Photo: 掬茶 / CC BY-SA 4.0Open in Google Maps · Directions from your berth
Checked against official sources · updated · Takumi Yamada
The hall stands on the Motomachi slope and is one of the city's designated important cultural properties. The city tourism site describes a main hall and a set of rooms reserved for special guests, rooms where members of the imperial family rested when they visited Hakodate.
Inside, you walk the main hall and the guest rooms at your own pace; the hall's own site offers an English facility leaflet (PDF). It sits a few minutes from the Former British Consulate, which has a café called Victorian Rose, and the Motomachi churches, so it slots into the Motomachi walk without extra travel.
The catch: this is a historic interior rather than a big exhibition, and it is up a slope from the tram stop. If you have only a couple of hours, the churches and street views of Motomachi give more for free. Check the closing days; 17 November 2026 is a maintenance closure.
Five things the plaques won't tell you
- A four-site combined ticket costs ¥840 for adults (¥720 for three sites, ¥500 for two). The partner sites are the Former British Consulate, the Northern Peoples' Museum and the Literature Museum.
- Download the English leaflet before you go; the hall's website has no English page.
- By bus, the stop Kokaido-mae (Hakodate Bus) is a 3-minute walk away.
- Last entry is 30 minutes before closing, and Sat–Mon in summer the hall stays open until 19:00.
- The Former British Consulate next door has the Victorian Rose café, a good place to sit after the slope.
It sits a few minutes from the Former British Consulate, which has a café called Victorian Rose, and the Motomachi churches, so it slots into the Motomachi walk without extra travel.
Guided days from Hakodate
Booked before you sail — there is no tour desk at the pier. Booking through these links supports the site.
Questions people ask here
How much does it cost to enter the Old Public Hall?
¥300 for an adult. Combined tickets with the Former British Consulate, the Northern Peoples' Museum and the Literature Museum cost ¥500 for two sites, ¥720 for three and ¥840 for four.
What are the opening hours?
April to October, 9:00–18:00 Tuesday to Friday and 9:00–19:00 Saturday to Monday. November to March, 9:00–17:00. Last entry is 30 minutes before closing.
How do I get there from Hakodate Station?
About 10 minutes by tram to Suehiro-cho, then roughly 5 minutes on foot (the hall's own figure). On foot from the stop it is uphill.