Honolulu itinerary for first-timers

Diamond Head is the volcanic crater that closes off the eastern end of Waikiki. A tunnel leads into the crater, and from there a trail climbs the inner slope, up steep stairs and through old military bunkers, to a fire control station on the rim. The summit looks straight down over Waikiki, the city and the ocean.

• Tunnel into the crater
• Coastal lookout
• The stairs
• Military bunkers
• Summit view over Waikiki

Visitors from outside Hawaii need to reserve an entry time in advance. Go early, before the heat, and bring water: there is little shade on the trail.

Below Diamond Head, the quiet end of Waikiki begins at Kaimana Beach, next to the arched front of the War Memorial Natatorium, a saltwater pool from the 1920s built in memory of the people of Hawaii who served in World War I. From here the shore path runs past Kapiʻolani Park and a walkway out over the water to Queen's Beach.

• Kaimana Beach
• War Memorial Natatorium
• Kapiʻolani Park
• Queen's walkway
• Queen's Beach

The Waikiki Wall, a breakwater where locals sit and jump into the sea, marks the start of the busiest stretch of sand. Kūhiō Beach, named after Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole, has calm water inside its sea walls and the statue of Duke Kahanamoku, the Olympic swimmer who made surfing famous around the world. Beyond it, surf lessons start straight off Waikiki Beach.

• Waikiki Wall
• Kūhiō Beach
• Duke Kahanamoku statue
• Surfers off Waikiki Beach

The gentle, rolling waves here are among the easiest places in the world to learn to surf; board rentals and lessons are right on the beach.

Waikiki's main street runs one block behind the beach, lined with palms, shops, open-air shopping courtyards and hotels. It is the place for a break out of the sun, and the side streets towards Kūhiō Avenue hold many of the area's casual places to eat.

• Kalākaua Avenue
• Palm-lined sidewalks
• Banyan trees

At the western end of Waikiki, the old military reservation of Fort DeRussy has become a wide beach with a grassy park behind it. The sand continues to Kahanamoku Beach and the Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon, and this end of Waikiki looks west over the water, which makes it the best place on the shore to watch the sun go down.

• Fort DeRussy Beach
• Kahanamoku Beach
• Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon
• Sunset over the ocean

On 7 December 1941 the attack on Pearl Harbor brought the United States into World War II. The visitor centre on the shore has exhibits about that morning, and boats carry visitors out to the white USS Arizona Memorial, built over the sunken battleship where more than 1,100 crew members lost their lives. It is a war grave, and a quiet, moving place.

• Visitor centre exhibits
• Waterfront memorial grounds
• USS Arizona Memorial
• Views towards Ford Island

Reserve the free USS Arizona Memorial programme in advance, and travel light: bags are not allowed inside the site.

ʻIolani Palace, completed in 1882 for King Kalākaua, is the only royal palace in the United States and was home to Hawaii's last monarchs. Across the street stands the gilded statue of King Kamehameha I in front of Aliʻiōlani Hale, and behind the palace are the Hawaiʻi State Capitol and Honolulu Hale. A few blocks away, the office towers of Bishop Street lead down to the harbour and Aloha Tower, once the tallest building in Hawaii.

• ʻIolani Palace
• King Kamehameha statue
• Hawaiʻi State Capitol
• Honolulu Hale
• Aloha Tower

Between downtown and Nuʻuanu Stream, Honolulu's Chinatown is one of the oldest Chinatowns in the United States. Its low old buildings hold produce markets, lei stands, noodle and bakery counters, galleries and bars, and Maunakea Marketplace is a covered market and food court in the middle of it all.

• Maunakea Marketplace
• Hotel Street
• Maunakea Street lei stands
• Nuʻuanu Stream

Come in the late morning or afternoon, when the markets are busiest; many stalls close early.

On the southeast edge of the city, Hanauma Bay fills an old volcanic crater opened to the sea. It is a protected nature preserve, and the shallow reef inside the bay is one of the best places on Oahu to snorkel among tropical fish. Visitors first watch a short film on how to protect the reef, then walk down to the beach.

• Hanauma Bay overlook
• Conservation film
• Hanauma Bay Beach
• Keyhole Lagoon

Visitors from outside Hawaii need a reservation. Do not stand on the coral or touch the turtles and fish.

Kakaʻako, between downtown and Ala Moana, is a former warehouse district where the Pow! Wow! Hawaii festival covers the walls with new murals every year. Whole blocks have become an open-air gallery of work by local and international artists, with new apartment towers and converted warehouses around them.

• Pow! Wow! Hawaii murals
• Warehouse streets
• Kakaʻako waterfront

The murals change every year, so the walls you see may differ from the ones in the video.

Ala Moana Beach Park is where Honolulu residents go to the beach: a long strip of sand with calm water protected by the reef, wide lawns and shady trees, and the Magic Island peninsula at its eastern end. In the evening locals swim, paddle and picnic as the sun sets over the ocean.

• Ala Moana Beach
• Magic Island
• Sunset over the ocean