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What's the best way to travel from Sapporo to Hakodate? A detailed introduction to travel times, fares, and ticket purchasing tips

2024.07.03

Hakodate City is a port city in southern Hokkaido, and a popular tourist destination with a foreign atmosphere. If you are traveling to Hokkaido and have visited Sapporo, you can travel to Hakodate by JR train, bus, plane, or rental car. We will introduce the details of each method, such as travel time and cost.

JR is the standard way to travel between Sapporo and Hakodate

The standard way to travel from Sapporo to Hakodate is by JR. The travel time between Sapporo and Hakodate using JR is about 3 hours and 50 minutes on the "Limited Express Hokuto." All cars on the "Limited Express Hokuto" are reserved seats, and the fare is 9,770 yen, with green seats costing 13,430 yen.

Get 30% off when you book in advance online with "Tokkyu Tokudawari"

If you reserve your JR ticket through the website "Ekinet," you can purchase a reserved seat ticket at up to 30% off the regular price. If you know in advance when you will be boarding the train, we recommend reserving your ticket through Ekinet.

The set prices for "Limited Express Tokudane" on Ekinet (set price of one-way "board ticket + reserved seat express ticket" / unit: yen) are as follows.

■ "Limited Express Tokuda Value 14" up to 30% off Application deadline: 23:50 14 days before the boarding date ■ Up to 15% off on "Limited Express Tokuda Value 1" Application deadline: 23:50 on the day before the ride *The release price will vary within the set price range depending on the predicted occupancy rate and the timing of application.

Cheap Intercity Express Buses

The intercity express bus from Sapporo to Hakodate is the "Express Hakodate" and the "Hakodate Limited Express New Star". Choose the best deal based on your travel dates and destination.

"Express Hakodate-go" operated by Hokuto Transportation, Hokkaido Chuo Bus, and Hakodate Bus

About a 5-minute walk from JR Sapporo Station, the "Express Hakodate-go" operated by Hokuto Kotsu, Hokkaido Chuo Bus, and Hakodate Bus departs from "Sapporo Station No. 4 Bus Stop" on the west side of the Nippon Life Insurance Sapporo Building. The journey takes about 5 hours and 30 minutes, including a break at the Usuzan Service Area (daytime buses only).

■Normal one-way fare: 4,320 yen to 5,360 yen (※ There are S, A, B and C fares depending on the boarding date, and the amount varies.) ■ Early bird one-way: 3,820 yen to 4,860 yen (*Fares S, A, B, and C are available depending on the boarding date, and the amount varies. For early bird fares, reservations and payments must be made 30 days prior to the planned boarding date for A and B fares, and 21 days prior to the planned boarding date for C fares.)

Hokkaido Bus Co., Ltd. "Hakodate Limited Express New Star"

Hokkaido Bus Co., Ltd. operates the "Hakodate Limited Express New Star" from the Sapporo Station bus stop "Platform 33" (Kita 3 Nishi 3). The journey takes about 5 hours and 30 minutes, including a break of 30 minutes or more at parking areas.

■One-way fare ・Online discount: 3,920 yen *You cannot change your flight with the online discount. ・Advance payment: 4,550 yen ・Train payment: 5,000 yen

Enjoy a leisurely drive while taking detours "Car/Rental Car"

If you are traveling from central Sapporo to Hakodate by car or rental car on the expressway, enter the Do-o Expressway at Kitago IC, pass through Tomakomai, Noboribetsu, Muroran, etc., and exit at Onuma Koen IC. After exiting the expressway, take National Route 5 and the Hakodate Shindo, a route that is about 310 km long and takes about 4 hours and 10 minutes. The expressway toll is 6,540 yen.

A recommended place to take a break on the way is the Usuzan Service Area. At the Usuzan Service Area, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of Mt. Usu and Funka Bay, and on a clear day, you can see far into the distance, making it a great place to take photos. You can also enjoy delicious Hokkaido ingredients such as a ginger pork set meal made with "Koganeton", a brand of pork that Date City is proud of, and soy sauce ramen made with curly noodles made from 100% Hokkaido wheat. It is also one of the few places where you can refuel and fill up with electricity.

Fly to Hakodate Airport

If you want to get there as quickly as possible, it's very convenient to fly from Sapporo Okadama Airport to Hakodate Airport. The travel time to Sapporo is about 40 minutes. Another attractive feature of Hakodate is that it is only about 20 minutes from the airport to the center of Hakodate. By the way, you can also go directly to Hakodate Airport from Haneda Airport and other airports.

In Hakodate, you can stroll through the Motomachi area lined with historical buildings and admire the beautiful star-shaped Goryokaku Park from Goryokaku Tower. You can also enjoy the night view from Mt. Hakodate and savor the fresh local seafood! Why not find the ideal trip for you based on your budget and time allocation?

*All prices include tax

*All information listed is current as of May 2025. *All published information may be subject to change, so please check the official website for details.