Jigoku which is bright blue, Oniyama Jigoku which also has a crocodile zoo onsite (it’s a bit odd…) and Shiraike Jigoku which is bright green.
This area is quite large and the entrances to all of these are dotted around on either side of the main car park area.
Look out for the Hells leaflets which have a stamp for each Hell for you to collect!
You’ll also find foot baths and steamed food stalls where the food is actually cooked over the steam from the hells - definitely a unique experience! We had a meat bun and hard boiled eggs.
The other two hells which are further away are:
Chinoike Jigoku: a bright orange/red colour
Tatsumaki Jigoku: a geyser which erupts every 30 minutes
These two are next door to each other. You can find the parking at the Chinoike Jigoku entrance here.
The Tatsumaki Jigoku has outdoor covered seating for you to sit and wait for the next geyser eruption.
Hells of Beppu
Hells of Beppu
Eat Jigoku Mushi
I’ve already mentioned steamed food and steaming food over the prevalent hot steam is a specialty in Beppu which you have to try.
The Beppu steamed cuisine is called Jigoku Mushi and there are several restaurants that offer this, some to check out include Jigokumushikobo Kannawa (the most famous one), Okamotoya Cafeteria for the famous onsen pudding, Otto e Sette Oita for a more elevated experience. Or there’s pop up stands like the one inside Beppu Hells which offers geothermal cooking of buns and eggs.
Typical steamed food includes vegetables, meat buns, eggs and Jigokumushikobo Kannawa offers variety baskets for you to try them all - it also makes for a great photo op!
Jigoku Mushi steamed food
Kifune Castle
Not far from the 2 Hells that are further out, this is an easy place to add to your Beppu itinerary if you’re already in the hills.
This is a very small castle by Japan’s standards but we were really excited to see it because in our whole 2 weeks in Kyushu we’d not really seen any of the traditional Japanese style castles anyway!
This one costs 300 yen to visit and it is beautiful from the outside but the panoramic view of Beppu is the biggest selling point - you can see the entire city and the coastline from here.
There’s also a famous white snake inside and a preserved one that’s over 50 years old - fair warning if you have a fear of snakes!
There is a small tour with admission and some translated boards but otherwise translation is a bit limited.
Yukemuri Observation Deck
I’d say this is the best viewpoint of Beppu.
Not only is it free, it’s just a short drive from Chinoike and Tatsumaki Jigoku so you can easily combine the two and it also gives you the best perspective of just how many steam vents there are in this onsen city.
Looking out at the city panorama from this viewpoint, you will see hundreds of steam clouds spiralling into the air from all the steam vents, houses and thermal springs around the city.
Walking around the city you do see steam coming out of manhole covers or drains but to see this view of just how much thermal activity there is in the city - it really does show you that this is Japan’s most active onsen town.
Beppu Brewery
Remember the hotel we stayed in that I said was in a great location? Beppu Brewery is a 3 minute walk from the hotel.
If you’ve read my guides before, you’ll know I’m a huge fan of craft breweries wherever I’m travelling because I love craft beer, it means you’re supporting a local brewery and we always meet great people in breweries.
We had great beers and great food here and it’s all made in house.
I highly recommend if you’re looking for ideas of where to eat in Beppu.
Beppu Brewery
Day 2 in Beppu
Beppu Tower
We started the next day with a walk along the main road along the waterfront and seeing Beppu Tower.
The tower is 100m tall and has an observation deck which costs 800 yen to go up and enjoy the view.
Beppu Tower
Mochigahama Seaside Park
This is basically a beach and recreation area and unfortunately we had awful weather during our visit to Beppu because the rainy season came a bit early! So we didn’t have any nice time to enjoy the beach and it was grey and rainy the whole time boo!
But if you’re wanting some beach time, this spot is beautiful and from the pictures I’ve seen of it in the sunshine - it’s well worth a visit if you’re lucky enough to have great weather!
Beppu Ropeway (only if the weather is good)
We planned to do this but a local and a tourist that we happened to meet (the the Beppu Brewery) told us that it wasn’t really worth it if the weather was bad.
Apparently the views from the top are amazing but there’s not really anything else to do up there, so if it’s rainy or low cloud then it’s not worth doing.
So ultimately we decided not to go up the Beppu ropeway because of the torrential weather we had on our visit. But if you do decide to go up, the ropeway cable car takes you up Mount Tsurumi with amazing views of the city and hills (see the photos online because I again have no evidence of this ha!)
There are also hiking trails on Mount Tsurumi when you get to the top which is a great way to mix city with nature activities.
The cable car runs all year round but the timings vary depending on the time of year and hours of darkness so make sure to check the last cable car time.
Adult return fare tickets are 1,800 yen or 1,200 for a one-way fare.
Go to a day use onsen
A day use onsen in Beppu was my FAVOURITE thing we did in Beppu!
Obviously you have to go to an onsen while you’re in Beppu and maybe that’s an onsen at your hotel or a public onsen, but I was most excited about a private day use onsen.
These are gorgeous, private onsen rooms where you can pick your room, pay for the duration and have a beautiful private space to enjoy either alone or with your travel partner.
Personally, this was great for us because most public onsens in Japan are separated by gender, so private onsens mean my husband and I can experience an onsen in Beppu together and also my husband has tattoos which are often banned in public onsens so this option was great for that reason too!
We booked at Sakura-yu which was incredible but there are dozens of day onsens like this in Beppu to choose from - just search in Google Maps for “day onsen.”
At Sakura-yu, there are multiple rooms and you get to choose one from those that are available. Prices vary depending on the size and style that you pick but we paid 3,000 yen for room 16 for 90 minutes. This is a traditional room with a stone bath and flooring and most rooms have a large doorway which you can open up to the trees outside - with complete privacy.
Sakura-yu wasn’t busy at all when we visited on a weekday in June, we could pick from almost any of their 20 onsen rooms and they have a shop and cafe onsite. Oh and their general manager is a cat named Kancho who you might see roaming around!
A private onsen room
Beppu Yasaka Street
This area of the city is again very close to the hotel and it’s full of izakayas and other small bars and restaurants to choose from for dinner.
It’s also a great spot for drinks either before or after you eat and it definitely gets a bit lively in the evening if you’re looking for that!
Beppu Gyoza Obono
We ate here on our second night and it was a popular spot with locals and has traditional floor seating as well as booths.
They offer small plates so we ordered a variety including edamame, karaage chicken, rice, steamed vegetables and the highlight: gyoza fondue- literally a melted bowl of cheese over a flame to dip your gyoza in!
Gyoza fondue
Summary: best things to do in Beppu, Japan
Beppu was a surprise in the best way possible on our trip to Kyushu and I’m so so glad that we did it as a 2 night stay, rather than just a day trip from Fukuoka because there’s so many amazing things to do in Beppu that I think warrants a longer stay.
And although this is obviously an amazing onsen town with so many experiences related to its position as a thermal spring town, there’s also lots of other things going on here too that make this a worthwhile stop on your Japan itinerary.
