Pearl Harbor, Honolulu and Waikīkī
STOP 1 OF 8
Pearl Harbor National Memorial
Central · Free to visit
The visitor center and the boat to the USS Arizona Memorial. Two big Pearl Harbor films staged the attack on this water, with real ships moored as stand-ins for battleship row.
EThe editors · 2 Blockbusters on Oʻahu lists — switch
Pearl Harbor, Honolulu and Waikīkī
The Missouri from Battleship, Ford Island, Kong’s Saigon in Chinatown, Godzilla’s Waikīkī and the Eternity cove.
8 placesA full dayRead the guide ↓
- 1. Pearl Harbor National MemorialThe visitor center and the boat to the USS Arizona Memorial. Two big Pearl Harbor films staged the attack on this water, with real ships moored as stand-ins for battleship row.Pearl Harbor (2001) +1CentralFree to visit2–3 hoursFree; $1 booking fee; $7 parking
2. Battleship Missouri MemorialThe battleship where Japan signed its surrender in 1945, moored off Ford Island. You can walk its decks and the same corridors the actors used.Battleship (2012) +1CentralPaid entry1½–2 hours$44.99 adult, $19.99 child
3. Pearl Harbor Aviation MuseumTwo wartime hangars on the Ford Island airfield, where most of Pearl Harbor’s Hawaii shoot took place. The old control tower next door appears in both big attack films.Pearl Harbor (2001) +1CentralPaid entry1½ hours$29.99 adult, $17.99 child (4–12)
4. Oʻahu MarketChinatown’s old open-air market at King and Kekaulike streets. For one stormy night in December 2015 this block of King Street was dressed as 1970s Saigon.Kong: Skull Island (2017)HonoluluFood & drink30–45 minutesFree
5. Aloha TowerThe 1926 harbor tower and the marketplace at its foot, a short walk from Chinatown along the waterfront.Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)HonoluluFree to visit30 minutesFree
6. Lewers Street, WaikīkīA short Waikīkī street running from Kalākaua Avenue down to the beach, between the Royal Hawaiian Center and the Halekūlani.Godzilla (2014)Waikīkī & Diamond HeadFree to visit15 minutesFree
7. Hilton Hawaiian Village Friday fireworksThe wide beach and Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon in front of the Hilton Hawaiian Village. In July 2013 it was covered in wrecked helicopters, boats and hundreds of dazed extras.Godzilla (2014)Waikīkī & Diamond HeadFree to visit30 minutes to a swimFree
8. Hālona Blowhole lookout and coveA roadside lookout above the Hālona Blowhole and the small cove where Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr rolled in the surf.From Here to Eternity (1953) +1East sideFrom outside20 minutesFree
Watch before you go
Official clips and trailers from the studios’ own channels. They load only when you tap play.
The guide
How to do it: Pearl Harbor, Honolulu and Waikīkī
This is the city half of Oʻahu’s blockbuster history. It starts where Pearl Harbor and Tora! Tora! Tora! recreated the 1941 attack and where Battleship gave the USS Missouri one last fight, then moves through Chinatown and Waikīkī, where Kong and Godzilla filmed.
It ends at Hālona, the cove from From Here to Eternity. Pearl Harbor is a war grave before it is a film set, and the films are a way in to the history, not a substitute for it.
- The order to do it in
- Pearl Harbor first (memorial, then the shuttle to the Missouri and the aviation museum), Chinatown for lunch, Aloha Tower, then Waikīkī, and out to Hālona for late afternoon.
- When to go
- Any day. Be at Pearl Harbor by 8am: Arizona programs run 8am to 3:30pm and the Missouri closes at 4pm. Chinatown is best before 2pm, when the markets are busiest.
- Getting there
- You need a car or rideshare for Pearl Harbor and Hālona; Chinatown, Aloha Tower and Waikīkī are linked by TheBus and short drives. Ford Island is reached only by the free shuttle from the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center.
- What to bring
- No bags at Pearl Harbor: phone, wallet, water and sunscreen in your pockets, or pay for bag storage by the entrance. A hat for Hālona.
- What it costs
- The memorial is free (Arizona program reservations carry a $1 fee); parking $7. Missouri $44.99 adult, aviation museum $29.99 adult. Everything else is free.
Worth knowing
- Book the USS Arizona program on Recreation.gov ahead of time; standby tickets are limited.
- Allow about 30 minutes each way for the Ford Island shuttles.
- The Waikīkī stops are a five-minute walk apart along the beach.
Researched and written by us from Kualoa Ranch — Film and television, Kualoa Ranch — Movie Sites & Ranch Tour, Kualoa Ranch — Tours, Honolulu Star-Bulletin — Pearl Harbor filming plans (Feb 2000), Honolulu Star-Bulletin — Pearl Harbor filming starts (Apr 2000) and Honolulu Star-Bulletin — Pearl Harbor shoot on Ford Island (Apr 2000), among others. Episodes checked against episode guides; places and access checked October 2026. Private homes are view-only from the street.