The military naval base in West Honolulu Bay made an indelible mark on world history on December 7, 1941, when a massive air attack was carried out by Japanese forces, directly resulting in the U.S. entry into World War II.

During the attack, up to 2,400 people were killed and much of the US Pacific Fleet was destroyed.

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Pearl Harbor Memorial

Today, the site is a sprawling memorial with several exhibits, including opportunities to visit submarines and the sunken battleship USS Arizona, on which 1,177 soldiers died.

You can also visit the submarine USS Bowfin, the battleship USS Missouri, the sunken battleship USS Utah and the Pacific Aviation Museum on the Pearl Harbor grounds.

All of the sights mentioned always have detailed descriptions, and you can pay for a guide.

The total tour of the site will take you at least 2-4 hours.

Admission and opening hours

Admission to the site itself is free with opening hours daily 7am-5pm (last entry as early as 4pm). You will have access to the smaller museum and various plaques on the banks of the bay. You are not allowed to take any luggage into the area except for small purses/purses etc. There is a luggage room at the entrance where you pay 5 usd per piece.

You also have the opportunity to visit several specialized monuments and museums, for which you already have to pay:

USS Arizona Memorial - everyone should definitely visit it. Admission is free, you have to take a boat to the site in 15-minute intervals, and the whole tour takes about an hour and a quarter.
- The last boat to the memorial departs at 3pm.
- Exactly 1,300 tickets are allocated per day, and once they are exhausted it is no longer possible to visit the memorial, but it is possible to book tickets in advance online using 1 usd, where you can also choose special guided tours from 8 usd,
Submarine USS Bowfin - a visit to the interior of the submarine will cost from 20 usd, the tour will take about an hour and is open from 7am to 4:30pm, more on the official website,
Battleship USS Missouri - a visit to the large battleship costs 35 usd, you can get to it by shuttle bus leaving every 15 minutes from the visitor center, more on the official website
Pacific Aviation Museum - a museum dedicated to the history of military aviation, admission costs 25 usd, more on the official website.

If you want to visit all the attractions, definitely buy the online Passport to Pearl Harbor with discounted admission at 79,99 usd but only shop at pearlharborhistoricsites.org.

How to get there

From Honolulu, bus lines 20 and 42 take you directly in front of the entrance, and bus lines A, 40, and 51 also stop on the main road about 100 yards from the entrance.

Pearl Harbor can be reached about once every 10 minutes from downtown Honolulu.

For more information on ticket prices and buses in Honolulu, see Transportation.

Car parking is free.