Visiting Pearl Harbor: 22 Things You Need to Know First + Helpful Tips

Visiting Pearl Harbor is a must for any visitor to Hawaii, whether you’re a history buff or not. Being the location of Japan’s attack on the United States Navy that essentially triggered World War II for the U.S., this is one of the most historically significant sites in the entire country. But what is “Pearl Harbor” and what all does visiting Pearl Harbor entail?

This post will cover all of that and more. If you’re searching for how to visit Pearl Harbor, what all there is to see and do here, and pick up some super helpful tips along the way, you’re in the right place. I’ve visited Pearl Harbor multiple times, most recently in August 2023. Let me make visiting Pearl Harbor as easy as possible for you!

Why visit Pearl Harbor?

As one of the most historic locales in America (and the world actually), visiting Pearl Harbor should be on every Oahu itinerary. Japan’s attack on the U.S. Navy here on December 7, 1941 was the event that launched the United States into World War II. (And we all know what happened next.)

Beyond the significance of that, the attack in and of itself remains one of the most tragic events in U.S. history. Japanese attackers killed 2,403 American Sailors, Soldiers, Marines, and civilians in an attack that lasted just 1 hour and 15 minutes. Of those, 1,177 died aboard the USS Arizona after the battleship was hit by four bombs, exploded, and sank to the bottom of the harbor with its crew trapped inside.

You should also consider some of the interesting WWII hikes on Oahu while you’re here to check out some of the former pillboxes and other defense remains around the island. If hiking isn’t your thing, check out these other great WWII sites on the island.

Visiting Pearl Harbor: How to Prepare

The Pearl Harbor attack was an extremely complex event—one I’ve studied in depth as a World War II historian. To try to simplify it here would do both you and the history a great injustice. (Plus, chances are I would get wildly carried away.)

Instead, take a look at this list of Pearl Harbor books I’ve put together and choose one (or a few) that sounds the most interesting to you. If you’d rather wait to learn until you get there, that’s fine too. You already know enough to be interested, and if that’s enough to get you here, then that’s plenty. So, let’s get to planning your Pearl Harbor visit!

Visiting Pearl Harbor: Map of sites

What actually constitutes “visiting Pearl Harbor?”

Well, I guess the first thing you need to know about visiting Pearl Harbor is that…

1. “Pearl Harbor” is not just one thing.

Visiting Pearl Harbor isn’t as simple as just showing up to a single museum or historical site. That’s because “Pearl Harbor” isn’t just one thing; it’s actually a handful of different sites that relate to the Pearl Harbor attack.

Pearl Harbor Visitor Center

The Pearl Harbor Visitor Center will be your first stop when visiting Pearl Harbor. This open-air complex of buildings contains a museum, a ticket and information booth, restrooms, a book store/gift shop, baggage storage, film theater, a virtual reality center, a handful of various memorials and art pieces, and a short walking trail with historical information panels.

This is also where you’ll catch the boat to the USS Arizona memorial and the shuttle bus to the other sites over on Ford Island.

The Pearl Harbor Visitor Center is run by the National Park Service and there will be park rangers on site to answer any questions you might have. Regardless of how interested in history you are, at the very least you should check this place out.

USS Arizona Memorial

The USS Arizona Memorial is the small white building that sits on the water over the ruins of the sunken battleship. This is what most people think of when they imagine visiting “Pearl Harbor.”

Visiting the USS Arizona Memorial is a solemn but meaningful experience as you learn about and pay your respects to the 1,177 men who died (and still rest) here. If you visit only one Pearl Harbor site, it should be this one.

How to get to the USS Arizona Memorial

The only way to access the USS Arizona Memorial is by boat—provided and operated by the U.S. Navy (but managed by the National Park Service). Each visit includes a brief introduction, a short boat ride to the memorial, 15 minutes aboard the memorial, and then another quick ride back to the Visitor Center.

Some websites will tell you that a visit to the Arizona also includes an introductory film. And while there is a 23-minute film you can watch beforehand, you don’t need a USS Arizona ticket in order to see it. You can do this with or without a reservation to take the boat over. (And you should definitely do this!) Films start at the :15 and :45 minute mark of each hour, all day.

How to get USS Arizona Memorial tickets

Tickets to visit the USS Arizona Memorial are free* but require advance reservations due to capacity limitations. (Big demand, small memorial) To reserve your USS Arizona tickets, head over to recreation.gov. (You’ll need to start an account if you don’t already have one.)

*Admission to the USS Arizona Memorial is free, but there’s a $1 “reservation fee” on the online platform that’s mandatory for making reservations. Whatever. And parking is $7. For more on all the Pearl Harbor ticket costs and fees (plus a bunch of ways to save money) see my full post in that link!

Tickets can be reserved up to 8 weeks (56 days) in advance. However, if you don’t tend to plan ahead that far, they do release additional tickets every day at 3:00pm (HST) for the following day. For example, tickets for tomorrow (Sunday, Nov 5) will be released today (Saturday, Nov 4) at 3:00pm Hawaii time (9:00pm Eastern).  

This is how I reserved my ticket in August, and they sold out for the next day within a few minutes. I’m just saying, if you plan to go this route, you better be on it. There are no walk-up tickets or day-of releases.

Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum

Next door to the Pearl Harbor Visitors Center is the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum, sometimes referred to as the Bowfin Museum. If you want to learn more about submarine warfare while visiting Pearl Harbor, this is the place for you.

The Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum includes an indoor museum, outdoor artifacts and information panels, a waterfront memorial, a restaurant, a gift shop, and restrooms. But the star of the show here is the USS Bowfin—a World War II fleet submarine.

With a combined 4,000 artifacts, the indoor museum and outdoor areas are great at painting some interesting pictures of naval warfare during World War II. You can look through a submarine periscope and even inside a Japanese Kaiten! (A manned torpedo, basically the underwater version of a kamikaze plane, which I’ve never seen anywhere else before.)

USS Bowfin

But definitely spend a good chunk of your time here aboard the Bowfin. You can tour the entire 312-foot interior as well as walk all along the top. And if you’re lucky, maybe you’ll see a sea turtle eating barnacles off the side like I did. (It’s the small things.)

The USS Bowfin didn’t enter service until 1942 so it wasn’t actually present during the Pearl Harbor attack. However, it was launched on December 7 to mark the 1-year anniversary of the attack. During its wartime service in the Pacific, it sank over 30 enemy vessels and damaged 7 others, earning it the nickname “Pearl Harbor Avenger.”

Battleship Missouri

The USS Missouri is a battleship that not only saw service in WWII but also served as the location of the surrender ceremony that ended the war. It was here that American and Japanese officials met to finalize Japan’s surrender documents on September 2, 1945.

The Missouri was decommissioned in 1955, brought back into service in 1986, decommissioned for good in 1992, and eventually parked here at Battleship Row in Pearl Harbor so we could all take tours of her and be utterly amazed.

In addition to the main surrender deck, you can also tour most of the ship all on your own. You’ll see things like the maze of sleeping quarters, medical rooms, officers’ rooms and lounges, mess halls, and tons more on multiple ship decks. There are also a number of informative exhibits throughout the ship.

On the main deck, you can see the damage done by a kamikaze plane that hit the ship in April 1945, the spot where the surrender ceremony took place, and the absolutely massive guns this thing used to fire.

But first, I highly recommend starting your visit with one of the free tours that’s included with your admission—they’re fantastic!

Also read: Why U.S. battleship museums are the best museums!

Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum

Also over on Ford Island is the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum which contains an incredible collection of World War II aircraft (and more). You can see a Japanese Zero, hang out in historic Hangar 79, tour the Bob Hope exhibit (one of my favorite parts actually), and even try out the 360° flight simulator in case you weren’t too keen on keeping your lunch down.

Need to know: In order to see the Ford Island sites when visiting Pearl Harbor you’ll need to either have military access or a reservation for the special Ford Island tour (more on that below).

Things to know before visiting Pearl Harbor

I totally understand if you already feel like visiting Pearl Harbor is about as complex as the event itself. But it doesn’t have to be! Now that you know what actually constitutes “Pearl Harbor,” here are the rest of the most important things to keep in mind when planning your visit.

2. Visiting Pearl Harbor can be whatever you want it to be.

As I mentioned, “Pearl Harbor” isn’t just one site; it’s a collection of sites. But that doesn’t mean you have to visit them all. You should definitely plan on visiting Pearl Harbor while you’re in Hawaii, but that will mean something different for everyone.

On my first visit in 2007, I visited only the Visitor Center, the USS Arizona memorial, and the Battleship Missouri in about half a day. On my most recent visit in 2023, I visited all of the 8 sites mentioned above over two days.

If the history really interests you, it’s definitely worth setting aside a couple of days in your Oahu itinerary to visit all the sites. It’ll be a long couple of days, but totally worth it. Otherwise, you can simply pick and choose which museums you want to see.

If you’re only casually interested in the history but still want to say you’ve visited Pearl Harbor, at the very least you should check out the Visitor Center and take the boat ride to the Arizona memorial.

3. Pearl Harbor is still an active military base.

Pearl Harbor’s use as a military installation didn’t end with the attack in 1941; it’s just that today it’s known as Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam—a mashup of the U.S. Air Force’s Hickam Air Force Base and the U.S. Navy’s Naval Station Pearl Harbor.

Because Pearl Harbor is still an active military base, you will need military access (or know someone who does who is willing to escort you) in order to visit some of the historical sites.

In case you’re wondering–no, I don’t have military access myself. But, my gracious friends in the Navy who live on Oahu were happy to show me around Ford Island.

4. Some of the Pearl Harbor sites are off-limits to civilians.

Visiting Pearl Harbor as a civilian means some of the sites will be off limits to you. These include (but are not limited to) some of the ones located on Ford Island. However, there are a few here that you are still allowed to visit, with conditions.

Visiting Pearl Harbor as active-duty military

If you’re an active member of the military with military access, you’ll be able to visit any and all of the Pearl Harbor sites without any restrictions. (Just don’t forget your ID, obviously.) You’ll be able to drive right over the Admiral Clarey Bridge to Ford Island and park for free in front of both the Battleship Missouri/Oklahoma memorial and the Aviation Museum. You won’t need to take the shuttle bus anywhere.

You’ll also be able to drive over to the USS Utah memorial, park your car, and freely explore the Ford Island Historical Trail without restriction.

And I can’t say this enough, but thank you for your service!

6. You must take the shuttle bus to certain sites.

Even though some of the stuff you’ll do when visiting Pearl Harbor is located on Ford Island—the active military base—you’ll still be able to go as a civilian. In order to visit sites like the Battleship Missouri, the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, and the USS Oklahoma memorial, you’ll need to take the (free) shuttle bus from the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center.

They depart from the Visitor Center every day, every 15 minutes or so from 8:00am to 5:00pm. I don’t know what happens if you miss the last shuttle back to the Visitor Center and you get trapped on the military base, so just don’t do it.

The ride from the Visitor Center to the Missouri takes about 10 minutes, from there to the Aviation Museum less than 5 minutes, and then about another 10 minutes to get back to the Visitor Center. But, waiting for the bus, waiting for everyone to get on and off the bus, etc. will still add considerable time to your itinerary. Plan accordingly if you have a reservation somewhere at a certain time.

If you don’t have military access and you want to visit either of those two museums, this is the only way you can get there. I repeat, you cannot drive yourself to Ford Island.

7. The Ford Island Bus Tour is a loophole for civilians.

If you don’t have military access but would still like to check out the Pearl Harbor sites on Ford Island, there’s still a way around that! Enter: the Ford Island Bus Tour. (This is not the same thing as the free shuttle between the Visitor Center and Ford Island.)

I actually found out about this cool offer after I returned from my trip. It’s fairly new and, I guess, still not very well promoted.

This is a fully guided, 90-minute tour during which you’ll hear the interesting stories of the two battleships as well as what it was like living on Pearl Harbor before and during the attack. You must have a reservation in order to take this tour.

8. Some Pearl Harbor sites are free; some are not.

If you skipped the section above that described each of the different Pearl Harbor sites, then you missed this very important information: Some of the Pearl Harbor sites are free, and some are not. This is because some are operated by the National Park Service while others are privately operated.

The boat to the Arizona and the shuttle bus from the Visitor Center to the sites on Ford Island are free services. The USS Arizona documentary film and the museum at the Visitor Center are also free.

Keep in mind that while admission is free, you still have to pay the $1 fee to reserve your ticket and $7 per day for parking at the Visitor Center.

These paid sites don’t require reservations, but you’ll still have to pay the $7 parking fee at the Visitor Center. (If you have military access and can drive yourself to Ford Island, you can park at the Battleship Missouri and the Aviation Museum for free.) The virtual reality programs at the Visitor Center are paid experiences as well.

9. Pearl Harbor tours are not what they seem

It makes sense that you might want to book a Pearl Harbor tour for your visit. But, you should know right now that Pearl Harbor tours are basically scams. They charge you incredible amounts of money to visit the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center and the USS Arizona Memorial… that are already free!

I can really go on about this because it irks me so much, but instead, read this post about it: Don’t Book a Pearl Harbor Tour Until You Read This! (Buyer Beware!)

10. Want to save some money? Do this…

Depending on the size of your group, visiting Pearl Harbor can get really expensive really fast. But there are a few creative ways that can help you save a little bit of money. (And in a destination like Hawaii, every dollar counts!)

I cover all of this in my post on how much everything at Pearl Harbor costs and how you can save money. I’ll give you a brief rundown here, but that link has ALL the details (and even math formulas if you like that sort of thing). All my best Pearl Harbor money advice is in that post!

Buy a membership instead of a one-time ticket

Depending on the size of your group, you could actually save money if only one of you purchases a membership instead of a one-time admission. Both the Battleship Missouri and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum include discounts for guests or free guest passes that could end up saving you a lot. Get all the details and my entire price breakdown here.

Pass on the Passport

The Passport to Pearl Harbor you see advertised a lot does not save you money. It includes admission to the three paid museums, an audio tour, and a virtual reality “experience.” But the passport actually costs more than if you bought the three museum tickets individually.

The only bonus is the multimedia programs but, not only are they unnecessary, the reviews of them are terrible. It’s clearly just a way to get you to commit to all three museums. Get all the details and my entire price breakdown here.

Consider an Oahu GoCity pass instead

The Oahu GoCity pass is an all-inclusive sightseeing pass that covers all the most popular attractions and activities on the island of Oahu. It covers all three paid Pearl Harbor museums plus other stuff like luaus, snorkeling excursions, catamaran cruises, and more.

And this one actually saves you lots of money! (And if it somehow doesn’t, they will literally refund you the difference.) It’s a no-risk purchase, really. I get these sightseeing passes all the time and love them. Get all the details on the Oahu GoCity pass here.

11. You MUST make reservations for certain sites.

When planning to visit Pearl Harbor, it’s important to remember that certain Pearl Harbor sites require advance reservations. This mostly has to do with capacity limitations. (Small boat + big demand.)

USS Arizona Memorial reservations

The Pearl Harbor National Memorial sees almost 2 million visitors a year, and almost all of them take the boat ride to the Arizona Memorial. Don’t forget to reserve your tickets as soon as you can. (You’ll need to create an account on Recreation.gov if you don’t already have one.) Make Arizona reservations here.

Reservations can be made up to 8 weeks (56 days) in advance, and they fill up fast. For last minute planners, they do release additional tickets every day at 3:00pm (HST) for the following day. For instance, tickets for Sunday, Nov 5 will be released on Saturday, Nov 4 at 3:00pm Hawaii time (9:00pm EST).

This is how I reserved my ticket in August, and they sold out for the next day within a few minutes. So, if this is your plan, be sure to be online at 3:00pm (HST) on the dot. Make your Recreation.gov account beforehand so you’ll be ready to go. There are no walk-up tickets or same-day releases.

Ford Island Bus Tour reservations

These tours max out at 25 people each, with just one tour a day on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Space is super limited here so be sure to make your reservation as soon as tickets are released if you have your heart set on this tour.

Reservations can be made up to two weeks in advance and you’ll need a Recreation.gov account to make one. On the reservation page, click on a tour date on the calendar and it’ll show you when tickets for that date will be released. Make bus tour reservations here.

Top of the Tower reservations

The new Top of the Tower tour at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum (which I’ll talk more about in a minute) is not included in your general museum admission and does require a separate reservation. (Nor is admission to the museum included if you book a Tower tour.) However, you can save money by booking your Tower tour as an “add-on” when you pay for museum admission. Make Tower reservations here.

Reservations can be made anytime, for as far into the future as their online calendar will go. (I stopped looking after I reached a whole year in advance.) Space is limited—only 120 tickets per day—but I booked my tour just the day before and I had lots of spots to choose from. If there’s a certain time slot you want/need, make your reservation ASAP. Otherwise, this is one you don’t need to stress about.

12. The Top of the Tower tour is fantastic!

Now that you’re wondering what the Top of the Tower tour is, let me share this little secret. In 2022, the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum opened the Ford Island Control Tower to visitors. This tower survived the Pearl Harbor attack and served a variety of purposes after the war. You can now book a spot on the museum’s Top of the Tower tour where you’ll get to see all of Pearl Harbor from an epic aerial view.

You’ll be able to go out on the exterior viewing platform and see all of Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, and the surrounding landscapes from up there. All the battleships and memorials, and then some.

Your guide will then detail the events of the Pearl Harbor attack in such a way that you can actually see (in your mind) the Japanese fighter planes zooming past you. You’ll get the best possible handle on exactly how it all played out, who came from where, and more. This is, by far, the best way to learn about the attack while visiting Pearl Harbor.

These tours are capped at 14 people total with 12 tour times throughout the day. (I chose the second to last tour of the day and I was the only one! My “private” tour was incredible.)

You must make reservations for this tour. It’s not included with admission to the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, nor is museum admission included with a tour. You can book the tour on its own if that’s all you want to see, or as an “add-on” to your museum visit.

I loved my tour so much I wrote a whole post about it! Check out my post on why the Top of the Tower tour is so awesome plus all the important stuff you need to know about it.

13. The boat to the USS Arizona can be canceled without warning.

The National Park Service/U.S. Navy boat is the only way you can visit the USS Arizona memorial. It’s a short ride and, most of the time, there aren’t any issues. However, it can be canceled at the last minute due to high winds.

There’s nothing you can do about this, obviously, and you can only predict it up to a point. But knowing that this is a possibility helps you manage your expectations. You probably won’t have any problems on your Arizona visit, but just know that high wind cancelations are possible.

(And maybe don’t leave this memorial a 1-star review if it does get canceled; they’re just trying to keep you alive and safe.)

For my visit, I made sure to wear shorts with pockets and I kept my ID, credit card, and chapstick in the microfiber bag that came with my sunglasses. I also carried in my steel water bottle. Next time, I’ll bring a small clear purse though so I can bring my sunscreen along with me. (Something like this, so I don’t have to keep going to my car to reapply.)

Bag storage at Pearl Harbor

Should you forget this rule, if they feel your bag is too big, and/or if you’re coming straight from the airport, Pearl Harbor does offer bag storage (even luggage). This is located at the Visitor Center and costs $7 per bag (smaller) and $10 per larger bag/luggage.

15. Know where to eat at Pearl Harbor.

The Pearl Harbor museums and memorials are somewhat spread out and not in that convenient of a location in the first place. But even though you’re pretty out of the way as far as the rest of Honolulu is concerned, you’ll still need to eat while visiting Pearl Harbor.

However, there are a handful of restaurants, cafes, and concession stands available to you in and around the historic sites. Knowing where these are can help you plan out your day at the sites which can also save you lots of time and money.

Check out my post here on Where to Eat Near Pearl Harbor which has all the details: the full list of places to eat, where to find them, links to their menus, some helpful food and drink tips, and more.

16. Get a head start with these books.

Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor is so much more than what it appears to be on the surface. In fact, I actually find this to be one of the most nuanced and interesting historical events once you dig into it. Get a head start on all the stuff you’re going to learn in Hawaii by reading a book or two on the events of December 7, 1941.

I’ve put together a list of some of the best books on Pearl Harbor that has something for every kind of audience (in that link). It includes memoirs, historical fiction, children’s books, books that explain the details of the attack, and those that examine all the stuff that led up to it.

I’ve included my personal favorites (as a recent graduate with a master’s degree in World War II Studies) and even a little bit of commentary.

17. Most of Pearl Harbor is fully exposed.

The fact that most of the Pearl Harbor sites you’re going to visit are fully exposed is one of the key things to know when visiting Pearl Harbor. I mean it–this is CRITICAL.

While the museums are indoors, most of the stuff you’ll want to see is outdoors… in the scorching Pacific sun and heat. My advice: prepare for this like your life depends on it. I did see someone at the Visitor Center (probably in her 20s) being carted off by paramedics after suffering heat stroke.

18. Wear good solid shoes.

I know this is Hawaii and all, but flip-flops are not ideal while visiting Pearl Harbor. Besides doing a ton of walking, you’ll also be climbing up and down steps on battleships, submarines, and buses; and walking around on boats and gangplanks (possibly wet ones).

I wore my Teva sandals with all-around straps. (Similar brands like Chacos and Keens are great options too! All three of these brands are also available on Amazon.) Most other visitors wore something similar or just went with comfortable sneakers.  

19. Bring tissues.

Make sure to save enough room in your tiny little bag for some tissues while visiting Pearl Harbor. Obviously, you’ll feel all the emotions here given its tragic history. But really, nothing can prepare you for the 23-minute film on the USS Arizona or even the 5-minute explanation from the park rangers before you board the boat to the memorial. Seriously, within 5 minutes of us sitting down the whole room was wiping their faces on their shirts.

20. The Pearl Harbor gift shop is weird.

You’re not wrong, the Pearl Harbor gift shop is… weird. First of all is the fact that a place like this even has a gift shop. “Here’s the gift I got you, from that place where 2,403 people were killed.” But it’s the items in the shop that will really make you think.

I visit WWII sites all over the world and many of them do have some sort of “gift shop.” Though, they’re most often referred to as “book” shops and sell mostly books on related topics. T-shirts are standard at most places too.

But the Pearl Harbor gift shop also sells things like toys, cartoon-ish stickers of the memorial and ship anchor, and—brace yourself—an entire line of Hello Kitty/Pearl Harbor merchandise. Is it weird to see a Japanese icon dressed as Rosie the Riveter, symbol of American WWII home front efforts? Yes. Or how about a Japanese icon dressed as a U.S. Navy sailor? YES! They have their rationale behind this, but I can’t help but feel icky when I see it.

It’s also worth noting that the Pearl Harbor gift shop is not part of the National Park Service site. Instead, the gift shop is operated by an independent organization known as Pacific Historic Parks. However, this is still a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that helps fund educational programs at the park. So at least there’s that.

21. Visit the U.S. Army Museum before visiting Pearl Harbor.

The museum at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center is fine for learning about the events of the Pearl Harbor attack. But… the U.S. Army Museum of Hawaii is much better! I highly recommend going here first.

In my opinion, this museum does a much better/clearer job of presenting the facts surrounding the Pearl Harbor attack including the lead-up to it/why Japan attacked and what happened afterwards/as a result. There are also more physical artifacts here, while the Visitor Center museum is mostly informational panels and photos.

The real drawback to the Visitor Center museum is that it just gets so crowded (and hot). This makes it hard to see/read much of the information, and there’s no real flow so it’s easy to get out of order and confused. It’s not an ideal learning environment at all.

The U.S. Army Museum, on the other hand, is going to be mostly empty when you go so you can take your time reading all the info and looking at all the artifacts. Plus, it’s dark and air conditioned. There won’t be sweaty people bumping into you.

The U.S. Army Museum of Hawaii is free to visit and located in Honolulu, just minutes from Waikiki. There’s a parking lot directly across the street and they validate parking. If you’re looking to actually learn more about the Pearl Harbor attack and see some cool artifacts, visit this museum first!

22. Make sure your kids are ready for Pearl Harbor

When considering whether to visit Pearl Harbor with kids, there’s much to think about. I discuss this in depth in my post on visiting WWII sites with kids and I highly recommend you read that first.

The Pearl Harbor sites welcome children of all ages. There are even programs for children here like the National Park Service Junior Ranger program. They can even get their National Park Passports stamped at all the sites. (Who am I kidding, I totally have one of these!)

Thankfully, I haven’t seen any rambunctious children running amok here the way I have at many other WWII sites, but it’s still a very important thing to consider before visiting Pearl Harbor.

Frequently asked questions about visiting Pearl Harbor

Here are a few of the most frequently asked questions about visiting Pearl Harbor:

Does Pearl Harbor have a dress code?

No, there’s no official dress code for visiting Pearl Harbor. However, it’s important to remember this is a place of tragedy and you’ll be visiting both memorials and graveyards.

Dress respectfully. Don’t wear anything offensive or inappropriate. If you’re unsure if what you plan to wear is offensive or inappropriate, then just don’t.

Can you just how up to Pearl Harbor?

How much time do you need to see Pearl Harbor?

Pearl Harbor is not just one thing; it’s actually a collection of many individual sites. How long it takes to see Pearl Harbor is going to be different for everyone. You can “see Pearl Harbor” in a half day, or over two full days, depending on your preferences.

For just visiting the Visitor Center and the USS Arizona memorial (the two most popular sites), it will take around 3 hours. If you also plan to visit the Battleship Missouri, add another 2 hours. (And so on.)

Where do you park for visiting Pearl Harbor?

The Pearl Harbor Visitor Center has a couple of large parking lots. You’ll park here to visit almost all of the Pearl Harbor sites, even the ones on Ford Island (that you’ll take a shuttle bus to from here). Put “Pearl Harbor National Memorial” or “1 Arizona Memorial Place” into your GPS, otherwise you might end up on the military base.

Parking is $7/day and you have to pay it online when you arrive. There will be signs posted around the parking lots with instructions on how to pay with your phone. (Yes, it’s annoying.)

Aloha and have a great time exploring Pearl Harbor! As always, if you have any questions at all feel free to ask them in the comment section below.

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