Visit Pearl Harbor on a Honolulu Layover

If you’re planning a Hawaiian island-hopping adventure, a layover in Honolulu might be the perfect way to include a visit to Pearl Harbor. This option lets you avoid the need for an overnight stay on another island while still experiencing this iconic site.

On a recent trip focused on Kauai and the Big Island, we still wanted to experience the profound history of Pearl Harbor. Our answer? We purposefully booked a layover in Honolulu, which allowed us to make the most of our travel time and see this iconic site without altering our main itinerary.

Planning the Honolulu Layover

We arranged our flights with about six hours between connections, which gave us enough time to make the round-trip to Pearl Harbor and back without rushing too much. Flying Southwest worked perfectly for this setup, as each person’s ticket included two checked bags – ideal for offloading our rolling carry-ons.

Getting to Pearl Harbor

The Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu is about three miles from Pearl Harbor. Our inbound flight from Kauai landed around 12:35 p.m., giving us a comfortable amount of time to store any extra bags and catch a cab.

We used an airport bag storage service for our backpacks since bags aren’t allowed inside Pearl Harbor National Memorial, making our visit lighter and simpler.

The baggage storage desk is located by baggage claim 18.

A quick cab ride had us at Pearl Harbor by 1:00 p.m., ready to explore.

The Visit to Pearl Harbor: Quick but Memorable

With a two-hour window, we were able to wander through the museum exhibits and take the boat to the USS Arizona Memorial (which we reserved ahead of time).

Ideally, a full day would give you the opportunity to see everything Pearl Harbor offers, but even a shorter visit felt meaningful. The Arizona Memorial alone is an impactful experience that left a lasting impression on our trip.

The cab ride back to the airport was a breeze, taking less than 15 minutes. We returned to the airport with enough time to relax a bit before our 6:35 p.m. flight to Kona.

Was it Worth It?

Absolutely. While we could have spent more time at Pearl Harbor to soak in all the history, this layover option worked wonderfully as a way to include a visit to other islands. Honolulu’s airport’s proximity to Pearl Harbor made it all possible, and the combination of quick transport, bag storage, and a bit of planning let us experience this iconic historic site during an otherwise short stay.

So, if you’re island-hopping and want to add a quick visit to Pearl Harbor, consider a long Honolulu layover. It’s a simple way to fit in a meaningful visit without adjusting your main travel itinerary too much.