Things to do in Hakodate
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Hakodate
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Blossom peak at Goryokaku around Golden Week and the start of the clear season.
Best odds for the night view, autumn colour mid to late October, calm after festival season.
Port Festival crowds and peak prices, but the squid fleet is lit offshore and everything is open.
Christmas Fantasy in December, illuminations and soaking monkeys, with hard cold and strait wind.
Weakest sightseeing window until mid April, snow going and blossom not yet out, but hotels are cheap.
What's on
- Hakodate Port Festival (Minato Matsuri) 1-5 August
Port fireworks on the opening night and mass squid dance, the Ika-odori, in the streets.
- Hakodate Christmas Fantasy 1-25 December
A huge floating Christmas tree by the red brick warehouses with nightly lighting and fireworks.
- Goryokaku cherry blossom season late April to early May
About 1600 cherry trees around the star fort moats, Hokkaido's headline hanami.
- Hakodate Marathon late June
Coastal marathon weekend that fills hotels and closes roads on race morning.
- Hakodate Winter Festival and Illumination December to February
Motomachi slopes and the bay area are lit through the winter season.
Best things to do in Hakodate
Mt. Hakodate Ropeway
Three minute gondola to the summit for the famous night view of the lit city pinched between two bays.
Goryokaku Park
Free star shaped fortress park, Hokkaido's best cherry blossom site in late April and early May.
Goryokaku Tower
The 107 metre tower beside the fort is the only place the perfect five pointed star makes sense.
Hakodate Magistrate's Office
Faithful reconstruction of the shogunate's northern headquarters at the centre of the star fort.
Hakodate Morning Market
About 250 stalls by the station for crab, squid and kaisendon breakfasts, plus a live squid fishing tank.
Hachimanzaka
The city's signature straight tree lined slope dropping from the old quarter to the harbour.
Old Public Hall of Hakodate Ward
Flamboyant 1910 blue and yellow colonial style hall above Motomachi, with period dress rental inside.
Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse
Floodlit 1909 trading warehouses on the harbour with cafes, a beer hall and the Christmas tree site.
Where to stay in Hakodate
Hakodate Station / Morning Market
first trip, transport and late eating
Trains, airport bus, tram hub, the market and Daimon Yokocho food alley all at your door.
Bay Area / Motomachi
couples, atmosphere and the night view
Warehouses, harbour and the old sloping streets, with the ropeway base a short walk away.
Yunokawa Onsen
onsen first trips and a splurge night
Big seaside ryokan hotels and the airport nearby, with the centre 25 to 30 minutes by tram.
Goryokaku
blossom season and repeat visitors
A local commercial district around the star fort with good value, 15 minutes by tram from the station.
Think twice about
- Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto station area
Hotels marketed as Hakodate near the shinkansen station sit 17 km from the city. Check the map, not the hotel name.
- Deep residential east Hakodate off the tram lines
Not unsafe, simply inconvenient without a car, with little to eat or do at night. Hakodate has no district to avoid for safety.
Best restaurants in Hakodate
Uni Murakami Hakodate main store
Wholesaler run uni specialist serving preservative free sea urchin in bowls, gratin and tempura.
Kikuyo Shokudo Honten
The morning market's most trusted kaisendon shop since the 1950s, for uni, ikura, scallop and crab bowls.
Menchubo Ajisai Honten
The canonical Hakodate shio ramen since 1930, a clear salt broth by the star fort.
Lucky Pierrot Bay Area Main Shop
Hakodate only burger chain with a local cult, famous for the Chinese chicken burger and themed stores.
Hasegawa Store Bay Area
Local convenience store grilling pork skewer yakitori bentos to order, misted with Hakodate wine.
Gotoken Restaurant Sekkatei
Western restaurant serving curry and beef stew since 1879 in a stone treaty port era building.
Gourmet Kaitenzushi Kantaro Ugaura Honten
Top tier conveyor belt sushi on the coast road, local squid, uni and scallop with strait views.
Daimon Yokocho
Lantern lit alley of about 26 tiny stalls and bars by the station, built for late stall hopping.
Outdoor things to do in Hakodate
Onuma Quasi-National Park
Island dotted lakes under Mt. Komagatake with free walking loops, cycle hire, boats and canoeing.
Mt. Hakodate
Quiet forest trails climb the mountain in about an hour, the free uncrowded alternative to the ropeway.
Cape Tachimachi
Windswept cliff cape facing Honshu across the strait, reached by tram terminus and a short walk.
Hakodate Onuma Prince Golf Course
Thirty six visitor friendly holes by the lakes, a forest course and a lake course under the volcano.
Matsumae Castle
Hokkaido's only castle town, with 10000 cherry trees of 250 varieties blooming mid April to late May.
Yunokawa Onsen
Seaside hot spring quarter with a free street footbath and day bathing in big hotels over the strait.
Hakodate squid fishing boat tour
Summer night boats join the lit squid fleet offshore, with hands on jigging on small group departures.
Greenpia Onuma
Small local ski hill above the Onuma lakes, the gentle affordable winter day trip from Hakodate.
Best hotels in Hakodate
La Vista Hakodate Bay
Rooftop open air onsen over the harbour and a breakfast buffet famous across Japan for its ikura.
OMO5 Hakodate by Hoshino Resorts
Hoshino's playful design hotel in front of the station, opened 2024, with guided neighbourhood walks.
JR Inn Hakodate
Station connected hotel with a top floor bath facing Mt. Hakodate and rooms overlooking the platforms.
Tokyu Stay Hakodate Asaichi Toninoyu
Apartment style rooms with washer and kitchenette beside the market, plus its own hot spring bath.
Premier Hotel Cabin President Hakodate
Dependable budget business hotel in front of the station with small clean rooms and a big public bath.
Hakodate Kokusai Hotel
The city's classic full service bay hotel, harbour view rooms a short stroll from the warehouses.
Bourou Noguchi Hakodate
Design led luxury ryokan where every room has a private open air onsen and kaiseki in private rooms.
Heiseikan Shiosaitei Hanatsuki
Premium seafront wing of the Heiseikan group, refined kaiseki and open air baths over the strait.
Is Hakodate expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ¥12,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ¥22,000 a person |
| Splurge | ¥50,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Hakodate Jomon Culture Center: a few days ahead
- Hakodate Onuma Prince Golf Course: weeks ahead
- Hakodate squid fishing boat tour: a few days ahead
- Gotoken Restaurant Sekkatei: a few days ahead
- La Vista Hakodate Bay: weeks ahead
- OMO5 Hakodate by Hoshino Resorts: weeks ahead
- Bourou Noguchi Hakodate: weeks ahead
- Heiseikan Shiosaitei Hanatsuki: weeks ahead
- The ropeway closes for maintenance in late October to early November, in 2026 from October 20 to November 8.
- Book hotels weeks to months ahead for the Port Festival, Golden Week blossom and Christmas Fantasy weekends.
- Arrive before the 0830 opening at Uni Murakami or accept the queue.
Is Hakodate safe?
- Hakodate has no unsafe district for visitors; the Daimon nightlife strip has pushy touts in the evening but is not dangerous.
- Cape Tachimachi cliffs and harbour edges are unfenced, and winter ice makes Motomachi slopes treacherous.
- Emergency numbers are police 110 and fire or ambulance 119.
Hakodate travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Morning Market stalls vary by 1000 yen for the same bowl; eat at named shops or stalls with printed prices.
- Hotels near Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto station are 17 km from the city despite the Hakodate name.
- Kanemori warehouse shops are souvenir retail; go for the harbour setting, not artisan shopping.
Getting around Hakodate: public transport and more
- Two tram lines cover the city, fares about 210 to 260 yen, and the 800 yen day pass pays off from the third ride.
- Walk the Bay Area, Motomachi and market; tram to Goryokaku and Yunokawa; rent a car only for Matsumae, Esashi or golf.
Who Hakodate suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Hakodate your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store