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The Sapporo TV Tower and Odori Park's fountain at night
A bowl of miso ramen topped with butter and corn
Restored Meiji-era buildings at the Historic Village of Hokkaido
The glass pyramid Hidamari in Moerenuma Park
The white wooden Sapporo Clock Tower in winter

Things to do in Sapporo: 8 experiences

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Photo: Qiuqizhenghong, CC BY-SA 3.0

Ramen Yokocho, Susukino, Sapporo

Slurp miso ramen in Susukino's Ramen Yokocho

Check dates and prices

Photo: ノボホショコロトソ, CC BY 4.0

Historic Village of Hokkaido, Atsubetsu Ward, Sapporo

Walk through the frontier towns of the Historic Village of Hokkaido

Photo: 663highland, CC BY-SA 4.0

Moerenuma Park, Higashi Ward, Sapporo

Climb the artificial hills of Isamu Noguchi's Moerenuma Park

Photo: 掬茶, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sapporo Clock Tower, Chuo Ward, Sapporo

Step inside the Sapporo Clock Tower, an 1878 drill hall

Photo: Balon Greyjoy, CC0

Sapporo is Hokkaido's capital, with the 1.5 kilometre Odori Park running through its centre and the 1878 Clock Tower from its early years. It is the base for most Hokkaido trips and has its own reasons to stay: the February Snow Festival, a night view from Mount Moiwa, miso ramen in Susukino, a sculptor's park on a former landfill, an Olympic ski jump and an open-air museum of the settlers' towns.

8 things to do in Sapporo

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Snow sculptures at the Sapporo Snow Festival

See the giant snow sculptures of the Sapporo Snow Festival

Odori Park and Susukino, Sapporo

An evening, or a full day with Tsu DomeFree

One week each February, Odori Park fills with snow sculptures up to 25 metres wide, lit every night until 22:00.

Been there?
A forest trail on Mount Moiwa in Sapporo

Ride up Mount Moiwa for Sapporo's night view

Mount Moiwa, Minami Ward, Sapporo

2 hoursNo booking needed

A forested hill southwest of the centre, where a ropeway and a tiny cable car lift you to a deck over the city lights.

Been there?
A bowl of miso ramen topped with butter and corn

Slurp miso ramen in Susukino's Ramen Yokocho

Ramen Yokocho, Susukino, Sapporo

1 hourGo alone or with a tour

Sapporo's ramen is miso-based, often finished with a slice of butter, and a narrow lane in Susukino is lined with ramen counters.

Check dates and pricesNight ramen crawl through Yokocho Alley
Been there?
Trees and lawns in the Hokkaido University Botanic Garden

Walk a piece of old forest in Hokkaido University's Botanic Garden

Hokkaido University Botanic Garden, Chuo Ward, Sapporo

1 to 1.5 hoursNo booking needed

A university garden from 1886, ten minutes from the station, that keeps a piece of the forest once covering the plain.

Been there?
Restored Meiji-era buildings at the Historic Village of Hokkaido

Walk through the frontier towns of the Historic Village of Hokkaido

Historic Village of Hokkaido, Atsubetsu Ward, Sapporo

2 to 3 hoursNo booking needed

About 60 buildings from the decades when Japan settled Hokkaido, rebuilt as a town, a fishing village, a farm village and a mountain village.

Been there?
The glass pyramid Hidamari in Moerenuma Park

Climb the artificial hills of Isamu Noguchi's Moerenuma Park

Moerenuma Park, Higashi Ward, Sapporo

2 to 3 hoursFree

A former landfill that sculptor Isamu Noguchi shaped into a park of artificial hills and a glass pyramid.

Been there?
The Okurayama ski jump above Sapporo

Ride the chairlift to the top of Okurayama's Olympic ski jump

Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium, Chuo Ward, Sapporo

1.5 to 2 hoursNo booking needed

The 1972 Winter Olympics ski jump, where a chairlift takes you to the top of the hill and a museum lets you try the jump.

Been there?
The white wooden Sapporo Clock Tower in winter

Step inside the Sapporo Clock Tower, an 1878 drill hall

Sapporo Clock Tower, Chuo Ward, Sapporo

20 to 30 minutesNo booking needed

Sapporo's symbol, built in 1878 as a college drill hall, with a clock from Boston installed in 1881.

Been there?

Traveller picks

Hidden gems suggested by travellers. We check each one before it goes up; the words are theirs, not ours.

No traveller picks for Sapporo yet. Know a place most visitors miss?

Plan your trip

  • Getting around

    Three subway lines cross at Odori; Susukino is one stop south of Odori on the Nanboku Line and Sapporo Station one stop north. The single streetcar line runs from Susukino past the Mount Moiwa ropeway. The Historic Village is a local train and bus ride outside the centre.

  • When to go

    February brings the Snow Festival, from 4 to 11 February in 2027. From late April to early November the Botanic Garden and all of Moerenuma Park are open. The Mount Moiwa ropeway runs year round, opening later in winter.

  • How many days

    In must30's view, two days cover the centre, Mount Moiwa, Moerenuma and the Historic Village. Add a day for Otaru, a half-hour train ride away, and more for Noboribetsu and Lake Toya, which the Hokkaido page covers.

Questions travellers ask

When is the 2027 Sapporo Snow Festival?

From 4 to 11 February 2027, at the Odori, Susukino and Tsu Dome sites. Odori's snow sculptures are lit until 22:00 and Susukino's ice sculptures until 23:00.

What is Sapporo ramen?

Ramen with a miso-based broth, often topped with a slice of butter. Elsewhere in Hokkaido, Hakodate is known for salt broth and Asahikawa for soy sauce broth.

Is the Mount Moiwa ropeway worth it?

In must30's view, yes, after sunset: the summit deck looks over the whole city. The ropeway and mini cable car cost ¥2,100 return together.

Can I see the Olympic ski jump up close?

Yes. When no competition is on, a chairlift takes you to the observatory at the top of the Okurayama jump, and the Olympic Museum sits at the foot.

Things to do in Japan

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