The Best Things to do in Honolulu, O’ahu, Hawaii + Top Tips for Pearl Harbor

Any visit to Hawaii will most likely start at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, the main airport in the Hawaiian islands. Honolulu is the capital of Hawaii and the gateway to the Hawaiian archipelago. Known for its hip neighbourhood Waikiki, which has several great surfing beaches and an oceanfront designer shopping scene, Honolulu lies in the south of Hawaii’s most popular island, Oahu. There’s more to do in Honolulu than Waikiki though, and any visit should also include a trip up the volcanic Diamond Head crater, as well as a visit to Pearl Harbor. We’ve collated all our tips on visiting Pearl Harbor in this article, as well as the best things to do in Honolulu, so you can plan the perfect itinerary for your Hawaii trip, whether you have 1 day or more.

How to get around Oaha

Getting around Oahu by taxi can be quite expensive, so we’d recommend you hire a car. Car hire is available at the airport through all major car hire companies and Discount Hawaii Car Rental is a great website for price-comparison before you book. The advantage of hiring a car is that you have complete freedom to go where you want, when you want. The disadvantages are that pick up and drop off can eat into your sightseeing time and a lot of downtown Honolulu is very residential so can be slow to navigate and difficult to find parking.

If you only have a short time in Honolulu, we’d recommend taking the bus, which is a lot cheaper than hiring a car. Yes, you may be constrained by a timetable and will lose sightseeing time waiting at the bus stop, but it’s going to be less time than trying to find parking in Waikiki and a lot cheaper than car hire. TheBus is the public bus transportation service on the island of O’ahu and you can find details on routes and prices on their website.

Things to do

Pearl Harbor is the site of the devastating attack by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service during World War II, which caused the death of 2,403 Americans as well as the injury of many others and triggered the US to formally enter the war. There are 4 main things to do at Pearl Harbor: the USS Arizona Memorial, Battleship Missouri, USS Bowfin Submarine and Aviation Museum.

Most trips start at the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites Visitor Center. This is the gateway to Pearl Harbour. From here you can access the USS Bowfin Submarine, museums and memorial, as well as the boat to the USS Arizona Memorial and shuttles which run every 15 minutes to the Battleship Missouri and Aviation Museum.

If you have limited time, just do the USS Arizona Memorial. The ticket includes a 20 minute film, US Navy Ship Shuttle to and from the Memorial and time on the Memorial.

How to get tickets for Pearl Harbour

Tickets are released in 3 waves:

Online, 8 weeks before

Online, 1 day in advance

In person, on the day

You can book online at recreation.gov to make sure you get the time slot you want. But don’t worry if you’re more last-minute, as it’s easy to get a ticket on the day too.

On-the-day tickets usually sell out by mid-morning so it’s recommended you arrive at 7:00 to get tickets for the 8:00 tour, which is usually much quieter too.

How to get to Pearl Harbor

Many operators offer tours to Pearl Harbour, but they’re completely unnecessary as it’s easy to get to and has a lot of informative exhibitions and information boards you can learn from when you’re there. Tour guides can’t go on the USS Arizona with you anyway, so you’d basically only be paying for the transport.

If you’ve hired a car, you can drive to the Visitor Center car park, which is free. Or take bus 20, 45, 52 or A, which all stop outside the site on Kamehameha Hwy.

No bags of any kind are allowed into the site, but you can take a water bottle, wallet and camera (and lockers are available to rent at the entrance).

Be aware that restorations are often carried out during off-peak seasons, which may mean you can’t disembark at the USS Arizona Memorial. Strong winds can also cancel the boat rides altogether, so if this is important to you, research beforehand if it’s going to be open to tourists.

From Pearl Harbour you can drive or take the 20 or 42 bus to Waikiki, stopping at Kapi’olani Regional Park. From here you can pick up lunch from Tucker & Bevvy and pop into The Cookie Corner for pudding. This vibrant neighbourhood is a popular surfing spot and known for its designer shops and city-side beaches.

2) Downtown Waikiki Beaches

A few of the best beaches in Oahu include Queens Beach, Kūhiō Beach and Waikiki Beach. Framed by high-rise hotels and featuring great waves and safe-swimming areas, this golden strip is great for escaping the hustle and bustle of the city. Look out for the Duke Paoa Kahanamoku Statue on Kalakaua Ave, a 9-foot bronze sculpture which honours the Hawaiian Olympic champion and ‘father’ of international surfing.

3) Royal Hawaiian Center

For some retail therapy, visit the Royal Hawaiian Center. Just a short walk from Waikiki Beach, this upmarket shopping centre specialises in fine jewellery, gifts and luxury timepieces. It also features signature restaurants serving international cuisine, as well as an open-air food court.

Diamond Head, known to Hawaiians as Lē’ahi, towers over downtown Waikiki. This dormant volcano gets its name from the 1800’s, when British sailors were fooled by the glittering stones embedded at the top of the crater. No diamonds have ever been found, but the site is now a State National Park.

To get there drive, or take the number 23 bus from Kuhio Avenue towards Diamond Head to the Diamond Head State Monument. Walk through the tunnel to reach the crater where the Diamond Head Trail begins. The hike is 0.8 miles each way and ascends 170 metres (560 ft). There are several lookouts on the way, providing sweeping views of Honolulu and the 300,000 year old crater. There is a small entrance fee and parking costs $5 per vehicle.

Pro-tip: Climb early in the morning to watch the sunrise. The temperature will be cooler and the trail cooler too.

5) Ala Moana Center

The Ala Moana Center is the largest open-air shopping mall in the world. It features more than 350 shops and restaurants and has one of the largest collections of luxury retailers in the world.

6) ‘Iolani Palace

The ‘Iolani Palace was the royal residence of the rulers of the Kingdom of Hawaii beginning with Kamehameha III under the Kamehameha Dynasty and ending with Queen Liliʻuokalani under the Kalākaua Dynasty. The palace was built in 1882 and is now a museum which you can tour to gain insight into how Hawaiian royalty lived.

Interactive Honolulu, Oahu, Map

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