One day in Sapporo

Day by day

1. Day 1: Odori Park and Sapporo TV Tower

   Odori Park, Sapporo TV Tower, Nijo Market and Sapporo Clock Tower, then Mount Moiwa Ropeway in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Odori Park

      Walk the length of the park from the TV Tower westwards; the Snow Festival sculptures are best seen after dark when they are lit. Allow 1 hour.

   2. Late morning

      Sapporo TV Tower

      Go up in the early evening during the Snow Festival or the White Illumination for the view of the lit park below. Allow 45 minutes.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Miso ramen

      Ganso Ramen Yokocho in Susukino and neighbourhood ramen shops across the city.

   4. Afternoon

      Nijo Market

      Come for breakfast or an early lunch; many stalls close in the afternoon and the best bowls sell out. Allow 1 hour.

   5. Late afternoon

      Sapporo Clock Tower

      It takes only a few minutes from the outside; the best photo is from the raised viewing spot across the street. Allow 30 minutes.

   6. Evening

      Mount Moiwa Ropeway

      Take the streetcar loop line to Ropeway-iriguchi and the free shuttle to the base station, then time your ride for sunset to see the city lights come on.

If it rains

• Swap in Sapporo Beer Museum (Higashi-ku): Book dinner at the beer garden next door and try Sapporo Classic, a lager sold only in Hokkaido.
• Swap in Shiroi Koibito Park (Nishi-ku): Reserve a slot for the biscuit-making workshop if you are travelling with children; it fills at weekends and in holidays.
• Swap in Tanukikoji Shopping Street (Susukino): Use it as your covered route between Odori and Susukino on snowy evenings.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 5–5 hours of visiting over one day, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 9 hours in December to 15.3 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Metro. The Namboku, Tozai and Toho subway lines run on rubber tyres and cross at Odori; the Namboku line links Sapporo Station, Odori and Susukino in a few minutes.

More or fewer days

• 2 days in Sapporo
• 3 days in Sapporo
• 5 days in Sapporo

Questions travellers ask