Hub · Waikiki
Waikiki Map: Hotels, Beaches and Food
Every hotel, beach, bar and booking on this page is a pin on the map below, with walking times from where you stay. After the map: a short history, then where to stay, eat and drink, what to book and which beach suits the day, with fees, hours and prices checked in September and October 2026.
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Tap a pin for hours, directions and links, or tap Find places near your hotel for walking times from where you stay. On a phone, move the map with two fingers.
On this page
Waikiki, Section by Section
- The mapEvery hotel, beach, restaurant and activity on one map
- HistoryFishponds, the first hotels, the Ala Wai, Duke
- Beachfront hotelsHilton, Royal Hawaiian, Moana, Halekulani
- Food and drinksDuke’s, the Mai Tai Bar, House Without a Key
- Things to doDiamond Head, surf, sails, luaus
- BeachesKuhio, Queen’s, Sans Souci, Fort DeRussy
- Getting thereThe airport, parking, getting around
The beach most people mean by Waikiki is the stretch the state’s tourism agency describes as “fronting the Royal Hawaiian Hotel and Westin Moana Surfrider,” and the rest of the neighborhood runs along Kalakaua Avenue from the Hilton Hawaiian Village to Diamond Head. The City staffs its Waikiki lifeguard towers 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily (City and County of Honolulu).
A Short History of Waikiki
On the night of March 11, 1901, J. G. Rothwell, managing director of a new hotel company, opened the Moana Hotel to the Honolulu press. The next day’s Pacific Commercial Advertiser began its story: “Amid the sounding swash of the surf on the sands of Waikiki, the strains of music and to the clinking of glasses of bubbling wine, the beautiful Moana hotel at Waikiki was christened last night” (March 12, 1901). It had 75 rooms. It still stands; our Moana Surfrider review walks through it.
Behind the hotel lay water. Into the early 1900s, about 85 percent of modern Waikīkī was under water, “used primarily for the cultivation of rice and taro or as fish and duck ponds,” in the words of the National Park Service’s engineering record of the Ala Wai Canal. Chiefs lived on the dry ground along the sand. The Royal Hawaiian’s own history puts Kamehameha I’s home where the hotel stands and Queen Kaʻahumanu’s summer palace on its Coconut Grove. Off today’s Gray’s Beach, at Kawehewehe, aliʻi came to heal: they wore a lei of limu kala seaweed into the ocean and left it in the water as an offering.
King Kalākaua saw what the beach could become. Dedicating Kapiʻolani Park, named for his queen, on June 11, 1877, he told the crowd he hoped “that we may, erelong, … see a marine suburb on yonder beach” (Pacific Commercial Advertiser).
The suburb needed the water gone. In December 1920 the Hawaiian Dredging Company, a subsidiary of the Dillingham-owned Oahu Railway & Land Company, won the contract for a drainage canal, and dredges worked from 1921 to 1928. The Park Service record notes that many of Waikīkī’s wetland farmers lost their land along with their living. Jennie Wilson, wife of Mayor John Henry Wilson, named the canal Ala Wai, Hawaiian for “waterway,” in 1925.
On February 1, 1927, Matson Navigation opened the Royal Hawaiian: 400 rooms, $4 million, built for its steamship passengers.
Duke Kahanamoku, born on the shore at Kālia in 1890, had already done the advertising. After his 100-meter gold at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, the Hawaiian Gazette predicted his swims would “do more to make Waikiki known throughout the world than tons of printed matter sent out from Hawaii” (July 12, 1912). In 1927 the islands counted 17,451 visitors. In 1969 they counted 1,527,012, and of the 1,941,638 passengers who landed that year, 64,817 came by sea.
Beachfront Hotels
Five of these open onto the sand: the Hilton Hawaiian Village, the Royal Hawaiian, the Moana Surfrider, the Halekulani and the Outrigger. Resort fees run from none at the Halekulani and Halepuna to $54 a day at the Moana, and overnight parking from $40 at the Surfjack to $72.25 to self-park at the Hilton, per each hotel’s own site in September 2026. Our best Waikiki hotels guide ranks them.
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01
Hilton Hawaiian Village
Waikiki’s biggest resort fills the Ewa end on Duke Kahanamoku Beach and Lagoon, with five pools, among them the adults-only Kalia Pool, open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Friday fireworks go up off its beach at 7:45 p.m. Self-parking is $72.25 a night; the resort fee is charged but its amount is not published.
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The Royal Hawaiian
The Pink Palace opened on February 1, 1927, and its six-story Historic Wing still faces the sand between the Sheraton and the Moana. The resort fee is $52 a day and valet $65, and through November 7, 2026, weekday renovation noise can run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Moana Surfrider
Waikiki’s first hotel opened on March 11, 1901, and still fronts central Waikiki Beach, with the Beach Bar under a banyan planted in 1904 that spans 150 feet. The pool is for guests; the veranda, grounds and restaurants are open to everyone. The resort fee is $54 a day, and parking is valet only.
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Halekulani
The quiet one on Kalia Road charges no resort fee and keeps an Orchid Pool laid with 1.2 million glass tiles, for registered guests from 6:30 a.m. to sunset. House Without a Key is on its lawn. Overnight parking is $68.
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Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort
Built in 1967 on the old Outrigger Canoe Club site, with Duke’s at beach level and a $100 million renovation under way. The resort fee is $50 a day and parking is valet only, at $60 a night.
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Halepuna Waikiki
The Halekulani’s sister hotel, across the street, has 288 rooms, no resort fee and an eighth-floor infinity lap pool open 8 a.m. to sunset. Its guests cannot use the Halekulani’s pool; Gray’s Beach is the closest sand.
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The Surfjack Hotel
A 112-room 1960s building on Lewers Street, reopened in 2016 with “Wish You Were Here” tiled on the pool floor and Mahina & Sun’s beside it. There is no amenity fee on direct bookings, parking is $40 a day off site, and the sand is about 10 minutes on foot.
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Laylow, Autograph Collection
A 21-and-over hotel on Kuhio Avenue: 251 rooms, all kings with lanais, and Hideout on the pool lanai, with happy hour 1 to 5 p.m. and live music nightly from 6. The beach is five to seven minutes on foot, and valet is $65 overnight.
Food and Drinks on Kalakaua
Mornings start at International Market Place on Kalakaua; evenings move to the beachfront bars, where the music starts between 5:30 and 6 p.m. The two most famous, the Mai Tai Bar and the sunset lawn at House Without a Key, take no reservations, so the early arrivals get the seats. For lunch from a window, our guide to the best food trucks in Waikiki covers six trucks and how to find them.
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Kona Coffee Purveyors
A Kona roaster’s cafe on Level 1 of International Market Place, at the Kuhio Mall entrance, open daily 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. with pastries baked on site. The black sesame kouign amann ($7.25) is the top seller, and croissants come out after 10 a.m. It tops our guide to the best coffee in Waikiki.
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Duke’s Waikiki
On the sand at the Outrigger, open 7 a.m. to midnight. Kimo’s Original Hula Pie ($15) is portioned for sharing, the Duke’s Mai Tai is $18, and the Dining Room recommends reservations at (808) 922-2268. Validated parking at 150 Kaiulani Avenue is $6 for four hours.
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Mai Tai Bar (Royal Hawaiian)
The Royal Hawaiian’s bar sits steps from the sand, and the hotel says the Mai Tai was first served in Hawaii there in 1953. It takes no reservations: first come, first served, 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., with live music 6 to 10 p.m. The Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai is $22.
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House Without a Key (Halekulani)
The Halekulani’s oceanfront lawn restaurant takes its name from the 1925 Charlie Chan novel. Hawaiian music starts at 5:30 p.m. nightly and hula at 6:30, under a kiawe tree more than 130 years old. Sunset cocktails take no reservations, so arrive before 5:30 for a lawn seat; dinner books at (808) 518-2019.
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RumFire Waikiki
The Sheraton’s open-air lounge faces Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head, with Aloha Hour 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. and live music every night. Walk-ins are welcome; for a sunset table, reserve on OpenTable or at (808) 931-8638. Shirts are required at dinner.
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Things to Do in Waikiki
Most Waikiki days happen in the water or on Diamond Head. Book the crater first: Hawaii State Parks turns away anyone without a reservation except residents with a Hawaii ID (Diamond Head State Monument). The beach catamarans and five luaus start inside the neighborhood. Two seasonal guides cover October and December: Halloween in Waikiki and Honolulu City Lights.
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Diamond Head Summit
The 0.8-mile trail climbs 560 feet from the crater floor to the summit lookout, and State Parks allows 1.5 to 2 hours. Non-residents need a reservation, bookable up to 30 days ahead. TheBus 2 and 2L stop at Diamond Head Road and 18th Avenue.
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Waikiki Surf Lessons
Group lessons run $89 to $129 for 1 hour 15 minutes to 2 hours, and mornings bring lighter wind and calmer water. Once you can stand, the beach stands rent boards for $15 an hour. Our Waikiki surf map shows which breaks suit your level.
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Catamaran Snorkel Sail
The beach catamarans board on the sand: the Kepoikai II in front of the Moana Surfrider ($50), the Maitaʻi behind the Sheraton and the Halekulani ($79) and the Ke Kai in front of Duke’s ($60). Hawea’s turtle snorkel sails board behind the Duke Kahanamoku statue.
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Sunset Dinner Cruise
For a dinner cruise, the Pacific Star leaves from Aloha Tower Marketplace, Pier 8, downtown: check in at 4:45 p.m. for a 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. sail (Fridays until 8:20) with a buffet and a show. The operator charges $128.88 for adults.
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Waikiki Luau
Five luaus run inside Waikiki: Queens Waikiki at International Market Place (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, 5 to 7:30 p.m., from $109), Waikiki Starlight on the Hilton’s Great Lawn (from $119), Na Lei Aloha at the Hyatt Regency (from $119), Paʻina Waikiki on the Waikiki Beach Marriott rooftop (from $135) and ʻAhaʻaina at the Royal Hawaiian (Mondays and Thursdays, from $240).
Good to know
Diamond Head needs a reservation
Non-residents book entry on the Hawaii State Parks site, up to 30 days ahead. Entry is $5 a person and parking $10 a car, credit card only; the park is open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., with last entry at 4:30 p.m. Our Diamond Head reservations guide has the booking steps.
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Waikiki Beaches
Waikiki is a run of named beaches, and the City numbers its lifeguard towers from 2A at the Moana Surfrider east to 2H at Kaimana Beach. West of 2A there is no city tower, so the Gray’s, Fort DeRussy and Hilton stretches are unguarded. Just past Waikiki to the west, Ala Moana Beach Park has a mile of sand behind an outer reef and its own lifeguard towers. The state plans to start adding sand to the Kuhio swim basins in fall 2026 (DLNR). The water averages 77 degrees in February and 82 in September; our Waikiki water temperature guide has every month.
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Waikiki Beach
The stretch in front of the Royal Hawaiian and the Moana Surfrider, with lifeguard tower 2A at the Moana, staffed 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. like every city tower here. Beach stands rent surfboards for $15 an hour, and outrigger canoe rides start at $35 for 20 minutes.
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Kuhio Beach
East of the Moana, the Kuhio swim basins sit behind the breakwaters under four lifeguard towers. The free Kuhio Beach Hula Show plays Saturdays 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on the hula mound by the Duke Kahanamoku statue, weather permitting. Our list of free things to do in Waikiki has more like it.
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Queen’s Surf Beach
Between the Kapahulu Groin and the Waikiki Aquarium, inside the Waikiki Marine Life Conservation District, with bodyboarders off the wall and lifeguard towers 2E and 2F. The seawall promenade reopened on June 13, 2025, and Barefoot Beach Cafe serves 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
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Sans Souci (Kaimana Beach)
At the Diamond Head end, past the Natatorium, a wide reef keeps the nearshore bottom shallow, sandy and free of strong currents. Tower 2H watches it, and monk seals haul out here: keep 50 feet back, or 150 feet from a mother with a pup.
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Fort DeRussy Beach
Wide, less crowded sand in front of the Hale Koa and a grass park, on open ocean with no city lifeguard tower. The Hale Koa garage takes the public at $10 for the first hour, and the free US Army Museum opens Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Gray’s Beach
The thin strip between the Halekulani and the Sheraton is the most sand-starved stretch in Waikiki. Its Hawaiian name, Kawehewehe, means “the removal,” for a channel once used for healing. There is no tower here; the nearest, 2A, is about half a mile east.
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Getting There and Getting Around
Honolulu’s airport is about 25 minutes from Waikiki by car without traffic. TheBus W Line is the cheapest way in: $3.00 on a HOLO card or $3.25 cash, 26 to 35 minutes scheduled, with one medium suitcase and a carry-on per rider (TheBus fares). Charley’s Taxi publishes a $38 flat rate, and the Roberts Hawaii shared shuttle is $29 a person. Our airport to Waikiki guide has the pickup spots.
Inside Waikiki you walk. A car costs money here: hotel parking runs $40 to $72.25 a night, the City meters charge $3 an hour from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. (Honolulu DTS), and the Ala Wai Boat Harbor lot is $1 an hour, up to 24 hours. Our Waikiki parking guide lists every garage.
For the rest of the island, rent a car only for the days you leave town. The Oahu Drive Map plans the loop, and getting around Oahu covers TheBus, Skyline and rentals.
Waikiki Questions
Which Waikiki hotels are right on the beach?
The Hilton Hawaiian Village, the Royal Hawaiian, the Moana Surfrider, the Halekulani and the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort all open onto the sand. Halepuna is across the street from the Halekulani, the Laylow is five to seven minutes on foot, and the Surfjack about 10.
How do I get to Diamond Head from Waikiki?
TheBus 2 and 2L stop at Diamond Head Road and 18th Avenue, or you can drive in and park in the crater for $10. Either way, non-residents need an entry reservation from Hawaii State Parks, bookable up to 30 days ahead, at $5 a person. A shuttle tour with the reservation included handles both.
Which Waikiki beach is best for families with young kids?
Kuhio Beach: its swim basins sit behind the breakwaters, with four city lifeguard towers on duty 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sans Souci at the Diamond Head end is the calm alternative, with a shallow, sandy bottom free of strong currents and its own tower, 2H.
Where is the best sunset spot in Waikiki?
For music with the view, House Without a Key at the Halekulani starts Hawaiian music at 5:30 p.m. and takes no reservations for sunset cocktails, guest or not. The Mai Tai Bar at the Royal Hawaiian is first come, first served. On the water, the Kepoikai II sails from in front of the Moana Surfrider for $50. Our Waikiki sunset guide covers more free spots, from Kuhio Beach to Magic Island.
Do I need a car to get around Waikiki?
No. The hotels, beaches and bars on this map are within walking distance of each other, TheBus costs $3.00 a ride on a HOLO card, and parking adds $40 to $72.25 a night at the hotels. Rent a car for the days you drive the island, and plan them on the Oahu Drive Map.
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