Oʻahu · Travel guide
Oʻahu, done right
Waikīkī and Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor history, and the legendary winter surf of the North Shore.
Fly into
Honolulu (HNL)
Getting around
Skip the car in Waikīkī; rent for day trips
Where to stay
Waikīkī, or Ko Olina and the North Shore
Book early
Pearl Harbor, Hanauma Bay, Diamond Head
Book these first
The experiences that define the island
These sell out first, and each one is the reason people fly here. Every guide compares the options side by side.
Pearl Harbor Tours
The USS Arizona Memorial is free, but the tickets go fast. A tour can sort out the ticket, the drive, and the bag rules.
Compare 6 tours
Circle Island & North Shore Tours
See the windward cliffs, the North Shore, and Haleʻiwa in a day without paying Waikīkī hotel parking for a rental car.
Compare 7 tours
Turtle Snorkel & Hanauma Bay Tours
Green sea turtles off Waikīkī, or the reef at Hanauma Bay. Here’s how to do either without the scramble.
Compare 6 tours
Oʻahu Lūʻau
A full day at the Polynesian Cultural Center, a North Shore valley, a Kapolei show with a fire-knife champion, or a lūʻau you can walk to in Waikīkī.
Compare 5 tours
Oʻahu Helicopter Tours
Diamond Head, Hanauma Bay, the Koʻolau cliffs, and the North Shore in under an hour.
Compare 4 toursTraveler favorites
The most-reviewed tours on the island
Ranked by Viator review count — the trips thousands of visitors have already vetted.
Know the island
One city, two mountain ranges, six regions
Honolulu and Waikīkī fill the south shore between the Waiʻanae and Koʻolau ranges. Over the Koʻolau are Kailua and the windward coast; the North Shore is an hour’s drive up the middle; Ko Olina sits on the dry west side.
Waikiki
Hotels, surf lessons and Lēʻahi on the skyline
Good base
Honolulu
Palaces, food halls and Pearl Harbor
Good base
East Oahu
Hanauma Bay, sea cliffs and Waimānalo sand
Windward Oahu
Turquoise bays under the Koʻolau cliffs
Good base
North Shore
Big winter waves, summer snorkeling, shrimp trucks
Good base
West Oahu
Calm resort lagoons and dry, sunny coast
Good baseExplore
Everything worth doing on Oʻahu
Tours & Activities
Boat days, helicopter flights, snorkel sails, luaus, and the island’s signature night and summit trips — the bookings that define a Hawaiʻi trip.
ExploreBeaches
White-sand resort coves, young black-sand beaches, hike-in solitude, and the reefs worth bringing a mask for.
ExploreSights & Parks
National parks, sacred places, waterfalls, and valley lookouts — the sights to build your days around.
ExploreEat & Drink
Shave ice, poke, plate lunch, saimin, and coffee at the farm — the island food worth planning a day around.
ExploreEditor’s picks
Places worth the drive
Swimming BeachesWaikiki
Waikīkī Beach
It’s still one of the best places in Hawaiʻi to stand up on a surfboard for the first time, and you can walk back to your room for lunch.
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Swimming BeachesWindward Oahu
Kailua Beach Park
The water color is unreal, the sand is fine and the morning swim before the wind comes up is one of Oʻahu’s simple joys.
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Snorkel SpotsEast Oahu
Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve
It’s the easiest place on Oʻahu to float over a healthy reef with schools of fish, and the strict rules are the reason it looks this good.
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Swimming BeachesNorth Shore
Waimea Bay Beach Park
In summer it’s the North Shore’s best swimming beach; in winter you can sit on the sand and watch some of the biggest rideable waves on Earth.
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Culture & HistoryHonolulu
Pearl Harbor National Memorial
Standing over the sunken USS Arizona is quiet and moving in a way no museum panel can match, and the park handles it with real care.
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National & State ParksWaikiki
Lēʻahi (Diamond Head State Monument)
It’s a short, real climb with a payoff that explains Honolulu at a glance: Waikīkī’s shoreline on one side, the Koko Head coast on the other.
Read moreWhere to stay
Stays we’d book
Luxury resort Waikiki areaHalekūlani
Couples who want quiet luxury in the middle of Waikīkī
It’s the calmest, most polished stay in Waikīkī. Sunset drinks at the oceanfront House Without A Key are a Waikīkī classic.
Resort Waikiki areaThe Royal Hawaiian
Travelers who want classic Waikīkī glamour on the best stretch of sand
Few hotels anywhere have this much history right on the sand. A mai tai at the Mai Tai Bar is a Waikīkī rite.
Centennial events are planned around Feb. 1, 2027.
Boutique & lodge Waikiki areaThe Surfjack
Design-minded couples and friends on a mid-range budget
It has real local style and no amenity fee on direct bookings, a rare combination in Waikīkī, and it’s a short walk to the beach.
Getting around
You’ll want a rental car.
Public transit is limited and the best sights are hours apart. Pick up at Honolulu (HNL) and compare every major company in one search.
Photo: Eric Tessmer via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0