Are you looking for fun things to do in Honolulu Oahu? Keep scrolling for this list of the best Honolulu activities and adventures worth adding to your Oahu itinerary.
This list of fun things to do in Honolulu Hawaii was written by Marcie Cheung (a Hawaii travel expert) and contains affiliate links which means if you purchase something from one of my affiliate links, I may earn a small commission that goes back into maintaining this blog.
Most people land in Honolulu, check into their Waikiki hotel, and spend the first afternoon wondering what to actually do beyond the beach.
That’s a shame, because this city has more going on than it gets credit for.
I’ve visited Hawaii 40+ times over more than 20 years. I’ve had some of the best days of my life in Honolulu and I’ve also wasted an entire afternoon at a snorkel spot because I didn’t book ahead.
This list is the practical version: what requires advance planning, what’s worth your time, and a couple of things that are fine to skip depending on who you are.
1. Hanauma Bay: Book This Before You Book Anything Else
I put this first because it causes more trip frustration than almost anything else on Oahu. People drive out there without a reservation and get turned away. It happens every single day.
Hanauma Bay is a protected marine preserve, the only dedicated snorkeling beach on Oahu, and the city strictly caps how many people can enter each day. The bay is crescent-shaped, sheltered, calm, and shallow. The water is clear enough to see the bottom.
The first time I watched a green sea turtle cruise past about four feet away, completely unbothered by the dozen snorkelers around it, I understood why people put this on their bucket list.
What you need to know for 2026:
Reservations open exactly 48 hours before your visit date at 7:00 AM Hawaii Standard Time. That’s 10:00 AM Pacific or 1:00 PM Eastern.
Set your phone alarm for 6:55 AM HST and be on the booking page when it opens. Slots go fast, sometimes within minutes.
- Entry: $25 per person ages 13 and up. Kids 12 and under are free.
- Parking: $3
- Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 6:45 AM to 4 PM. No entry after 1:30 PM.
- Closed Monday and Tuesday so the bay can recover
- Every visitor watches a 9-minute marine conservation video before going down to the water. Required, not optional.
- Reef-safe sunscreen only. Staff check. Don’t bring your regular SPF 50.
If the online window is sold out, Roberts Hawaii runs an electric shuttle-plus-admission package that guarantees entry. More expensive, but it works.
For the full breakdown, including what to do when you can’t get a reservation, I wrote a dedicated Hanauma Bay reservations guide.
I also did a whole podcast episode on this: Episode 91 of Hawaii Travel Made Easy covers every detail for 2026.
2. Diamond Head: Another One That Turns People Away
Show up without a reservation and you’re not getting in. The gate staff are not flexible about this.
The hike is 1.6 miles round trip with about 560 feet of elevation gain, paved, with some steep staircases and a lighted tunnel near the top. Most people finish in 60 to 90 minutes.
The view from the summit is a full 360-degree panorama of Honolulu, Waikiki, and the Pacific. Worth every step.
Book through gostateparks.hawaii.gov. Entry is $5 per person for non-residents and $10 for parking. You pick a 30-minute arrival window. Diamond Head is closed Wednesdays for maintenance.
Go early. The 6 AM slot gets you to the summit near sunrise, when the light on the water looks completely different than it does at 9 AM.
By mid-morning the tour buses arrive, the trail heats up, and the whole experience shifts. There’s almost no shade once you’re climbing. Bring more water than seems reasonable.
3. Pearl Harbor: What’s Free, What Costs Money, and What to Book First
More visitors get confused about Pearl Harbor’s ticketing than almost anything else in Honolulu. Here’s the actual breakdown:
Free with no ticket required: The Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, outdoor exhibits, museum galleries, and the introductory film. You can spend two solid hours here without spending a cent.
Free but requires a reservation: The USS Arizona Memorial boat program. You book through Recreation.gov and pay a $1 non-refundable service fee per ticket.
That’s it. The program itself is free.
Tickets release in two windows: 8 weeks in advance, and again the day before your visit at 3:00 PM HST. They sell out. Book as soon as your dates are set. Same-day walk-up tickets are no longer available.
Paid separately: The USS Missouri, USS Bowfin submarine, and Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum are run by nonprofits with their own admission fees.
If WWII history matters to you, the Missouri is worth it. That’s where Japan formally surrendered in 1945. If you’re pressed for time, the visitor center and Arizona Memorial are the core experience and they hold up on their own.
Come before 10 AM. Leave large bags at your hotel. Parking is $7/day.
4. Na Lei Aloha Luau at Hyatt Regency Waikiki
Luaus get a bad rap from a certain type of traveler and I understand why. The big ones can feel like dinner theater with a side of kalua pork.
Na Lei Aloha is different enough that I recommend it even to people who would normally skip a luau entirely.
It’s a rooftop production at the Hyatt Regency, small and intimate in a way that actually means something here.
The show tells the story of the lei through hula and live music, and the cultural presentation feels thoughtful rather than packaged. Every seat is a good one.
The performers interact with guests before and after the show in a way that doesn’t happen at large-scale productions with 400 people.
I spent 20 years as a professional hula dancer and I’m particular about how hula gets presented in tourist settings. This one does right by the art form.
The buffet is a step up too: crab legs, sushi, prime rib, and a chocolate fountain at dessert that I’ve never seen at another luau.
Check rates and availability here.
5. Manoa Falls Trail
The most underrated thing on this list, and it takes 15 minutes to get there from Waikiki.
The trail is 1.6 miles round trip through dense rainforest: bamboo groves, old-growth banyans, eucalyptus near the start, a 150-foot waterfall at the end. Free to hike. Parking at the Paradise Park lot is $7. No reservations needed.
About the mud: it is always muddy. Manoa Valley is a rainforest. It can be sunny and dry in Waikiki while actively raining two miles up the valley.
Closed-toe shoes with real grip are not a suggestion. I’ve watched people tackle this trail in flip flops and struggle the whole way up.
You can’t swim at the base of the falls, but the forest is beautiful on its own. And if you’ve seen Jurassic Park or Lost, you’ll recognize the terrain immediately. Scenes from both were filmed in this valley.
Skip it if you have mobility issues or really hate getting muddy. Otherwise, no reason not to go.
6. Honolulu’s Botanical Gardens
Most people don’t realize Honolulu has three botanical gardens and two are completely free.
Lili’uokalani Botanical Garden was once part of Queen Lili’uokalani’s private land. Native Hawaiian plants, quiet paths, almost no crowds. Free.
Foster Botanical Garden sits in the middle of downtown Honolulu, a shaded pocket in a busy city. Small admission fee. A solid mid-day reset if you’re doing city sightseeing.
Koko Crater Botanical Garden is the one worth going out of your way for. It’s inside a volcanic crater, dry and desert-like, full of rare and endangered dryland plants. Nothing about it looks or feels like what you expect from Hawaii. Free, and usually empty.
7. Bishop Museum
Half a day here is well spent if you have any interest in Hawaii or Pacific Island history.
The collection is one of the largest of Pacific artifacts anywhere in the world, covering not just Hawaii but islands across the entire Pacific.
The late-1800s stone building is beautiful, and the exhibits are thoughtful rather than dry.
It’s not in Waikiki, which means the tourist crowd mostly skips it, which means you won’t be fighting through groups to look at anything.
8. Waikiki: Actually Be There
Waikiki gets dismissed as too touristy, and every time I hear that I think about how much people are shortchanging themselves.
The beach is excellent. Manageable waves, warm water, soft sand, Diamond Head sitting behind it all.
The Duke Kahanamoku Statue is right there on the beach. Duke was an Olympic gold medalist, a legendary surfer and waterman, and arguably the person most responsible for spreading surfing around the world. Worth more than a quick photo.
Evenings in Waikiki are some of my favorite things in Hawaii, honestly. Live music spills out of the hotel bars, the restaurants along Kalakaua Avenue are solid, and the sunsets over the Pacific from the beach are something I never get tired of no matter how many times I’ve seen them. Stay for at least one.
For hotels on or near the beach, Expedia is a reliable first look for comparing what’s available on your dates.
9. Sunset Dinner Cruise
Yes, it’s a tourist activity. It’s also a really pleasant evening, especially if you’re celebrating something or just want a couple of hours where someone else handles the logistics while you watch the sun drop into the Pacific from the water.
The cruise runs along the Waikiki coastline toward Diamond Head with a full meal and live entertainment. The food is better than you’d expect.
Browse current options on Viator.
10. Ala Moana Center
If shopping is part of your trip, this is where you go. Largest open-air mall in the world, walkable from Waikiki in about 20 minutes or a quick bus ride. High-end designers, mainstream stores, Hawaiian brands, good food options throughout.
If shopping is not your thing, skip it. That’s not a knock on Ala Moana. It’s just a mall.
11. Halona Blowhole
Free, five minutes past Hanauma Bay on the Kalanianaole Highway, free parking.
When there’s good swell, the ocean forces water up through a lava tube hard enough to be worth watching. When the swell is light, it’s more of a “huh, neat” moment.
The coastline view from here is consistently beautiful regardless of wave conditions, and on a clear day you can see Molokai and Lanai across the channel.
There’s a small beach below called Eternity Beach, from the film From Here to Eternity, that you can scramble down to. The rocks are slippery and the surf moves unpredictably, so use your judgment.
Easy 10-minute stop between Hanauma Bay and Hawaii Kai. Worth it. Just don’t build your whole day around it.
Book a Hawaii Photo Shoot
Whenever we travel to Hawaii, we almost always book a photo shoot with Flytographer. They are super easy, affordable, AND it guarantees that I’ll have more than just selfies. You can get $20 off if you book through this link.
12. Honolulu Museum of Art
One of the better-kept secrets in the city. The collection covers Asian, European, American, and Pacific art, and the 1927 Spanish-style building with open-air courtyards is a beautiful place to spend a quiet few hours.
Check the website before you go: certain hotel guests get in free.
13. Dolphin Quest at the Kahala Hotel
If swimming with dolphins is on someone’s list, this is the version worth doing on Oahu.
Dolphin Quest operates at the Kahala Hotel and Resort, a research facility with small groups of usually six people max.
Programs range from about 10 minutes for young kids to a full 35-minute in-water encounter led by marine mammal specialists.
The experience is shaped by the dolphins’ actual personalities rather than a scripted routine, which makes it feel different from the typical marine park setup.
A portion of every booking supports marine education and conservation research.
The Dolphin Encounter program runs around $239 per person. Expensive, yes. But if this is a priority, it’s well run and worth knowing about. Book here.
14. Koko Head Crater Trail
For anyone who wants to earn a view.
Koko Head is roughly 1,048 railroad ties straight up the side of a volcanic crater, the remnants of a military tramway. Most people reach the top in 30 to 45 minutes.
It’s hard: exposed, steep, no shade, the kind of effort that makes the view feel earned. The panorama of the southeastern Oahu coastline at the top is spectacular.
No reservation, no fee. Go early because the heat and crowd both build fast after 8 AM. Not a good fit if you have knee issues or aren’t a regular hiker.
At midday in summer it’s brutal. At sunrise it’s one of the best things you can do on Oahu.
15. Honolulu Zoo
In Kapiolani Park at the edge of Waikiki, easy to fold into a morning. Animals from around the world, well-maintained, a few relaxed hours.
The Friday evening Twilight Tours are the option worth knowing about if you’re an adult who wouldn’t normally prioritize a zoo.
Walking through after dark has a completely different atmosphere than the daytime visit, and it makes for a low-key, fun evening.
16. Catamaran Sail or Snorkel Cruise
Multiple operators run directly from Waikiki Beach and you can often book same-day if you’re flexible.
Some trips include snorkeling, some are sunset sails, some offer whale watching in season (roughly January through April off Oahu). A low-commitment, relaxed way to see the coastline from a different angle.
Browse what’s available on Viator.
17. Aloha Swap Meet
For souvenirs that aren’t the same items from every ABC Store in Waikiki: the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet is where to go. Over 400 vendors with handmade goods, local snacks, vintage finds, and crafts you won’t find in a mall.
Located at Aloha Stadium, 99-500 Salt Lake Blvd, about 20 minutes from Waikiki. Open Wednesdays 8 AM to 3 PM, Saturdays 8 AM to 3 PM, and Sundays 6:30 AM to 3 PM. Bring cash because not all vendors take cards.
18. Hire a Local Photographer
Not a typical activity, but after 40+ trips I know how many people come home disappointed by their photos.
Hawaii has extraordinary light: warm, golden, directional, the kind that makes everything look better than it does anywhere else. Most phone photos don’t capture it.
Flytographer connects you with local Honolulu photographers who know the good spots and the right light.
Sessions run 30 to 90 minutes and the results are a level above what you’d get on your own. Save $20 off your first session here.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many days do you need in Honolulu? Five days minimum if you want breathing room. Less than that and logistics eat too much of your time. A full week is better if Oahu is your only island.
Do you need a car in Honolulu? For Hanauma Bay, Manoa Falls, Koko Head, the Halona Blowhole, and Pearl Harbor: yes, or use rideshare. For everything in and around Waikiki, TheBus and the Waikiki Trolley handle most of it. I book rental cars through Discount Hawaii Car Rental and the rates are consistently better than booking direct with the major chains.
Is Waikiki the same as Honolulu? Waikiki is a district within the City and County of Honolulu, not a separate city. The names get used interchangeably but they are not the same thing. Most tourist activity clusters in Waikiki, which sits on the southern edge of Honolulu.
What are the biggest planning mistakes people make in Honolulu? Not booking Hanauma Bay and Diamond Head in advance. Both require reservations and both turn people away at the gate every single day. Not reserving Arizona Memorial tickets through Recreation.gov before they sell out. And trying to pack too much into too few days, which is the fastest way to see Hawaii without actually experiencing it.
Is swimming with wild dolphins legal in Hawaii? No. NOAA regulations prohibit approaching wild Hawaiian spinner dolphins within 50 yards. Dolphin Quest at the Kahala Hotel is the legal, research-based option for an in-water dolphin experience on Oahu.
What sunscreen should I bring to Honolulu beaches? Reef-safe, mineral-based sunscreen with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. It’s required at Hanauma Bay and the responsible choice at all Oahu beaches. Regular chemical sunscreens damage coral reefs. Check the label before you pack.
For the bigger picture of planning your Oahu trip, including which area to stay in, how to structure your days, and what’s honestly not worth the time, my Oahu travel guide has all of it.
If you’re staring at a blank itinerary and not sure where to start, a Hawaii travel consultation is exactly what it sounds like.
After 40+ visits and years of helping people plan Hawaii trips, I have strong opinions about what a realistic Honolulu itinerary actually looks like. Bring your questions and we’ll build something that works.
Honolulu rewards the people who plan ahead. Everyone else spends half a day in line or turned away at the gate. Don’t be them.
