Day Trips from Sapporo: A Local's Guide to Where to Go

Sapporo is a great base for Hokkaido, because some of the island's best sights are within one or two hours of the city: an old port town, steaming volcanic valleys, caldera lakes, a coast with water as clear as glass, and hills covered in flowers. I live in Sapporo and spend my days off driving to these places, and every destination below is one I have driven myself. This guide helps you choose: how far each one is, whether you need a car, and which season suits it.

1The best day trips from Sapporo at a glance

Here are the seven day trips I recommend most, with the drive time from central Sapporo including a break.

If you only have one day and want the easiest trip, go to Otaru. If you want a hot spring, go to Noboribetsu or Jozankei. If you have a car and want the most dramatic scenery, go to Shakotan in summer or Lake Toya at any time of year.

2Within an hour of Sapporo

These two are close enough that you can leave mid-morning and still have a full day.

Jozankei: Sapporo's own hot spring town

Jozankei is a hot spring town in a river valley at the southern edge of Sapporo, still inside the city. The Kappa Liner bus gets you to the town in about an hour, but with a car the valley beyond is the real draw: Hoheikyo Dam wrapped in autumn colors, the viewpoints over Lake Sapporo and a winery café below a jagged mountain. The leaves usually peak in October, when the dam car park can have long waits.

Jozankei Onsen Day Trip from Sapporo by Car: A Local's RouteA local's day trip from Sapporo to Jozankei by car: Hoheikyo Dam in autumn colors, two day-use onsen, Lake Sapporo's viewpoints and a winery café, with bus, parking and seasonal tips.

Otaru: the canal, old streets and Yoichi

Otaru is the classic day trip from Sapporo: a port town with a canal lined with stone warehouses, a merchant street full of sweet shops and glassware, and fresh seafood. If you only want the canal and Sakaimachi Street, the train is easier than driving. With a car you can add the Nikka whisky distillery in Yoichi, a seafood lunch on the Shukutsu cape and the night view from Mt. Tengu.

Otaru Day Trip from Sapporo by Car: A Local's Route and Where to ParkDriving to Otaru from Sapporo? A local's one-day route through Yoichi, Shukutsu, the canal and Mt. Tengu, with drive times, tolls and where to park near Otaru Canal.

Lake Shikotsu: clear water and a lakeside onsen

Lake Shikotsu is one of the clearest lakes in Japan, set in a ring of volcanoes about an hour from Sapporo and 40 minutes from New Chitose Airport, which makes it an easy first or last stop of a trip. With a car you can see a hidden lake from a forest viewpoint, soak at Marukoma Onsen right at the water's edge (day bathing on Fridays to Sundays only) and look at the lake bed from an underwater boat. Buses reach the hot spring village from Chitose, and in winter the village hosts the ice festival.

Lake Shikotsu Day Trip from Sapporo by Car: A Local's RouteA local's day trip to Lake Shikotsu by car: the Okotanpe viewpoint, a lakeside bath at Marukoma Onsen, lake trout for lunch and the underwater boat, plus the ice festival and winter tips.

3Two hours or more from Sapporo

These take a full day, and most of them are much easier with a car.

Noboribetsu: Hell Valley and onsen

Noboribetsu is one of Hokkaido's best-known hot spring towns, and the source of the water is right in front of you: Hell Valley, a crater full of steam vents and bubbling pools. It works well by train and bus, since Hell Valley, the main street and the bear park are all walkable from the town. A car is useful in winter, when the loop bus to Oyunuma pond does not run, or if you want to add the Orofure Pass or Lake Toya.

Noboribetsu Day Trip from Sapporo by Car: Hell Valley, Onsen and Where to ParkA local's day trip from Sapporo to Noboribetsu by car: Hell Valley, Oyunuma, the bear park and a day bath at Takimotokan, with tolls, parking and winter driving tips.

Shakotan: Shakotan blue and sea urchin

The Shakotan Peninsula is where you see the clearest water in Hokkaido, from the capes of Ogon, Shakotan and Kamui. It is a summer trip: the sea urchin season runs from June to August, and several sights and restaurants close in winter. The direct bus to Cape Kamui has ended, so a car or a tour is really the only practical way. The Cape Kamui walkway to the tip is closed from October 5, 2026 until early April 2027.

Shakotan and Cape Kamui Day Trip from Sapporo by Car: A Local's RouteA local's day trip from Sapporo to Shakotan by car: Cape Ogon, Shimamui Coast, a sea urchin bowl, Cape Kamui and a sea-view onsen, with tolls, opening hours, closures and the bus alternative.

Lake Toya: a caldera lake and Mt. Usu

Lake Toya is a round caldera lake with islands in the middle and the active volcano Mt. Usu on its shore. You can ride the ropeway up Mt. Usu, soak in a bath looking over the lake and drive around to the quiet viewpoints on the far shores. The train and bus get you to the hot spring town, but the viewpoints around the lake really need a car. It is the longest drive on this list after Biei, so plan a full day.

Lake Toya Day Trip from Sapporo by Car: A Local's Route, Viewpoints and OnsenA local's day trip from Sapporo to Lake Toya by car: Mt. Usu, a lakeside lunch, an onsen with a lake view and the quiet viewpoints on the north shore, with tolls, parking and winter tips.

Biei and Furano: flower fields and patchwork hills

Biei and Furano are the Hokkaido of postcards, with lavender at Farm Tomita in July, striped flower fields and the Blue Pond. From Sapporo it is a long day trip, about two and a half hours each way, and the main road between the sights gets very crowded in summer. If you can, stay a night near Asahikawa, Biei or Furano instead; my guide has both versions of the route.

Biei and Furano by Car: A Local's Route Around the Summer CrowdsA local's driving loop through Biei and Furano that avoids the summer traffic on Route 237, from Asahikawa or as a day trip from Sapporo: Farm Tomita, the Blue Pond, Tokachidake and the hills of Biei.

4Day trips from Sapporo by season

The right choice changes a lot with the season, and some places are much better at certain times of year.

In winter, Otaru is especially easy because you can go by train and do not have to drive on snowy roads. Noboribetsu and Jozankei are at their best when it is cold outside and you are in a hot bath. From November to April every road should be treated as a winter road, so if you are not used to driving on snow, choose the trips that work by train and bus.

5Day trips from Sapporo without a car

Not everyone wants to drive in a foreign country, and some of these trips work perfectly well without a car. Otaru is the easiest: the train from Sapporo takes 30 to 45 minutes and the canal is a short walk from the station. Noboribetsu is next, with a limited express train and a bus up to the hot spring town. Jozankei has the Kappa Liner bus to the town.

Lake Toya, Shakotan and Biei and Furano are hard without a car, because their sights are spread out along roads with few buses. For those, a car or a day tour from Sapporo is the realistic choice.

6Combining two places in one day

Some pairs are close enough to combine. Otaru and Yoichi fit together easily, and my Otaru guide starts in Yoichi. Noboribetsu and Lake Toya are about an hour apart by car, which makes a long but possible day; I compare the two and explain how to combine them here.

Noboribetsu or Lake Toya: Which Day Trip from Sapporo Is Right for YouNoboribetsu or Lake Toya? A Sapporo local compares the two day trips by drive time, tolls, train access and highlights, and explains whether you can do both in one day.

7Places that are too far for a day trip

Hakodate is often listed as a day trip from Sapporo, but it is about 310 kilometers away: around 4 hours by car or about 3 hours 45 minutes on the limited express, each way. That leaves very little time there, so I would always stay at least one night. Biei and Furano are on the edge; they work as a long day trip by car, but staying nearby is much better.

8FAQ about day trips from Sapporo

These are the questions people most often ask when planning a day trip from Sapporo.

Q1. What is the best day trip from Sapporo?

For most people, Otaru: it is close, easy by train and has the canal, old streets and seafood. If you have a car, Shakotan in summer and Lake Toya are the most dramatic.

Q2. What is the best day trip from Sapporo in winter?

Otaru, Noboribetsu and Jozankei. All three work by train or bus, and two of them are hot spring towns, which is exactly what you want in the cold.

Q3. Which day trips from Sapporo can I do without a car?

Otaru, Noboribetsu and the Jozankei hot spring town are all easy by train or bus. Shakotan, Lake Toya's viewpoints and Biei and Furano are much easier with a car or a tour.

Q4. Can you do a day trip from Sapporo to Hakodate?

Technically yes, but it is about 4 hours each way by car or about 3 hours 45 minutes by train, so I recommend staying at least one night.

Q5. Is it worth renting a car for day trips from Sapporo?

Yes, if you want Shakotan, Lake Toya or Biei and Furano, or if two or more people are sharing the cost. For Otaru and Noboribetsu alone, the train is fine.