Sapporo places to visit – Winter is almost here! So, where’s the best place to visit in Japan in winter? Sapporo, Hokkaido, of course! Check out this Sapporo travel guide, so you have an idea about the best places to visit.
P.S. I also included other Hokkaido tourist spots in case you want to maximize your Sapporo travel!
If you’re here for the first time, I’d like to invite you to follow me on my socials – Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok so you’re updated on our recent food, hotel, and travel reviews!
Sapporo TV Tower
Never underestimate how a tower could make you capture great photos all within a day! Because day or night, you can have a splendid view when you go up the Sapporo TV Tower. The best time to go up? Before the sun sets, so that you can find the best spot to capture your photos!
Learn more here.
Bibai Snowland
If you fancy outdoor winter activities, then staying at Sapporo would be a waste if you didn’t visit Bibai Snowland. Because you can have a lot of fun there! We spent the whole day playing there with the fun snow activities and throwing snowballs at each other.
Want to know what’s inside? Check here.
Maruyama Zoo and Park
I know what young families look for: Sapporo places for kids.
Just like us, we also looked for kid-friendly attractions in Sapporo, Japan. And this is one of the places you must visit if you have young kids, or kids who love the park and animals.
Going to Maruyama Zoo, you’ll be passing the Maruyama Park, which we almost spend the whole morning, due to the nice snowy place. But apart from that, there is also a small playground where kids and even adults can slide.
And when most animals are asleep in other places we visited, here in Maruyama Zoo, majority of them are awake even if it’s cold! So, it definitely is one of the best Sapporo Hokkaido attractions I highly recommend, especially if you have kids or love animals!
Shiroi Koibito Park
If you love the famous Shiroi Koibito white chocolate enclosed in 2 lengua biscuits, you better visit the Shiroi Koibito Park and see for yourself how your fave biscuit is made.
We enjoyed our time exploring the Shiroi Koibito factory as well as the nice snow-covered park there. Make sure to catch all the pretty lights that appear once the sky becomes dark. More about my Shiroi Koibito Park review here.
You can also choose to book this tour with an entrance to Shiroi Koibito Park, a dip in the Jozankei Hot Spring Town, and have a sightseeing walk at Otaru.
Sapporo Beer Museum
One of the top attractions in Sapporo, Hokkaido, is the Sapporo Beer Museum. If you love drinking beer, you’ll be fascinated about how it all started in Sapporo – especially that it’s one of the most famous beer brand.
Not to mention, you can even purchase a beer taster set – where you can taste different kinds of beer after your museum tour.
Read more about my Sapporo Beer Museum review here.
Nakajima Park
If you have some spare time and just want to walk around Sapporo City, Nakajima Park should be the place to go to. What’s amazing is that the Shobu pond is frozen during winter, so you’ll have a different kind of view than when it is summer or fall.
We also saw a playground, which was half filled with snow! And we had lots of fun time playing with the snow, making snowballs and throwing them around.
Noboribetsu, Lake Toya
I never knew Noboribetsu and Lake Toya are part of Sapporo tourist spots in winter.
Nonetheless, I still added it to our Sapporo itinerary because hubby wanted it. We booked the tour, and went to many places within a day, and I knew I wouldn’t be trading it with any other tour because we went to nice places that day!
Learn more about my Noboribetsu Lake Toya tour experience here.
Mt. Moiwa
Lovers shouldn’t forget to include a trip to Mt. Moiwa into your Sapporo itinerary.
This remarkable place with a panoramic view of the whole Sapporo is the most romantic place you’ll ever be if you visit Hokkaido. You can even purchase a padlock to ensure that your relationship with your loved one be secured.
It might not be obvious but strong cool breeze will surely keep you hugging your loved one, so you’ll enjoy Mt. Moiwa more by being next to each other! I narrated our journey to Mt Moiwa here.
You can book a ropeway ticket to Mt. Moiwa along with an entrance to the Asahiyama Memorial Park to make your couple trip even more memorable!
Don’t forget to use Klook code HAPPIKLOOK when booking at Klook to get discounts!
Tanukikoji Shopping Street
One of the best things to do in Sapporo is, of course, shopping!
I mean, you’re already in Japan but still thinking about whether to buy this or that? Why?! I know, I know.. I still think 3 times before buying something, but whenever I think about the regret, I always end up buying the things that truly matter to me.
Make sure to check Tanukikoji Shopping Street when you go to Sapporo!
Sapporo Clock Tower
We weren’t able to go inside Sapporo Clock Tower, because we think our son would just get bored inside. But if you love history and learning more about Sapporo’s past, then you must enter this Sapporo Clock Tower.
Inside is a museum all about Sapporo on the first floor, and more about the clock on the second floor. I, on the other hand, was happy to see its exteriors because of the old type of building you don’t often see.
Former Hokkaido Government Office Building (Red Brick Office)
Just a 5-minute walk from Sapporo Clock Tower, the Red Brick Office is a building which used about 2.5 million bricks. Once inside, you’ll be transported back into the time of Meiji era with interesting unusual architectural features.
The Former Hokkaido Government Office Building was under construction during our visit. And we were disappointed to see only a printed photo of the building – and couldn’t check what’s inside.
So, maybe the next time we go back, we’d still include it in our Hokkaido itinerary!
Otaru Canal
Another place not to miss that’s only one ride from the Sapporo train station is Otaru. Famous for its canal, Otaru showcases many tourist spots which will make you forget about time! We didn’t realize we spent almost the whole day there!
Follow me for a complete review of our Otaru Canal experience, and see some of the best stores to shop – they got a lot of souvenir shops there, so be sure to catch my separate blog post about Otaru!
Otaru Music Box Museum
I can’t help but mention the Otaru Music Box Museum separately from Otaru Canal. This place will surely wow you because of the huge collection of music boxes you wouldn’t even think about that existed!
If I had so much money, I would have bought lots of them! They’re too lovely not to share, so if you’re visiting Otaru, make sure to stop by the Music Box Museum, because I’m sure you’d have a hard time choosing which one to take home as well!
Sapporo places to visit review conclusion
There are so many Hokkaido and Sapporo attractions to visit in winter! And these are my favorites, so if you’re starting to plan your Japan itinerary including Hokkaido, then I think you should consider these places!
If you’re here for the first time, I’d like to invite you to follow me on my socials – Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok so you’re updated on our recent food, hotel, and travel reviews!
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