Where to stay · Sapporo · Japan
Where to stay in Sapporo
6 neighbourhoods compared, with the trade-offs hotel listings don't tell you.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: The original uploader was K. Takeda at Japanese Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
For a first visit, stay in Sapporo Station area. Transport hub with JR Tower, department stores and direct trains to New Chitose Airport. Best alternatives — budget: Susukino; nightlife: Susukino.
Key facts
- First visit
- Sapporo Station area
- Families
- Sapporo Station area
- Budget
- Susukino
- Nightlife
- Susukino
Best area for each kind of trip
| Trip type | Area | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First-timers | Sapporo Station area | Transport hub with JR Tower, department stores and direct trains to New Chitose Airport |
| Families | Sapporo Station area | Transport hub with JR Tower, department stores and direct trains to New Chitose Airport |
| Couples | Odori | Central park strip, TV Tower and the Snow Festival's main site |
| Budget | Susukino | Neon-lit eating and drinking district with Ramen Yokocho and thousands of bars |
| Luxury | Jozankei Onsen | Hot-spring town in a river gorge about an hour south-west of the centre |
| Nightlife | Susukino | Neon-lit eating and drinking district with Ramen Yokocho and thousands of bars |
| Food lovers | Susukino | Neon-lit eating and drinking district with Ramen Yokocho and thousands of bars |
| Solo travellers | Susukino | Neon-lit eating and drinking district with Ramen Yokocho and thousands of bars |
| Shopping | Sapporo Station area | Transport hub with JR Tower, department stores and direct trains to New Chitose Airport |
| Quiet stays | Nakajima Park | Quieter residential area south of Susukino around a boating pond and concert hall |
Sapporo neighbourhoods in detail
$$$ · Best for first-timers, families and shopping
Sapporo Station area
The area north of Odori around Sapporo Station has the city's largest concentration of business and chain hotels, the JR Tower observatory, the Daimaru department store and Stellar Place mall. Rapid trains to New Chitose Airport and limited expresses to the rest of Hokkaido leave from here, and the Chi-ka-ho underground walkway runs south to Odori.
- Good
- Direct airport trains; Covered walkways to Odori in winter; Huge choice of hotels and food
- Watch out
- Business-district feel; A 15-minute walk to Susukino's restaurants
- Nearby
- JR Tower, Hokkaido University, Sapporo Clock Tower
$$$ · Best for first-timers, couples and shopping
Odori
The blocks around Odori Park are the geographic centre of Sapporo, with the TV Tower at the park's east end, the Mitsukoshi and Parco department stores and three subway lines meeting at Odori Station. Hotels here put you on top of the Snow Festival, the summer beer gardens and the autumn food festival.
- Good
- Central for every subway line; Festival sites on the doorstep; Walk to both the station and Susukino
- Watch out
- Hotels book out and prices jump during the Snow Festival
- Nearby
- Odori Park, Sapporo TV Tower, Tanukikoji, Nijo Market
$$ · Best for nightlife, food lovers, budget and solo travellers
Susukino
Susukino is one of Japan's largest entertainment districts north of Tokyo: blocks of izakaya, crab restaurants, karaoke and bars, plus the narrow Ganso Ramen Yokocho alley. It is also good value for hotels and sits on the Namboku line, one stop from Odori. The covered Tanukikoji arcade runs just to the north.
- Good
- Late-night food everywhere; Good-value hotels; Snow Festival ice sculptures in February
- Watch out
- Noisy and busy late at night; Some streets have hostess bars and touts
- Nearby
- Ganso Ramen Yokocho, Tanukikoji, Nakajima Park
$$ · Best for quiet stays, couples and budget
Nakajima Park
A few minutes' walk south of Susukino, Nakajima Park has a pond, a Japanese garden, the Hoheikan former guesthouse and the Kitara concert hall. Hotels here are calmer and often a little cheaper than in Susukino while still being walkable to its restaurants.
- Good
- Calm at night; Walk to Susukino; Park on the doorstep
- Watch out
- Fewer hotels to choose from; Further from Sapporo Station
- Nearby
- Nakajima Park, Susukino, Mount Moiwa ropeway (by tram)
$$$ · Best for families, quiet stays and food lovers
Maruyama
Around Maruyama Park at the western end of the Tozai subway line, Sapporo turns residential and green. Hokkaido Shrine, Maruyama Zoo and the forested Mount Maruyama trail are within walking distance, and the streets near Maruyama-Koen station have bakeries, cafés and small restaurants.
- Good
- Peaceful and green; Shrine and zoo within walking distance; Good cafés
- Watch out
- Few hotels; Subway ride to nightlife
- Nearby
- Hokkaido Shrine, Sapporo Maruyama Zoo, Maruyama Park
$$$ · Best for couples, luxury and quiet stays
Jozankei Onsen
Technically inside Sapporo city, Jozankei is a riverside onsen town of ryokan and hot-spring hotels, with free foot baths, gorge walks and spectacular autumn foliage, usually in mid-October. Staying a night with dinner and baths included is a classic Sapporo add-on.
- Good
- Hot-spring baths in your hotel; Autumn colour and snowy river views; Dinner usually included
- Watch out
- About an hour by bus from the city; Little to do in the evening
- Nearby
- Futami suspension bridge, Jozankei Dam, Hoheikyo gorge
Areas compared
| Area | Price | Nearby |
|---|---|---|
| Sapporo Station area | $$$ | JR Tower, Hokkaido University, Sapporo Clock Tower |
| Odori | $$$ | Odori Park, Sapporo TV Tower, Tanukikoji, Nijo Market |
| Susukino | $$ | Ganso Ramen Yokocho, Tanukikoji, Nakajima Park |
| Nakajima Park | $$ | Nakajima Park, Susukino, Mount Moiwa ropeway (by tram) |
| Maruyama | $$$ | Hokkaido Shrine, Sapporo Maruyama Zoo, Maruyama Park |
| Jozankei Onsen | $$$ | Futami suspension bridge, Jozankei Dam, Hoheikyo gorge |
Getting to your hotel
New Chitose Airport is about 45 km south-east of the city; the JR Rapid Airport train reaches Sapporo Station in about 40 minutes, and airport buses run to hotels in Odori and Susukino in roughly 70–90 minutes. Okadama Airport, closer to the centre, handles a small number of regional flights.
Questions travellers ask
+What is the best area to stay in Sapporo for first-time visitors?
Sapporo Station area. The area north of Odori around Sapporo Station has the city's largest concentration of business and chain hotels, the JR Tower observatory, the Daimaru department store and Stellar Place mall.
+Where should families stay in Sapporo?
Sapporo Station area: Direct airport trains.
+Which area of Sapporo is best for a budget stay?
Susukino ($$): Neon-lit eating and drinking district with Ramen Yokocho and thousands of bars.