Gero Onsen

My family intends to stay a night at Gero in early Dec as part of my route from Kyoto to Tokyo as it is an onsen area. Would appreciate any advise on whether it is a worthwhile trip as there are not reviews on this area. Is there any recommendation on interesting places to visit in Gero or would Gifu or Mino be a more interesting place for kids. I read that Takayama is an interesting place but it is too far north and the travelling time from Kyoto to Takayama to Tokyo within a 2 day / 1 night schedule is very tight. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks

Gero is a hot spring resort. Great for hot spring bathing. But it does not have much more to offer than that.

Takayama is less than an hour north of Gero. If you are willing to make it as far as Gero, you can as well go to Takayama.

Another interesting town is Gujo:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5930.html

The Kiso Valley would be another nice place to consider:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6075.html

Sorry, at the expense of sounding rude, Gero is a complete dump...just loads old, cr*ppy concrete ryokans...no charm whatsoever!
As the previous poster noted, there are loads of really lovely places nearby that are much more worth visiting (Kiso valley is FANTASTIC!)

Thank you very much for your advice. That explains why I cannot find any review on Gero. Will research further on Gujo and the Kiso Valley. Can Kiso Valley be reach just using the JR rail and if possible, appreciate an estimate on the time taken from Kyoto to Kiso Valley and from Kiso Valley to Tokyo. Thanks.

Reference to my earlier question on the acess using JR rail - I have found my answer from the website given. I read that there are some small ski resort in Kiso. Would the ski be opened in early Dec? If yes, any recommendation suitable for kids. Thanks

I loved Gero.
I was just there for a day trip.
I found it very pleasant. Breezy air, lots of foot baths, and onsen.
It is very clean and well laid out city.
I heard it has one of the best waters in Japan.

Thanks 'been to Gero' comments. After having gone through the reviews and comments given, I have decided to go to Takayama instead for a night. Maybe a day trip is sufficient to experience Gero but I have 2 days and 1 night to spend in this area.

We made a drive-through stop in Gero a couple of years ago and there's really nothing much to see/do there. The public onsens were "ok".
Takayama is where most people would go and if you have time for a day trip, I would urge you to include Shirakawago which is in the vicinity.
Kiso valley is nice but more for those into nature and probably better suited as a summer destination, which was when we went.
If you want an onsen experience, check out Kusatsu.

Hi,
Just a head's up, there is one day when Takayama stores are closed. I think it's Tuesday or Wednesday. I can't believe shops, restaurants, etc are closed on the day I went there.
So, you can plan accordingly.
The beef in Takayama is yummy!

Kusatsu onsen is great too.