travelgasm®

2023 Travel Update: As of 2023, Hawaii is open for tourism by both vaccinated and unvaccinated US citizen travelers without Covid-specific documentation or testing. It also essentially is open to vaccinated non-US citizen travelers with proof of vaccination but no additional testing although some exceptions apply. Nevertheless, be sure to double check the official state of Hawaii requirements and national CDC requirements for up-to-the minute details.

Pearl Harbor, without a doubt, is Honolulu's most recognizable place name, transcending even the city itself. Pearl Harbor derives its English name from the Hawaiian language Waimomi — "pearl waters" — after the pearl oysters that once were plentiful in the area.

Of course, in modern times, Pearl Harbor is known worldwide for the surprise Japanese aerial bombing of the United States military base on December 7, 1941, triggering the US to enter the fight in WWII.

Today, Pearl Harbor trends toward the top of everyone's list of must-see tourist attractions in Honolulu. Pearl Harbor is a bit of an enigma: an active military base, a national park, a grave site, and essentially an amusement park all rolled into one. It is the kind of destination where different people with different backgrounds can have significantly different emotional experiences. Accordingly, travelgasm.com humbly reminds you to do your best to be respectful, even if some of those around you may forget about the more somber aspects of the location because of the perhaps excessive commercialism.

Pearl Harbor's Four Main Attractions

The tourist-accessible portion of Pearl Harbor offers four main attractions. These destinations include the USS Arizona Memorial and Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum — tethered to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial near the entrance — and the further afield Battleship Missouri Memorial and Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum on Ford Island.

1. USS Arizona Memorial

Reachable only by shuttle boat — and built like a bridge over the USS Arizona battleship that was sunk on December 7, 1941 — the USS Arizona Memorial pays tribute to the 1,177 crewmen killed, many of whom remain entombed below.

There is a great deal of confusion online about whether or not this portion of Pearl Harbor is free. The manicured grounds and WWII exhibits in route to the ferry boat that goes to the USS Arizona Memorial are free. For all practical purposes, the rest of Pearl Harbor is not free.

The "USS Arizona Memorial Program" — which includes a short film and the ferry ride to the USS Arizona Memorial — is considered "free" but requires a US$1 "non-refundable program reservation fee" for required tickets. This distinction is the kind that only a North American attorney would find notable. To just about everyone else in the world, it is not free.

To reserve these "free" tickets for US$1, you have two booking options — either 56 days in advance or the day before at 3 PM HST. In peak season, both of these options can have the available slots snapped up in minutes. If you are preparing your travels in advance, but not 56 days in advance, and don't want to leave it to chance the day before, there also are paid Pearl Harbor tours available that include access to the USS Arizona Memorial with a proper tour guide, a tour of downtown Honolulu, and convenient round trip transportation from and back to your hotel in Waikiki. In peak times, these tours also commonly sell out.

2. Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum (USS Bowfin)

Featuring the WWII-era USS Bowfin, the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum includes access to the submarine itself as well as exhibits about the history of submarines from WWII through the Cold War and to the present day.

3. Battleship Missouri Memorial

The Battleship Missouri Memorial showcases the massive 58,000-ton "Mighty Mo" — the last American battleship ever built — and its huge 50-caliber guns. Its deck was the location of the Japanese surrender marking the end of WWII, as well.

4. Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum

The Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum boasts two hangars packed with more than 50 aircraft ranging from the WWII-era B-17 and P-40 to modern aircraft still in active service like the F-14 and F-16. We were perhaps most impressed by the respect the museum showed for the engineering capabilities of the Japanese Zero and other vintage Japanese planes; they were quite impressive for their day.

Optimizing Your Time & Budget at Pearl Harbor

Although it is possible to make Pearl Harbor a half-day visit, perhaps limited to just the USS Arizona Memorial or maybe you also can squeeze in a quick run through one of the museums. However, it really is best to give Pearl Harbor a full day for a proper experience.

We have summarized the opening and closing details as well as prices for each attraction:

Local and military discounts are available; kids under the age of four are not permitted to do much of anything, and the price for thirteen-year-olds is the same as adults.

None of the activities beyond the USS Arizona Memorial are inexpensive — and adding an audio or multimedia tour to the USS Arizona Memorial costs an extra US$8.99 or US$18.98, respectively — but we still would encourage you to budget time and money for at least one of the three other options.

If you get an early start, the USS Arizona Memorial and Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum open at 7 AM, which does make it possible to see either when crowds are at their thinnest.

If you want to see all four attractions, a deluxe Passport to Pearl Harbor option is available for direct booking for US$89.99. If you would like to save some money, though, you might consider buying the Go City Pass Honolulu instead. Go City Pass Honolulu includes all of the Pearl Harbor offerings and also costs US$89 for one day; you come out ahead if you do anything else the same day.

Go City Pass Honolulu additionally is available with multi-day options (a two-day pass is only US$74.50/day). It also includes entry to Diamond Head, the Bishop Museum, Iolani Palace, live performances, a number of boat tours, water activities, bike rental, and more.

Where to Eat at Pearl Harbor

Without joining the US military, there are three places to eat within Pearl Harbor — Jake's Food Truck by the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum, Sliders Grill at the Battleship Missouri Memorial, and Laniakea Cafe in the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum. All three lean Americana, with menus mostly centered around hamburgers and hot dogs, although Sliders has Hawaiian plate lunches and Jake's Food Truck has Mexican tacos and nachos, as well.

Next door is the popular Restaurant 604, popular, at least partially, because it is just about the only place remotely convenient to Pearl Harbor. It's known for American and Hawaiian seafood dishes, an extensive drinks menu, and sunset views over the harbor.

Below, we have mapped out TheBus stop that could begin your day, the four Pearl Harbor attractions, the boat and bus transit within Pearl Harbor, and the places to eat, too.

How to Get Here: If you're coming from Waikiki, take TheBus route 20 or 42 from Kuhio Avenue — stand on the mauka side of the street (toward the mountains) — and go to Arizona Memorial (Stop 4322). However, note that hours are quite short on this stop (roughly 7 AM to 2 PM). Outside these hours, you will instead need to stop at the unpleasant Kamehameha Hwy and Kalaloa St (Stop 477) and cross under the highway on foot to get to Pearl Harbor. If you're heading back to Waikiki afterwards, you will need to go out to the unpleasant Kamehameha Hwy again and take TheBus route 20 or 42 from Kamehameha and Arizona Memorial Pl (Stop 697) to your left of the entrance if headed out on foot.

travelgasm.com's Pearl Harbor Map (Full Screen)

Cities > Honolulu > Honolulu Best 7 > Next: (5) Book the Bishop... >>

Like Pearl Harbor? Tell your friends and frenemies on social media that you explored it first:

Intelligent and good-looking readers of travelgasm.com like you also sign up for our free monthly-ish mailing list.

Live in Honolulu? What tourist attraction do you most like to share with visitors? Spotted anything out-of-date or inaccurately translated? Please tell travelgasm.com. Mahalo! Thanks!