One day in Honolulu

Day by day

1. Day 1: Waikīkī Beach and Surf lesson at Waikīkī

   Waikīkī Beach, Surf lesson at Waikīkī, Honolulu Zoo and Waikīkī Aquarium, then Chinatown in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Waikīkī Beach

      Free hula shows are held at the Kūhiō Beach Hula Mound on several evenings a week around sunset. Allow Half a day.

   2. Late morning

      Surf lesson at Waikīkī

      Book a morning lesson, when the wind is lighter, and wear a rash guard to avoid board rash and sunburn. Allow 2 hours.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Poke

      Supermarket poke counters such as Foodland, which locals swear by, and specialists such as Ono Seafood on Kapahulu Avenue.

   4. Afternoon

      Honolulu Zoo

      Go in the morning when the animals are most active and before the afternoon heat. Allow 2 hours.

   5. Late afternoon

      Waikīkī Aquarium

      Pair it with the zoo across the park; together they make an easy family morning. Allow 1 hour.

   6. Evening

      Chinatown

      Buy a fresh lei on Maunakea Street for a fraction of the hotel price, then walk to Foster Botanical Garden nearby.

Before you go

If it rains

• Swap in ʻIolani Palace (Downtown): Combine it with the Kamehameha I statue across the street and the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum, a short walk away.
• Swap in Bishop Museum (Kalihi): Start in Hawaiian Hall, then catch a planetarium show to learn how Polynesian voyagers navigated by the stars.
• Swap in Honolulu Museum of Art (Makiki): Have lunch in the museum café's courtyard, then look for the Hawaiian art galleries that most visitors skip.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 10–11 hours of visiting over one day, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 10.8 hours in December to 13.4 hours in June.

Getting between stops: Bus. TheBus runs frequent routes between Waikīkī, Ala Moana, Downtown, Pearl Harbor and Hanauma Bay, and slower routes around the island to the North Shore and Kailua.

More or fewer days

• 2 days in Honolulu
• 3 days in Honolulu
• 4 days in Honolulu
• 5 days in Honolulu
• 7 days in Honolulu

Questions travellers ask