Yufuin and Beppu Onsen 2-Day Trip: Yufuin no Mori Tickets, Beppu Hells Tour and Transport

Yufuin and Beppu are Kyushu's two most famous onsen towns. They are only about 10 km apart, which makes them a natural 2-day, 1-night trip. This guide tells you how to book Yufuin no Mori, how it is running in 2026, how to see Yufuin, the Beppu Hells combo ticket price and transport, and gives you an itinerary you can follow.

How to plan a 2-day, 1-night Yufuin and Beppu itinerary

The answer is "Yufuin first, Beppu second": Yufuin suits a night at an onsen inn and morning mist on Lake Kinrin, while the Beppu Hells are open in the daytime, so seeing them on day two and then returning to Fukuoka or heading to Oita Airport fits well.

If you have more time, stay another night in Beppu and add the steam cooking at Kannawa Onsen or Myoban Onsen. To choose transport tickets from Fukuoka, see the Kyushu transport guide.

How to book Yufuin no Mori, and 2026 operations

The limited express Yufuin no Mori is one of JR Kyushu's D&S (Design & Story) sightseeing trains, running from Hakata via Kurume and Hita to Yufuin, with some trains extending to Oita and Beppu. According to the JR Kyushu website^[1]:

• All reserved seating: you cannot buy a seat on board, so you must reserve in advance.
• Sale start: 10:00 a.m. one month before the travel date.
• Trains: 3 round trips a day (down trains 1, 3 and 5; up trains 2, 4 and 6), of which trains 3 and 4 run to Beppu.
• Journey time: Hakata to Yufuin about 2 hours 10-20 minutes; train 3 from Hakata to Beppu about 3 hours 20 minutes.
• Operating calendar: the official site publishes the calendar and notes that it may change; trains will continue to run after December 2026, with exact dates said to be announced around mid-October.

Timetables were adjusted in summer 2026: is it back to normal?

In summer 2026 Yufuin no Mori operations were adjusted because of a vehicle fault, and JR Kyushu announced on August 18^[2] that from September 19, trains 1-6 return to normal operation (trains 3 and 4 return to their original train sets), and from October 1 onward they also run normally, but there will be suspension days for regular vehicle inspection, so check the operating calendar for details. The official site also explains that if Yufuin no Mori is suspended, the limited express Yufu runs in its time slot instead, but there is no on-board sales service^[1].

What to see in Yufuin: Lake Kinrin and Yunotsubo Street

Yufuin Onsen lies at the foot of Mt. Yufu, and the Kyushu Tourism Organization describes it as "a hot spring resort town that is perfect for strolling", with shops, cafes and galleries along its streets and many inns also open for day-use baths (higaeri nyuyoku)^[3].

Lake Kinrin (Kinrinko)

Lake Kinrin is at the end of the main street, about 1.5 km from Yufuin Station^[3], a 20-30 minute walk. A path circles the lake, with cafes, small shops and a shrine around it. Yufuin is known for morning mist over the valley and lake, which mostly appears on cold autumn and winter mornings, so staying in Yufuin and going to the lake early the next morning gives you the best chance of seeing it.

Yunotsubo Street (Yunotsubo Kaido)

Yunotsubo Street is the road from Yufuin Station toward Lake Kinrin, lined with shops selling sundries, sweets, croquettes and other snacks, and it is the liveliest stretch of Yufuin. It is busiest from early afternoon to evening, so for photos go in the morning or at dusk.

Public baths in Yufuin

Besides your inn, the Yufuin Onsen Tourist Association also lists public onsen facilities such as Yunotsubo Onsen and Otomaru Onsenkan^[4]; check the association's page or the notices on site for prices and opening hours. For bathing etiquette (wash before entering, keep towels out of the bath and so on), see Japan travel etiquette.

How to get from Yufuin to Beppu

There are three common ways to travel between Yufuin and Beppu:

1. Route bus: Kamenoi Bus route 36 and the sightseeing express bus "Yufurin" link the front of Yufuin Station with Beppu Station, and can be boarded at the Yufuin Station bus center; check the Kamenoi Bus website for timetables.
2. Double-decker sightseeing bus: the Yufuin Onsen Tourist Association announced that Kamenoi Bus will run an open-top double-decker sightseeing bus between Yufuin and Beppu from October 7 to December 13, 2026, about 65 minutes one way, with advance reservation required^[4].
3. JR: take Yufuin no Mori train 3 direct to Beppu, or take the Kyudai Main Line to Oita and change to the Nippo Main Line.

Beppu Hells tour: combo ticket price and route

The "Jigoku Meguri" (Hells tour) takes in seven natural hot-spring vents and source pools in Beppu, each with a different color and character. Their temperatures are too high to bathe in, so in the old days they were called "hells". The seven Hells are Umi Jigoku (Sea Hell), Chinoike Jigoku (Blood Pond Hell), Tatsumaki Jigoku (Geyser Hell), Shiraike Jigoku (White Pond Hell), Oniishibozu Jigoku, Oniyama Jigoku and Kamado Jigoku, of which Umi, Chinoike, Tatsumaki and Shiraike are designated as nationally designated places of scenic beauty^[7].

How much is the Beppu Hells combo ticket?

According to the Beppu Jigoku Association's official site^[5], combo ticket prices from February 1, 2025 are as follows:

• Opening hours: 8:00-17:00, open all year.
• How to use: buy it at the ticket office of any Hell; it lets you visit each of the seven Hells once.
• Validity: the day of purchase and the following day, 2 days in total, so you can split it over two days.
• The official site does not list single-Hell admission prices on this page, so if you only want to see one or two Hells, check on site.

Order of visits and transport

The official site explains that the five Hells around Umi Jigoku in the Kannawa area can be visited on foot, while Chinoike Jigoku and Tatsumaki Jigoku are about 3 km away, so a car or bus is recommended^[6].

1. Get to Kannawa: from the west exit of JR Beppu Station, take Kamenoi Bus route 2, 5, 24 or 41 toward Kannawa, about 20 minutes, and get off at "Umi Jigoku-mae" or "Kannawa".
2. Walk the five Hells: Umi Jigoku, Oniishibozu Jigoku, Kamado Jigoku, Oniyama Jigoku and Shiraike Jigoku.
3. Move to the Shibaishi area: from Kannawa take bus 16 to "Chinoike Jigoku-mae" and visit Chinoike Jigoku and the neighboring Tatsumaki Jigoku (Tatsumaki Jigoku is a geyser that erupts at intervals; check the posted times on site).
4. Return: the nearest station to Chinoike Jigoku is JR Kamegawa Station; take a bus to Kamegawa Station and then JR back to Beppu or Oita.

Kyushu onsen lodging and pre-trip tips

• Lodging: Yufuin has mostly small onsen inns with few rooms, so book early for peak seasons (autumn foliage, year-end). For autumn leaf trips see Japan autumn leaves 2026.
• Luggage: space for large luggage on Yufuin no Mori and buses is limited, so use delivery services to send your bags directly to your next hotel; see Japan luggage delivery.
• Meals: before leaving Fukuoka, enjoy a round of Fukuoka food; dinner in Yufuin is usually included in the inn plan.
• Weather: in autumn and winter Yufuin has a large temperature swing between morning and night, so bring an extra layer for the early morning mist.
• For more on Kyushu, see the Kyushu travel overview.