An elegant and modern city, Sapporo is also famous for its great natural beauty. Head out to Mt Moiwa to enjoy unsurpassed views over the city streets. Or, take a look at the observatory on Mt Okura: a wonderful place for visitors of all ages. Sapporo is also home to some great museums, many of which are free to enter. The small but fascinating Hokkaido University Museum is free and a brilliant place to look at some stunning art works and artifacts. One of the star attractions of this city is the Takino Suzuran Hillside National Park, which is a riot of floral colour in the spring and summer months and a lovely place to take a walk at any time of year. Maruyama Zoo is another interesting place to visit whilst you are in Sapporo. Here, you can see both native flora and fauna, and animals that hail from all five continents.
Sapporo is very easy to explore on foot: it has a rectangular layout and blocks named and numbered according to compass points. So if you like, you can see most of the main sights as a pedestrian. However, there is also an efficient public bus service you can use, as well as several specialist tour bus operators. This city also has metro service of three lines which will get you to your destination in no time by taking a more direct route than walking might.
International flights to Sapporo are handled by New Chitose Airport (CTS), which is open 24 hours a day (the first airport to be open 24 hours in Japan). If you like, you can get an onward commuter flight from here to Sapporo Okadama Airport (OKD), which is in the centre of town. Or, you can take advantage of the hire car, taxi, and shuttle bus services which are plentifully available at New Chitose Airport to get you to the hotel when your flight arrives. The best option, though, is to hop on the train, which takes 35 minutes to reach the town centre.