Hawaii Travel Guide
Waikiki Beach with Diamond Head beyond. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Hawaii is the only US state in the tropics: eight main islands of volcanic peaks, black-sand and white-sand beaches, and a Polynesian culture that predates the United States by a millennium. Each island has its own character, and island-hopping is the classic way to see them.
Oahu holds Honolulu, Waikiki and Pearl Harbor. Maui has the road to Hana and Haleakala's sunrise crater. The Big Island has Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, where Kilauea has been erupting on and off for decades. Kauai is the Garden Isle: the Napali Coast and Waimea Canyon.
Destinations in Hawaii
Napali CoastKauai's 27 km of sea cliffs, seen by boat, helicopter or the Kalalau Trail.
Pearl HarborThe USS Arizona Memorial and the battleship Missouri; book memorial tickets early.
Haleakala sunriseSunrise above the clouds in the 3,055 m volcanic crater; reservations required.
Hawaii Volcanoes National ParkKilauea's lava fields, the Thurston lava tube and the Chain of Craters Road.
Waikiki Beach and Diamond HeadThe famous beach and the volcanic crater hike above it.
Road to HanaThe winding coastal highway of waterfalls, bamboo forest and black-sand beaches.
North ShoreThe surf capital in winter: Banzai Pipeline and Waimea Bay.- Waimea CanyonKauai's 'Grand Canyon of the Pacific', 16 km long and 900 m deep.
Iolani PalaceThe only royal palace on US soil, seat of the Hawaiian monarchy.
Hover a state to explore it. Click a city pin to open its guide.
Top Cities & towns in Hawaii
Regional food
- Poke (raw-fish bowls, the islands' defining dish)
- Loco moco (rice, hamburger patty, egg and gravy)
- Shave ice (finer than a snow cone, with tropical syrups)
- Kalua pork (slow-roasted in an underground imu oven)
Getting there
Honolulu (HNL) is the main gateway, with direct flights from the US mainland and Asia. Inter-island flights (Hawaiian Airlines, Southwest) connect Oahu, Maui, Kauai and the Big Island in under an hour.