I’ll say this first: Sapporo wasn’t the most action-packed part of our Hokkaido road trip — and I’m actually glad it wasn’t. 😂
After flower fields in Furano, driving around Biei, Asahiyama Zoo, seafood hunting in Hakodate and our relaxing stay at Lake Toya, Sapporo was where we could slow down a little.
We ate. We shopped. We wandered around the city.
And then we ate some more. 😂
Travelling with two kids + grandparents, having a few days where we weren’t rushing from attraction to attraction was actually really nice.
If you’re planning Sapporo with kids, especially as part of a larger Hokkaido family road trip, here’s our actual experience — what we did, where we stayed, what we ate, how many days I think you need, plus some popular family attractions you can add if you have more time.
💡 Planning a bigger Hokkaido trip?
This Sapporo guide is part of our 14-Day Hokkaido Family Road Trip, covering Sapporo → Otaru → Furano → Biei → Asahikawa → Hakodate → Lake Toya → Sapporo.
👉 [READ OUR COMPLETE 14-DAY HOKKAIDO WITH KIDS GUIDE]
🇯🇵 Sapporo With Kids: Quick Guide
How long we stayed: 5 nights in total, split between the beginning and end of our Hokkaido trip
When we visited: Summer — late July/early August
Who we travelled with: Family of 4 + grandparents
Where we stayed:
🏨 Courtyard by Marriott Sapporo — 2 nights
🏨 Fairfield by Marriott Sapporo — 3 nights
Our Sapporo highlights:
🦀 Crab feast
🥩 Genghis Khan
🍜 Ramen
🛍️ Tanukikoji
🏬 Lots of shopping
🐟 Seafood
🔬 Sapporo Science Center
🚆 Otaru day trip
Would I recommend Sapporo with kids?
Yes — but I wouldn’t necessarily spend your entire Hokkaido holiday here.
For us, Sapporo worked best as the bookends of our Hokkaido road trip.
🗺️ How We Fit Sapporo Into Our 14-Day Hokkaido Itinerary
Instead of staying five consecutive nights in Sapporo, we split our stay into two parts.
First Sapporo Stay — 2 Nights
Day 1: Arrive in Sapporo
Day 2: Otaru day trip
Day 3: Collect rental car → drive to Furano
We then road-tripped through:
Furano → Biei → Asahikawa → Hakodate → Lake Toya
before eventually returning to Sapporo.
Second Sapporo Stay — 3 Nights
This was our slower portion of the holiday — sightseeing, eating, shopping and picking up everything HengMom suddenly decided we needed before leaving Japan. 😂
After Sapporo, we continued our Japan trip to Nagoya.
💡 HengMom Tip: I actually liked splitting Sapporo this way. We didn’t need a rental car for our first city stay, and returning to Sapporo at the end gave us some breathing room before leaving Hokkaido.
👉 [SEE OUR COMPLETE 14-DAY HOKKAIDO ROAD TRIP]
🏙️ Things to Do in Sapporo With Kids
Before we start, one important distinction.
Some of the places below are attractions we personally visited, while others are popular Sapporo family attractions that I would consider adding if you have more time.
I’m separating them because I don’t believe in pretending HengMom magically visited every attraction in Sapporo just to make this guide longer. 😂
🔬 1. Sapporo Science Center — One for the Kids
If you’ve been dragging your children around markets, shopping streets and food places for days, here’s one that’s actually for them. 😂
The Sapporo Science Center is an interactive science museum in the Shin-Sapporo area and makes a useful indoor family activity.
I’d especially consider this when:
- It’s raining
- The weather isn’t ideal
- The kids have had enough of sightseeing
- You need a proper child-focused activity
HengMom verdict: Add this if your Sapporo itinerary needs something specifically for the kids.
🛍️ 2. Tanukikoji Shopping Street
Now this was much more our speed. 😂
Tanukikoji is a long covered shopping arcade in central Sapporo filled with restaurants, drugstores, souvenir shops, fashion and all sorts of little finds.
Because much of the street is covered, it’s also a good option when Sapporo’s weather isn’t cooperating.
And I like places like this when travelling as a multi-generational family because there’s no fixed schedule.
Kids hungry? Eat.
Grandparents tired? Find somewhere to rest.
HengMom spots another Japanese drugstore?
Everyone waits. 😂
Look out for:
💊 Japanese drugstores
🎁 Hokkaido souvenirs
🍫 Japanese snacks
💴 100-yen finds
👕 Clothing
🍜 Restaurants
🎮 Character and game shops
I’d allow anywhere from 1–3 hours, depending on how dangerous your family is around Japanese shopping.
🌃 3. Susukino + COCONO SUSUKINO
Susukino is Sapporo’s famous entertainment and dining district, and it was convenient for us because our first hotel was nearby.
We also popped into COCONO SUSUKINO, which has shopping, restaurants and entertainment under one roof.
Rather than treating this as a major attraction, we used the area as somewhere to wander after dinner.
It became part of our very sophisticated Sapporo itinerary of:
eat → shop → walk → find something else to eat. 😂
🌳 4. Odori Park + Sapporo TV Tower
If it’s your first visit to Sapporo, Odori Park, Sapporo TV Tower and Sapporo Clock Tower make an easy sightseeing cluster.
You can combine several of central Sapporo’s famous sights without spending half your day travelling between attractions.
A simple route would be:
Sapporo Clock Tower
↓
Odori Park
↓
Sapporo TV Tower
↓
Nijo Market
↓
Tanukikoji
↓
Susukino + dinner
This is the kind of sightseeing day I like with kids — enough to see, but not ridiculously ambitious.
🕰️ 5. Sapporo Clock Tower
The Sapporo Clock Tower is one of the city’s most recognisable historic landmarks.
For families, I wouldn’t build an entire day around it.
Instead, treat it as a quick sightseeing/photo stop and combine it with nearby attractions such as Odori Park and Sapporo TV Tower.
HengMom tip: Cluster your central Sapporo attractions together instead of travelling back and forth across the city.
🐟 6. Visit a Sapporo Seafood Market
Hokkaido + seafood = obviously yes. 😂
If Sapporo is your main Hokkaido destination, I’d definitely make time for a seafood market.
Nijo Market is one of the better-known options in central Sapporo and is easy to combine with other city attractions.
However, if you’re following a bigger Hokkaido itinerary like ours, remember that you’ll also encounter plenty of incredible seafood in Otaru and Hakodate.
You do not have to visit every seafood market just because social media tells you to!
🍫 7. Shiroi Koibito Park — Popular With Families
We didn’t build our Sapporo itinerary around Shiroi Koibito Park, but if you’re looking for another dedicated family attraction, this is one of the popular options to consider.
It’s themed around the famous Hokkaido Shiroi Koibito chocolate biscuits and is particularly popular with families with younger children.
If you have 3 or more sightseeing days in Sapporo, I’d consider adding this.
🐻 8. Maruyama Zoo + Maruyama Park
Another possible family combination is Maruyama Zoo + Maruyama Park.
But this is where I would plan according to your overall Hokkaido itinerary.
If you’re only visiting Sapporo, Maruyama Zoo could be worth considering.
If you’re road-tripping to Asahikawa and already planning Asahiyama Zoo, I personally wouldn’t feel compelled to add another zoo unless your children LOVE animals.
Save that time for something different.
🍜 What to Eat in Sapporo
Now we get to the part of Sapporo that HengMom took VERY seriously. 😂
Hokkaido is one of those destinations where food really should be part of your itinerary.
For Sapporo, I’d put these on your food list:
🥩 Genghis Khan
🦀 Hokkaido crab
🍜 Miso ramen
🍣 Sushi
🐟 Seafood
🍦 Hokkaido dairy and ice cream
🍈 Hokkaido melon in summer
🥩 Try Genghis Khan in Sapporo
One of the meals I specifically wanted to try was Genghis Khan, Hokkaido’s famous grilled lamb/mutton dish.
We had ours around the Susukino area.
The meat is cooked on a distinctive grill together with vegetables, so dinner itself becomes part of the experience.
Would I try it in Sapporo? Absolutely.
🦀 Kani Honke — Our Most Memorable Sapporo Meal
If there’s one Sapporo meal I’d tell friends to actually plan in advance, this would be it.
We went to Kani Honke near Sapporo Station, which specialises in crab cuisine.
And it wasn’t simply:
Here’s a giant crab. Good luck. 😂
The whole experience felt very traditional.
We had a private Japanese dining room, and the crab dishes came beautifully presented throughout the meal.
Some of the dishes we enjoyed included:
🦀 Crab prepared in different ways
🍚 Crab kamameshi / rice pot
🍲 Zosui-style porridge
The presentation was BEAUTIFUL.
And with two kids?
Private room = HengMom approved. 😂
It gave us a much calmer family meal while still feeling like we were having a special Japanese dining experience.
👉 [READ OUR KANI HONKE SAPPORO EXPERIENCE]
👉 [BOOK KANI HONKE VIA MY HENG TRAILS KLOOK SHOP – Promo Code: “hengxklook”]
💡 HengMom Tip: If you’re intimidated by the menu or aren’t sure what crab dishes to order, check the available set packages beforehand. I find this much easier when travelling because you can see what’s included before arriving.
🍜 Don’t Leave Without Trying Sapporo Ramen
Sapporo is famous for miso ramen, so this is another easy food mission.
If you’re around Susukino, you can check out Ganso Sapporo Ramen Yokocho (Ramen Alley), a narrow alley filled with small ramen shops.
My approach?
Don’t spend three hours travelling across Sapporo because social media says one particular bowl is THE ramen.
Find somewhere good that fits naturally into your route.
Especially with kids.
🛍️ Where to Shop in Sapporo
This is actually one reason I’d deliberately leave some free time in Sapporo at the end of a Hokkaido road trip.
It’s much easier to do your final big Japan shopping here than to buy everything while moving between countryside hotels.
Some places to check out include:
🏮 Tanukikoji Shopping Street
🏬 Daimaru , Mitsukoshi Sapporo
🚉 Sapporo Station area
🌃 COCONO SUSUKINO
💴 100-yen shops
💊 Japanese drugstores
🍫 Hokkaido souvenir and snack shops
And if you’re flying afterwards, remember:
Everything you buy has to somehow fit into your luggage.
A lesson HengMom repeatedly refuses to learn. 😂
🏨 Where We Stayed in Sapporo With Kids
We actually stayed at two different Sapporo hotels because the city sat at both ends of our Hokkaido road trip.
Courtyard by Marriott Sapporo — 2 Nights
We stayed at Courtyard by Marriott Sapporo at the beginning of our trip.
This was our Sapporo + Otaru portion before collecting our rental car and driving towards Furano.
I liked being able to settle into Hokkaido first instead of landing and immediately starting a long self-drive with the kids, grandparents and all our luggage.
👉 [CHECK COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT SAPPORO RATES ON AGODA]
Fairfield by Marriott Sapporo — 3 Nights
When we completed our road-trip loop and returned to Sapporo, we stayed at Fairfield by Marriott Sapporo.
This became our base for our final:
eat + shop + sightseeing
portion of Hokkaido before leaving for Nagoya.
👉 [CHECK FAIRFIELD BY MARRIOTT SAPPORO RATES ON AGODA]
Which area should families stay in Sapporo?
For a first visit, I’d prioritise somewhere around:
Sapporo Station / Odori / Susukino
rather than obsessing over finding the fanciest family hotel.
Being able to easily reach restaurants, shops and public transport is worth a lot when travelling with children.
⏰ How Many Days in Sapporo With Kids?
This is probably one of the biggest questions when planning a Hokkaido itinerary.
2 Days in Sapporo
Enough for the main city highlights plus food and shopping.
3 Days in Sapporo
This would probably be my sweet spot for most families.
You could do:
Day 1: Central Sapporo + shopping + food
Day 2: Family attraction
Day 3: Otaru day trip
4–5 Days in Sapporo
Worth considering if Sapporo is your main Hokkaido base and you plan to take day trips.
But if you’re doing a Hokkaido road trip like us?
I’d rather allocate some of those extra nights to places such as Furano/Biei and Lake Toya.
🗓️ My Suggested 3-Day Sapporo Family Itinerary
If I were planning a standalone Sapporo stay based on what we learnt from our trip, this is how I’d structure it.
DAY 1 — CLASSIC SAPPORO + FOOD
🕰️ Sapporo Clock Tower
🌳 Odori Park
🗼 Sapporo TV Tower
🐟 Nijo Market
🏮 Tanukikoji
🌃 Susukino
🍜 Miso ramen
DAY 2 — KIDS + SHOPPING
Choose one:
🔬 Sapporo Science Center
OR
🍫 Shiroi Koibito Park
Then:
🚉 Sapporo Station
🏬 Daimaru
🛍️ Shopping
🦀 Kani Honke dinner
DAY 3 — OTARU DAY TRIP
🐟 Sankaku Market
🏮 Sakaimachi Street
✨ Glassware shops
🎵 Otaru Music Box Museum
🍰 LeTAO
🌊 Otaru Canal
👉 [READ OUR COMPLETE OTARU DAY TRIP GUIDE]
This gives you city + kids + food + shopping + Otaru without making every day exhausting.
🚆 Do You Need a Car in Sapporo?
For central Sapporo?
I wouldn’t bother.
Many of the main city attractions can be reached using public transport or on foot.
We really needed our rental car when we started the road-trip portion of Hokkaido.
That’s another reason I liked our route:
Sapporo without car → collect rental car → Hokkaido road trip → return to Sapporo
You avoid paying for a rental car just to leave it parked while you shop and sightsee in the city.
☀️ Is Sapporo Worth Visiting in Summer?
Yes.
But here’s my perspective after doing our trip:
Don’t come all the way to Hokkaido in summer and only see Sapporo if you have enough time to explore further.
The parts that really gave us that “WOW, this is Hokkaido” feeling were outside the city:
🌸 Furano’s flower fields
🍈 Hokkaido melon
🌾 Biei countryside
💙 Blue Pond
🐧 Asahiyama Zoo
🦀 Hakodate seafood
🎆 Summer festivals and fireworks
♨️ Lake Toya
That’s why I’d combine Sapporo with at least one countryside destination if you have the time.
💳 What We Used for Spending in Japan
One of the cards we used throughout our Japan trip was YouTrip.
The 0% FX fees made it convenient for our everyday spending in Japan.
We still carried some Japanese yen as well because you will encounter places where cash is useful.
👉 [SIGN UP FOR YOUtrip — CODE: HENGTR]
🎟️ Booking Sapporo Attractions & Experiences
I usually check Klook while planning our Japan trips because it’s convenient to have attractions and selected dining experiences booked before we arrive.
I’ve also collected some of our Japan and Hokkaido finds in my Heng Trails Klook Shop, so you don’t have to search through everything yourself.
👉 [BROWSE MY HENG TRAILS KLOOK SHOP]
💰 Promo code: HENGXKLOOK
Always check the latest applicable promotion and terms before booking.
❤️ So, Is Sapporo Worth Visiting With Kids?
Yes — just don’t feel like you need to pack every day with attractions.
For our family, Sapporo worked because it gave us something completely different from the rest of Hokkaido.
Furano and Biei were about scenery.
Hakodate was seafood and festivals.
Lake Toya was our resort break.
And Sapporo was food, shopping and breathing space.
After almost two weeks travelling with two kids + grandparents?
HengMom was VERY ready for that breathing space. 😂
If you’re planning a larger Hokkaido family trip, I’d use Sapporo as your easy starting and ending point, give yourself time to eat and shop, and save some of your holiday days for exploring beyond the city.
🇯🇵 Continue Planning Your Hokkaido Family Trip
🌸 [14-Day Hokkaido With Kids: Our Complete Itinerary]
🦀 [Otaru Day Trip From Sapporo]
🌸 [Furano, Biei & Asahikawa With Kids]
📍 Don’t Want to Plan Everything From Scratch?
If my free guides have helped you piece together your Hokkaido trip but you’d rather not spend hours pinning every hotel, restaurant, attraction and road-trip stop yourself, I’ve also turned our actual trip into:
HengMom’s 14-Day Hokkaido Family Road Trip Planner 🇯🇵
It includes:
✓ Our actual day-by-day route
✓ Interactive map pins
✓ Hotels
✓ Restaurants
✓ Driving order
✓ Family-friendly rest stops
✓ Places we skipped
✓ Optional alternatives
✓ First-hand HengMom tips
You can use our route as your starting point and customise it according to your own family’s pace.
👉 GET THE INTERACTIVE HOKKAIDO PLANNER — S$9.90
Everything you need to plan the trip yourself will continue to be available FREE on Hengtrails ❤️.
The paid planner is simply there if you’d like the convenience of having everything mapped out and ready to use — and it’s also a little way to support the time and work that goes into creating these guides. 🥰
[…] → [READ: SAPPORO WITH KIDS – THINGS TO DO, EAT & WHERE TO STAY] […]