What to do in Hakodate

Activities, attractions and tours
Hakodate featuring night scenes, a city and landscape views

Hakodate Attractions

Let Expedia help you experience the best that Hakodate has to offer! If you’re looking for fun itinerary ideas, we can provide you with a list of the top sightseeing attractions, as well as helping you to find unmissable activities. Whether you’re travelling with your family, planning a romantic trip with your loved one, or visiting on business, we’ll make it easy to plan an unforgettable holiday that checks all the boxes.

Activities and Tours

Hakodate is crammed with must-see places to visit and things to do. We can help you decide where to stay, and make it a breeze to explore the surrounding areas with our guides on where to go, what to see and when to see it. No matter how long your stay, it’s easy to find places of interest in Hakodate to make sure that you enjoy your experience to the fullest and don’t miss a thing. Leave the local knowledge to us and leave the hassle behind.

If you’re planning a visit, why not check out our handy guides to places of interest in the area? You can browse lists of things to do, learn about the most popular attractions, and get help with planning the details of your trip. Expedia makes it easy for you to check out all the top sights.

Hakodate Attractions

Expedia has something for everyone, so whether you’re planning to get active on a summer holiday, put a spring in your step with a romantic rendezvous, or pamper yourself with a leisurely winter trip, you’ll find plenty of attractions to keep you entertained. In addition to scheduling local tours, booking reservations and scoring advance event tickets, Expedia makes it easy to book your flight, hotel and rental car in advance, all on one consolidated travel itinerary, making for hassle-free travel and freeing you up to explore the sights of Hakodate.

Looking for things to do can be time consuming, but we can take the hassle out of planning your holiday. Whether you’re looking to get active in the great outdoors, sample the cuisine or catch up with the vibrant local culture, our guides to Hakodate attractions ensure that you’ll have a successful trip, whatever the season.

Explore thousands of activities with free cancellation and no added fees.

Design your experience with airport transfers, excursions, day tours & more.

Get an insider's look in what to book before you travel.

Top places to visit

1. Fort Goryokaku

Fort Goryokaku is an enormous star-shaped citadel built over 150 years ago as a defensive fortress for Hakodate’s government offices. After a brief period of wartime turmoil and imperial threat, the fort was transformed into a stunning public park, distinctive for its elegant architecture, magnificent cherry blossom trees, curving moat and pleasant grassy lawns. Stroll on the promenades along the moat, visit the site’s museum and enjoy the scenic park area and historic architecture.
Learn more
Fort Goryokaku featuring snow

2. Mount Hakodate

Mount Hakodate (Hakodateyama) crowns the southern end of Hakodate’s city center and peninsula area. Reach the top of the densely wooded mountain to experience unbeatable views of the cityscape and surrounding coastline. The 1,096-foot- (334-meter-) tall mountain offers a panoramic vista of Hakodate’s sprawling urban center, which is quite breathtaking at night. Visit the mountain just after sunset to see night falling over the city and a sea of twinkling city lights.
Learn more
Mount Hakodate featuring night scenes, landscape views and a city

3. Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse

There may be no better way to appreciate the mixture of tradition and modernity that has made Japan famous than by renting a traditional kimono and wandering around the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse. The warehouses themselves are relics of Japan’s opening to international trade toward the end of the Edo Period. They were built in 1909 to store goods being shipped to and from Russia, Korea and the rest of Japan. Now, completely renovated, they welcome shops of all kinds. Spend the day hopping between each of the seven buildings, enjoying all the different delights here.
Learn more
Shop, eat, drink and shop some more in renovated 19th-century warehouses that now feature prominently in a Hakodate-area hot spot.

4. Hakodate Ropeway

There’s no better place for a view of Hakodate’s spit, jutting out into the sea, than from the top of the Hakodate Ropeway. Japan’s most popular gondola, ferrying more than 1,000,000 passengers annually to the top of Mount Hakodate, is popular for good reason. At night the glittering lights of the city fading down below offer a bewitching contrast with the still darkness of the nearby ocean. Stay strategically near some of the large windows of the gondola to watch as people, cars and buildings slowly appear smaller and smaller as you near the peak.
Learn more
With panoramic views of Hakodate and the sea, one of the best nighttime vistas in the world is visible from the top of this gondola ferry.

5. Goryokaku Tower

Appreciate captivating views of Goryokaku Fort and its surrounding park and the Hakodate city skyline from Goryokaku Tower, a tall observation tower next to the city’s famous fortress. Visit this impressive sightseeing structure and admire its modern design. Enjoy fantastic views across the city to outlying mountain ranges and coastlines.
Learn more
Goryokaku Tower which includes views as well as a large group of people

6. Morning Market

A visit to the Hakodate Morning Market (Hakodate Asaichi) is a morning ritual for many locals. Join the crowds of vendors and shoppers that flock to this buzzing marketplace each morning to begin the day with a vast array of fresh fruit, vegetables and seafood. Stroll through the inner-city marketplace and experience a treat for the senses as you peruse colorful displays of ripe produce. Pick up made-to-order breakfasts and traditional Hakodate dishes that feature the city’s magnificent local seafood.
Learn more
Hakodate featuring street scenes as well as a large group of people

Discover the most popular places to visit in Hakodate

Image for Fort Goryokaku

Fort Goryokaku

4.5/5(2 reviews)

Walk around the enchanting grounds of this repurposed military fort shaped like a star and see historic architecture and magnificent cherry blossoms in springtime.

Fort Goryokaku
Image for Mount Hakodate

Mount Hakodate

4/5(9 reviews)

Appreciate captivating views of Hakodate’s skyline, surrounding coast and glittering city lights from atop this central city mountain, accessible via a scenic cable car.

Mount Hakodate
Image for Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse

Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse

4/5(4 reviews)

Shop, eat, drink and shop some more in renovated 19th-century warehouses that now feature prominently in a Hakodate-area hot spot.

Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse
Image for Hakodate Ropeway

Hakodate Ropeway

4/5(7 reviews)

With panoramic views of Hakodate and the sea, one of the best nighttime vistas in the world is visible from the top of this gondola ferry.

Hakodate Ropeway
Image for Goryokaku Tower

Goryokaku Tower

4.5/5(8 reviews)

Enjoy a unique overlook of Hakodate’s city skyline, surrounding mountain ranges and distant coastline from this modern observation tower and history gallery.

Goryokaku Tower
Image for Morning Market

Morning Market

4/5(13 reviews)

Start your day with delectable fruit, vegetables and freshly made breakfast in this buzzing market selling Hakodate’s freshest seasonal produce and seafood.

Morning Market
Image for Hakodate City Hall

Hakodate City Hall

After visiting Hakodate City Office, make a plan to see the other sights and activities in Hakodate. While in this walkable area, find time to visit its shops.

Hakodate City Hall
Image for Hakodate Park

Hakodate Park

4.5/5(3 reviews)

See the cherry blossoms bloom in a slightly more relaxed atmosphere or spend a kid-friendly day at the foot of Mount Hakodate.

Hakodate Park
Image for Hakodate Tropical Botanical Garden

Hakodate Tropical Botanical Garden

Most famous for its surprisingly relaxed hot-tubbing monkeys, the complex is also home to Japan’s biggest collection of tropical plants.

Hakodate Tropical Botanical Garden

Explore areas of Hakodate

Default Image

Motomachi

Discover Motomachi, memorable for its restaurants. Popular attractions in Motomachi include Hakodate Harisutosu Seikyokai and Hakodate City Museum of Photographic History, and you can see more of the area by hopping on the metro at Suehirochō Station.

Motomachi
Default Image

Kikyō

Even though there aren't top sights in Kikyō, you can explore the larger area and take in top sights like Hakodate Kikyo Takadai Park Golf Course. Jump on the metro at Kikyō Station to see more of the city.

Kikyō
Default Image

Shinkawachō

Even though there aren't top sights in Shinkawachō, you can explore the larger area and take in top sights like Morning Market. Jump on the metro at Chitose Station to see more of the city.

Shinkawachō

Day trip destinations from Hakodate

Muroran

Muroran