Sapporo: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Sapporo is a city of 2 million people in Japan (Hokkaido), 26 m (85 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is New Chitose Airport (CTS), 43 km (27 mi) from the centre. It has 8 railway stations on record, including Shin-Sapporo Station. Our booking partner lists 1,129+ places to stay.
Key facts
Daylight in Sapporo runs from about 9 h 3 min a day in late December to 15 h 26 min in late June (computed for 43.07° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Sapporo is served by 2 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is New Chitose Airport (CTS), 43 km (27 mi) from the centre, with a longest runway of 9,843 ft, which limits it to short and medium-haul aircraft. The alternatives are Sapporo Okadama Airport (OKD, 6 km).
Flights to Sapporo: every airport, routes and times
By rail: stations on record include Shin-Sapporo Station, Kami-Nopporo Station, Ainosato-kōen Station, Sapporo Station, Inaho Station, Inazumi-Kōen Station. Trains to Sapporo
Buses to Sapporo · Driving and car hire
Where to stay
Our booking partner lists 1,129+ places to stay in Sapporo (statistics below are from the first 1,000). Of the 848 with a star rating, the largest group is 3-star (508), and 14 are five-star. Across 237 properties with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 8.4 out of 10. Guests have left 233,078 reviews in total.
Hotels in Sapporo: the full picture, and book
Our booking partner lists 24 hostels in Sapporo, out of 1,129 places to stay of every kind — 2.1% of everywhere it lists in the city, around the middle of the range for the cities we hold figures for. Across 13 hostels with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 8.4 out of 10, level with the city’s hotels. Guests have left 8,660 reviews across them.
Hostels in Sapporo: the full picture, and book
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Asahikawa, 113 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Akita, 386 km — flights · buses · car rental
- Aomori, 255 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Morioka, 375 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Hakodate, 152 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Hachinohe, 286 km — flights · buses · car rental · tours
- Tomakomai, 52 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Hirosaki, 284 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Kushiro, 246 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Obihiro, 152 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
Twin towns and sister cities: Munich, Portland, Shenyang, Novosibirsk, Daejeon, Adana, Matsumoto, Chiang Mai, Hamamatsu.
Common questions
Which airport serves Sapporo?
New Chitose Airport (CTS), 43 km (27 mi) from the centre, plus 1 other airport with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Sapporo?
About 2 million people live in Sapporo, across 1,121 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Sapporo in?
Asia/Tokyo, currently UTC+9.
What currency is used in Sapporo?
The Yen (JPY). Traffic drives on the left.
Are there hostels in Sapporo?
24 of them, bookable on this site. Hostels in Sapporo.
How many hotels are there in Sapporo?
Our booking partner lists 1,129 or more places to stay in Sapporo, bookable on this site.
Which cities are near Sapporo?
Asahikawa (113 km), Akita (386 km), Aomori (255 km), Morioka (375 km), Hakodate (152 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.