The plan at a glance

Pearl Harbor and downtown, then Diamond Head and Waikiki, then the windward coast

Honolulu's sights are spread along the south shore, so each day sticks to one stretch: day one goes out to Pearl Harbor for the USS Arizona Memorial and the Battleship Missouri, then back to ʻIolani Palace, the King Kamehameha statue and Chinatown; day two climbs Diamond Head early, comes down through Kapiʻolani Park to the aquarium and Waikiki Beach, and ends at the Bishop Museum; day three is a drive around the south-east corner of the island, from Hanauma Bay to Lanikai Beach and the Pali Lookout. Pearl Harbor's boat program, Diamond Head and Hanauma Bay all need advance reservations, and Hanauma Bay is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Day 1Pearl Harbor and the royal capitalPearl Harbor National Memorial and the USS Arizona Memorial · ʻIolani Palace · Aliʻiōlani Hale and the King Kamehameha Statue · Kawaiahaʻo Church · Chinatown5 sights · 1.2 km on foot Day 2Diamond Head, Waikiki and the Bishop MuseumDiamond Head (Lēʻahi) · Waikīkī Aquarium · Kapiʻolani Park · Waikiki Beach and the Duke Kahanamoku Statue · Bishop Museum5 sights · 3.0 km on foot Day 3The windward coast: Hanauma Bay to the PaliHanauma Bay Nature Preserve · Halona Blowhole · Makapuʻu Point Lighthouse Trail · Lanikai Beach · Nuʻuanu Pali Lookout5 sights · Transport between sights

At a glance

Ways to use these days

If it rains: 2 of the stops are indoors — Waikīkī Aquarium · Bishop Museum
For the view: Halona Blowhole · Nuʻuanu Pali Lookout
Outdoors: Kapiʻolani Park · Waikiki Beach and the Duke Kahanamoku Statue · Lanikai Beach
Lightest day on foot: Day 2 — 10.7 km between stops
Most walking: Day 3 — 26.0 km

Morning

1National memorial

Pearl Harbor National Memorial and the USS Arizona Memorial

The visitor center's two museums and the Remembrance Circle are free; the Navy boat to the white memorial that spans the sunken USS Arizona, where more than 900 sailors still lie, is a free timed program of about 80 minutes that must be reserved on recreation.gov. From the same dock a free shuttle crosses to Ford Island for the Battleship Missouri, where the Japanese surrender was signed in 1945, and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum.

Plan about 4 h
Free; reserve the boat program on recreation.gov; Missouri tickets $34.99

Midday

LunchThe visitor center has a café; otherwise eat downtown after the ride back, where the lunch counters of Chinatown are a ten-minute walk from the palace.

Afternoon

About 25 minutes by taxi or rideshare back to downtown, or TheBus route 20 or 42 from the visitor center, about 45 minutes

2Royal palace

ʻIolani Palace

The only royal palace on American soil, built by King Kalākaua in 1882 with electric lights before the White House had them, is where Queen Liliʻuokalani was imprisoned after the overthrow of the kingdom in 1893. Tours cover the throne room, the state dining room and the room where the queen was held.

Plan about 1 h 30 min
Tuesday to Saturday 9:00–16:00; tickets online only

180 m · about 3 min on foot

3Historic building

Aliʻiōlani Hale and the King Kamehameha Statue

Across King Street from the palace, the gilded statue of Kamehameha the Great, who united the islands in 1810, stands in front of the 1874 Aliʻiōlani Hale, built as a royal palace and now the state supreme court; its lei-draped statue is the city's most photographed monument.

Plan about 30 min

110 m · about 2 min on foot

4Historic church

Kawaiahaʻo Church

Hawaiʻi's 'Westminster Abbey', finished in 1842 from 14,000 blocks of coral cut from the reef, was the church of the Hawaiian kings; royal weddings and coronations were held here, and the Sunday service is still partly in Hawaiian.

Plan about 20 min

Evening

910 m · about 14 min on foot

5Historic neighbourhood

Chinatown

Honolulu's oldest commercial district, rebuilt after the fire of 1900, mixes lei shops, Chinese and Vietnamese markets, herbalists and the Wo Fat building of 1938 with the bars and restaurants of the Hotel Street revival. Come at dusk for dinner and the First Friday art walk if your dates match.

Plan about 1 h 30 min

Morning

1Volcanic crater and hike

Diamond Head (Lēʻahi)

The 300,000-year-old tuff cone at the end of Waikiki is climbed by a 1.3-kilometre trail built in 1908 for the coastal defence batteries: switchbacks, a lit tunnel and two sets of steep stairs to the bunker on the rim, with the whole south shore and Waikiki below. Go early, before the heat.

Plan about 2 h
Non-residents need an online reservation: $5 entry, $10 parking; last hike 16:00

1.3 km · about 20 min on foot

2Aquarium

Waikīkī Aquarium

Founded in 1904 and run by the University of Hawaiʻi, the small aquarium on the reef edge below Diamond Head keeps Hawaiian reef fish, living coral, giant clams and a Hawaiian monk seal, and is a good way to identify what you will see snorkelling at Hanauma Bay the next day.

Plan about 1 h
Daily 9:00–16:30; $12

480 m · about 8 min on foot

3Park

Kapiʻolani Park

King Kalākaua's park of 1877, the oldest in Hawaiʻi, is a wide lawn of banyans and ironwoods between Diamond Head and the beach, with the Honolulu Zoo at one corner and the Waikīkī Shell bandstand; on weekend mornings it fills with joggers and craft fairs.

Plan about 30 min

Midday

LunchKalākaua Avenue and the lanes behind it have everything from plate lunches and poke bowls to hotel terraces on the sand.

1.3 km · about 20 min on foot

4Beach

Waikiki Beach and the Duke Kahanamoku Statue

Two miles of sand between Diamond Head and the Ala Wai harbour, where surfing was shown to the world by Duke Kahanamoku, whose bronze statue on Kūhiō Beach is draped in fresh leis every day. The gentle breaks off the beach are where beginners take their first lesson; the pink Royal Hawaiian and the white Moana Surrider, both from the early 1900s, stand behind.

Plan about 1 h 30 min

Afternoon

About 20 minutes by taxi or rideshare from Waikiki, or TheBus route 2 from Kūhiō Avenue, about 45 minutes

5Museum

Bishop Museum

Founded in 1889 in memory of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the last of the Kamehameha line, the museum's three-storey Hawaiian Hall of koa wood holds royal feather cloaks, a sperm-whale skeleton and the story of the islands from the first Polynesian voyages; the Pacific Hall covers the rest of Oceania and the science wing has a planetarium.

Plan about 2 h
Daily 9:00–17:00; last entry booking 16:00

Evening

DinnerBack in Waikiki, the beach bars at the Moana Surfrider and the Royal Hawaiian face the sunset; Kapahulu Avenue, inland, is where locals eat.

Morning

1Marine reserve and beach

Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve

A flooded volcanic crater ringed by a coral reef, protected since 1967 and now limited to a set number of visitors a day; after a short film on reef etiquette you walk down to the sand and snorkel among parrotfish, tangs and green sea turtles in water a few metres deep. Gear can be rented at the beach.

Plan about 3 h
Closed Mondays and Tuesdays; reserve a slot two days ahead; closes 16:00

Midday

LunchWaimānalo and Kailua, on the way north, have shrimp trucks, plate-lunch counters and cafés; Kailua town is the best stop before the beach.

About 10 minutes' drive east along Kalanianaʻole Highway

2Lookout

Halona Blowhole

A lava tube on the rocky shore that shoots seawater up to 30 feet into the air when the swell is right; the lookout above it also takes in the small cove where From Here to Eternity was filmed and, in winter, passing humpback whales.

Plan about 20 min

About 5 minutes' drive; park at the trailhead lot

3Coastal hike

Makapuʻu Point Lighthouse Trail

A paved 2-mile round trip climbing 500 feet to the south-eastern tip of Oʻahu, with the red-roofed 1909 lighthouse below and the whole windward coast, Rabbit Island and Kāneʻohe Bay opening up at the top. Between November and May it is one of the best places on the island to spot humpback whales from land.

Plan about 1 h 30 min
Free; no shade, so bring water

Afternoon

About 20 minutes' drive north through Waimānalo; street parking only

4Beach

Lanikai Beach

A half-mile of powder sand and turquoise shallows facing the twin Mokulua islets, reached through the beach-access lanes of a quiet residential loop; there are no facilities, so bring what you need. Kailua Beach Park, a short walk north, has parking, showers and kayak rental.

Plan about 2 h

Evening

About 20 minutes' drive up the Pali Highway on the way back to Honolulu

5Viewpoint

Nuʻuanu Pali Lookout

The cliff-top gap where Kamehameha's army drove the Oʻahu defenders over the edge in 1795 is now a lookout on the Pali Highway with the windward side laid out 300 metres below, from Kāneʻohe Bay to the Koʻolau cliffs. Hold on to your hat: the trade winds funnel through the pass.

Plan about 30 min

Before you go

Good to know in Honolulu

Tickets, reservations and opening days

Pearl Harbor National Memorial's visitor center, museums and grounds are free and open 7:00–17:00 daily. The boat program to the USS Arizona Memorial is also free but needs a timed ticket reserved on recreation.gov; programs run from 7:30 to 15:00 and last about 80 minutes, and you should arrive an hour before your time.Source: National Park Service · checked Sep 2026
The Battleship Missouri Memorial on Ford Island is open 8:00–16:00 daily; adult tickets are $34.99. It is reached only by the free shuttle from the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, every 15 minutes with the last return at 16:05, and visitors may be asked for photo ID (foreign visitors carry a passport).Source: Battleship Missouri Memorial · checked Sep 2026
Out-of-state visitors need an online reservation for Diamond Head State Monument, bookable up to 30 days ahead: $5 per person to enter and $10 per car to park, in one-hour entry slots. The last hike reservation is 16:00 and the gates are locked at 18:00.Source: Hawaiʻi State Parks · checked Sep 2026
Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve is closed every Monday and Tuesday and closes at 16:00 on other days, with the beach cleared half an hour before. Non-residents reserve a time slot online two days ahead from 7:00 Hawaiʻi time; a limited number of walk-in tickets are issued when the gate opens at 6:45.Source: City and County of Honolulu · checked Sep 2026
ʻIolani Palace is open Tuesday to Saturday 9:00–16:00 and closed on Sundays and Mondays; docent-led and self-led audio tours are sold online only.Source: ʻIolani Palace · checked Sep 2026
Bishop Museum is open daily 9:00–17:00, with entry bookings for arrivals between 9:00 and 16:00; ticket prices vary by day and season.Source: Bishop Museum · checked Sep 2026
The Waikīkī Aquarium is open daily 9:00–16:30; general admission is $12.Source: Waikīkī Aquarium · checked Sep 2026
The Makapuʻu Point Lighthouse Trail is a 2-mile round trip with 500 feet of climb, paved all the way; it is periodically closed on Tuesday mornings until 11:00 for maintenance.Source: Hawaiʻi Division of State Parks · checked Sep 2026

Getting around

TheBus costs $3 per adult ride, paid in exact change on board (drivers carry no change) or with a HOLO card, which caps the day's fares at $7.50.Source: TheBus · checked Sep 2026

Questions

3 days in Honolulu: quick answers

Is 3 days enough for Honolulu?

Three days cover Pearl Harbor, the royal palace, Diamond Head, Waikiki, the Bishop Museum and the windward coast. A fourth day allows the North Shore beaches and Haleʻiwa, the Polynesian Cultural Center, or a hike to Mānoa Falls.

Do I need a car?

Days one and two work with taxis and TheBus; day three's loop to Hanauma Bay, Makapuʻu and Lanikai is easiest with a rental car for the day, since the beaches and lookouts are spread along the coast.

What do I need to book ahead?

Three things: the free USS Arizona Memorial boat program on recreation.gov, the Diamond Head entry and parking slot on the state parks site, and the Hanauma Bay time slot, which opens two days before at 7:00 Hawaiʻi time.

Which days should I plan around?

Hanauma Bay is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and ʻIolani Palace on Sundays and Mondays, so the plan works best when day one falls Tuesday to Saturday and day three Wednesday to Sunday.

How much walking is this itinerary?

Day one is about 1 km on foot downtown plus the bus or taxi to Pearl Harbor; day two is around 3 km in a straight line, most of it the Diamond Head trail and the walk along Waikiki; day three is a driving loop with short walks at each stop, apart from the 3.2-kilometre lighthouse trail.

More time or less

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3 Days in Honolulu

Pearl Harbor and downtown, then Diamond Head and Waikiki, then the windward coast

Ways to use these days

Pearl Harbor and the royal capital