22 Best Sights in Honolulu and Pearl Harbor, Oahu

A wide, soft, ultra-white shore with gently lapping waves makes this fine beach a family favorite for running-jumping-frolicking fun. Other bonuses include the shaded, grassy grilling area, pickleball courts, and many aquatic rental options. The beach fronts the Hale Koa Hotel as well as Fort DeRussy. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: swimming; walking.

Pearl Harbor is still a working military base as well as Oahu’s most visited attraction, consisting of five distinct destinations. Managed by the National Park Service, the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center and USS Arizona Memorial make up the national memorial, where exhibits tell the story not only of the devastating Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, but also of the wartime internment of Japanese Americans, World War II battles in the Aleutian Islands, and the occupation of Japan after the war. The history continues at three privately operated sights: the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum (whose centerpiece is the USS Bowfin), the Battleship Missouri Memorial, and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum.

A valid government-issued photo ID is required to enter the base. You can walk to the visitor center or the submarine museum from the parking lot, but access to the USS Arizona requires a ferry ride (and ticket reservations via  www.recreation.gov), and access to other sites, including the USS Missouri and the aviation museum, requires a shuttle bus trip. Advance reservations are required to access USS Arizona Memorial. There are no same-day tickets except rare standby spots.

No bags of any kind except clear stadium ones—not even small purses—are allowed at any of the sights, though cameras, cell phones, and wallets can be hand-carried. A bag check is available. Children under four can visit the submarine museum, but for safety reasons, they are not allowed on the USS Bowfin itself.

You have to do a little hiking to reach this beautiful, remote spot at the base of Diamond Head Crater. Although the beach is just a small, narrow strip of sand with lots of coral in the water, the views from the point are breathtaking, and it's fun to watch the windsurfers skimming along. From the parking area, look for an opening in the wall where an unpaved trail leads down to the beach. Even for the unadventurous, a stop at the lookout point is well worth the time. Amenities: parking (no fee); showers. Best for: solitude; sunset; surfing; windsurfing.

Named for Duke Kahanamoku, Hawaii's famous Olympic swimming champion and waterman, this hard-packed beach fronting the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort is great for families. It's the only stretch of Waikiki with shade trees on the sand, and its waters are very calm thanks to a rock wall that creates a semiprotected cove. The ocean clarity here is not as good as elsewhere, but this is a small price to pay for peace of mind about youngsters. Amenities: food and drink; parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: sunset; swimming; walking.

In the 1920s, a little guesthouse called Gray's-by-the-Sea stood on what is now a very narrow strip of sand that's best for walking, admiring the ocean, and imagining a Waikiki of yesteryear. (Note that the tides often put sand space at a premium, so you have to use the elevated concrete walkway most of the time.) Catamaran charters launch from this beach throughout the day, sailing out for views of Diamond Head and Waikiki Beach. You can get a great view of Diamond Head here, and you can also sip a mai tai at House Without a Key, a legendary beach restaurant at the Halekulani hotel a few steps away. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: walking.

The capitol's architecture is richly symbolic: the columns resemble palm trees, the legislative chambers are shaped like volcanic cinder cones, and the central court is open to the sky, representing Hawaii's open society. Replicas of the Hawaii state seal, each weighing 7,500 pounds, hang above both its entrances. The building, which in 1969 replaced Iolani Palace as the seat of government, is surrounded by reflecting pools, just as the Islands are embraced by water. A pair of statues, often draped in lei, flank the building: one of the beloved Queen Liliuokalani and the other of the sainted Father Damien de Veuster, famous for helping Molokai's Hansen's disease (leprosy) patients. You can take a self-guided tour of the capitol using a brochure provided online or in person (Room 415 at the capitol) by the governor's office.

The Samuel Manaiakalani Kamakau Room, on the first floor in the library's mauka (Hawaiian for "mountain") courtyard, houses an extensive Hawaii and Pacific book collection and pays tribute to Kamakau, a missionary student whose 19th-century writings in English offer rare and vital insight into traditional Hawaiian culture.This beautifully renovated main library was built in 1913.

You can grab a bite and take in the unique street art here at any time of the year. Formerly known as the POW! WOW! Worldwide art collective, this project was founded in Hawaii in 2010 and has spread to cities globally. Its most visible Oahu endeavor is a multiblock area where colorful, eclectic, and innovative murals are painted on once-derelict-looking warehouses and other buildings. Every year, artists from all over come to refresh existing murals and add new ones. In 2023, the projects moved out of Kakaako for the first time (to Kalihi-Palama in the first year).

This Mediterranean Renaissance–style building was constructed in 1929 and serves as the center of government for the City and County of Honolulu. Stroll through the shady, open-ceiling lobby with exhibits of works by local artists. During the winter holiday season, the Hale (Hawaiian for "house") becomes the focal point for the annual Honolulu City Lights, a display of lighting and playful holiday scenes spread around the campus, including the famous, gigantic Shaka Santa and Tute Mele. The mayor's office keeps a calendar of upcoming events.

From Chinatown Cultural Plaza, cross a stone bridge to the Izumo Taishakyo Mission of Hawaii to visit the shrine established in 1906. It honors Okuninushi-no-Mikoto, a kami (god) who is believed in Shinto tradition to bring good fortune if properly courted (and thanked afterward).

This busy beach has everything: famous for the Canoes surf break, it's the launching spot for most of the catamaran charters that sail out to Diamond Head several times a day, as well as the place for surfing lessons and outrigger canoe rentals. Chair and umbrella rentals are available, and great music and outdoor dancing beckon at the lively Duke's restaurant, where shirt and shoes not only aren't required, they're discouraged. The Royal Hawaiian Hotel and Moana Surfrider are here. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: partiers; surfing.

Across from the zoo, at the eastern end of Waikiki along what is known as the Gold Coast, this small rectangle of sand is a local-favorite sunning spot for beach lovers of all ages. Although it's usually quieter than the stretches of beach in the heart of town, it's also close to the conveniences of Waikiki. Children can splash safely in its shallow waters, which are protected (for now) by the walls of the historic natatorium, a long-closed, Olympic-size, saltwater swimming arena. Serious swimmers and triathletes also train in the channel beyond the reef here. The Kaimana Beach Hotel and popular Hau Tree lanai restaurant are next door. Amenities: lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: swimming; walking.

The Victorian-style bandstand, built in the late 1890s, is Kapiolani Park's stage for community entertainment and concerts. Founded by King Kamehameha III in 1836, the Royal Hawaiian Band is the nation's only city-sponsored band and performs free concerts at the bandstand as well as at Iolani Palace and the center stage at Ala Moana Center. Visit the band's website for concert dates ( www.rhb-music.com), and check event-listing websites and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser—Oahu's local newspaper—for information on other coming bandstand attractions.

Called Hawaii's Westminster Abbey, this historic house of worship was completed in 1842 and witnessed the coronations, weddings, and funerals of generations of Hawaiian royalty. Each of the building's 14,000 coral blocks was quarried from reefs offshore at depths of more than 20 feet and transported to this site. Interior woodwork was created from the forests of the Koolau Mountains, and the upper gallery displays paintings of the royal families. The graves of missionaries and of King Lunalilo are adjacent. Services in English, with songs and prayers in Hawaiian, are held each Sunday (Kawaiahao's affiliation is United Church of Christ). You can follow a free audio tour of the church and grounds or just look around by yourself.

Featuring a bronze statue of Duke Kahanamoku, the father of modern-day surfing, this lively beach is bordered by a landscaped walkway with a few benches and some shade. It's great for strolls and people-watching any time of day. Check out the Kuhio Beach hula mound Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 6:30 (at 6, November–January) for free hula and Hawaiian-music performances and a sunset torch-lighting ceremony. Surf lessons for beginners are available from the beach center every half hour. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: surfing; walking.

Nestled in the bowl of Puowaina, or Punchbowl Crater, this 112-acre cemetery is the final resting place for more than 50,000 U.S. war veterans and family members and is a solemn reminder of their sacrifice. Among those buried here is Ernie Pyle, the famed World War II correspondent who was killed by a Japanese sniper on Ie Shima, an island off the northwest coast of Okinawa. Intricate stone maps provide a visual military-history lesson. Puowaina, formed 75,000–100,000 years ago during a period of secondary volcanic activity, translates as "Hill of Sacrifice." Historians believe this site once served as an altar where ancient Hawaiians offered sacrifices to their gods. The entrance to the cemetery has wide-open views of Waikiki and Honolulu—perhaps the finest on Oahu.

Both Chinatown's main mauka–makai drag and Bethel Street, which runs parallel, are lined with art galleries, restaurants, tattoo parlors, bars and pubs, an antiques auctioneer, dress shops, one small theater/exhibition space (The ARTS at Marks Garage), and one historic stage (the Hawaii Theatre). You can also take in the unique early 1900s architecture of the buildings.

Once the site of Queen Liliuokalani's beach house, this strand near the Honolulu Zoo draws locals and tourists of all ages. Lovely banyan trees offer shade, the bronze Surfer on a Wave sculpture by artist Robert Pashby honors surfing, volleyball nets welcome pros and amateurs alike, and waters that are part of an aquatic reserve provide superb snorkeling opportunities. The beach is also near what is considered the area's premier bodyboarding spot: the break called The Wall. Be sure to walk out to the gazebo (where experienced boarders jump into the ocean) for stellar views of Waikiki and beyond. Amenities: lifeguards; showers; toilets. Best for: snorkeling; swimming; walking.

A few minutes and a world away from Waikiki and Honolulu, this scenic drive shaded by vine-draped trees has frequent pullouts with views of Diamond Head and the ewa (western) side of Honolulu. It's a nice change of pace from urban life below. At Puu Ualakaa State Wayside (Tantalus), stop to see the sweeping view from Manoa Valley to Honolulu. To start the drive, go to the Punchbowl cemetery (National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific), and follow Tantalus Drive uphill. You'll spot wild chickens, darting mongoose (the squirrels of Hawaii), and maybe the occasional wild boar along the road as you drive.

Although closed to the public, this Beaux Arts–style, 1927 World War I monument, dedicated to the 101 Hawaiian servicemen who lost their lives in battle, stands proudly in Waikiki and is visible from the adjacent Sans Souci/Kaimana Beach. The 100-meter saltwater swimming pool, the training spot for Olympians Johnny Weissmuller and Buster Crabbe and the U.S. Army during World War II, has been closed for decades, as the pool needs repair. Plans to tear down the natatorium were put on hold because of efforts by a nonprofit group that continues fighting to save it. With massive environmental and funding issues, though, the proposed refurbishment remains in flux.