Beppu Without a Car: Walk, Ride the Train, or Take the Bus?

You can see a lot of Beppu without renting a car, but it helps to stop treating Beppu Station as the answer to every trip. The city centre is easy on foot. Kamegawa has its own JR station. Kannawa and Myoban are bus country, while hillside inns may depend on a scheduled shuttle. Choose the transport mode for each leg, and check how you will get back before you leave the centre.

Beppu’s eight hot-spring districts—Beppu, Hamawaki, Kankaiji, Horita, Myoban, Kannawa, Shibaseki and Kamegawa—are spread across the city rather than arranged around one walkable core. If you are deciding whether to make Beppu an overnight stop, our day trip or overnight guide helps with the time question.

Keep the city centre on foot

Around Beppu Station, Kitahama and Takegawara Onsen, walking is often the simplest plan. Baths, restaurants and shops are close enough that you can change course if a bath is closed, crowded or no longer sounds appealing. You are not committed to catching a particular bus after every stop.

For a short visit, pick one or two baths in the same area rather than crossing town to collect more stops. The first-visit guide to municipal baths explains what to expect at local public baths.

Use JR for the places it actually serves

Kamegawa is a good example. If your destination is near Kamegawa Station—or your next leg continues north along the Nippo Main Line—taking JR can be more direct than returning to Beppu Station to board a bus. Trains will not take you straight to most hillside hot-spring areas, though. Think of JR as the useful link along the coast, not a replacement for local buses.

The bus is the main link to Kannawa and Myoban

Beppu Station’s west side is an important starting point for buses toward Kannawa, Umi Jigoku and Myoban. You do not need to memorize every route number. Know the stop closest to your bath or hotel, the last admission time, and which return service you can still catch.

For Kannawa, Kamenoi Bus’s current fare table lists about ¥390 from Beppu Station West Exit to Kannawa. Route 2 has departures roughly half-hourly through much of the day, but the first and last buses vary by date and direction. Check the current bus timetable and fare table before you leave. For two adults travelling there and back once, budget around ¥1,560 at that fare; Myoban and other stops cost differently.

As a planning reference, the source timetable shows the West Exit–Kannawa ride taking about 27–29 minutes. Its Route 2 examples include departures around 8:05, 9:05 and 10:05 in the morning, then 4:05, 5:05, 6:05, 7:10, 8:30 and 9:30 pm. The source describes daytime service as roughly half-hourly, but those example times are not a full timetable; confirm the date, direction and stop on the operator’s live schedule.

Once you reach Kannawa, stay in the area long enough to make the ride worthwhile. You can walk among the Hells, try a steam-cooking lunch, then visit an onsen. Kannawa Bus Center is also a useful transfer point for buses to other parts of Beppu, so you may not need to return to the station between districts.

Think of the network in five pieces: walk around central Beppu; use JR for Kamegawa and the coastal rail line; take a station-area bus to the hill districts; transfer at Kannawa for Myoban or Shibaseki; and use a property shuttle for hillside accommodation when one is offered. For a Kannawa-and-Myoban day, start with the stop that has the earlier last admission or fewer return buses, then move to the more flexible one. That avoids riding back through the station just to change districts.

Build around the least flexible leg

If you plan to combine Kannawa and Myoban, check the connection between them before deciding the order. A route that looks close on a map can be awkward when buses are infrequent. Put the bath with the earlier last admission or fewer return options first, then leave the more flexible stop for later.

The same goes for hillside accommodation. Horita and Kankaiji may not look far from central Beppu, but the slope, luggage and final walk matter. Ask the property whether its shuttle needs advance booking, where it collects guests, and what time the last pickup runs. Beppu Showaen, for example, lists complimentary pickup from Beppu Station from 2–5 pm and drop-off from 9–11 am for overnight guests. A late train may fall outside that window.

Luggage changes the route

Dragging a large case through a bus transfer or up a steep road is often the hardest part of a car-free Beppu trip. If your room is near the station, leave luggage there before heading out. For a Kannawa stay, ask about storing or delivering bags before visiting the Hells. A hillside inn’s shuttle can be more useful than its straight-line distance suggests; confirm capacity and luggage space rather than assuming.

How much buffer should you leave?

Walking is forgiving. JR is usually straightforward, though you still need the day’s timetable. A major tourist bus route gives you options, but a missed departure can eat into an afternoon. A low-frequency hillside bus or one scheduled hotel pickup leaves much less room for improvisation.

That does not mean skipping Myoban or a hillside inn. It means checking the return leg before setting off. If your bath visit has a fixed last admission, work backward from that time and leave room for a slow bus, a queue or a wet-weather delay. On the final day, build in enough margin to make your train or flight without relying on the very last connection.

Do you need a bus pass?

List the rides you actually plan to take, then compare their fares with the current pass rules and price. One round trip between Beppu Station and Kannawa may not justify a pass. Several cross-district rides could. Avoid adding extra stops just to make a pass feel worthwhile.

Before heading out

Confirm the nearest real bus stop or JR station, the final stretch to the entrance, the bath’s last admission, the return service, and a backup if you miss it. Put your bags somewhere sensible. That small bit of planning makes a car-free onsen day much less fragile.

If you want an easy overnight itinerary linking Kannawa and another hot-spring area, see One Night in Beppu: Three Springs, No Rush.

For a hillside stay, a scheduled hotel transfer may be the only sensible alternative to a steep walk with bags. Beppu Showaen’s overnight shuttle, for example, picks up at the station from 2–5 pm and drops guests off from 9–11 am. Check whether your booking requires advance notice, the exact pickup point and luggage capacity; the service is not a general city shuttle.

Sources

• Beppu City, Beppu’s hot-spring districts and municipal information
• Beppu Tourism, official visitor information
• Kamenoi Bus, timetables and route information and fare table effective March 14, 2026
• Beppu Showaen, complimentary shuttle and access
• Images: Kamenoi Bus at Beppu Station, Wikimedia Commons. See the file page for photographer and licence details.

Tags: Beppu without a car, Beppu bus guide, Kannawa, Myoban, Kyushu onsen travel