Arizona Memorial Pearl Harbor & Honolulu City Tour from Waikiki
Description
Take this tour to visit the USS Arizona Memorial and Visitor Center at Pearl Harbor. After you spent a morning at Pearl Harbor, we will take on a drive to downtown Honolulu’s historic sites which give you a chance to know the history of Pearl Harbor and Hawaii throughout your day. A visit to the Pearl Harbor Visitor’s Center will remind you about the sailors who lost their lives during the attacks on Pearl Harbor. A visit to one of Pearl Harbor’s most emotional, memorable sites – the USS Arizona Memorial is a must. At the Visitor Center, you get to see authentic wartime artifacts, compelling museum displays, and contemplative open spaces designed with the country’s fallen soldiers in mind. We offer you a driving tour of historic Honolulu before returning to Waikiki. You can visit the Punchbowl National Cemetery of the Pacific, I’olani Palace, Kawaiahao Church, the Honolulu State Capitol Building, the statue of King Kamehameha the Great.
Tour Options
Itinerary
At the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center you can explore various exhibits that provide historical context about the events leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. View a 23-minute documentary film that provides an overview of the attack, its impact, and the significance of the USS Arizona Memorial. After the introductory exhibits and film you will board a U.S. Navy-operated boat for a short ride to the USS Arizona Memorial. The 10-minute ride across the harbor is calm and offers views of the surrounding military installations
The USS Arizona Memorial is a white, open-air structure that spans the remains of the sunken battleship. It's a solemn and quiet place, designed to allow visitors to reflect on the sacrifices made by the sailors and Marines who were lost during the attack. Viewing the Wreckage: Inside the memorial you can look down into the water to see parts of the sunken battleship. The ship's outline is visible just below the surface, and oil droplets, often referred to as "The Tears of the Arizona," can still be seen rising to the surface. Remembrance Wall: At the far end of the memorial is a wall inscribed with the names of the 1,177 crew members who lost their lives aboard the USS Arizona. This wall serves as a powerful reminder of the human cost of war.
On the historic downtown Honolulu portion of the tour, you will experience a blend of Hawaii's rich history, cultural heritage, and modern city life all narrated by our expert guide
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific sits on top of extinct volcano also known as Punchbowl. The cemetery is the final resting place for thousands of U.S. military members. The beautifully maintained grounds feature rows of white headstones set against lush greenery. The location of Punchbowl Crater offers stunning views of the surrounding city, including downtown Honolulu, Diamond Head, and the coastline
The only royal palace in the United States. You will learn about Hawaii's monarchy, and hear stories about King Kalākaua and Queen Liliʻuokalani, the last reigning monarchs.
From the palace you will view the iconic King Kamehameha Statue, a symbol of Hawaii's unity and strength. The statue is in front of the Aliʻiōlani Hale, the historic building that now houses the Hawaii State Supreme Court.
Our guide will "talk story" of the fascinating history as the original government building of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
Often referred to as the "Westminster Abbey of the Pacific," Kawaiahaʻo Church is one of the oldest Christian places of worship in Hawaii. Our guide will teach you about the church’s significance and its role in Hawaii’s religious history.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We pickup from most hotels in Waikiki, NOTE: Pick up time is up to 30 minutes or more before the listed tour time. We will contact you the day before via text/email with approx pick up time and location. Please note that pick-up times may change, so we kindly ask you to keep an eye on your email, text messages, or phone for any updates. Thank you for your understanding!
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Purses and bags are not allowed inside Pearl Harbor. All bags may be stored for $7.00 each
- Clear plastic bags are allowed, such as those allowed at football games, in which the contents are readily visible
- Bags containing medical equipment unsuitable for lightweight, plastic, transparent shopping bags are allowed
- Meals are at your own expense
- There are a few on-site dining options at the Pearl Harbor Visitors Center and near the Battleship Missouri, such as food trucks, snack stands, or cafes where you can purchase and enjoy food before or after your tour
- Wear comfortable shoes you will be walking much of the tour
- No swimwear is allowed
- Sites are subject to close due to stormy weather
- There is no smoking allowed on the visitor center grounds or at the memorial
- Respectful Silence: Visitors are encouraged to maintain a respectful silence while on the USS Arizona Memorial to honor the fallen. The atmosphere is one of reflection and reverence, allowing tourists to connect emotionally with the events of the past
- If you enjoy your tour tipping your guide in cash is always appreciated
- All entry tickets to the attractions will be provided by your driver on the morning of your tour
- NOTE: Pick up time is up to 30 minutes or more before the listed tour time. We will contact you the day before via text/email with approx pick up time and location.
- Not recommended for travelers who cannot walk 4 city blocks
Reviews(296)
My visit to Pearl Harbor and downtown Honolulu wouldn’t have been as fun and enriching without our wonderful tour guide. Our guide, Will, brought fun and learning into the experience. He narrated facts and stories from pickup time to drop off. He filled every pass by or stop location with facts, anecdotes and jokes, and involved all age groups in our group. I’m grateful for this experience and highly recommend it.
Pearl harbor itself is great but tour operator Aloha sunshine tours had many issues. Tour booking in Viator said pick up from hotel but tour operator asked to come to a pick Up point. Air conditioning was not good in the mini bus. It was hot. Driver was not audible with wonky speaker. Viator needs to fix these issues
The tour itself was good and our guide was very nice and knowledgeable. Our only issue is that we were not informed prior to purchasing tickets that our USS Arizona was going to be standby. We did not have a problem getting on the boat. We were on within 20 minutes of arriving, however, I would not have booked the tour had I had this knowledge beforehand. We would have gone on our own and done standby and saved a few hundred dollars. I did not feel the tour operator was upfront about the situation. In the end it worked out but we didn’t feel as though we were given all of the information until after the tour was purchased and we were already on the bus.
Absolute scam. We get on the bus, "you don't have guaranteed tickets to the Arizona." Why are we paying you $70 a person???? The rest of the trip could be amazing, but that right there has ruined the experience.
We were given standby tickets- our guide told us this is quite normal-I assume they buy a block of tickets and take additional sales without having tickets - so we lost 75 minutes waiting We didn’t take the second part of the tour we were so disgusted with th con
The tour guide did a wonderful job. He was very informative and very pleasant and happy. I would recommend the tour with Will any time.
Summer is So Funny and personable, and has the most beautiful heart and soul! She really made our first trip to Hawai'i so enjoyable! Summer is an absolute asset to the team!
Aloha Dawn! 🌺 Mahalo nui loa for this beautiful review! We are absolutely thrilled to hear that Summer made your first trip to Hawaii so enjoyable with her warm, fun personality. She is indeed an asset to our team! A hui hou (until we meet again)! 🤙🏾
I enjoyed it we had a great time and everyone was friendly and nice my Girl loved it also she’s been begging me to come here for a while
Aloha Michael 🌺 Mahalo nui loa for your kind review! We’re so happy to hear you and your group had a great time and felt welcomed by our friendly team 🤙 It’s wonderful that your daughter also enjoyed the experience after looking forward to visiting Hawaiʻi for so long. We truly appreciate your support and hope to welcome you back again soon for more island memories 🌈🌺
Dope tour Papa P is a great guy, he sung me happy birthday lol
Aloha 🌺 Mahalo nui loa for your awesome review! We’re so happy to hear you had a fun tour with Papa P 🤙 and that he made your birthday extra special with a song, what a great moment! We truly appreciate your support and hope to welcome you back to Hawaiʻi again soon 🌈🌺
We used Sunshine tours for an afternoon tour before departing Hawaii. The driver was very engaging and we enjoyed our time at the Pearl Harbor memorial. Unfortunately the AC on the bus was broken and it was very uncomfortable. The tour company should have checked the bus before using it. Also, the driver notified them while we were on the 2 hour Arizona/Pearl Harbor stop and they had time to replace the bus but did not. Not mahalo.
Aloha Cousin Grey 🌺 Mahalo for taking the time to share your feedback. We are very sorry to hear about the discomfort you experienced due to the air conditioning not working properly during your tour. We understand how unpleasant that can be, especially on a longer excursion. We also sincerely regret that the situation was not resolved even after the issue was reported while you were at the stop. This is not the level of responsiveness we aim to provide, and we understand your frustration. We truly appreciate your comments regarding both the positive experience at Pearl Harbor and the areas where we fell short. Your feedback will be shared with our team for review so we can improve both our vehicle maintenance checks and our on-tour response procedures. Mahalo again for your honest feedback 🌺
