13 Best Hot Springs In The World - International Traveller

Remote Arctic archipelagos, bustling urban centres and bleak lava fields. Which of these hot springs would you pick?

Who doesn’t love a soak in a hot spring? But our addiction is nothing new. Our ancestors have sought out sulphur-rich baths for thousands of years. Clearly, humanity is on to a good thing when stepping into these dreamy pools. Here are our top picks to add to your bucket list.

1. Blue Lagoon – Grindavík, Iceland

In a bleak field of cooled lava on the Reykjanes Peninsula, this otherworldly milky blue pool (a blend of seawater and underground water) is the most beloved of Iceland’s many geothermal spas.

Visitors can expect to leave this man-made lagoon with picture-perfect skin, thanks to the high levels of silica in the Blue Lagoon, which makes smearing its white mud on our faces so deliciously tempting.

The Blue Lagoon in Iceland — The Blue Lagoon is beloved in Iceland. (Image: Jeff Sheldon)

2. Manikaran Hot Springs – Himachal Pradesh, India

This peaceful hot spring on the Parvati River in India beckons religious visitors and tourists from all over the world. Hindus and Sikh pilgrims have religious myths associated with the sacred site, and temples are nearby. At over 1700 metres, some of the waters here can be hot enough to cook dal, but there are plenty of places you can enter the water safely.

Manikaran Sikh sacred site. Himachal Pradesh, India — Hindus and Sikh pilgrims have religious myths associated with Manikaran Hot Springs. (Image: f9photos via Getty Images)

3. Pamukkale – Denizli, Türkiye

Pamukkale in Türkiye is named for its towering white tiers, with ‘Pamukkale’ translating as ‘cotton castle’. Waters full of calcite carbonate minerals have created awesome terraced basins, mineral forests and frozen waterfalls.

Along with the ancient spa town of Hierapolis above the thermal springs, Pamukkale is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Natural travertine pools and terraces in Pamukkale. Cotton castle in southwestern Turkey — Pamukkale translates to ‘cotton castle’. (Image: murat4art via Getty Images)

4. Hakone National Park – Yamanashi, Shizuoka and Kanagawa Prefectures, Japan

A stone’s throw from Mt. Fuji, the Hakone National Park is chock-a-block with natural hot springs, best known in Japan as onsens.

The ancient and active Hakone volcano heats up the underground water, making the perfect environment for the park’s many public onsen and private ryokan baths.

Hakone National Park natural hot springs in Japan — Hakone National Park is chock-a-block with natural hot springs. (Image: Yusheng Deng)

5. Banff Upper Hot Springs – Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

In the heart of the Canadian Rockies on Sulphur Mountain, the Banff Upper Hot Springs are famous for their combination of hot waters rich with sulphate, calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate and sodium. Visitors can relax their muscles away while taking in the snow-capped mountains all around them.

The buildings and pool of the Banff Upper Hot Springs. — Relax and take in the snow-capped mountains all around you. (Image: wwing via Getty Images)

6. Rotorua Hot Springs – Rotorua, North Island, New Zealand

An active lifestyle makes this volcanic park in New Zealand a must-see for travellers, with hot springs, geysers and mud pools all fighting for your attention.

Because of the mineral-rich water, Rotorua has long been popular among visitors, as well as having spiritual significance for the local Māori people.

Rotorua Hot Springs in New Zealand — Rotorua has spiritual significance for the local Māori people. (Image: Graeme Murray)

7. Svalbard Thermal Springs – Svalbard Archipelago, Norway

The Arctic is not a place you might associate with anything close to heat. But upon the Svalbard Archipelago, between Norway and the North Pole, thermal activity has created springs at the edge of Bockfjorden.

At 25 to 28 degrees Celsius, they are more akin to warm springs than hot springs but are much warmer than the frozen glaciers around you. Keep an eye out for the polar bears!

Aerial shot of Svalbard in Norway — Thermal activity has created springs at the edge of Bockfjorden. (Image: Chris Havard)

8. Glenwood Springs – Colorado, USA

The US has never been one to do halves, and that comes to the size of their hot springs as well. Glenwood Springs in the Rocky Mountains is one of the largest mineral hot springs pools in the world. Its iron and mineral-rich water has been attracting health-conscious visitors for centuries.

The springs themselves are surrounded by the peaks and forests of Roaring Fork Valley.

Glenwood Hot Springs, Colorado, USA — Glenwood is one of the largest mineral hot springs pools in the world. (Image: Lynn Grae)

9. Hot Water Beach – Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand

It’s a DIY hot spring at this Kiwi beach. Famously, visitors can lie on the sand and dig a pit in the sand. Because of the underground geothermal activity, warm waters bubble up to fill it. Just make sure it is not too hot before you hop in.

Hot Water Beach on the Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand — Visitors can lie on the sand for a natural spa bath. (Image: Matt Crawford)

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10. Thermae Bath Spa – Bath, England

Come to take the waters? Everyone from the Romans to Jane Austen’s best-loved characters travelled to Bath in England for its mineral-rich waters filled with calcium and sulphur.

While you can’t go in the original Roman baths any longer, Thermae Bath Spa is just next door and is fed by the same – but cleaner – water.

Thermae Bath Spa in Bath, England — Thermae Bath Spa is fed by the same – but cleaner – water as the original Roman baths. (Image: Visit Britain)

11. Széchenyi Thermal Bath – Budapest, Hungary

The Széchenyi Thermal Bath is situated within a gorgeous, butter-yellow neo-baroque building from the early 20th century in Budapest’s Városliget City Park. But it’s not just a pretty face.

The medicinal bath is one of the largest in Europe and is rich in calcium, magnesium and sulphate. Try to get here in winter to bathe in 38-degree water surrounded by drifting snow.

Széchenyi Thermal Bath in Budapest, Hungary — Széchenyi Thermal Bath is rich in calcium, magnesium and sulphate. (Image: Yoav Aziz)

12. Saturnia – Tuscany, Italy

The springs of Saturnia are most famous for their natural terrace formation, with smooth sections of limestone and individual basins in which to relax.

Known as the Cascate del Mulino or Waterfalls of the Mill, this part of southern Tuscany has been visited for thousands of years for its supposed healing properties.

Saturnia in southern Tuscany, Italy — Saturnia has been visited for thousands of years for its supposed healing properties. (Image: Mark Pisek)

13. Huanglong – Sichuan Province, China

The hot springs of Huanglong are world famous for their tumbling travertine terrace. Thanks to the mix of minerals, algae, temperature and seasonal temperatures, the light refracts and creates a gorgeous interplay of glowing turquoises, mint greens, porcelain whites and foggy yellows that wind down the curving hillside for almost four kilometres. As a protected UNESCO World Heritage site, you cannot swim in the ‘Yellow Dragon’ pools.

Huanglong hot springs in the northwest part of Sichuan, China. — The hot springs of Huanglong are world famous.

Why travellers are increasingly dreaming of a white Christmas – and the best places to experience one for yourself.

If the Euro summer has long been Australians’ defining holiday, the white Christmas may well be emerging as its frosty successor.

Booking data from APT Travel Group has revealed that Australians are planning long-haul travel further in advance and increasingly swapping summer at home for a white Christmas abroad.

Why more travellers are booking a white Christmas

tallinn winter — Find festive spirit in abundance in Tallinn, Estonia. (Credit: Unsplash/Dmitry Sumin)

Part of the shift is practical. With the Australian Government recently downgrading its travel warning for parts of the Middle East, travellers’ confidence in long-haul travel is returning as key transit hubs for Australians travelling to Europe reopen.

But accessibility alone isn’t the reason we’re seeing an incline in festive winter holiday bookings.

This year, Australia has experienced a particularly patchy start to the snow season, reminding travellers of how unpredictable winter has become and leading them to look overseas for their next wintry escape. At the same time, rising global temperatures are making reliable snowfall less certain across many parts of the world. Ironically, the rarer a classic white Christmas becomes, the more alluring it feels.

finland snow — Travellers are increasingly looking overseas for guaranteed snowy escapes. (Credit: Unsplash/Joni Kuusisto)

Behavioural psychologists have long observed what they call the ‘scarcity effect’: we tend to assign greater value and desirability to experiences that feel limited or increasingly out of reach. A white Christmas – once an annual tradition for many – has evolved into a bucket-list experience.

It’s also a novel antidote to the Australian festive season. Rather than scorching pavements and beachside barbecues, travellers want to experience the Christmas they’ve spent their whole lives watching in films: snow-dusted pines, chestnuts roasting over an open fire and streets glowing beneath tinsel garlands and fairy lights. Nostalgia sells, but even more so when we feel like it might not always be available to experience.

For decades, Australians have sought to escape winter in search of a European summer. Now, the pendulum is swinging the other way. Below are the top places to have yourself a very Merry Christmas in the snow.

The best places to have a white Christmas

Finland

best places for white christmas — Finland is one of the best destinations for a white Christmas. Credit: APT)

When you’re set on experiencing a blanket-white Christmas, your best bet is to go north. Thanks to its chilly temperatures and geographical proximity to the Arctic Circle (nearly one third of the country’s landmass lies within the Arctic region), travellers are guaranteed to see snow during Finland’s winter months. Plus, the possibility of witnessing the northern lights ribboning across the sky makes the experience all the more magical.

Tallinn, Estonia

tallinn old town — The city of Tallinn has a UNESCO-listed medieval town. (Credit: Unsplash/Ilya Orehov)

While places like Finland and Norway are coveted Christmas destinations, they certainly aren’t easy on the wallet. Estonia’s charming medieval capital of Tallinn is one of the best places to have a white Christmas on a budget, boasting Gothic spires, an intimate atmosphere and toasty market stalls selling everything from handicrafts to sugar-coated almonds. While snow over the Christmas period isn’t guaranteed these days, the country is further north and generally colder than Western European countries such as Germany and the Netherlands.

Canada

whistler christmas — Explore the Christmas lights of Whistler. (Credit: APT)

With its festive spirit, friendly locals and picturesque landscapes, Canada is a top contender for the best place for a white Christmas. Victoria in British Columbia has just about every Christmas tradition covered in one town: a main street of snow-frosted stores, a gingerbread competition, a visit to see the reindeer and horse-drawn trolley rides; while Alberta will see you embracing cosy holiday traditions with the spectacular Canadian Rockies as your backdrop.

If you can’t choose just one destination, the Twelve Days of Christmas tour by APT includes Christmas in Banff, sleigh rides at Lake Louise, Vancouver’s Canyon Lights and the Canadian Rockies. “It’s a relaxed, accessible way to get a proper white Christmas, snow guaranteed rather than hoped for,” says Sarah Latimore, international GM Product & Operations at APT.

New York, USA

new york winter — Central Park dusted with snow is all but magical. (Credit: Unsplash/Caitlyn Wilson)

Yes, films have been romanticising Christmas in New York for decades, but there’s a reason: the cool shift transforms the grand metropolis into what feels like a cinematic village where families glide over ice skating rinks in Central Park, dazzling displays illuminate the streets and carollers sing outside cosy bars with crackling fireplaces.

Germany

Browse bountiful Christmas markets in Regensburg. (Credit: APT)

Germany does Christmas with all the trimmings, especially the Christmas markets; there are hundreds (if not thousands) to choose between in picture-postcard historical towns across the country. Dresden has one of the oldest markets in the country, while Regensburg offers four fairy-light festooned markets within its UNESCO-listed medieval old town.

London, UK

london snow — Cosy up in London for the winter. (Credit: Unsplash/Zhang Kaiyv)

London is a prime place to celebrate a white Christmas with little people: Hamleys alone is worth getting on a plane for! Not only do many hotels offer holiday packages for families, but the sight of latticed snowflakes drifting from the sky on a rugged-up stroll along the Thames is nothing short of enchanting.

Prague, Czech Republic

prague snow — Escape to the charming city of Prague. (Credit: Unsplash/Lukas Konvica)

Offering Gothic architecture, charming cobbled streets and spiced pastries in spades, Prague is among the best places to spend a white Christmas. Come Advent season, when a dusting of snow may cover its ancient castle, and the smell of roasting ham rises from the market stalls, it becomes utterly unforgettable.

Niseko, Japan

niskeo skiing — Hit the slopes for a Christmas spent skiing in Niseko. (Credit: Unsplash/Kristian Klausen)

You don’t need to fly all the way to Europe to enjoy a wintry Christmas abroad. On Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, Niseko is a wonderland for travellers wishing to spend the Christmas season carving up the ski slopes. Promising festive events such as fireworks and giant illuminated trees, as well as plenty of the fluffy white stuff, this ski resort town doesn’t disappoint.

Is Europe or Canada better for a white Christmas?

Europe and Canada are the two most popular destinations among Australian travellers booking wintry Christmas escapes. But which is right for you? Sarah Latimore, international GM Product & Operations at APT, says the answer hinges on your travel interests and preferences.

“Europe suits travellers who want depth, variety and a bit of indulgence, moving through centuries-old Christmas market traditions city by city,” Latimore says.

“Canada is for travellers chasing that classic, snow globe white Christmas. Think twinkling lights and decorations through Whistler and Banff, evenings by an open fire in a Fairmont hotel, and the kind of moments that define the season: dog sledding, sleigh rides, snow underfoot rather than sand.

“Neither is the ‘right’ choice universally; it comes down to matching the traveller. Someone chasing romance and heritage will lean Europe. Someone chasing a classic, white Christmas will lean Canada.”

13 hot springs so incredible, you’ll never want to leave the water