Here’s How Much All Pearl Harbor Tickets Cost + 12 Ways to Save

How much your Pearl Harbor tickets cost will depend on a variety of factors—mainly, which sites you’ll visit. Some of them are free and some can be pretty pricey. Each site has its own ticket policy, admission cost, and (of course) fees.

But there are also a few discounts you can take advantage of, and a couple of special money saving “hacks” you might not know about (that I picked up on my recent visit there). This post covers what all the Pearl Harbor tickets cost and offers several ways you can save money while visiting Pearl Harbor.

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Things to know about the Pearl Harbor tickets cost

I’m sure you’ve traveled before, so you already know how admission at popular tourist “attractions” works. But in this case, the Pearl Harbor tickets cost can be a little confusing. Let me clear it up for you!

Some Pearl Harbor sites are free and some are not

The first thing you should know is that some of the Pearl Harbor sites are run by the National Park Service and others are privately owned and operated. The ones run by the National Park Service (collectively known as the Pearl Harbor National Memorial) are “mandated to provide free, fair, and equal access to all visitors.” The privately owned sites charge whatever they want for admission.

Pearl Harbor sites that charge admission

All three of these (and many more) are included in the Oahu GoCity pass.

“Free” really means “Free-ish”

Even though many of the Pearl Harbor sites are “free,” you’ll still have to pay a few small fees to visit them. I cover all this in the section on Pearl Harbor fees you need to know about. So when I say “free” in this post, I’m really referring to the fact that they don’t charge individual admission.

The Passport to Pearl Harbor does not save you money

When researching the cost of Pearl Harbor tickets, you’ll see the “Passport to Pearl Harbor” mentioned a lot. This is a single ticket that gets you into the three paid Pearl Harbor sites and includes a few extra bonuses. It sounds like a good deal at first… until you do the (very simple) math.

The Passport to Pearl Harbor ticket costs $89.99 for adults and $44.99 for children ages 4-12. (I’ve been unable to find out if there’s a discounted rate for military/Hawaii residents.)

Separately, the total for all five of those is between $101 – $105 (adult) and $59.45 – $63.45 (child), depending on which VR experience you get. At first glance, this seems like a decent deal. But, this is only if you’re actually interested in the audio tour and the VR experience. (And the reviews of these are not good.)

Otherwise, the total for just the three museums when purchased separately is $82.97 (adult) and $45.47 (child). If these sites are all you’re interested in, the Passport to Pearl Harbor is not a deal at all. (Unless you count the $0.48 you save on the child pass, which I do not.)

If the audio tour and the virtual reality experience are actually things you want to do, then the Passport to Pearl Harbor is a money-saver. Otherwise, pass on the Passport.

Pro tip: Many websites touting the Passport to Pearl Harbor also list admission to the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center and the shuttle bus service to/from Ford Island as inclusions. But these are already free! Don’t let them fool you into thinking the Passport is a great deal. Instead, consider an Oahu GoCity pass. (Details below!)

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How to see Pearl Harbor for free

Besides the three that charge admission, there are also several Pearl Harbor sites you can visit for free, some free inclusions, and free Pearl Harbor tours. Here are all the ways you can visit Pearl Harbor for free.

Also read: These are the best Pearl Harbor books to read for your Hawaii trip

Get all my best Pearl Harbor tips in my guide to visiting Pearl Harbor.

Free Pearl Harbor tours

In addition to the three free guided/audio tours mentioned above, there’s another free guided tour you can take: the Ford Island Bus Tour

Ford Island Bus Tour

The Ford Island Bus Tour is a free tour offered by the National Park Service. This tour allows you to visit some interesting historical sites on Ford Island without military access. Yes, any ol’ civilian can join this tour for free. This is the only way you can visit the USS Utah memorial and historic officer bungalows without military access.

If you don’t have military access or a desire to take the bus tour, check out this page where you can find images of all the information panels and a map.

Visitor Center multimedia tours

Like I just mentioned, the Passport to Pearl Harbor includes the 1-hour Visitor Center audio tour (narrated by Jamie Lee Curtis, no less) and one of the 12- or 15-minute virtual reality experiences. Since the price of the Passport is just about equal to the price of the three museums anyway, you’re basically getting these two multimedia tours for free. It’s all about perspective, people!

The amount of free stuff to see and do here is one of the main reasons I tell everyone to never book Pearl Harbor tours! It’s a buyer beware world out there; don’t get fooled into paying for this free stuff.

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Pearl Harbor tickets cost by site

Here’s how much all of the Pearl Harbor tickets cost for each of the sites/attractions: *Accurate as of November 2023

Pearl Harbor Visitor Center: Free

The Pearl Harbor Visitor Center is the hub for Pearl Harbor visitor information; this is the base for all visitor activity. Within this open-air complex you’ll find a ticket and information booth, some museum exhibits, a memorial theater, a short walking trail with historical information and small memorials, restrooms, concession stands, a gift shop, and tons of National Park rangers you can hound with all the questions you have.

The Pearl Harbor Visitor Center is free for all visitors. You don’t need any reservations or tickets and you can walk right in during open hours. This includes free and unlimited access to all of the features listed above. (Certain tours and programs do cost extra though.)

USS Arizona memorial: Free

The USS Arizona memorial is what most people think of when they think of visiting Pearl Harbor. This is the small white memorial that sits on the water over the remains of the USS Arizona.

Visiting the USS Arizona memorial is free for all visitors. This includes the 15-minute memorial visit itself plus the short boat ride there and back, thanks to a partnership between the National Park Service and U.S. Navy.

How to reserve USS Arizona tickets

However, it’s important to know that due to capacity limits reservations are required to visit the USS Arizona memorial. You must reserve your ticket(s) in advance or you will not be able to visit the memorial.

Reservations open 8 weeks (56 days) in advance, and additional tickets are released at 3:00pm each day for the following day. These are distributed on a first-come basis so reserve your tickets as soon as you can.

Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum

The Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum (sometimes referred to as the Bowfin Museum) is next door to the Visitor Center. Admission includes access to the indoor museum, several outdoor artifacts and exhibits, the waterfront memorial, gift shop, concession stand, restrooms, and the main attraction—the USS Bowfin submarine. Here’s what Pearl Harbor tickets cost for the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum:

When calculating your Pearl Harbor tickets cost, you may see the word Kama’aina on some ticket pages. Kama’aina refers to Hawaii residents.

Battleship Missouri

The Battleship Missouri is a WWII battleship most famous for being the location of the ceremony during which Japan signed its official surrender documents. This is where World War II ended.

Admission includes access to most of the ship, inside and out, the main decks, tons of informative exhibits, and a 35-minute guided tour. Here’s what Pearl Harbor tickets cost for the Battleship Missouri:

At Battleship Missouri, if you’re active duty or retired military, everyone in your party gets the military discount (even the ones who aren’t military). If you’re a veteran, only you get the military discount.

Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum

The Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum has an impressive collection of aircraft from World War II (and beyond), historic Hangar 79, a great exhibit on the life and wartime contributions of Bob Hope, a flight simulator, and more. Here’s what Pearl Harbor tickets cost for the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum:

USS Oklahoma Memorial: Free

The USS Oklahoma was another battleship that sunk during the Pearl Harbor attack. This often overlooked memorial commemorates the 429 men who died on it. It’s located just outside the entrance to the Battleship Missouri and is free to all visitors.

USS Utah Memorial: Free

The USS Utah was yet another battleship that sunk during the Pearl Harbor attack, taking 58 men down with it. This is a unique memorial in that the rusted remains of the ship still sit there, half in and half out of the water. This outdoor memorial is free to all visitors.

Ford Island Historical Trail: Free

The Ford Island Historical Trail is a set of markers around the perimeter of this active military base that point out several historical sites and facts. The trail is marked by blue dots and is pretty easy to follow. There are 15 informational panels and several memorials and other notable things to see from the Pearl Harbor attack (like strafing marks left by Japanese machine guns).

The Ford Island Historical Trail is another free Pearl Harbor site… as long as you have military access. Without it, the parts of the trail not covered on the Ford Island Bus Tour are off-limits to civilians.

For my full Oahu bucket list, check out that link for 45+ of the coolest things to do here.

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Extra Pearl Harbor ticket costs: Fees

Because nothing in life is free, even the “free” Pearl Harbor tickets cost a little something. But I bet you already saw that coming, right? That being said, the fees associated with visiting the “free” Pearl Harbor sites are still very low and nothing to get too upset about. Here are some of the related fees you’ll have to pay in addition to your Pearl Harbor tickets cost.

How to pay for parking at Pearl Harbor

Free parking on Ford Island

If (and only if) you have military access, you can drive yourself onto Ford Island and you can park for free outside the Battleship Missouri/USS Oklahoma memorial, the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, and/or the USS Utah memorial/Ford Island Historical Trail.

Again, Ford Island is an active military base and you will need valid military access to even drive over the bridge that takes you there. Otherwise, you must park at the Visitor Center.

Pearl Harbor ticket reservation fee

The first fee you’ll have to pay related to your overall Pearl Harbor tickets cost is the “reservation fee.”

In order to visit some of the National Park Service Pearl Harbor sites, reservations are required. You can only make these reservations through recreation.gov (the U.S. government’s online ticketing platform). Besides making you open a recreation.gov account, they also charge a $1 nonrefundable “reservation fee” per ticket.

For the USS Arizona memorial, everyone needs a ticket. Even your youngest child. You must reserve a ticket (and pay the $1 fee) for every single person in your group who plans to go on the boat.

Bag storage fees

The Pearl Harbor sites have a No Bag policy which means you can’t bring purses, diaper bags, backpacks, or any other kind of bag into the site. If you should forget this, or come straight from the airport with your luggage, or for some reason can’t keep your bag in your car, they do offer bag storage… for a fee.

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How to save on your Pearl Harbor tickets cost

You can certainly visit just the “free” Pearl Harbor sites and call it a day. No one will argue that you didn’t actually “visit Pearl Harbor.” But as you can see, visiting some of the other great museums can get pretty expensive. Here are a few ways you can save a few bucks on your overall Pearl Harbor tickets cost:

1. Purchase a membership instead of admission

At the privately-owned Pearl Harbor sites, it might actually be cheaper for you to purchase a yearly membership instead of a one-time admission. Check it:

If you’ll be visiting the Battleship Missouri solo, a general admission ticket is still the best deal in this case. But, if there are between two and six of you going, you could save money if just one of you purchases a membership. Here’s why:

Obviously, the bigger your group, the more you’ll save, but Hawaii is expensive so I’m happy to keep my $2 thankyouverymuch. But remember, this formula only works for groups of adults (anyone over the age of 12) that would otherwise have to purchase “adult” admission.

Family memberships also include the 20% discount for up to 5 guest tickets (in addition to the five family members).

Battleship Missouri also offers membership discounts for both military members and Hawaii residents. So, if the one person in your group who purchases the membership falls into either of those categories, you can save even more.

Purchasing a membership is as easy as selecting which one you want (Individual/Family/Military) and entering your info and payment on the screen. See all Battleship Missouri membership information here.

Why get a Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum membership

Following the same principles, you can also save with a pearl Harbor Aviation Museum membership even if used just once.

A one-time individual adult ticket to the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum is $25.99. If you’re visiting alone, stick to this. An annual individual adult membership to the museum costs $50… and it automatically comes with two free guest passes.

That means the total price for three adults will be $50 instead of $78 if purchased separately (a savings of $28). And even if you bring just one guest, you’ll save $2 with a membership.

The PH Aviation Museum also offers family memberships, but doesn’t specify what constitutes a “family.” I’d be willing to bet it’s the same as the Missouri, in which case this isn’t cost effective for a single visit. But if your family consists of 2 adults and 4 or more kids, you will save money this way.

The Aviation Museum also offers both individual and family memberships for military/Hawaii residents at a discounted rate – $37.50 instead of $50. Do the math and see if these will benefit you.

All memberships here include a 20% discount at the café, 10% discount in the gift shop, a special gift, and a magnet (plus other benefits). See all Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum membership information here.

Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum memberships

The Bowfin Museum offers three levels of memberships but does not (at all) explain the differences or benefits. I even read through their membership bylaws and still nothing that make sense. From what I can tell, it doesn’t appear a membership here would bring you any kind of one-time benefit, but you can see all Bowfin membership info here.

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2. Consider a GoCity pass

Depending on what all activities and attractions you have planned, the GoCity pass can be an easy way to save lots of money on your overall Hawaii trip, not just your Pearl Harbor visit. It may require a little bit of math on your part to see if it’s worth it for your trip specifically, but definitely give it a look! Besides, they will literally refund you the difference if you don’t actually save money!

Check out the Oahu GoCity pass for yourself here.

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3. Utilize any available discounts

Discounts for active military/veterans

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4. Book the Top of the Tower tour as an add-on

If you’re interested in taking the Top of the Tower tour at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum (which I recommend), you’ll save considerable cash if you book this tour as an add-on to general museum admission versus only taking the tower tour.

Taking the Top of the Tower tour on its own will cost you $34.99 for both adults and children. But if you’ve already visited the Aviation Museum before, there’s really no need to go again, so this might be the most economical route for you.

Otherwise, booking the Top of the Tower tour as an add-on to your museum visit will cost you just an additional $19.99. (For a grand total of $45.98 for adults and $34.98 for children.)

Make sure to plan your Pearl Harbor tickets cost ahead of time so you don’t make the mistake of booking these two attractions separately and thus missing out on this $15 per person “discount.”

Pro tip: You don’t have to take your Top of the Tower tour at the same time as your museum visit. In fact, I don’t think you even have to do them on the same day. (You can choose separate dates for each ticket when booking online.) As long as the tickets are purchased together, you will be able to purchase the “add-on.”

In my case, I visited the Aviation Museum in the morning, left and did the USS Arizona memorial and some other sites, then went back later in the day to do the tower tour.

Read my full post on the Top of the Tower tour here! Includes all the important stuff you need to know and why I think it’s so awesome.

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How to avoid spending extra money at Pearl Harbor

The following are a few common sense money-saving tips that we sometimes forget after our brains stop working due to gross amounts of sun exposure. Planning ahead = saving money.

But unless you plan to visit ALL THREE of those museums, you will be losing money by purchasing the Passport to Pearl Harbor. The passport actually costs more than those three admissions combined so it’s not a money-saving pass.

If you don’t plan to visit all three of those museums, or you aren’t sure yet, it’s cheaper to just buy the admission tickets individually when you get there. (Or even purchase a membership depending on how many people are with you!)

6. Bring your own snacks + drinks

There are a handful of places to get food and drinks around the Pearl Harbor sites, but (as I’m sure you’d expect) they can be wildly overpriced. Instead, consider bringing your own snacks to get you through the day.

The National Park Service does not allow you to bring bags into the sites but they do allow you to bring your own snacks and drinks. (Put them in something clear like a Ziplock bag and you should be fine.) Depending on how long or short your visit, you may be able to get by with just a protein bar in your pocket. You be the judge.

7. Bring a refillable water bottle

The NPS does allow you to bring a refillable water bottle into the sites, and there are water fountains at all of them at which you can fill up. (And you’ll want to – it’s going to be SO HOT.) If you need one, I use this insulated steel water bottle and I love it.

While you can bring your own drinks, note that the NPS and other sites permit only water in certain areas.

8. Don’t bring an oversized bag

A single bus ride on Oahu is $3.00 ($6.00 roundtrip) and will take considerably longer, so public transportation isn’t really an economical solution here.  

10. Stick to the free sites

If Hawaii in general is already breaking your budget, don’t be afraid to just stick to the free Pearl Harbor sites. You’ll definitely feel like you “visited Pearl Harbor” even if you only visit the Visitor Center and the USS Arizona memorial.

You can take the free Ford Island Bus Tour to see some of the lesser known but still very cool sites that most civilians don’t get to see like the USS Oklahoma and USS Utah memorials.

You can see the Missouri from the Arizona, and the Bowfin from the Visitor Center. And though the Aviation Museum is neat, it’s nowhere near as impressive as the Udvar-Hazy Center at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., which is also free.

12. Consider visiting these other free Pearl Harbor sites

In addition to the free Pearl Harbor sites that are actually at Pearl Harbor, there are a couple of other places on Oahu where you can explore Pearl Harbor history for free. While you’re here, definitely consider visiting these places:

U.S. Army Museum of Hawaii

The free U.S. Army Museum in Honolulu does a fantastic job of explaining the Pearl Harbor attack as well as what led up to it and what happened afterwards. There are tons of interesting artifacts and it’s a lot less crowded than the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center museum (and air conditioned too!).

National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific

Also known as Punchbowl Cemetery, this huge cemetery overlooks Honolulu from inside the Punchbowl Crater and contains the graves of those who gave their lives serving in the U.S. military. There are many notable graves here as well as a number of Pearl Harbor victims and other WWII veterans.

Additionally, there is a huge memorial at the top that contains two long hallways filled with mosaics that explain the most significant battles of the Pacific War. I highly recommend a visit here.

Check out my full post on the most unforgettable WWII sites on Oahu here.

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I really hope I’ve been able to help you figure out how much all the Pearl Harbor tickets cost and how you can save a little bit of money on your Hawaii trip! As always, if you have any Pearl Harbor questions, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below. Aloha!

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