Pearl Harbor: USS Arizona Memorial, Visitor Center, Tickets and Getting There

You reach Pearl Harbor across a quiet stretch of water, and the first thing you notice is how still everything feels. Tour groups lower their voices as the white memorial comes into view, standing low above the sunken battleship. This is a place of remembrance for the attack of December 7, 1941, and a visit here is more about standing in silence than about sightseeing, on an island otherwise made for beaches.

Is visiting Pearl Harbor worth it?

Yes, for almost anyone who wants Oahu to be more than sand and surf, and especially for travelers who care about American history or who are traveling with older children. It is a moving half day that gives the island a sense of weight.

What sets it apart from the other history stops around Honolulu is that you are standing on the water at the actual site. Iolani Palace tells the story of the Hawaiian monarchy, while here the wreck of the battleship lies beneath you, and a thin sheen of oil still rises from it. Nothing else on the island feels quite like that.

What to see at Pearl Harbor

The USS Arizona Memorial

The memorial is a long, white, open-sided structure that straddles the sunken hull of the battleship, which went down with a great part of its crew in the attack. The program takes you out by boat, gives you time on the memorial, and brings you back to the visitor center.

Inside, look for the marble wall engraved with the names of those lost on the ship, and the wide opening in the floor where you can look down at the hull resting in clear, shallow water. Visitors keep a quiet, respectful tone here, and most people speak in whispers without being asked.

Programs run daily, weather permitting, and dock repairs may occasionally affect availability. The experience suits adults and children old enough to be still and listen, and it is best approached without hurry.

The Visitor Center and its grounds

Most visits begin at the visitor center, where exhibits trace the road to the attack and the events of that Sunday morning in 1941 through photographs, personal objects and survivors’ accounts. The galleries fill the time while you wait for your program, and they give the memorial far more meaning once you step onto the boat.

Outside, shaded walkways lead along the waterfront with views across the harbor toward Ford Island and the battleship row where the ships were moored. It is an easy place to walk slowly and read the markers, and the trade winds keep the shoreline pleasant.

The USS Bowfin, the Battleship Missouri and the Aviation Museum

Three other sites share the harbor and are ticketed separately, at the visitor center or online. The USS Bowfin is a World War II submarine you can tour from the inside, a tight, steel world of bunks, pipes and periscopes that gives a real sense of life under the sea.

The Battleship Missouri is the enormous ship on whose deck Japan’s surrender was signed, so it closes the story that the Arizona opens. The Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, set in historic hangars, adds restored aircraft and stories of the pilots. Together they turn a morning into a full day for those who want it.

Hours, tickets and rules

The visitor center is open every day except three holidays, and entering them costs nothing. The boat program to the Arizona carries only a small booking fee, so this is one of the best-value visits on the island.

Program tickets are reserved on Recreation.gov, and reservations are released daily at 3 p.m. Hawaii time in two windows, 8 weeks ahead and 24 hours ahead. Standby is free and limited: visitors sign up on tablets at the memorial and receive a text when space opens. Bags are not permitted in the memorial or the visitor center, backpacks, purses, camera bags and large handbags included, and a bag storage facility nearby charges a fee.

How to get to Pearl Harbor

The easiest way is by car or rideshare, since the memorial is about a 45-minute drive from Waikiki and a 10-15 minute drive from the airport. Taxis and rideshare cars drop off right at the visitor center, at 1 Arizona Memorial Place in Honolulu.

Drivers should avoid the exit for Hickam Air Force Base and the Ford Island bridge, which is restricted to military personnel. The National Park Service also lists more than 60 authorized commercial tour and transportation companies if you prefer to have the trip arranged for you.

TheBus is possible, but the westbound stop at the Arizona Memorial has been closed since April 2022. Riders are pointed to the Kamehameha Highway and Kalaloa Street stop instead. The adult fare is $3.00 per boarding, and with a HOLO card riding becomes free for the rest of the day once $7.50 has been paid.

When to visit Pearl Harbor

Go early. The first program leaves in the cool morning, and the open-air walkways and the memorial platform have little shade by midday, when the sun bounces off the white stone and the water. Late afternoon is quieter, but the last boat leaves well before closing, so it is not the time to arrive hoping for a program.

The harbor is pleasant all year. Summer and early fall are hot and nearly dry, with only a few days of rain, while winter is a little cooler and showers pass more often, though they rarely last. December 7 is the day of remembrance, and the anniversary brings ceremonies and larger crowds.

Tips for your visit

Leave bags in your hotel or car and carry only a phone, a wallet and a bottle of water if you can, since the bag rule applies to the memorial and the visitor center alike. Wear a hat and comfortable shoes, because you spend time outdoors on walkways and in line.

Plan on a morning at the memorial and its exhibits, and add the Bowfin, the Missouri or the Aviation Museum if you want a full day. Families with older children usually find that the boat ride and the submarine hold their interest best, and the paved paths and waterfront make the main areas easy to get around.

Good to know before you go

Pearl Harbor is a working military area and a memorial, so a calm and respectful manner is the habit that matters most. The Central Pacific hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. Parking is the one cost you may meet on arrival.