Travel guide · United States
Honolulu travel guide
Waikīkī surf, Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor and year-round warm sea
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Farragutful, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Honolulu, on the south shore of Oʻahu, combines a real Pacific city with Waikīkī's beach resort strip. Most visitors stay in Waikīkī, where the sea is gentle enough for first surf lessons and Diamond Head rises at the eastern end, and take day trips to Pearl Harbor, Hanauma Bay and the North Shore. Away from the beach, the city has ʻIolani Palace, the Bishop Museum, Chinatown's lei stands and bars, and a local food culture shaped by Native Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino and Portuguese traditions. Plan 6 days for a first visit; the best months are April–May and September–October.
Key facts
- Country
- United States
- Best time to visit
- April–May and September–October
- Ideal stay
- 6 days
- Main airports
- HNL
- Mid-range daily budget
- $300–$500 per person (estimate)
- Known for
- Waikīkī Beach, Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor and Surfing
Why visit Honolulu
- Waikīkī's long, gentle waves are one of the best places in the world to learn to surf, with Diamond Head as a backdrop.
- The Pearl Harbor National Memorial, the USS Arizona Memorial and the Battleship Missouri tell the story of the Pacific War from its first day to its last.
- Sea temperatures stay around 24–27°C all year, and Hanauma Bay's reef is home to turtles and parrotfish close to shore.
- Local food is a mix you won't find elsewhere: poke, plate lunches, Spam musubi, malasadas and shave ice.
- Hawaiian history and culture are close at hand at ʻIolani Palace, the only royal palace in the US, and the Bishop Museum.
Top things to do
The six sights most first-time visitors build a trip around. See all 20 things to do.
Beach · Waikīkī
Waikīkī Beach
Waikīkī's golden sands run about 3 km from the Hilton Hawaiian Village to Kapiʻolani Park, divided into sections such as Kūhiō Beach, with its sheltered swimming pools behind a seawall, and Queen's.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Couples
Nature · Diamond Head
Diamond Head (Lēʻahi)
Honolulu's landmark volcanic crater rises behind Waikīkī.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Views
- Active
- Outdoors
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Historic site · Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor National Memorial and USS Arizona Memorial
The visitor centre at Pearl Harbor tells the story of the attack of 7 December 1941 through museum galleries and a film, followed by a short Navy boat ride to the white memorial that spans the sunken USS Arizona, where more than 900 of the crew members killed in the attack remain entombed.
- Time needed
- Half a day with other Pearl Harbor sites
- Cost
- Free
- History
- Iconic
- Free
Nature · East Honolulu
Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve
A sheltered bay inside a volcanic crater on the island's southeast tip, Hanauma Bay is Oʻahu's best-known snorkelling site, with parrotfish, tangs and green sea turtles over the shallow reef close to shore.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Iconic
Palace · Downtown
ʻIolani Palace
Completed in 1882 for King Kalākaua, ʻIolani Palace is the only royal palace on US soil and had electric lighting before the White House.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
- Iconic
Experience · Waikīkī
Surf lesson at Waikīkī
Waikīkī's long, slow, rolling waves over a gently sloping reef made it the birthplace of modern surfing's revival, led by Duke Kahanamoku and the beachboys of the early 20th century.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Active
- Kids
- Iconic
Where to stay
Waikīkī is the easiest base for a first visit. Compare all 7 areas.
$$$$ · Best for first-timers, beach, families and nightlife
Waikīkī
Beachfront hotels, surf lessons and Kalākaua Avenue under Diamond Head
$$$ · Best for shopping, food lovers and families
Ala Moana and Kakaʻako
A giant open-air mall, a locals' beach park and street-art warehouses
$$ · Best for culture, nightlife and food lovers
Downtown and Chinatown
ʻIolani Palace, lei stands and Honolulu's best cocktail bars
$$$$ · Best for luxury, quiet stays and couples
Kahala
Quiet beachfront homes and a resort hotel east of Diamond Head
What to eat
- Poke — Cubed raw fish, usually ʻahi (yellowfin tuna) or octopus, dressed with shoyu, sesame oil, onion, limu seaweed or roasted kukui nut, and sold by the pound or over rice as a bowl.
- Plate lunch — The local lunch: two scoops of white rice, a scoop of macaroni salad and a main such as chicken katsu, teriyaki beef, kalbi ribs or garlic shrimp, served in a takeaway box.
- Loco moco — White rice topped with a hamburger patty, a fried egg and brown gravy, created in Hilo in the late 1940s and now a breakfast and lunch staple across Hawaiʻi.
- Spam musubi — A slice of grilled, teriyaki-glazed Spam on a block of rice, wrapped in nori; Hawaiʻi's favourite grab-and-go snack, a legacy of wartime and plantation-era food.
- Shave ice — Ice shaved as fine as snow, soaked in tropical syrups such as lilikoʻi (passion fruit), guava and li hing mui, often over a scoop of ice cream or sweet azuki beans.
- Malasadas — Portuguese-style yeast doughnuts without a hole, fried and rolled in sugar, brought by Madeiran plantation workers; some are filled with custard or haupia (coconut cream).
When to go
Honolulu is warm all year, so the best time depends on crowds and prices. April–May and September–October have dry weather, warm seas and the lowest hotel rates. December to March is peak season, with whale-watching and big North Shore surf, but more showers and the highest prices; summer is hot, sunny and busy with families.
| Season | Months | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | March–May | Warm, increasingly dry weather; spring-break crowds in March give way to quiet, good-value weeks in late April and May. |
| Summer | June–August | The hottest, driest months, with calm North Shore water and surf on the south shore; busy with families, with high hotel prices in July. |
| Autumn | September–November | Warm seas, few crowds and good hotel rates in September and October; showers and winter surf begin in November. |
| Winter | December–February | Peak season for whales and giant North Shore waves, with brief showers, holiday crowds and the year's highest prices. |
Getting there and around
Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) is about 15 km from Waikīkī. Taxis and ride-hailing take about 25–40 minutes depending on traffic, and shared shuttles serve the hotels. TheBus runs to Waikīkī, but large suitcases are not allowed on board.
Waikīkī is walkable, and TheBus covers Honolulu and most of Oʻahu, though journeys outside the city are slow. Biki bike-share and trolleys serve the central areas, and most visitors rent a car for a day or two to circle the island.
Plan your days
Four days covers Waikīkī, Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor and Hanauma Bay. Six days or more lets you add a North Shore day, the windward beaches at Kailua and Lanikai, Chinatown and the Bishop Museum, with time left for simply being on the beach.
Practical information
- Currency
- USD
- Language
- English and Hawaiian
- Plugs
- Type A and B sockets, 120 V, 60 Hz
- Tap water
- Tap water is safe to drink and among the best-tasting in the US.
- Emergency number
- 911 (police, fire, ambulance, ocean rescue)
- Tipping
- Tip 18–20% at sit-down restaurants, $1–$2 per drink at bars, 15–20% for taxis and ride-hailing, and a few dollars a day for hotel housekeeping; surf instructors and tour guides also appreciate tips.
Ocean conditions are the main risk: strong currents, shorebreak and high surf, especially on north-facing shores in winter, cause many visitor injuries, so swim at lifeguarded beaches and follow the flags. Car break-ins at trailheads and beach parks are common, so leave nothing in the car. Sun exposure is intense year-round.
Flights to Honolulu
Questions travellers ask
+How many days do you need in Honolulu?
Four days covers Waikīkī, Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor and Hanauma Bay. Six days or more lets you add a North Shore day, the windward beaches at Kailua and Lanikai, Chinatown and the Bishop Museum, with time left for simply being on the beach. How to split your days.
+When is the best time to visit Honolulu?
Honolulu is warm all year, so the best time depends on crowds and prices. April–May and September–October have dry weather, warm seas and the lowest hotel rates. December to March is peak season, with whale-watching and big North Shore surf, but more showers and the highest prices; summer is hot, sunny and busy with families.
+What is Honolulu known for?
Waikīkī Beach, Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor, Surfing, Poke, Hula and aloha culture and Snorkelling. Waikīkī's long, gentle waves are one of the best places in the world to learn to surf, with Diamond Head as a backdrop.
+Is Honolulu expensive?
Honolulu is very expensive for international visitors: a mid-range trip costs roughly $300–$500 per person per day before flights (AMZBooking estimate). Costs and money-saving tips.
+Do you need a car in Honolulu?
Not for Honolulu and Waikīkī, where hotel parking is costly and TheBus covers the main sights. Rent one for a day or two to visit the North Shore, Kailua, Lanikai and the east coast at your own pace.