Getting in

• New Chitose Airport: Take the JR Airport Rapid on the Hakodate Line directly to Otaru when the through service is running: about 70–75 minutes and roughly ¥2,040 one way. It is faster and more reliable than the airport bus; use the bus only if your hotel is in an onsen district or you have luggage and a stop is genuinely closer. A direct airport bus to central Otaru is about 90 minutes and ¥2,300.
• Sapporo Station: Use frequent JR Hakodate Line trains to Otaru Station—roughly every 20 minutes. Airport Rapid services take about 30 minutes; local trains take longer. Budget about ¥800. This is the sensible link, not a taxi or a day-tour bus.
• Otaru Ferry Terminal: The terminal is not in the compact sightseeing core. Take a local Chuo Bus toward Otaru Station or use a taxi for the short final transfer; do not assume it is a pleasant walk with bags. Ferries connect overnight from Niigata (about 18 hours) and Maizuru near Kyoto (about 20 hours).