Hakodate 6hr Private Tour by Car with Licensed Guide
- 6 hours
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- 2 languages
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
This is the ideal tour for travelers wanting to discover the highlights of Hakodate efficiently in a private vehicle accompanied by a government-licensed and experienced multilingual guide! Hakodate, the historic port city at the southern tip of Hokkaido, was one of the first in Japan to open to foreign trade, and that heritage gives it a unique East-meets-West charm. Wander the sloping streets of the Motomachi district past Western-style churches and consulates, ride up Mount Hakodate for one of Japan's three best night views, explore the star-shaped Goryokaku fortress, and stroll the romantic Kanemori Red Brick Warehouses along the bay. Don't miss the bustling morning market, where you can sample the freshest seafood Hokkaido is famous for. Hakodate has much to offer and we hope to guide you soon! *Tour details may change due to traffic conditions. *Specific vehicle types are not available for request.
Inclusions
What's included
- Private vehicle
- Customizable Tour of your choice of 3-4 sites from 'What to expect' list'
- Licensed Local English Speaking Guide
What's not
- You cannot combine multiple tour groups.
- Entrance fees, Lunch, and Other personal expenses
- Guide Entry fees are only covered for sights listed under What to Expect.
Itinerary
Mount Hakodate rises 334 meters above the city and is famous for offering one of the three best night views in Japan. By day, a ropeway or scenic drive carries you to the summit observation deck for sweeping views of Hakodate's distinctive hourglass-shaped isthmus framed by sea on both sides; after dark, the twinkling city lights create an unforgettable panorama.
Goryokaku is a striking star-shaped Western-style fortress built in the final years of the shogunate and the site of the last battle of the Boshin War in 1869. Today the moats and earthworks form a beautiful park that is one of Hokkaido's most famous cherry blossom spots in spring. The adjacent Goryokaku Tower offers a bird's-eye view that reveals the fort's remarkable five-pointed design.
The Motomachi district climbs the slopes of Mount Hakodate and is the city's most atmospheric neighborhood, shaped by Hakodate's early opening to foreign trade. Its sloping cobbled streets are lined with beautifully preserved Western-style buildings, churches and former consulates, including the Old Public Hall and Orthodox and Catholic churches, all enjoying lovely views down to the harbor.
The Kanemori Red Brick Warehouses are a row of handsome late-19th-century brick buildings along the Hakodate bayfront, once used as trading warehouses and now restored into a stylish complex of boutiques, cafes, restaurants and a beer hall. It's a wonderful place to shop for local crafts and sweets, enjoy harbor views, and soak up the romantic atmosphere—especially beautiful when lit up in the evening.
The Hakodate Morning Market is a lively warren of some 250 stalls and shops just beside Hakodate Station, brimming with the fresh seafood Hokkaido is famous for. Browse tanks of king crab, scallops, sea urchin and salmon roe, watch vendors at work, and tuck into a kaisen-don rice bowl piled with sashimi. Adventurous visitors can even try catching their own squid in a tank—an iconic Hakodate experience.
The Old British Consulate of Hakodate served as Britain's diplomatic office from 1859 until 1934, in the years after the port opened to international trade. The beautifully restored colonial building now houses a museum on the city's opening to the world, an English tea room serving scones and Victorian-style afternoon tea, and a charming rose garden—a delightful glimpse of Hakodate's cosmopolitan past.
Hachiman-zaka is the most photographed of Hakodate's many sloping streets, a perfectly straight cobblestone hill in the Motomachi district lined with trees and gas lamps. From the top, the view sweeps down between the buildings to the harbor and a moored historic ship, framing a postcard-perfect scene that has featured in countless films and commercials—especially magical when illuminated at night.
The Trappistine Convent, founded in 1898, was the first women's monastery in Japan and remains a working community of cloistered nuns on the outskirts of Hakodate. While the inner buildings are closed to visitors, the peaceful gardens, brick chapel and tree-lined approach are open to all, and the on-site shop is famous for the nuns' handmade butter cookies and madeleines—a serene and sweet end to your tour.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Know before you go
- Pickup
- Pickup is included for everyone.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Operated by
- Japan Guide Agency
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
How it compares in Hakodate
- Its from-price is 45% above the median of the 50 experiences we list in Hakodate.
- It is longer than most of them.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About Hakodate
Hakodate is a port city at the southern tip of Hokkaido, known for its night view from Mount Hakodate, a star-shaped fort and a hillside of old churches.
Hakodate lies on a narrow neck of land between two bays at the southern end of Hokkaido, with Mount Hakodate rising at its tip. It was one of the first Japanese ports opened to foreign ships in the 1850s, and the slope of Motomachi still holds Western-style buildings and churches, among them a green-roofed Russian Orthodox church. Red-brick warehouses by the waterfront now hold shops and restaurants.
Top-ranked sights in Hakodate: Goryokaku Park, Hakodate Morning Market, Goryokaku Tower.
Special offers in Hakodate
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
