Best Hot Spring Destinations
Kusatsu, Japan
Springs:
Kusatsu is the premier onsen destination in all of Honshu, and is one of the closest to Tokyo.
Its greatest spa facility is Ohtaki No Yu, whose spa features are triumphs in form and function. My favorite among them is a set of small baths with escalating temperature, the hottest of which would be unapproachable without progressively acclimating yourself in the other tubs. You won’t find anything quite like it anywhere else in the world.
There are also a handful of other world class hot spring facilities in Kusatsu, including the beautiful and immense open air baths at Sainokawara and the centrally-located Gozanoyu.
And of course the steaming fluorescent river and Yubatake, boiling away in the center of town, are quite the spectacle.
Activities:
Other activities include skiing (when in season) and karaoke, but little else. Fortunately Tokyo is right nearby, so you can pair a quiet and restful Kusatsu vacation with an action packed trip to Tokyo.
Food:
The food in Kusatsu is excellent. You’ll definitely want to dine (and perhaps lodge) at Kane Midori and lunch at Soba Wahei and Mikuniya Soba.
Budapest, Hungary
Springs:
If you want world-class hot springs without sacrificing an opportunity to visit a city loaded with history, museums, food, and bars, there is nowhere in the world that beats Budapest.
The single best hot spring in Budapest is Rudas, as it features an immaculate historical bath preserved from the Ottoman period (1550 a.d.) with a tiered (multi-compartment) sauna, and also features a spring-fed rooftop pool with a decent bar and views of the city across the Danube.
Coming in at close second is the famous Szechenyi, the enormous bath complex with diverse sauna, steam, and pool offerings. They also have laser light dance parties in the main large pools during the summer.
In third place we have Gellert, which is another exceptional bath that shouldn’t be missed. The Gellert baths are housed in a luxury hotel, and represent the most opulent hot spring option in Budapest. The facility features are not quite as diverse as those of its peers, but they certainly offer plenty to make for a perfectly gratifying spa experience
Activities:
The Museum of Fine Arts is a must, and is right next to Szechenyi. I also implore you to check out the Hospital In The Rock, which could be combined with Rudas or Gellert. The House of Terror is a gripping experience. And the ruin bars, especially Szimpla Kert, are super cool.
Food:
Please go dine at Rumour if it’s in the budget, as it is one of my top favorite restaurants in the entire world.
The pizzas at Pizzica, the soups and sandwiches at Bors Gastro Bar are all excellent.
Ischia, Italy
Springs:
Ischia is a volcanic island in the Bay of Naples, neighboring Capri, that is littered with hot springs.
There are two grand hot spring parks, the best of which is Poseidon. The park does not offer too much in the way diverse spa features, with most of its pools being in the lukewarm range. But it features an awesome natural hamam built into mountain cave, a wine bar, and its hot and cold Ludwig Kneipp pools are excellent. The price of entry gets you a free locker. The cafeteria is not cheap by Neapolitan standards, but is very good. Once you add in free tap water from the drinking fountain(s?) within the park, Poseidon becomes an extremely cost-effective way to spend a full day.
The second major hot spring park is Negombo. I expected Negombo to be fancier than Poseidon from its photos and price, but Poseidon proved to be the nicer of the two. The beach at Negombo is nicer than Poseidon’s, being one of the greenest and nicest beaches on the whole island. Negombo’s spa features are not as diverse or as hot/cold as Poseidon’s. There are no drinking fountains, so bring your own water and/or be prepared to pay for many small plastic bottles of it. There was also a lot more smoking at Negombo, but it was also significantly more crowded and local than Poseidon.
Ischia’s hot spring offerings don’t end there. You’ll absolutely want to check out Cavascura, possibly the most serene place on the entire island, with cheap and delicious orange juice and frozen lemonade (its spa features are limited but the mud body mask is a must). Take a bus to Spiaggia dei Maronti and it’s a short walk from there. If you come from the west, you will need to take a water taxi.
There are also the Fumarole Dei Maronti, which is a publicly-accessible beach with hot springs (and sand that you can bake in).
Activities:
The Castello Aragonese d’Ischia looks like Bruegel’s Tower of Babel. If that’s not reason enough to visit it you’re crazy, but it also has an ancient and storied history, includes a little torture museum, has lush orchards, and gives you a living model of a picture perfect impregnable island castle.
The Giardini la Mortella are the nicest gardens I’ve seen anywhere.
Go wine tasting at D’Ambra, Pietratorccia, and Perrazzo.
Take a day trip Capri or Procida. And definitely combine your trip to Ischia with a visit to Caserta for Martucci
Food:
I believe Pietratorcia is possibly the best restaurant on the island. Don’t miss the Canele alla Genovese. And be sure to tour the property. The views are incredible and the rabbit pit is a trip.
Ristorante Alberto is also not to be missed. It’s right next to the Port, which is the area I recommend staying in, but which is dominated tourist-grade merchants and food (from what little I got to see and taste). Alberto will not disappoint though. Definitely get the appetizer sampler. I also loved the sea urchin pasta.
Leukerbad, Switzerland
Springs:
This is a remote, Swisxpensive destination, but its principal facility, Leukerbad Therme, is perhaps the single greatest spa facility on the planet. And if your vision of a picturesque setting is green glens, alpine peaks, and fat cows, the views from the facility’s outdoor pools are unmatched.
Activities:
Leukerbad is an even quieter town than Kusatsu, and less exotic. The closest big city is Bern, but Lausanne, Lucerne are also close by.
A visit to Leukerbad can be paired with hiking the Matterhorn, skiing at Zermatt, or visits to Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, Interlaken, Geneva, or Zurich.
Food:
I have not been to Leukerbad in recent history and so don’t have any specific restaurants to offer, but I definitely recommend fondue and malakoffs while you’re in this part of the world.
Hakone, Japan
Springs:
The best day-use hot spring in Hakone is Tenzan Onsen. Its natural stone pools follow the cliff banks of the Sukumo River right up into the woods, achieving an ideal harmony of rustic nature and spa comfort.
You can also stay at a ryokan in Hakone that will have a hot spring-fed pool in your hotel room. This is recommended if you are traveling as a couple, as all day-use onsens in Japan are gender-segregated (and nude, fyi).
Activities:
The Odawara Castle is right outside of Hakone and is definitely worth a visit.
The souvenir shopping right outside of the Hakone train station is excellent. What would be an overpriced, vapid tourist trap experience virtually anywhere else in the world is instead adorably Japanese, and items are generally artisanal and well worth what is charged for them.
I hate modern art, but there is an Open Air Museum in Hakone featuring modern sculptures, and people seem to like it.
Food:
Les Bains de Lavey, Switzerland
Springs:
The setting of Les Bains de Lavey is gorgeous, and if you didn’t know about Leukerbad, you might not know any better. But once compared to its easterly neighbor, it doesn’t really stand out as iconic. But what it lacks in majesty it makes up for in convenience. Lavey-les-Bains is a short and easy train ride from Geneva (even closer to Lausanne), and its singular facility is comparable Leukerbad and Ohtaki No Yu, with some tricks of its own, such as a color therapy room, and yoga-like mats that enable you float at the surface, mostly submerged, while classical music is played underwater.
Activities:
Go to Geneva. Or Lausanne. Or at least the Chillon Castle at Montreux.
There are lots of wonderful vineyards to go wine tasting at around Geneva, and across the border into France.
Food:
As with Leukerbad, no specific recommendations in Lavey-les-Bains itself. The food is probably decent, but since the springs are such an easy day trip from, e.g., Geneva, you might just want to stay and take your significant meals there.
Calistoga, USA
Springs:
There are a handful of hotels in Calistoga that feature hot springs and spa facilities. Some of them offer day use passes. The only one I’ve experienced, and which I definitely recommend, is Indian Springs. It’s not cheap, none of the large, hot spring-fed outdoor pools get very hot, and there aren’t diverse spa facility offerings. But it is a phenomenal resort, and possibly the best place you could stay on a trip up to wine country.
The other options to consider are Calistoga Spa, Roman Spa, Dr. Wilkinson’s, or Golden Haven.
Activities:
Napa and Sonoma, period. Don’t miss Barnett Vineyards and Sinegal, my two favorite wineries, which are both very close to Calistoga. I also recommend making the trip over to Sonoma Coast to check out Square Peg and Kosta Browne.
Food:
Sam’s Social Club, the restaurant at Indian Springs, is lovely. Plan to eat there at least once; whenever it would be least convenient to have to leave the resort.
A short ways down the road, you can find Brasswood, which is really excellent.
Or if you’re headed to Yountville, Bottega is my favorite restaurant in all of Napa.
Gott’s Roadside is a hard option to beat for lunch.
Absent from this list:
Blue Lagoon, Iceland (never been)
Pamukkale, Turkey (loved it, but haven’t been in 30 years)
Kurokawa onsen, Gero onsen, and Kinosaki onsen, Japan (never been)
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