The 15 Best Hokkaido Tours & Day Trips

1.Sapporo Bar Hopping Food Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 232 reviews · from $108Our pick

Spend three hours with a certified MagicalTrip guide such as Midori, Kay, Aika, or Ayumi, visiting three local izakayas in central Sapporo. Expect translation help, three drinks, three to four dishes, a stop near ramen street, and a final ramen or parfait option. The group is limited to seven people.

“Each place we visited had its own cool vibe . Great eats and great fun to be amongst the locals and discover what is unique to the hokkaido food scene”

Dates, prices, availability →Our full review →

2.Sapporo Private Tour with a Local – Highlights & Hidden Gems

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 91 reviews · from $109

This private Sapporo walk lasts 3 to 8 hours and is shaped around your interests. Your host may combine Odori Park, the Clock Tower, Sapporo Beer Museum, Nijo Market, Maruyama Park, and Hokkaido Shrine with local food stops. Guides such as Ryo, Shiunn, Akihiro, Emilio, and Zarina have helped guests explore at an easy, personal pace.

“The tour was a great overview of the city. Emilio was a charm to spend a few hours with exploring the city and learning about culture and history.”

Dates, prices, availability →Our full review →

3.Hokkaido, Noboribetsu and Lake Toya Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 88 reviews · from $66

Travel from Sapporo by bus with an English or Japanese guide to Noboribetsu Hell Valley, Cape Chikyu, Showa Shinzan Bear Farm, Lake Toya, and Lake Shikotsu. Lisa has earned praise for clear, friendly guidance. Expect a full day, short sightseeing stops, optional admission fees, and free time for lunch.

“Too much talking, too much talking about what to shop… hard to enjoy the quiet moments enjoy the scenery.”

Dates, prices, availability →Our full review →

4.Sumo Show Experience with Japanese food & Photo

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 81 reviews · 2 hours · from $77

At Sapporo Sumo Club Entertainment, a bilingual moderator explains sumo rules, training, rituals, and winning moves before former wrestlers compete in a best-of-three match. You’ll enjoy a Japanese meal and drink, watch mochi making and a traditional dance, join an optional audience challenge, and leave with a framed group photo and souvenirs.

“It was great, but bring the only ones there was a bit odd!!”

Dates, prices, availability →Our full review →

5.Popular in SapporoExperience authentic hand-made soba at a real soba shop!

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 77 reviews · from $72

At a long-running Sapporo soba shop, chef Taku guides you through mixing, kneading, stretching, and cutting buckwheat noodles. English instructions use clear demonstrations, so beginners and children can follow without a lecture-heavy class. The hands-on work takes about 30 minutes, followed by a meal of your own soba. The private experience lasts roughly 1 hour and 15 minutes.

“Great experience and very accommodating. We messed up the time and Taku was very nice to take us in. Really appreciate it. The soba making was fun and the final product was delicious. Make sure to get the tempura and duck soup.”

Dates, prices, availability →Our full review →

6.Mondo’s most popular plan! Experience making soba noodles and the king of Japanese cuisine, tempura, in Sapporo!

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 71 reviews · from $85

At Mondo, near Miyanosawa Station, Taku guides you through mixing buckwheat flour, stretching dough, and cutting soba noodles. You then eat your noodles with artisan-made tempura, cold or warm sauce, and soba-yu. The English-language session lasts about 75 minutes and suits families, small groups, and first-time soba makers.

“We had a very small group size (3) which made it very intimate, and it was such an enjoyable, hands-on experience! Our favorite part was learning to slice the soba noodles the traditional way, after we had kneaded the flour into the noodle doRead more”

Dates, prices, availability →Our full review →

7.【Private Car】Asahiyama Zoo, Blue Pond, Shirahige Falls, Ningle Terrace (from Sapporo)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 60 reviews

Travel from Sapporo by private car to four northern Hokkaido sights in 8 to 10 hours. You get a driver, expressway costs, flexible pacing, and pickup, but not a formal guide or included meals and admission. English ability varies by driver, with translation apps often used. Drivers such as Kate, Masaru, Tommy, and Kishimoto have earned especially warm praise.

“Our trip highlights are many but what made the difference is our driver safe driving and his services.”

Dates, prices, availability →Our full review →

8.Sapporo 6hr Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 57 reviews · from $155

This private six-hour walking tour pairs you with a government-licensed, English-speaking Sapporo guide such as Roy, Kumiko, Tom, or Nozomi. Choose three or four places from a long list, then explore by foot and public transportation. Pick a food focus, history, shopping, parks, or city views, but budget separately for fares, meals, and admission fees.

“I had a nice introductory Sapporo tour with Hubert-san who met me promptly at my hotel to start the tour. He put together the itinerary for me based on the locations of interest I chose previously, translated as needed during the day and took plenty of photos with my phone. He also chose a nice Ramen shop for lunch since I wanted to try Hokkaido style Ramen. He also even assisted at the end of the tour with translating at the hotel for me so I could figure out the best way to get to New Chitose airport from the hotel. I really appreciated his help. If there was one…”

Dates, prices, availability →Our full review →

9.Hokkaido Highlights Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 56 reviews · from $64

Spend a full day beyond Sapporo, visiting Cape Kamui, Shimamui Coast, Otaru’s shopping streets, its 5.5-meter steam clock, and Shiroi Koibito Park. The route changes by travel date, with English, Chinese, and Japanese support. Guides such as Yan and Tui have led well-organized outings, though time at each stop can vary.

Dates, prices, availability →Our full review →

10.Wagashi traditional japanese sweets class

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 49 reviews · from $59

Meet Yuki near Makomanai Station for a two-hour wagashi class in her cozy Sapporo home. You’ll shape nerikiri, learn about Japanese sweets and seasonal design, enjoy matcha, and take your creations home. Station pickup may be arranged, and Yuki teaches in English with clear demonstrations and written instructions.

“It was a great intro to japanese sweet making. Yuki was very nice and it was a wonderful experience.”

Dates, prices, availability →Our full review →

11.[Biei/Furano] One-day sightseeing by private car!

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 43 reviews

Spend about 10 hours touring Furano and Biei from Sapporo in a private, air-conditioned vehicle for up to eight people. Depending on the season, you’ll visit Farm Tomita, Shikisai no Oka, the Blue Pond, Shirahige Falls, Biei’s famous trees, or Ningle Terrace. Drivers such as Kenny, Kazu, Masaru, Kate, and Yuki are praised for clear timing, careful driving, and flexible local help. English ability varies, so translation apps may help.

“Highly recommend this tour. Kenny was a great host. We went on the tour in a group of 8 and had a great time. Thank you Kenny.”

Dates, prices, availability →Our full review →

12.Sapporo 4hr Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 42 reviews · from $122

Meet a government-licensed English-speaking guide on foot in Sapporo and build a four-hour route around two or three sights. Choose from Odori Park, Nijo Market, the Beer Museum, Hokkaido Shrine, Mt. Moiwa, and more. Guides such as Roy, Kumiko, Teri, Tom, and Waka are praised for local insight, history, food advice, and patient navigation.

“Roy Aoki was very knowledgeable about Sapporo and helped me plan a custom trip suited to my needs. We were able to walk around Sapporo in refreshing weather, visiting the Sapporo Beer Museum, Tower 38 Observatory, Odori Park amRead more”

Dates, prices, availability →Our full review →

13.One Day Highlights Tour of Sapporo

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 41 reviews · from $138

Spend about six hours exploring Sapporo with a private English-speaking guide, using trains and buses to reach Nijo Market, Shiroi Koibito Park, and Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium. The tour is planned with Muslim travelers in mind, including prayer time and suitable dining guidance, while non-Muslims are welcome too. Guides such as Chieko, Akiko, Nori, and Miyanomori residents add local context.

“Akiko served as our dedicated guide during our Sapporo adventure, a destination that had always been a dream to explore. Her expertise was truly exceptional, leading us to various captivating locations, including the bustling Nijo MarketRead more”

Dates, prices, availability →Our full review →

14.Furano Flower Sea & Biei Blue Pond Tour w/ Pickup

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 40 reviews · from $77

Spend a full day touring Hokkaido’s best-known scenery, from Biei’s cobalt Blue Pond and Shirahige Waterfall to Furano’s flower farms. The tour includes transport, Four Seasons Color Hill admission, and selected lunch packages, with an optional Yubari melon upgrade. English support is basic, so treat this as a scenic day trip rather than a guided history tour.

“There was no tour guide. Just a Chinese driver we had! And, the whole group was Chinese. For that reason; the driver introduced tour spots in Chinese language. The driver has given little information in English the whole day. The driver's english introduction was not enough and was misunderstandable. Tour schedule was reasonable and filled with many spots.”

Dates, prices, availability →Our full review →

15.Hokkaido│Noboribetsu & Lake Toya Tour with Ropeway Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 32 reviews · 1 day · from $61

This full-day Hokkaido coach tour links Lake Shikotsu, steaming Jigokudani, Toyako Onsen, Showa Shinzan, and Lake Toya’s Silo Observatory. You can add the Usuzan Ropeway and Bear Ranch ticket, with English and Japanese guidance. Guides such as Helen and Andy have handled multilingual groups with care, but the schedule is brisk.

“Superbe excusions pour découvrir les essentiels au alentours de Sapporo et donner envie de revenir découvrir à d’autres saisons Parfois peu de temps à chaque arrêt mais c’est attendu au vu des trajets”

Dates, prices, availability →Our full review →