Best of Hakodate

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.