Soak in a hot spring

Soaking in a hot spring means sitting in water heated naturally underground, from a Japanese onsen to a warm river in an Icelandic valley. It's one of the oldest pleasures of travel, cheap or free in many places, and the right end to a day of walking or skiing.

Where to do it

Beppu, Japan

A whole town of steam on Kyushu, with public baths, sand baths where you're buried in warm sand, and boiling "hells" that are only for looking at. Onsen in Japan have clear etiquette: wash and rinse before you get in, no swimsuit, and keep your small towel out of the water. Many baths still turn away visitors with tattoos; private family baths are the easy answer.

Reykjadalur, Iceland

From Hveragerði, about an hour's walk up a valley brings you to a warm river with a boardwalk and simple changing screens, free to use. Further upstream the water is hotter; nearby springs are boiling, so stay on the path. In Iceland the walk can be icy in winter.

Széchenyi Baths, Budapest, Hungary

A huge yellow bathhouse in City Park, with steaming outdoor pools where people play chess in the water even in snow. Budapest sits on thermal springs, and in Hungary the baths are everyday life. Bring a swimsuit and flip-flops.

Pamukkale, Turkey

White travertine terraces run down a hillside with warm water pooling in them, above the ruins of the Roman city of Hierapolis. You walk the terraces barefoot, but most are closed to bathing; for a swim, the Antique Pool has fallen marble columns on its floor and a separate ticket. Summer in Turkey's interior is very hot, so come early.

Banff Upper Hot Springs, Canada

A hot pool run by Parks Canada high on Sulphur Mountain, looking out over the Rockies. It's a developed pool in Canada, not a wild spring: busy but easy, and loveliest on a snowy evening.

Rotorua, New Zealand

A geothermal town on the North Island, with steaming parks, bubbling mud, and lakeside spas such as the Polynesian Spa. Health authorities in New Zealand ask bathers in geothermal pools to keep their heads above the water. The sulfur smell fades after a day.

Saturnia, Italy

In southern Tuscany, warm sulfur water spills over stone terraces at the Cascate del Mulino, free and open around the clock. It's packed on summer weekends, so go at sunrise or out of season. The rocks in this corner of Italy are slippery.

Hot Springs National Park, United States

In Arkansas, a row of grand bathhouses lines the main street of a town built on hot springs. You can still take a traditional indoor bath at a working bathhouse in this small national park in the United States.

How to make it happen

• Only bathe where bathing is allowed. In geothermal areas, unmarked pools can be scalding, and ground near them can be thin crust. In Yellowstone, for example, you stay on the boardwalks and never touch the water.
• Keep your head above water in natural hot springs and untreated warm pools. The CDC and New Zealand's health service warn of a rare amoeba that enters through the nose and causes a fatal brain infection.
• Don't overdo the heat. Soak in short sessions, drink water, skip the alcohol, and get out if you feel dizzy. If you're pregnant or have a heart condition, ask a doctor first.
• Learn the local rules. Swimsuit or not, shower first or not, tattoos allowed or not: they differ by country and even by bath.

Volcanic regions are where hot springs cluster, so see our volcano line for more places.