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Sapporo in season
Sapporo · city notes & day tours
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1 Sapporo, in season.
1.1 Seven days out that survive the forecast.
1.1.1 Sapporo Bar Hopping Food Tour
1.2 Otaru is forty minutes and a century away.
1.3 Which big day fits your dates?
1.4 Six metres of snow, put to work.
1.5 The city eats like a port.
1.6 The corners locals actually use.
1.7 The region, one coach ride at a time.
1.8 Twelve kinds of Sapporo day.
1.9 Three days around the capital of the north.
1.10 New on the site.

Sapporo, in season.

Snow festivals and beer gardens, crab at Nijo Market, day trips to Otaru’s canal and Noboribetsu’s steam. Local notes on the city’s corners, plus the guided days worth booking, each priced straight.

Start with the best days Browse the region →
The shortlist

Seven days out that survive the forecast.

Sapporo plans bend around weather; these hold their shape. Steam valleys that improve in the cold, food crawls that live indoors, a private car when the trains feel ambitious.

Everything we’ve reviewed →
The day out most people book first

Sapporo Bar Hopping Food Tour

Explore three local izakayas in Sapporo, taste Hokkaido specialties, enjoy three drinks, and get an insider’s guide to Susukino nightlife.

From $108 per person

Read the review →
★ 4.7Safe betHokkaido Seasonal: Lake Toya & Noboribetsu Jigokudani ValleyFrom $55173 reviews ★ 5.0Books out in seasonSapporo Private Tour with a Local – Highlights & Hidden GemsFrom $10991 reviews ★ 4.9Crowd favouriteSapporo: Sumo Show Experience with Japanese food & PhotoFrom $7781 reviews ★ 5.0WeatherproofPopular in SapporoExperience authentic hand-made soba at a real soba shop!From $7277 reviews ★ 5.0Local favouriteOtaru Rickshaw TourFrom $4276 reviews ★ 5.0Worth the yenMondo’s most popular plan! Experience making soba noodles and the king of Japanese cuisine, tempura, in Sapporo!From $8571 reviews
The canal day

Otaru is forty minutes and a century away.

Gas lamps on the canal, herring-boom warehouses turned glassworks, sushi that came off a boat this morning. The easiest day trip from Sapporo, and the one that photographs best after dark.

01Hokkaido Noboribetsu Lake Toya, Otaru Panoramic Tour From Sapporo★★★★★★★★★★28 reviews · from $120→ 02Sapporo: Otaru Asarigawa Ski Resort Day Trip with Gear★★★★★★★★★★27 reviews · from $185→ 03Hokkaido, Sappro, Otaru & Cape Kamui One-day Tour★★★★★★★★★★21 reviews · from $66→
Compare the Otaru days →
The planning question

Which big day fits your dates?

Sapporo is a different city by season, and the calendar picks your day trip for you. Match one to your dates and build around it.

December to March The snow day from $224 Snowshoes in silent forest, drift ice if the month is right, and the powder that made this island famous. Winter is the main event up here; dress for it and it delivers. See the winter days → Any month The volcano day 1 day · from $55 Hell Valley steams all year, Lake Toya sits in its own caldera, and the onsen at the end justifies the coach. Works in a blizzard, works in July, works jet-lagged. See the volcano days → June to September The flower day from $465 Lavender rows in Furano, Biei’s patchwork hills, the unreasonably blue pond. The summer coach fills first for a reason; book before the bloom, not during it. See the flower days →
The white season

Six metres of snow, put to work.

The city that throws a festival for its snowdrifts also knows what to do with the rest of them: snowshoe forests, ski hours, ice festivals on frozen lakes. These winter days earn their layers.

01Snowshoeing and Onsen Adventures in a Winter Wonderland -Sapporo.★★★★★★★★★★30 reviews · from $224→ 02Full Day Private Skiing / Snowboarding Tour in Sapporo★★★★★★★★★★30 reviews · from $230→ 03Sapporo Winter : Asahiyama Zoo (Penguin Fun & Snowmobile)★★★★★★★★★★28 reviews · from $58→ 04Snowshoe Hike Tour from Sapporo include hotel p/up & drop off★★★★★★★★★★16 reviews · from $308→
Plan a winter day →
Come hungry

The city eats like a port.

Crab and uni at Nijo Market, miso ramen defended like a civic duty, soup curry, jingisukan lamb under the beer hall’s rafters. The food crawls feed you properly; the soba classes send the skill home with you.

01Wagashi traditional japanese sweets class★★★★★★★★★★49 reviews · from $59→ 022 hours sushi class★★★★★★★★★★40 reviews · from $20→ 03Private Japanese Cooking Class in Sapporo with Local Chef Shiori★★★★★★★★★★34 reviews · from $108→
See the food tours →
City notes

The corners locals actually use.

Rental bikes, quiet parks, the ski jump with the view, cafes worth the detour. Short notes on the city’s working parts, written from the ground.

All city notes →
Sapporo TravelSapporo DomeBuilt on a hilltop in Sapporo’s Toyohira-ku, the Sapporo Dome is visible from many parts of the city and as…4 min read FestivalsNiseko FestivalThe Niseko area covers a wide area, including Kutchan town, Niseko town, and Rankoshi town. The Niseko Festival is a…3 min read ActivitiesIce FishingIce Fishing is Hokkaido’s winter specialty. Enjoy empty-handed ice fishing and cooking Tempura on a frozen lake, just like locals…3 min read Food & DrinkTop 5 Sapporo Restaurants to Warm Up AtSapporo’s winter is notoriously cold, which has led to the development of some famous foods guaranteed to warm you up…3 min read Food & DrinkDog of FlandersDog of Flanders is a Belgian restaurant and beer bar located in downtown Sapporo which serves great Belgian food and…3 min read Food & DrinkSapporo’s Top Foreigner Friendly BarsSapporo is a lovely place to visit, there’s plenty to see, do, eat, drink and experience… and the people are…3 min read
Where to point the day

The region, one coach ride at a time.

Otaru for the canal, Noboribetsu for the steam, Furano for the flowers, Jozankei for the soak. Distances are honest up here; one area per day.

Sapporo62 tours Otaru15 tours Noboribetsu & Toya10 tours Furano & Biei12 tours Asahiyama Zoo7 tours Jozankei & Shikotsu10 tours Ainu Culture2 tours
How to spend it

Twelve kinds of Sapporo day.

Snowshoes or soba rolling, whisky at Yoichi or a quiet soak. Every tile leads to days already reviewed and priced.

Winter Tours7 tours Ski & Snowboard2 tours Food Tours7 tours Soba & Cooking14 tours Onsen5 tours Whisky & Sake3 tours Ainu Culture2 tours Culture Shows2 tours Asahiyama Zoo7 tours Private Car11 tours Otaru15 tours Jozankei10 tours
If it’s your first visit

Three days around the capital of the north.

One city day, one canal day, one steam day. The order survives any season and leaves the second trip already forming.

Day 1 Eat the city first Nijo Market before the crab goes, Odori Park, the beer hall by lamplight. A guided crawl stitches it together. Plan the city day → Day 2 Slow down in Otaru The canal, the glassworks, sushi off the morning boats, Yoichi’s whisky up the line if there’s daylight left. Plan the Otaru day → Day 3 Finish in the steam Hell Valley’s vents, the caldera lake, the long soak your legs were promised. Sleep on the coach home; everyone does. Plan the steam day →
100tours & day trips reviewed
116city notes from the ground
6day-trip belts within coach reach
Fresh powder

New on the site.

Everything we’ve reviewed →
★ 5.0Sapporo to Chitose Airport Private Transfer | Licensed DriverFrom $2144 reviews ★ 5.0Private Customizable walking Tour in OtaruFrom $1654 reviews ★ 4.5Hokkaido│Noboribetsu & Toya Day Tour with Ropeway TicketFrom $614 reviews ★ 4.5Hokkaido Asahiyama Zoo, Furano and Biei Bus TourFrom $854 reviews ★ 5.0Bamboo Ice Cave: Snowshoe to see a natural phenomenon!From $1544 reviews ★ 5.0Hokkaido Seafood Sushi Rolls Experience with Matcha, in SapporoFrom $974 reviews ★ 3.0Hokkaido Day Tour from Sapporo: with Bear Park OptionFrom $1134 reviews ★ 5.0Otaru: Private Otaru Sightseeing Tour by RickshawFrom $354 reviews