Although Hokkaido’s capital city is a year-round destination, Sapporo in winter is special. For seven days every February, visitors flock to Japan’s fifth-largest city for the Sapporo Snow Festival to witness its transformation into a winter wonderland.
I was chuffed to bits to make it there in February 2024 and am excited to share my 3-day Sapporo itinerary to help you make the best of your visit.
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How Long Do You Need in Sapporo?
I recommend spending at least three days in Sapporo. This gives you enough time to explore the major attractions and take a day trip to Otaru. If you visit in winter, this will also allow you to enjoy the Sapporo Snow Festival.
My Suggested 3-Day Winter Sapporo Itinerary
As it was the first stop on this Japan trip, I deliberately kept my Sapporo itinerary relaxed to allow me to cope with jetlag. If you are short on time, you could compress it into two days by spending less time at the Snow Festival or skipping the Otaru day trip (I’d opt for the latter).
I highly recommend visiting the Snow Festival by day and night.
DAY 1: Sapporo Highlights and Snow Festival (Odori Park)
There are not many must-see sights in Sapporo and a few of them – namely, Odori Park and buzzy Susukino – are locations for the Snow Festival.
Former Hokkaido Government Building
Also known as the “Red Brick Government Office”, this 19th-century Neo-Baroque building is a Sapporo icon and combines Western architectural influences with local traditions. The Government Building was undergoing renovation when I visited which is due for completion in 2025.
Clock Tower
This historical landmark is Sapporo’s oldest building, built as the martial arts hall of Hokkaido University’s agricultural college in 1878. It is home to a small museum detailing the building’s history and its role in Sapporo’s development. The clock has been heralding each new hour for more than 130 years.
Sapporo TV Tower
If there’s one thing you have to do in Sapporo during the Snow Festival, it’s to take the lift to the observation deck of the TV Tower. The 360-degree views are phenomenal, particularly those across Odori Park.
Sapporo TV Tower is open from 9 am until 10 pm and you can buy a ticket that combines a day and night visit for 50% more than the standard entrance fee. Check current opening hours and ticket prices on the official website.
Sapporo Snow Festival: Odori Park
This made the long journey from London worthwhile.
The Sapporo Snow Festival takes place in two main locations – Odori and Susukino – and Odori is the largest site. A third site, Tsudome, is geared towards fun activities rather than sculptures.
Odori Park stretches over 12 blocks and it takes around 30 minutes to walk its full length. At this site, there were 123 snow sculptures: 5 large, 15 medium and 103 small. The Snow Festival is famous for the scale of its sculptures and Neuschwanstein and the Old Railway Station were spectacular.
Sculptors from across the globe travel here for the International Snow Sculpture Contest, and they were hard at work when I visited. But I loved that there was a “popularity contest” for sculptures made by Sapporo citizens.
You’ll be neither hungry nor bored. Steam and smells from food stands perfuse the crisp air and there’s a lively night-time entertainment programme.
DAY 2: Sapporo Beer Museum and Snow Festival (Susukino)
Sapporo Beer Museum
Sapporo is famous for its eponymous beer, Japan’s oldest. Visiting the Sapporo Beer Museum takes you into its history, the only beer in the world made from the brewery’s own raw ingredients.
Although the displays are in Japanese, there’s an English language sheet at each of the twelve information stations or you can scan a QR code. I loved the marketing posters spanning the years from 1908 until 2107. Look at how women were used to advertise beer in the company’s early days.
After my museum visit, I headed to the beer tasting hall which was very busy. There is a choice of beers (240cl measures), flights and non-alcoholic drinks.
Join the queue and buy a ticket for your tasting from the machine as you approach the bar (staff are on hand to help if needed). It accepts cash, IC cards or contactless bank cards.
Then, hand over your ticket from the machine at the bar in exchange for the brew of your choice. Signs in the tasting hall request that you stay for a maximum of 30 minutes.
Opening hours: Tuesday – Sunday, 11 am to 6 pm. Check here
Getting there: Take bus #188 from the northern exit of Sapporo bus station. Services leave every 30 minutes and you can pay by cash or IC card (I used Suica) as you leave the bus. The journey time was 7 minutes and the bus drops you outside the museum.
Entrance fee: Entry is free but a paid-for Premium Tour is available (reserve in advance). This includes a guided tour (in Japanese), two glasses of beer and a small snack.
Sapporo Snow Festival (Susukino)
I recommend you visit this Sapporo Snow Festival site after the sun sets. Susukino is Sapporo’s neon-lit nightlife district, crammed with ramen joints, izakaya and karaoke spots.
On a smaller scale than the Odori site, Susukino had around 60 ice sculptures of all shapes and sizes. The fish and seafood trapped in ice were particularly effective.
DAY 3: Day Trip to Otaru
Otaru is a small port city northwest of Sapporo, famous for its historic canal area, picturesque glasswork, seafood and sake breweries. Regular trains connect Sapporo and Otaru. The journey time is 40 minutes and you can use your IC card to pay.
Like its bigger neighbour, Otaru hosts a snow festival each February.
During the Snow Light Path Festival, the Otaru Canal and the former Japan National Railways Temiya Line are decorated with snow candles. As the first weekend of the Otaru Snow Light Path Festival coincides with the last weekend of the Sapporo Snow Festival, you can hit both events if you time it right.
Pick up a free map from Tourist Information at the train station and make Sankaku Market, the town’s famous seafood market, your first stop. Then, walk the short distance to the achingly picturesque Otaru Canal, lined with warehouses from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
To see Otaru’s famous glassware, stroll down Sakaimachidori Shopping Street. It is lined with stone and wooden buildings from the early 20th Century, now shops selling handmade crafts, local glassware and sweets.
My Top Tips for Visiting Sapporo in February for the Snow Festival
Getting There
By plane: Multiple airlines ply the 2-hour route between Tokyo and Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport, using Haneda or Narita Airport.
I took the Airport Express from New Chitose Airport and Sapporo Station. This runs roughly every 15 minutes and takes around 35 minutes.
The railway station at New Chitose Airport is located in the basement of the domestic terminal building. Buy your ticket from one of the automatic ticket machines located beside the ticket gates, or use your IC card. I used my Suica card but all major regional IC cards are accepted on JR Hokkaido railway lines.
By train: Travelling between Tokyo and Sapporo by train will max out the value of your JR Pass. It’s a journey of two parts: the JR Tohoku/Hokkaido Shinkansen from Tokyo to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto (4 hours) and the Hokuto limited express to Sapporo (3.5 hours).
Where to Stay in Sapporo
I enjoyed my stay at JR Tower Hotel Nikko Sapporo. The hotel was elegant and old-fashioned (in a good way) and the view from my large single room on the 30th floor was sensational.
I also liked that you could skip breakfast and credit this towards lunch in the lobby (a better option than breakfast in my experience).
If this hotel doesn’t meet your needs, consider The Royal Park Canvas – Sapporo Odori Park. You can’t get much closer to Sapporo’s snow sculptures and other travellers praise its customer service and rooftop bar.
Alternatively, Dormy Inn Premium is in a convenient location and has a public onsen and sauna. I’m a big fan of this Japanese budget hotel chain which offers great value for what it provides.
Where to Eat
Here are a few restaurants I visited and enjoyed:
Hakata Gyozasha Sapporo Station Store | Sapporo TR Building 2F, Kita 4-jo Nishi 2-chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido
Located a few minutes from Sapporo Station, this friendly izakaya specialises in tasty gyoza and craft beer. Expect to queue for a table but it’s very orderly.
Risotteria Gaku Hiragishi | B1F Sapporo Tokeidai Bldg. Kita 1-jo Nishi 2-chome Chuo-ku, Sapporo
An Italian restaurant in Japan may not be your first choice but this cosy place near the Clock Tower served me a delicious beef and Padano cheese risotto, washed down with a decent red wine.
Ebiten Bunten | 4 Chome Minami 2 Jonishi, Chuo Ward, Sapporo
I feasted on light-as-air tempura in this unpretentious, family-run restaurant near Odori Park. A fixture on the Sapporo culinary landscape for over 60 years.
Enjoy Your 3 Days in Sapporo
The Sapporo Snow Festival had been on my Japan travel bucket list for some time and met all my expectations. I hope this guide helps you plan your winter Sapporo trip and that you have the best time in this lovely city in Hokkaido.
If you have any questions or comments, just leave them below.
Happy travels!
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About Bridget
Bridget Coleman has been a passionate traveller for more than 30 years. She has visited 70+ countries, most as a solo traveller.
Articles on this site reflect her first-hand experiences.
To get in touch, email her at hello@theflashpacker.net or follow her on social media.