Neighbourhood guide
Downtown and Chinatown
The palace, the museums and the old streets of Honolulu.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Farragutful · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsDowntown Honolulu holds ʻIolani Palace, Kawaiahaʻo Church and Capitol Modern; Chinatown, beside it, the Hawaii Theatre, the cocktail bars and the lei stands.
Sights
ʻIolani Palace, Kawaiahaʻo Church, Capitol Modern, the Honolulu Museum of Art and the Bishop Museum in Kalihi.
Eating and drinking
Helena’s Hawaiian Food, Liliha Bakery and Bar Leather Apron.
Staying
Most visitors stay in Waikīkī, fifteen minutes away.
Tour ʻIolani Palace in the morning, then walk to Chinatown for lunch.
Our advice: the palace closes some days of the week; check its site before you plan.
Why it's on our list
- Sights
- Eating and drinking
- Staying
Location
The map comes from Google Maps, which sets its own cookies once it loads.
More in depth
The back storyHawaiian FoodKalua pig, lau lau and poi at Helena’s, malasadas at Leonard’s, shave ice at Matsumoto’s, Kona coffee and the poke counter: what to eat in Hawaiʻi.
The back storyWhere Hawaiʻi sleeps: the grand hotels of Waikīkī and the resorts of the islandsThe Royal Hawaiian of 1927 and Halekulani on Waikīkī Beach, the Kahala beneath Diamond Head, the North Shore’s Ritz-Carlton and the resorts of Maui, Kauaʻi and Hawaiʻi Island: where to stay in Hawaiʻi.
The back storyReading Oʻahu: a palace, a crater and a harbour of memoryʻIolani 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.