What Island Is Pearl Harbor On? Where It Is on Oahu

Pearl Harbor is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oʻahu, west of Honolulu (Wikipedia). NASA’s astronaut photograph below describes the view as “the southern coastline of the Hawaiian island Oahu, including Pearl Harbor” (NASA caption). It is not on the Big Island, Maui or Kauaʻi. Honolulu sits on Oʻahu’s southeastern coast (Wikipedia), and Waikīkī is a Honolulu neighborhood on the south shore (Wikipedia), so getting from one to the other means heading west along the same coast.

The distances most visitors ask for are short. The Battleship Missouri Memorial describes its site as “just 3 miles from Honolulu Airport and 11 miles from Waikiki” (Battleship Missouri Memorial). The National Park Service says the Visitor Center is “about a 45-minute drive from Waikiki,” with Honolulu traffic the variable, and a 10 to 15 minute drive from the airport (NPS directions). Our how far Pearl Harbor is from Waikiki guide compares the bus, rideshare, rental car and tour options and what each costs.

The map is centered on the Pearl Harbor National Memorial Visitor Center, zoomed out to show the south coast between Honolulu and the harbor. The table under it opens each place on its own.

Map: Google Maps embed, centered on the Pearl Harbor National Memorial Visitor Center.

“Pearl Harbor” is a harbor, a Navy base and a set of visitor sites at once, which is why the question gets a different answer depending on who asks. This is how the pieces line up.

• Pearl Harbor Visitor Center. The park’s front door at 1 Arizona Memorial Place. Its museums and grounds are free (NPS). The USS Arizona Memorial program leaves from here by Navy boat; the ship was never salvaged and still rests at the bottom of the harbor, where the December 7, 1941 explosion claimed 1,177 sailors and Marines (NPS). How to reserve is in our Pearl Harbor tickets guide.
• USS Bowfin. The submarine museum is next to the Visitor Center, the only paid site reachable on foot (Pearl Harbor Historic Sites).
• Ford Island. The island in the middle of the harbor. The Battleship Missouri Memorial and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum are both here, on an active military base, and visitors reach them on the free shuttle from the Visitor Center (Missouri; Aviation Museum). The USS Utah and USS Oklahoma Memorials are here too, reached on the NPS Ford Island Bus Tour (NPS FAQ).
• Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. The active Navy and Air Force installation around all of it, formed in 2010 when the Navy’s Naval Station Pearl Harbor and Hickam Air Force Base merged (Wikipedia). The NPS describes the memorial as “near” the base and the USS Arizona Memorial as within its bounds (NPS FAQ).

The Visitor Center and the USS Arizona Memorial program need no ID or park pass (NPS FAQ). Past that, the rules come from the sites themselves.

• Ford Island. Non-military visitors cannot drive on. Both museums say to take the free shuttle from the Visitor Center, which leaves about every 15 minutes (Aviation Museum). The Missouri adds that guests may be asked for ID on the shuttle, and that foreign visitors must carry a passport (Battleship Missouri Memorial).
• USS Utah and USS Oklahoma Memorials. Reserve a seat on the Ford Island Bus Tour unless you hold an active-duty military ID. The NPS warns that base security can cancel tours on short notice (NPS FAQ).
• The Ford Island bridge and the Hickam exit. The Visitor Center is “just before the Ford Island bridge, which is restricted to military personnel,” and the NPS says to avoid the H-1 “Hickam AFB/Pearl Harbor” exit and take exit 15A, “Arizona Mem./Stadium” (NPS directions).
• Skyline. The station named Makalapa is a base gate with restricted access. The city sends Pearl Harbor visitors to Hālawa, the Aloha Stadium station (City of Honolulu); our Skyline guide has the rest.

Check the park’s conditions page on the day, because the Navy can change boat and tour operations without notice.

The Visitor Center is a 10 to 15 minute drive from the airport, so it fits an arrival or departure day. The Aiea Loop Trail is next door: its state park is about 12 miles from Waikīkī, and the state says the views from the trail run from Pearl Harbor to Honolulu and Diamond Head (Hawaiʻi State Parks). For the other end of the island, our getting around Oahu guide covers buses, Skyline, rental cars and rideshare, and Pearl Harbor tours from Waikiki sorts the guided options if you would rather not drive.

This page answers where Pearl Harbor is. Each part of the visit has its own guide, so start with the one that matches your question.

• Getting there. How far Pearl Harbor is from Waikiki: bus, rental car, rideshare and tour, with timing and cost.
• Tickets. Pearl Harbor tickets: the USS Arizona Memorial reservation, standby and the paid sites.
• The day itself. Visiting Pearl Harbor: bag rules, timing and tips for kids.
• Which sites to pay for. The Pearl Harbor Passport, and whether it beats buying each site separately.
• December 7. Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day: the 85th anniversary falls on December 7, 2026.