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Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, HI

Photo: Pickle the cool, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sport & OutdoorIconicFamily FavoriteFree

Waikiki Beach

Waikiki Beach is an outdoor activity in Honolulu, HI, part of the Oʻahu guide. Cost: free.

Along Kalakaua Ave on Honolulu's south shore · Honolulu, HI

Why you should go…

Waikiki Beach lines the south shore of Honolulu's Waikiki neighborhood, and its sand is almost entirely man-made. The long, rolling surf break suits longboarding and beginners, so it is a classic spot for a first surf lesson. A 9-foot bronze statue of surfer Duke Kahanamoku, installed in 1990, stands by the sand, and the view down the beach takes in the Diamond Head tuff cone. The Hawaiian name means spouting fresh water.

  • #beach
  • #surf lessons
  • #swimming
  • #diamond head view

What's around here?

The closest stops to Waikiki Beach, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Shopping
    Free

    International Market Place

    Free

    Shop and eat beneath a preserved banyan tree at an open-air shopping center on Kalakaua Avenue in the heart of Waikiki.

    Steps awaySwitch it up: Shopping

  • Attractions
    Family Favorite

    Honolulu Zoo

    Under $25

    See black rhinos, giraffes, elephants and native Hawaiian birds across 42 acres at the edge of Kapiolani Park in Waikiki.

    0.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Iconic

    Diamond Head State Monument

    Under $25

    Climb switchbacks, steep stairs and a lighted tunnel to old military bunkers on the crater rim.

    1.6 mi awayMore like this

  • Shopping
    Rainy-Day Pick

    Ala Moana Center

    Free

    Browse more than 350 shops and restaurants at an open-air Honolulu mall, with hula performances on Centerstage.

    1.6 mi awaySwitch it up: Shopping

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Iconic

    Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve

    $25–$50

    Snorkel over a coral reef inside a flooded volcanic crater on Oahu's southeast coast, a protected nature preserve.

    8.4 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Lanikai Beach

    Free

    Swim in calm, shallow turquoise water off a half-mile of sand facing the twin Mokulua Islands offshore.

    11 mi awayMore like this

Near Waikiki Beach

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