Sapporo 4-Day Itinerary
Sapporo · 4 days · 21 places
Day 1 · From Odori Park to the night view from Mount Moiwa Odori, Susukino & Mount Moiwa
- 1. Sapporo Clock Tower (札幌市時計台)
Sapporo Clock Tower is a wooden structure and tourist attraction located at North 1 West 2, Chūō-ku, Sapporo, the largest city on the island of Hokkaidō, Japan. Wikipedia
Best time: Any time (quick stop) · Admission: Free outside · paid inside — Smaller than people expect — a quick stop on the way / There's a photo spot across the street - 2. Former Hokkaido Government Office (Akarenga) (北海道庁旧本庁舎(赤れんが庁舎))
Best time: Morning · Admission: Free — The red-brick facade and front garden are worth it on their own / Interior access has been limited during renovation — check before going - 3. Nijo Market (二条市場)
Best time: Breakfast · Admission: Free to browse — Go early for a seafood rice bowl (kaisendon) / Aimed at tourists and pricey — check prices posted outside - 4. Odori Park (大通公園)
Odori Park is a park located in the heart of Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. Ōdōri means "large street" in Japanese. Wikipedia
Best time: Any time · Admission: Free — Snow Festival in early February, beer gardens in summer / Best seen from the TV Tower - 5. Sapporo TV Tower (さっぽろテレビ塔)
The Sapporo TV Tower, built in 1957, is a 147.2-metre-high (483 ft) TV tower with an observation deck at a height of 90.38 metres. Wikipedia
Best time: Sunset · Admission: Paid (observation deck) — Looks straight down the length of Odori Park / Mt. Moiwa is more famous for night views — one of the two is enough - 6. Tanukikoji Shopping Street (狸小路商店街) Wikipedia
Best time: Afternoon to evening · Admission: Free to browse — A 1 km covered arcade — good in snow or rain / Lots of drugstores and souvenir shops - 7. Mount Moiwa Ropeway (札幌もいわ山ロープウェイ)
Best time: Sunset to night · Admission: Paid — Ranked among Japan's top night views — go up 30 minutes before sunset / A mini cable car follows the ropeway
Day 2 · The canal town of Otaru and the night view from Mount Tengu Otaru
- 1. Otaru Canal (小樽運河)
Best time: Dusk to evening (gas lamps) · Admission: Free — Most atmospheric when the gas lamps come on / About 40 minutes by train from Sapporo — half a day - 2. Sakaimachi Street (小樽堺町通り商店街)
Best time: Daytime · Admission: Free to browse — A street of glassware, music boxes and dessert shops / Most shops close around 6 pm - 3. Kitaichi Glass (北一硝子)
Best time: Afternoon · Admission: Free to browse — The No. 3 Hall café is lit only by about 160 oil lamps / Ask for protective wrapping on fragile items - 4. Otaru Music Box Museum (小樽オルゴール堂 本館)
Otaru Music Box Museum is a music museum in the Otaru Orgel-do II building in Otaru, Japan. Wikipedia
Best time: Afternoon · Admission: Free to browse — The steam clock out front whistles every 15 minutes / You can assemble your own small music box - 5. Mount Tengu Ropeway (小樽天狗山ロープウエイ)
Best time: Sunset to night · Admission: Paid — Overlooks Otaru's town and harbor lights / A ski area in winter
Day 3 · The flower fields of Biei and Furano and the Blue Pond Biei & Furano
- 1. Farm Tomita (ファーム富田)
Farm Tomita is a farm in Nakafurano, Hokkaido, Japan. Wikipedia
Best time: Mid-July (lavender peak), morning · Admission: Free — Lavender peaks around mid-July; other flowers in other seasons / Over 2 hours from Sapporo — a rental car is easiest - 2. Panoramic Flower Gardens Shikisai-no-oka (四季彩の丘)
Best time: Summer (June–September), morning · Admission: Paid (varies by season) — Most colorful in summer when the hills turn into striped flower beds / Tractor buses and carts loop through the fields - 3. Tree of Ken and Mary (ケンとメリーの木)
Best time: Any time (quick stop) · Admission: Free — It stands on private farmland — photograph from the road, don't enter the fields / Combine with a drive around the Biei hills - 4. Shirogane Blue Pond (Aoiike) (白金青い池)
Best time: Sunny morning · Admission: Free (paid parking) — The water is bluest on a clear day / Sometimes lit up at night in winter - 5. Shirahige Waterfall (白ひげの滝)
Best time: Pair with the Blue Pond · Admission: Free — Seen from a bridge above — the water is as blue as the pond / Right by Shirogane Onsen
Day 4 · Hokkaido Jingu and the Sapporo Beer Museum Maruyama & Higashi Ward
- 1. Hokkaido Jingu (北海道神宮)
The Hokkaidō Shrine, named the Sapporo Shrine until 1964, is a Shinto shrine located in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. Wikipedia
Best time: Morning · Admission: Free — Next to Maruyama Park — combine with a forest walk / Hokkaido's cherry blossoms come in early May - 2. Shiroi Koibito Park (白い恋人パーク)
Best time: Afternoon · Admission: Garden free · factory tour paid — Factory tour and cookie-making workshop (reservation) / The fairy-tale buildings make great photos - 3. Sapporo Beer Museum (サッポロビール博物館)
The Sapporo Beer Museum is a museum located in the Sapporo Garden Park in Higashi-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. Wikipedia
Best time: Afternoon to evening · Admission: Free entry · tasting paid — A reservation-only premium tour is also available / The beer garden next door serves grilled lamb (Genghis Khan) - 4. Sapporo Factory (サッポロファクトリー)
The Sapporo Factory is a complex that includes a shopping mall, office, multiplex movie theaters, and museum, located in Chūō-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. Wikipedia
Best time: Afternoon · Admission: Free to browse — A mall in a former red-brick brewery / The glass-roofed atrium is nice on snowy days
Sources
These courses are compiled from public sources. Hours, prices, and closing days can change — check official info before you go.