At the moment, Sapporo is not connected to the Shinkansen bullet train network, though it is scheduled to be by 2030.

To get to Sapporo from Tokyo using the Japan Rail Pass, you need to go via Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station. It is a 4-hour trip (o/w) on the JR Tohoku/Hokkaido Shinkansen from Tokyo to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station. You then need to take a Hokuto Limited Express train to Sapporo Station, which takes around 3.5 hours. In total, it is basically an 8-hour journey from Tokyo.

Flying to Sapporo is a great option, as it only takes about 90 minutes from Haneda Airport in Tokyo to New Chitose Airport in Sapporo. There are frequent flights that are operated by a number of different airlines. (You can check flight schedules here.)

Regional train services connect the biggest towns in Hokkaido outside of Sapporo. Given the island's size, journeys can take time! For example, the Ozora Limited Express to Kushiro Station on the east coast of Hokkaido takes 4 hours (9,990 yen o/w), and it is a more than 3-hour journey to reach Hakodate.

Sapporo is also well connected to the rest of Hokkaido by coach services. Though these can also take time, there are convenient connections across the prefecture.

For onward travel to the rest of Japan, from Hakodate,e you can access the Shinkansen network. At the same time, New Chitose has direct flights to all major cities in Japan from Fukuoka to Osaka and Tokyo.

Getting around Sapporo
・Walking: Sapporo is a relatively compact city, and in the summer, it is pretty easy to get around the city center just by pounding the streets.
・Underground walkway: It can be challenging to walk above ground in the winter due to the sheer amount of snow and ice! However, the expansive Sapporo Ekimae-dori Underground Walkway links Sapporo Station and Susukino Station.
・Subway: Sapporo has three subway lines that crisscross the city - the Namboku Line (which runs from Asabu in the north to Makomanai in the south), the Tozai Line (which runs from Miyanosawa in the northwest to Shin-Sapporo in the southeast); and the Toho Line (which runs from Sakaemachi from the northeast to Fukuzumi in the southeast). All three lines pass through Sapporo Station and Odori Station.
・Bus: Frequent local bus services connect the city. From Sapporo Station, you can board buses near the north and south exits and from the Sapporo Station Bus Terminal. For example, the Sapporo Beer Museum is a 7-minute trip via Bus 188 (210 yen o/w).
・Cycle: When it is warm enough, another option is to rent a bike. Porocle is a community-run rental bike service with bikes available at around 40 locations around the city. A 1-day pass costs 1,650 yen.

Sapporo offers an interesting contrast to other cities in Japan, especially in terms of weather! Summers don't get as hot and humid as other areas in Japan, while winters are frigid and experience heavy snowfall.

Sapporo has a very close relationship with nature, which is demonstrated by the city's parks, open boulevards, and the plant life found along most sidewalks. This theme of nature continues with the Toyohira River, which intersects the city and features green areas on either bank with bicycle paths.

Every winter Sapporo becomes decorated with beautiful ice sculptures for the Sapporo Snow Festival – an event so popular that it attracts millions of visitors to the city. If you walk around the city, you can make all kinds of discoveries, including bakeries and restaurants, and of course, ramen restaurants. Sapporo is famous for ramen, after all!

Besides its strong connection with nature, and its ever-popular snow festival, there is a lot to see in this gorgeous city.

Beer lovers need to head to the Sapporo Beer Museum, while art enthusiasts are spoilt for choice with the Sapporo Art Park, the Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, and Moerenuma Park. You can also visit Odori Park, a long stretch of green that leads up to the Sapporo TV Tower and which offers a nice natural environment in the summer while being the main location for the Sapporo Snow Festival in the winter.

Food lovers, or travelers looking to let their hair down, need to head on over to Susukino for its restaurants and bars, particularly for Ramen Alley – a narrow street full of ramen restaurants.

Nakajima Park is also another great place that needs to be visited. This park is the site of the Hokkaido Shrine Festival in the summer, and in the winter, it becomes a cross-country skiing course! Asahiyama Memorial Park is the perfect spot for taking photos of the city, while Hitsujigaoka Observation Hill features a farm with sheep!

The following are the best, most convenient areas to stay in Sapporo, listed in rough order by priority, with the most convenient places first.

The Sapporo Station area is right at the center of the city. It is the hub through which all of the city's subway lines must pass, making it the perfect location for convenient access to the rest of the area. It is also well connected with bus services, or if the weather is nice, you can enjoy the walk from here to other parts of the city center.

Getting to/around the Sapporo Station area
・Sapporo Station is directly connected to New Chitose Airport by train (37 min) and bus (1 hour 20 minutes).
・This makes it super convenient for travelers who want to get into their hotel as soon as possible after arriving in Sapporo.

What's there to see and do in the Sapporo Station area?
Sapporo Station is not only comprised of office buildings and parks but also department stores, restaurants, and cafes. This makes it more suited to people who want to be at the center of things, who don't mind crowds and shoppers! You can find all the major shopping brands here, including Yodobashi Camera (electronics) and GU (clothes), but also you are never very far away from convenience stores and supermarkets.

Recommended hotels near Sapporo Station

No matter what time of year it is, Odori Park is the place to be. The Sapporo Snow Festival is held every February here. This festival features a skating rink, ice sculptures, snow slides across several sites, with the skating rink usually being at Odori Park. The park has around 400 lilac trees, so there is a Lilac Festival every spring, while in the summer, it becomes a beer garden!

Odori Park is directly over Odori Station, 4 minutes from Sapporo Station. It is also an 11-minute walk from Sapporo Station or just 5 minutes by bike.

Getting to/around the Odori Park area
・The 4-minute subway ride to Sapporo Station means that New Chitose Airport is easy to reach by train (around 50 minutes o/w), and there are also direct bus services from the airport to the Odori Park area (90 minutes o/w).
・As well as being very conveniently connected to Sapporo Station, Odori Station is connected to Shin-Sapporo Station via the Tozai Line.
・Both stations enable onward travel to areas outside of Sapporo.

What's there to see and do in the Odori Park area?
・Further afield from the park itself, you will be very close to the extensive green area of the Botanic Garden of Hokkaido University.
・You can also go to the observation deck of the Sapporo TV Tower and check out the great view of Odori Park from above – not to mention enjoy the view of Sapporo as a whole. This TV tower is over 60 years old, so it isn't only a spot for seeing the city from above but also a part of the city's history!

Recommended hotels in the Odori Park Area (Central Sapporo)

Susukino is more suited for younger travelers and travelers who don't mind the sights and sounds of restaurants and bars. There are also pachinko parlors and karaoke stores, so it can get pretty bustling in the evenings! In particular, if you want to go drinking yourself, this is the area to stay in – especially in the winter! When it is icy outside, it is better to have accommodation which you can easily reach to keep warm.

Getting to/around the Susukino area
・Susukino Station is two stops from Sapporo Station, from which you can access a direct train service to New Chitose Airport.
・There is also a direct bus service from the airport to this area.
・The Nanboku Subway Line to Sapporo Station allows onward travel via other train lines to reach other cities in Hokkaido. You can also change at Odori Station to get on the Tozai Line to Shin-Sapporo Station to travel onward around Hokkaido.

What's there to see and do in the Susukino area?
Apart from the bars and restaurants, Susukino is also notable for the Ramen Yokocho – a narrow street full of ramen restaurants. When you visit Sapporo, ramen is a dish you must try, and the Ramen Yokocho is one of the best places to try it! Toyohiragawa River is also nearby and a delightful area for walking and bike rides. It is also a great area in the daytime for shopping, including the famous MEGA Don Quijote Sapporo. You will soon come to the Nakajima Park area if you head south.

Recommended hotels in the Susukino area

Staying on the theme of nature, Nakajima Park is Sapporo's very own urban park, which coincidently is just a little bit south of the Susukino entertainment district. You can enjoy a massive park with a big pond, Sapporo City Observatory, Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara, and Hohei Kan, a historical building. Whether it is summer or winter, it is the perfect place for walking around, and it is just moments away from the large green spaces of the Toyohira River.

Getting to/around the Nakajima Park area
・Nakajima-Koen Station is on the Namboku Line and is just 7 minutes from Sapporo Station (210 yen o/w), from which you can access a direct train service to New Chitose Airport. There is also a direct bus service from the airport to this area.
・Nakajima-Koen Station is on the north side of Nakajima Park, so it is important to keep in mind that if you stay in accommodation on the other side of the park, then you will either have a long walk, or you might need to head to a different station like Nakajima-Koen-Dori Station on the Sapporo Streetcar (Shiden) tram line.
・From Nakajima-Koenkoen Station, you can take the Nanboku Subway Line to Sapporo Station to access other train lines to reach other cities in Hokkaido.
・You can also change at Odori Station to get on the Tozai Line to Shin-Sapporo Station for onward travel in Hokkaido.

What's there to see and do in the Nakajima Park area?
・The park has so much to offer to people who stay nearby or are on a visit. You can enjoy the views at the observatory, while elsewhere around the park is a tea house, a sports center, a literature museum, and a puppet theater!

Recommended hotels near Nakajima Park

Another option is not to limit yourself to Sapporo, especially if you have rented a car. Hokkaido features gorgeous natural landscapes, and it is very easy to stay outside the city and enjoy a day trip to Sapporo by car or train.

The city of Chitose is very conveniently situated near New Chitose Airport. It is a great option to stay in for a variety of travelers. Whether it is because you are coming straight off a long flight and want to hit the hay or to look for somewhere a bit quieter than the bustling streets of central Sapporo, Chitose has something for everyone. It is just a 15-minute bus ride from the airport (230 yen o/w), while Chitose Station is a 30-minute journey (1,810 yen o/w).

This little city is home to fewer than 100,000 people but features an outlet mall (Chitose Outlet Mall Rera), lakes like Okotampe Lake and Lake Shikotsu, and Northern Horse Park, which, as the name suggests, has horses!

A ryokan is a kind of traditional accommodation in Japan that features tatami (straw mat) rooms, sleeping on futons (bedding) which is placed directly on the floor, and which often allows you to enjoy the experience of an onsen (hot spring bath) and to wear traditional Japanese clothing (yukata).

The majority of accommodations in Sapporo are hotels such as resort hotels and business hotels, although you'll also find unique premium hotels in the city. If you're ever in the mood to splurge, treat yourself to one of these luxurious hotels and see for yourself what the hype is all about!

These kinds of hotels tend to be very economical, so the rooms tend to be quite small and basic. However, they are often found near train stations, and the price per night can be quite reasonable. They are quite a good choice when you just literally need a bed and aren't too concerned about creature comforts.

Capsule hotels offer a very different and unique kind of stay, one which first started in Japan. At these hotels, you can stay in a small capsule! Typically, you are given a small chamber which is about the size of a small bed, while facilities like toilets and showers are shared. They are very cheap but are not really suitable for people uncomfortable with being in a small space.

Guesthouses and hostels, like the world over, offer really great accommodation at a reasonable price. In Japan, they are typically safe, clean, and quite often well-located. Generally, they are perfect for solo travelers or people in a small group, but some places have accommodation which is also suitable for families.

Vacation rentals took off in Japan after a change in the law in 2018, it is possible to stay at a range of different accommodation types. Although they can be more expensive than even budget hotels, many options are available and often include entire apartments. However, it has to be kept in mind that the people in neighboring apartments are living there,e so you need to avoid creating disturbances. In addition, Japan can have some quite strict garbage separation rules which you will need to follow.

・February (Sapporo Snow Festival and college entrance exam season)
The Sapporo Snow Festival takes place in February, and in standard years up to 2 million visitors head to the city, which can lead to accommodation being wholly booked up – especially accommodation near the locations of the festival.

Sapporo in February can also be quite busy because of college entrance exams. At this time of year, high school students across the country descend to the colleges they want to study at to take entrance exams. Budget accommodation in Sapporo can be booked out by students, teachers, and even students' families. Generally, more expensive accommodation is available as usual.

・Golden Week (end of April / beginning of May)
Golden Week is one of the biggest public holidays in Japan, and depending on the days that the various public holidays fall on every year, it can last longer than a week. At this time, Sapporo is a top-rated destination for domestic tourism, so accommodation can get booked quickly and public transport can be packed.

・Obon/Summer holidays
Obon is another big holiday which is popular with families. People at this time of year often travel back to their hometowns, which means that in cities like Sapporo, public transport can be very busy with locals leaving and tourists from elsewhere in Japan arriving.

・New Year Holiday
This is perhaps the second biggest public holiday of the year, with many people traditionally heading to their hometowns for family celebrations on New Year's Eve. At this time of year, it is best to be careful about taking public transport, and as an extreme example, the Hokuto Limited Express train between Sapporo and Hakodate can become standing room only for passengers without a reservation – which isn't very comfortable for a journey that takes over 3 hours.

・Otaru
If you struggle to find accommodation in Sapporo, why not try Otaru? This port city is famous for the Otaru canal, as well as for its many historical buildings and the Otaru Mt. Tengu Ropeway. This city is only 51 minutes from Sapporo Station (1,590 yen o/w), and accommodation can be significantly cheaper in this charming port area.

Away from major stations
During particularly busy times of the year, hotels near major stations and tourism areas can be booked up, but if you look at hotels which are a bit further away, you can often still find some availability. Sapporo has quite an extensive bus network that takes travelers to all the major sightseeing spots, so checking out hotels on bus routes is a good idea.