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Travel guide
Oahu and Honolulu
6 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: April to June, September to October
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Welcome
Oahu and Honolulu, in a few days
Honolulu's island is home to two thirds of Hawaii's population, the only royal palace in the United States and the Pearl Harbor memorial, 30 minutes from the beaches of Waikīkī, where Duke Kahanamoku introduced surfing to the world. An hour's drive away, the North Shore gets waves of more than 10 metres in winter, and the east coast lines up the white sand beaches of Kailua and Lanikai.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 1 thing
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 1 thing
- D5 Day 5 1 thing
- D6 Day 6 1 thing
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Pearl Harbor · half a dayThe national memorial to the attack of 7 December 1941, with free museums, a Navy boat to the USS Arizona memorial above the wreck, and the battleship Missouri on Ford Island.
- Late afternoon · ʻIolani Palace · about 1 h 30The only royal palace in the United States, completed by King Kalākaua in 1882 with electricity before the White House, where Queen Liliʻuokalani was held prisoner after the 1893 overthrow.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort ↗ · All places to stay by budget →€300 a night
D2
Day 2
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- All day · Waikīkī free · a full dayThree kilometres of beach lined with towers and two historic grand hotels, where the long, gentle waves of Canoes and Queens make it the best place in the world to learn surfing.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort ↗€300 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Diamond Head · 1 h 30 to 2 hA 1.3 km trail climbs a 300,000-year-old tuff crater by switchbacks, stairs and a 1908 military tunnel to a summit view over Waikīkī, Honolulu and the Pacific.
- Afternoon · Hanauma Bay · half a dayA horseshoe bay formed by a crater open to the sea, a marine reserve since 1967, where green turtles and over 400 fish species swim over a shallow reef close to shore.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort ↗€300 a night
D4
Day 4
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Makapuʻu Point free · about 1 h 30A shadeless 3.2 km paved path up the island's eastern point to a red 1909 lighthouse above black lava cliffs, one of the best spots to see humpback whales from land.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort ↗€300 a night
D5
Day 5
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- All day · Kailua and Lanikai free · a full dayFour kilometres of white sand and turquoise water on the windward coast, with kayaking out to the Mokulua islets and the Lanikai Pillbox trail up to old bunkers above the bay.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort ↗€300 a night
D6
Day 6
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- All day · North Shore free · a full dayThe world capital of big-wave surfing, with waves over 10 metres at Waimea Bay and Pipeline in winter, a lake-calm sea in summer and the plantation village of Haleʻiwa.
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Burgers and barbecue: brisket and ribs cooked low and slow, done differently in every state.
- Clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl: the classic lunch on the San Francisco waterfront.
- Mexican food: tacos from a truck in Los Angeles, a Mission burrito in San Francisco.
- Pancakes and weekend brunch: a national habit, generous to the point of excess.
- Craft beer, and California wine from Napa and Sonoma.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Tipping is not optional: add 15 to 20% in restaurants and bars.
- Prices on menus and in shops exclude sales tax, which is added at the till.
- Do not plan more than four or five hours of driving a day: the distances are larger than they look on the map.
- Never travel without health insurance. A night in hospital can cost thousands of dollars.
- In summer, do not hike down into the Grand Canyon in the heat of the day: the climb back out is where people get into trouble.
Getting by
Words that help
🗣️ English is the main language here, so there is nothing to learn by heart.
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyUS dollar (USD, $)
BudgetAbout €220 a day, mid-range
Best seasonApril to June, September to October
PlugA/B · 120V
Tap waterSafe to drink
Tipping15 to 20%, expected
Emergency911
EntryUK, Australian and most EU passports need an ESTA, applied for online before departure, for stays of up to 90 days; a few EU countries sit outside the Visa Waiver Program and need a full visa. Canadians need neither, only a passport. Anyone who has been to Cuba since January 2021 cannot use an ESTA and must apply for a visa.
HealthNo vaccination required. Keep tetanus, diphtheria and polio up to date; hepatitis A is worth considering if you eat well off the tourist trail. In the desert parks, the heat is the real risk.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/oahu
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.