Pearl Harbor is the undisputed top visitor destination in Hawaii. It is the most famous harbor in the world for a tragic reason. Many visitors take Pearl Harbor tours mainly to pay their respects at the USS Arizona Memorial.
But Pearl Harbor is also a place to celebrate America’s Naval and military successes. History lovers will enjoy taking USS Missouri tours and USS Bowfin tours. And there are many other interesting historic sites to visit on a Honolulu tour.
Whether you simply want to pay your respects to the brave heroes who died in defense of our nation or you are interested in learning more about Hawaii’s fascinating history, there is a Pearl Harbor excursion to suit your tastes.
Be sure to see our other reviews of Sunset Dinner Cruises, Oahu Luaus and Whale Watching Tours.
Best Guided Tours of Pearl Harbor
| Pearl Harbor Premium Tour with Pick-Up from Waikiki | Private Pearl Harbor Tour, Arizona Memorial and USS Bowfin | Oahu: Pearl Harbor, USS Arizona, and City Highlights Tour | |
|---|---|---|---|
Best Full Day Tour | Best Private Tour | Best Combination Tour | |
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| Departure: | Pick-up from Waikiki hotels | Restaurant 604 57 Arizona Memorial Dr, Honolulu | Pick-up from Waikiki hotels |
| Start: | 6:45 AM | 9:00 AM | 9:00 AM or 10:45 AM |
| Duration: | 9 hours | 4 hours | 6 hours |
| Includes: | Pearl Harbor Tour, Punchbowl National Cemetery, & downtown Honolulu | Private Guided tours of Arizona Memorial and USS Bowfin, all entrance fees | Pearl Harbor Tour, Punchbowl, Iolani Palace, & King Kamehameha’s statue, |
Quick Answer: The 7 Best Rated Pearl Harbor Tours For 2024
- Pearl Harbor Premium Tour with Pick-Up from Waikiki
- Pearl Harbor, USS Arizona, and City Highlights Tour
- Pearl Harbor and Honolulu City Tour
- Pearl Harbor Heroes Full-Day Tour
- Private Pearl Harbor Tour, Arizona Memorial and USS Bowfin
- USS Missouri and USS Arizona Pearl Harbor Private Tour
- Pearl Harbor Remembered Tour
If you would like some ideas of other things to do, please see our list of the Top 15 Things To Do In Oahu and Top 10 Things For Couples.
Pearl Harbor Tour Reviews
1. Best Full Day Tour: Pearl Harbor Premium Tour with Pick-Up from Waikiki
- Departure Point: Pick-up from Waikiki hotels
- Departure Time: 6:45 AM
- Duration: 9 hours
- Includes: Skip-the-line Pearl Harbor Tour, visit Punchbowl National Cemetery, and tour downtown Honolulu
This is the best tour for visitors who want to see everything related to Pearl Harbor in one day. You won’t need to worry about anything. You will be picked up from your Waikiki hotel by a luxury minibus that offers frame-less windows for the best possible panoramic views.
Aboard the minibus, you will benefit from a live narration of the history and culture of the places you see throughout the day. Smooth air-ride suspension and air-conditioning ensure you’ll enjoy a comfortable experience.
At the Punchbowl National Memorial Cemetery, you can pay your respects to a wide range of people who sacrificed their lives for our freedom. Most people interred here are soldiers from World War II, but there are also close family members of those who served and a noted war correspondent who lost his life while doing his part for the war effort.
The Punchbowl is also an interesting geological feature. It is a volcanic crater created between 75,000 to 100,000 years ago and played an important part in Hawaii’s history even before it became a national cemetery. The original islanders offered sacrifices in this sacred spot. Later, it hosted a defensive gun battery. Its rim offers breathtaking views of the island.
But the highlight of this tour is the boat tour to the USS Arizona Memorial and the corresponding audio guide. Most of the servicemen who died on that fateful day in history were aboard the USS Arizona, and many still lie beneath the waves. This is a place where you can offer thanks to those who sacrificed everything so that we can live the free lives we do today.
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
Other Experiences You May Enjoy:
2. Best Private Tour: Private Pearl Harbor Tour, Arizona Memorial and USS Bowfin
- Departure Point: Restaurant 604, 57 Arizona Memorial Dr, Honolulu
- Departure Time: 9:00 AM
- Duration: 4 hours
- Includes: Private Guided tours of Arizona Memorial and USS Bowfin, all entrance fees
This tour represents the best option for someone who wants to see all that Pearl Harbor has to offer with only their own group. The first thing you will do is climb aboard a navy launch to the USS Arizona Memorial. Here you will learn about the 1,000 sailors that gave their life here. Learn about the heroic efforts to save them and the complete history of this iconic ship.
From here you will continue your day with a guided tour of the USS Bowfin. Your guide will give all the background and information on the history of this submarine. Learn from a veteran what it is like to live aboard a submarine.
The nice thing about a private tour is the flexibility you have to customize your experience. You can spend more time in places you want to see and ask all the questions you want.
This is a fantastic tour if you want to learn about the complete history of Pearl Harbor with a private tour!
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
3. Best Combination Tour: Pearl Harbor, USS Arizona and City Highlights Tour
- Departure Point: Pick-up from Waikiki hotels
- Departure Time: 9:00 AM or 10:45 AM (dependent upon day of the week)
- Duration: 6 hours
- Includes: Skip-the-line Pearl Harbor Tour, Punchbowl National Cemetery, Iolani Palace, King Kamehameha’s statue, Kawaiahao Church, and highlights of Honolulu’s historic district
This is an ideal tour for visitors who are interested not only in the history of Pearl Harbor but also Hawaii’s royal history. This tour features Iolani Palace and King Kamehameha’s statue.
The highlight of this tour is a ride in a Navy launch to visit the USS Arizona Memorial. This monument is the grave of many brave sailors who sacrificed their lives in service to the nation. An audio tour helps to immerse you in the events of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
At the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center, you will see military memorabilia on display and watch a film about the fateful day that changed American history. Continuing to pay tribute to the brave men and women who have served our nation in the past, you will also visit the Punchbowl National Cemetery of the Pacific. This is the resting place of service men and women from several wars, including World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
To end off this comprehensive tour of Hawaiian history, you will see the main historic landmarks of Honolulu, including the Iolani Palace, Ali’iolani Hale (Hawaii-Five-O building), King Kamehameha’s statue, Kawaiahao Church, and the Mission Houses Museum. By the end of the day, you will have developed a better appreciation of the men and women who shaped the nation we have inherited today.
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
4. Best Budget Tour: Pearl Harbor and Honolulu City Tour
- Departure Point: Pick-up from Waikiki hotels
- Departure Time: 8:45 AM
- Duration: 4 hours
- Includes: Pearl Harbor Tour, Iolani Palace, Ali’iolani Hale (Hawaii-Five-O building), King Kamehameha’s statue, Kawaiahao Church, and highlights of Honolulu’s historic district
This is the best tour if you are interested in learning how Hawaii became the fiftieth state in the union. It includes a stop at the Ali’iolani Hale which was originally the home of Hawaii’s royal government but now houses the Hawaii Supreme Court.
Both here and at the Iolani Palace, you will learn about the Hawaiian monarchs, American business interests, and how the last queen was deposed to pave the way for statehood. The contributions of the royal family have not been forgotten, which is why a statue of Hawaii’s founder — King Kamehameha the Great — still stands in front of the Ali’iolani Hale.
But the main focus of this excursion is Pearl Harbor. At Pearl Harbor, you will watch a 21-minute film exploring the historical background of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Then you may decide to take an optional boat trip to visit the USS Arizona Memorial.
You will have access to the visitors center and be able to view the battleships currently anchored in Pearl Harbor alongside the submarine USS Bowfin. This is a great opportunity to take photographs of this iconic harbor and the many US Navy ships still based there today.
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
Related: Enjoy an Authentic Polynesian Luau – Find the Best Luau For Your Money With Our Reviews.
5. Best Guided Tour: Oahu Pearl Harbor Heroes Full-Day Tour
- Departure Point: Pick-up from Waikiki hotels
- Departure Time: 6:45 AM
- Duration: 9.5 hours
- Includes: Skip-the-line Pearl Harbor Tour, audio tour of USS Bowfin, guided tour of USS Missouri, and Pearl Harbor aviation museum
This is the premium tour for lovers of World War II history. If you are enthusiastic to learn as much as possible about the attack on Pearl Harbor and the role of Oahu during the war, you should take this tour.
Like other tours, you will watch a film about the attack on Pearl Harbor and then take a Navy launch over to the USS Arizona Memorial. The USS Arizona Memorial sits atop the sunken battleship where most of the men were lost during that fateful day. This is the best place to pay your respects to the brave sailors who lost their lives in the defense of our nation.
Unlike other tours, this tour also takes you to visit the famous submarine USS Bowfin where you will enjoy an audio tour and learn about the vessel’s role in the fight to control the Pacific Ocean. What’s more, you will also tour the USS Missouri, which is the ship where representatives from the Empire of Japan signed the Instrument of Surrender ending the war in 1945.
Your guided tour of the USS Missouri is likely to be the highlight of your day. They literally don’t make battleships like this anymore. The USS Missouri was commissioned in 1944 and fought at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. She also served in the Korean War and Operation Desert Storm. You will be amazed at the scale of this vast ship and learn firsthand how sailors lived at sea during wartime.
As an added bonus, this tour also includes a visit to the Pacific Aviation Museum. There you can learn all about the airplanes used by the Navy and the Japanese during World War II as well as other interesting facts about aviation.
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
Related: See Oahu From the Air With an Exciting Helicopter Tour – Find the Best One for Your Money With Our Reviews.
6. USS Missouri and USS Arizona Pearl Harbor Private Tour
- Duration: 6 hours
- Departure: Hotel, port, or airport pickup included
- Departure Time: Varies
- Includes: USS Arizona Memorial Program, bottled water, USS Missouri tickets, certified professional driver and guide
It would be hard to find two ships that symbolize the end of World War II more than the USS Missouri and USS Arizona. The Japanese surrendered on the deck of the former, while the latter is a tomb for nearly 1000 American sailors.
The USS Missouri and USS Arizona Pearl Harbor Private Tour gives valuable insight into the destination that emits a somber remembrance for those who both survived and perished.
The tour started by the guide picking us up at our hotel, though I know they also offer the option for pickup at the port or airport, too! We then headed out to Pearl Harbor, which is one of the most important places in the world, in history.
We started out with a briefing, as well as an informative film, ‘Which Will Live in Infamy’ before actually seeing the USS Arizona Memorial.
The Memorial itself is very intense, as it’s sitting right below the water and can only be accessed by riding on a Navy vessel across the harbor.
We learned about all the lives that were lost on the ship, why it can’t be brought up to the surface, and how it’s transformed over the decades into a reef.
We then visited the USS Missouri on Ford Island, and is actually where the official of the Japanese happened, along with the signing of the peace treaty by General McArthur.
After these two moving visits, we went into downtown Honolulu to learn about Hawaii’s varied history, visiting landmarks such as the Statue of King Kamehameha (who unified the Hawaiian islands under his rule in 1810!).
I loved getting to visit Iolani Palace as well, which is the only royal building on all of United States soil!Finally, we cruised through the Punchbowl National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, which may be beautiful, but is also the final resting place of many US soldiers.
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
7. Pearl Harbor Remembered Tour
- Duration: 7 hours
- Departure: Hotel pickup and drop-off included
- Departure Time: n/a
- Includes: “Road to War” and “Attack Gallery”, USS Arizona Memorial Program Shuttle boat ride tickets (based on availability), USS Battleship Missouri Memorial visit
While Hawaii is most often known for its breathtaking natural landscapes, its amazing water sports, delicious food, and unique culture, it does have its somber moments.
Right in the heart of Hawaii lies Pearl Harbor, which is filled with memories of heroes past. The Pearl Harbor Remembered Tour pays homage to this very important part of history, taking you on a journey through time.
As there’s really no easy way to meet up at Pearl Harbor, itself, the tour does come with a complimentary hotel pickup right from the lobby.
Our seasoned guides were clearly very passionate about the subject, with a serious reverence for the significance of this place and the USS Missouri and Arizona.
Each stop we made offered its own perspective on the events that unfolded, as well as a reminder of the sacrifices made in the name of freedom.
After watching a documentary that lasted around 20 minutes, we then took a Navy “shuttle” out to the USS Arizona Memorial which was really shocking to see in person.
No matter the age or background, I feel that the memorial that is the sunken battleship is a place that every American should visit and learn about.
The USS Missouri allowed us to see a signed version of the peace treaty that officially ended WWII, we walked in the footsteps of heroes, and got to learn all about “Mighty Mo” and her wartime background.
Just like with the other, we also wrapped up our exploration with a historic tour of downtown Honolulu where we learned about the former royalty and Polynesian culture.
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
Tips to Better Enjoy Your Time at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is one of the most historic military sites and a popular tourist destination in Hawaii. Here are some things to know before visiting Pearl Harbor:
- Hours of operation: Pearl Harbor is open every day from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Tickets: If you choose not to do a guided tour and go on your own, you can purchase tickets online in advance or at the Pearl Harbor visitor center the day of your visit. We recommend you purchase tickets in advance, as it can get very busy and you will have to wait in line to purchase tickets.
- Tour options: There are a variety of tour options available at Pearl Harbor, including a self-guided audio tour, guided tours (which we recommend), and a boat tour.
- Transportation: Pearl Harbor is located 10 miles west of Waikiki. You can reach the site by car, taxi, Uber or public transportation.
- Must-see attractions: Some of the must-see attractions at Pearl Harbor are the USS Arizona Memorial, the USS Missouri battleship and the Pacific Aviation Museum.
- Allow enough time: You should plan to spending at least half a day at Pearl Harbor, as there is a lot to see and do. We would recommend a full day however to see everything and not feel rushed.
- Dining: There are several dining options at Pearl Harbor, including several cafés and a snack bar. You can bring in your own food and drinks.
Frequently Asked Questions about Pearl Harbor:
- What is Pearl Harbor? Pearl Harbor is a military historic site located in Oahu that was the scene of a surprise attack by the Japanese on December 7, 1941. The attack on Pearl Harbor led to the United States entering World War II.
- What can I see at Pearl Harbor? There are several famous attractions to see at Pearl Harbor: the USS Arizona Memorial, USS Bowfin Submarine Museum, USS Missouri, and the Pacific Aviation Museum.
- Is Pearl Harbor accessible to visitors with disabilities? Yes, Pearl Harbor is accessible to visitors with disabilities, with elevators and ramps available.
- How much does it cost to visit Pearl Harbor? Admission to Pearl Harbor is free, but there is a charge for guided tours and audio guides.
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The Premium Tour with Pick-Up from Waikiki is our Editor's Choice for the best Pearl Harbor tour.
