Honolulu is Hawaii's largest and most bustling city and is packed with sights, activities, tourist attractions and a fair amount of history. The beaches around Honolulu are exquisite and include the world famous Waikiki Beach.There are also plenty of other tourist attractions to explore, such as historical Chinatown, with its numerous restaurants and medicine shops. Shopping is also a pastime in Honolulu and you are spoiled for choice with the likes of the Aloha Tower Marketplace complex and Ala Moana Shopping Center.
Aloha Tower Marketplace
Address: Aloha Tower Drive, at Piers 8, 9, and 10, Downtown Honolulu, Hawaii (HI), USA
Tel: +1 808 528 5700
Located on Honolulu Harbor, the Aloha Tower Marketplace is Honolulu's most well-known shopping center and consists of numerous shops featuring clothing, jewelry and art. There is also a huge choice of restaurants here and the views of the harbor from the Aloha Tower observation deck are superb.
Open: daily
Admission: free
Honolulu ZooAddress: 151 Kapahulu Avenue, Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii (HI), USA
Tel: +1 808 971 7171
This excellent zoo houses an assortment of exotic animals and includes the expansive African Savanna that allows the animals to wander around at will in their perceived natural environment, the Kipuka Nene Sanctuary (Hawaii's state bird) and the petting zoo. Other attractions of special interest at Honolulu Zoo are the twilight tours, giving visitors a chance to view nocturnal animals when they area at their most active.
Open: daily - 09:00 to 16:30
Admission: charge
Kahaloa and Ulukou Beaches
Located in front of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Kahaloa and Ulukou beaches are the city's most visited after Waikiki Beach and offer superb swimming and plenty of activities for the whole family. Surfing is one of the most popular attractions here and outrigger canoes and catamarans are available for hire.
Open: daily
Admission: free
Iolani PalaceAddress: King and Richard Streets, Honolulu, Hawaii (HI), USA
Tel: +1 808 538 1471
This beautifully restored 19th-century palace, built by King Kalakaua, is located in downtown Honolulu and boasts a richly adorned interior filled with European furniture. Tours of the palace are popular and on Fridays you can see the Royal Hawaiian Band perform in the Kalakaua Cornonation Bandstand.
Open: Tuesday to Saturday - 08:30 to 14:00
Admission: adults charge, discounts for children, no entry for children under five years
Royal Hawaiian Hotel
Address: 2259 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu, Hawaii (HI), 96815-2578, USA
One of Waikiki Beach's most famous landmarks, the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, or 'Pink Palace of the Pacific' as it is affectionately known, is Honolulu's original Hawaiian tourist boom hotel complete with turrets and vaulted archways. The ocean views from the Royal Hawaiian Hotel are quite outstanding.
Open: daily
Admission: free
Waikiki BeachStretching from Hilton Hawaiian Village in the west to Kapiolani Park and Diamond Head in the east, the most famous beach in the world, Waikiki Beach, is the epitome of Honolulu. One of Hawaii's premier tourist attractions, Waikiki Beach features a huge stretch of fine, white sand sandwiched by a plethora of hotels and some great surf.
Open: daily
Admission: free
