Honolulu Travel Guide
Travel guide to Honolulu, Hawaii with comprehensive information about events, shopping, and major Honolulu sporting events to help you enjoy your visit more.
Honolulu Overview
Located right in the middle of the endless Pacific Ocean, about as remote as is possible, you will find the beautiful islands of Hawaii. Around 132 paradise islands make up Hawaii, and they vary in size from large places with cities and well developed resorts to tiny spots of land that remain all but inhabited.
Millions of visitors arrive in Hawaii from all over the world each year, drawn by the travel brochure pictures of the long palm lined sandy beaches in Waikiki, as well as the legendary surfing, the nightlife of Honolulu, and the laid back atmosphere. One visit is never enough; there is so much to see in Hawaii especially the beautiful natural scenery and volcanoes, but also the royal palaces, and the historic sights like Pearl Harbour, and the former leper colonies on Molokai.
Despite reputation the islands of Hawaii have for being costly, the truth is that you can in fact get cheap flights to Hawaii throughout the year, although at Christmas, when the surfing is best, the hotels get very busy, and you need to book in advance to get the best deals.
Top Honolulu Attractions
Aside from the beaches and surfing areas, the many attractions of Honolulu include the sombre charms of the Pearl Harbour national war grave, where you can see the second world war warships lying in the shallows where they sank in 1942, and take tours of the monuments to the fallen.
The USS Missouri is one of the largest battleships ever commissioned, and has been retired to Pearl Harbour. The ship was used in the Cher video for "If I could Turn Back Time", and has also appeared in numerous films.
The interior of the island is heavy jungle dominated by the volcanic peaks that generated the Hawaiian islands over millions of years, and offers great opportunities for jungle trekking and rock climbing as well as some genuinely stunning landscapes.
Shopping in Honolulu
The city of Honolulu is the capital of the Hawaiian islands, and as such offers the best shopping opportunities that you will find there. Prices are generally slightly more than on the mainland, although there are many local specialities such as clothing and craft goods that are unavailable elsewhere.
On the whole, if you plan to break your journey in somewhere like Los Angeles or San Francisco on the way to Hawaii, it makes sense to stock up on your holiday goods before you arrive on the island.
Honolulu Sporting Events
By far the most popular sport in Hawaii, and the reason that many people visit the islands every year is surfing. With some of the best breaks in the world, and great weather, Hawaii - and the beach at Waikiki have become a surfer's paradise.
If you are an expert, with more balls than sense, head for the legendary North Shore on Oahu, where colossal waves up to one hundred feet tall crash onto the shore and provide the biggest challenge for surfers anywhere.