12 of the best · Hawaiʻi, USA

Oʻahu’s Great Sights, from ʻIolani Palace to Pearl Harbor

Waikīkī Beach and Diamond Head, ʻIolani Palace, Pearl Harbor’s memorials and museums, the Polynesian Cultural Center, Kualoa Ranch, the Byodo-In Temple and Waimea Valley.

Our 12 favourites, listed A–Z · Updated November 2026

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Insiders' picks

Three Hawaiʻi moments we keep going back to: Diamond Head at opening time, sunset on the terrace of House Without a Key, and a morning at Pearl Harbor.

The USS Arizona Memorial

Pearl Harbor National Memorial

Pearl Harbor·Memorial

The memorials of 7 December 1941, with the boat to the USS Arizona Memorial.

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Built in 1882

ʻIolani Palace

Downtown·Palace museum

The palace of Hawaiʻi’s last reigning monarchs, the only official royal residence in the United States.

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Reservations for visitors

Diamond Head State Monument

Diamond Head·Crater and trail

The crater above Waikīkī, its summit trail and the view over the city.

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The full list: Sights, A–Z

Show 9 of 14 places on a map

More areas 4

The back story 2

A palace, a crater and a harbour of memory.

History & heritage

Hawaiʻi: from the palace of the monarchs to the islands today

Hawaiʻi·In depth: history and heritage

ʻIolani Palace of 1882 and the last reigning monarchs, the plantation families and their kitchens, Pearl Harbor in 1941, Duke Kahanamoku’s Waikīkī and the revival of hula: Hawaiʻi’s heritage, told plainly.

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The back story

Reading Oʻahu: a palace, a crater and a harbour of memory

Oʻahu·In depth

ʻIolani Palace, the only official royal residence in the United States, Diamond Head’s crater, the memorials of Pearl Harbor, the Bishop Museum and Hanauma Bay: how to read Oʻahu’s great sights.

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The beach and the crater 2

Waikīkī and Diamond Head.

Reservations for visitors

Diamond Head State Monument

Diamond Head·Crater and trail

The crater above Waikīkī, its summit trail and the view over the city.

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Below Diamond Head

Waikīkī Beach

Waikīkī·Beach

The beach of the surf instructors and the outrigger canoes, below Diamond Head.

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History and memory 5

The palace and Pearl Harbor.

On Ford Island

Battleship Missouri Memorial

Pearl Harbor·Museum ship

The battleship moored at Pearl Harbor.

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Built in 1882

ʻIolani Palace

Downtown·Palace museum

The palace of Hawaiʻi’s last reigning monarchs, the only official royal residence in the United States.

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Two wartime hangars

Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum

Pearl Harbor·Museum

Aircraft in two Second World War hangars on Ford Island, and a 168-foot control tower.

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The USS Arizona Memorial

Pearl Harbor National Memorial

Pearl Harbor·Memorial

The memorials of 7 December 1941, with the boat to the USS Arizona Memorial.

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Restored to 1945

USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park

Pearl Harbor·Museum

A submarine restored to her 1945 configuration and a museum of 4,000 artefacts.

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Culture and the country 5

Valleys, temples and the windward coast.

Built in 1963

Byodo-In Temple

Kāneʻohe·Temple

A replica of a Japanese temple at the foot of the Koʻolau cliffs.

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Honolulu’s historic church

Kawaiahaʻo Church

Downtown·Church

Honolulu’s historic church near ʻIolani Palace, still a place of worship.

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Hollywood’s “Hawaii backlot”

Kualoa Ranch

Kualoa·Ranch

The windward valley where more than 200 films and television shows have been made since the 1950s.

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42 acres, six island cultures

Polynesian Cultural Center

Lāʻie·Cultural centre

Six island cultures of Polynesia across 42 acres on the windward coast, with an evening lūʻau.

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Where Hawaiʻi comes alive

Waimea Valley

North Shore·Valley and garden

A North Shore valley of gardens and Hawaiian cultural sites, with a waterfall.

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