For a quick, yet unforgettable overview of Hakodate from sea level to mountaintop, take this comprehensive tour of Hakodate, enjoying highlights such as a modern observation tower, a historical district and a breathtaking tram ride to the summit of Mount Hakodate.

Enjoy a brief but scenic drive to soaring Goryokaku Tower, a 350-foot-high observation point that offers sweeping views of the city and beyond. The tower also provides the best vantage point to see Fort Goryokaku, a star-shaped citadel built in the 19th century to protect the city. Today, the fort is a public park.

Visit the bustling Morning Market, where fresh seafood—from squid to salmon roe to Atka mackerel—is on ice in hundreds of stalls. Locals also come here for fruit, spices and dishes such as domburi rice bowls topped with delicacies such as sea urchin.

Following a western style lunch at a nearby restaurant, you will travel to the Kanemori red-brick warehouses along the waterfront. Originally constructed for international trade, the warehouses have been converted into an entertainment complex with restaurants, shops and a microbrewery. Here you’ll enjoy nearly 1 hour of free time for independent sightseeing and shopping.

As another highlight of your tour, hop aboard an aerial tram that will carry you nearly a half mile to the summit of forested Mount Hakodate, an extinct volcano. Weather permitting; the views along the way and from the top are spectacular. At the summit, you’ll also find observation platforms, a cafeteria and a couple of monuments.

You will also stroll the streets of Motomachi , a district at the foot of the mountains where most foreigners lived after Hakodate was opened to the west in 1854. The district features Western-style houses and streets lined with Japanese Rowan trees. The historical and architectural highlights include a Russian Orthodox church and the old British consulate.

Enjoy an immersion into the history and culture of Hakodate through landmarks that reveal how the city transitioned from its 19th-century isolationist policies.

Settle in for an orientation drive around Hakodate, one of the first ports that opened to foreign trade following Japan’s period of self-isolation, which ended with the Kanagawa Treaty of 1854. Hakodate has grown to become the island’s third largest city, even though its land is somewhat limited by mountains and the sea.

In time, you will arrive in Motomachi, the district at the foot of the mountains where most foreigners lived after Hakodate was opened to the west. You’ll enjoy approximately 1 hour of free time here, to explore on your own or do some shopping. As you stroll Motomachi’s streets, you can’t help but notice the distinct styles of architecture. Highlights include a Russian Orthodox church and the former British consulate.

Visit Goryokaku, an urban park dominated by a 350-foot-high observation tower. Then, a brief walk takes you to the Hakodate magistrate’s office, a reproduction of the original, which was constructed using traditional methods and materials. Once the diplomatic center of the region, the office holds a collection of revealing artifacts that detail the cultural evolution of Hakodate. Remove your shoes, in keeping with Japanese custom, and step inside the building to view the historical exhibits.