History · Honolulu · United States
6 historic sites to see in Honolulu
The places that tell the story of how the city came to be.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Daderot., CC BY-SA 3.0
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Quick answer
Start with Pearl Harbor National Memorial and USS Arizona Memorial, ʻIolani Palace and Battleship Missouri Memorial. Together the 6 picks below take roughly 12–13 hours across 5 areas; 2 are free.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 6
- Free entry
- 2
- Time to see them all
- 12–13 hours
- Areas
- Pearl Harbor, Downtown and Kalihi
Historic sites in Honolulu
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Historic site · Pearl Harbor
1.Pearl Harbor National Memorial and USS Arizona Memorial
Oil still seeps from the wreck to the surface.
- Time needed
- Half a day with other Pearl Harbor sites
- Cost
- Free
- History
- Iconic
- Free
Palace · Downtown
2.ʻIolani Palace
After the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893, Queen Liliʻuokalani was later imprisoned in an upstairs room. Guided and audio tours show the restored throne room, royal bedrooms and the basement galleries of crown jewels.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
- Iconic
Museum · Pearl Harbor
3.Battleship Missouri Memorial
Visitors explore the decks, the 16-inch guns and the surrender site; a shuttle bus runs from the Pearl Harbor visitor centre, and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum is on the same island.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Kids
Museum · Kalihi
4.Bishop Museum
Its three-storey Hawaiian Hall has royal feather cloaks, carved images and a whale skeleton suspended overhead, and there is a planetarium and a science centre with a walk-through volcano.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
- Art
Neighbourhood · Chinatown
5.Chinatown
In the evening, the cocktail bars and restaurants on Hotel Street and Nuʻuanu Avenue fill up.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Food
- History
- Shopping
- After dark
Viewpoint · Nuʻuanu
6.Nuʻuanu Pali Lookout
In 1795, Kamehameha I's forces drove the defending army over these cliffs in the Battle of Nuʻuanu, a decisive step towards unifying the islands.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- History
- Photo spot
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Pearl Harbor | Pearl Harbor National Memorial and USS Arizona Memorial and Battleship Missouri Memorial | Half a day with other Pearl Harbor sites + 2 hours |
| Downtown | ʻIolani Palace | 1.5 hours |
| Kalihi | Bishop Museum | 3 hours |
| Chinatown | Chinatown | 2 hours |
| Nuʻuanu | Nuʻuanu Pali Lookout | 30 minutes |
Booking and timing
Of these 6, 2 free, 1 low cost, 3 mid-priced. Book ahead for Pearl Harbor National Memorial and USS Arizona Memorial and ʻIolani Palace. The longest visit is Pearl Harbor National Memorial and USS Arizona Memorial; group the rest by area to save travel time.
- Pearl Harbor National Memorial and USS Arizona Memorial: Reserve the free USS Arizona Memorial programme online in advance; a small booking fee applies and slots fill weeks ahead in busy months.
- ʻIolani Palace: Tours run at set times with limited numbers; book online ahead, especially for guided tours.
How to fit them into 4 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Pearl Harbor): Pearl Harbor National Memorial and USS Arizona Memorial, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Pearl Harbor and Downtown): Battleship Missouri Memorial → ʻIolani Palace, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Kalihi): Bishop Museum, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 4 (Chinatown and Nuʻuanu): Chinatown → Nuʻuanu Pali Lookout, at least 3 hours.
The quietest months for queues
- May: highs of 29°C (84°F), about 5 rainy days, quiet crowds. Dry, sunny and quieter than summer, with calm south-shore waters for swimming.
- September: highs of 31°C (88°F), about 6 rainy days, quiet crowds. Still hot and dry, but crowds thin out after the summer holidays and hotel rates drop.
- October: highs of 30°C (86°F), about 7 rainy days, quiet crowds. Warm sea, fewer visitors and good value; the first winter swells may arrive on the North Shore.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Downtown and Chinatown — ʻIolani Palace, lei stands and Honolulu's best cocktail bars
More of Honolulu
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Honolulu?
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.
+Which of these are free in Honolulu?
Pearl Harbor National Memorial and USS Arizona Memorial and Chinatown.