Oahu is the most visited Hawaiian island with so much diversity and multiculturalism! It’s debatable what’s the perfect amount of time to stay, but it seems like most agree a week is the ideal length. I’d have to agree, we stayed a week and it gave us plenty of time to explore and experience all the island had to offer. Below you’ll find a 7 day Oahu itinerary, including what to do and where to eat, but feel free to adjust it as needed!
Be Flexible
Before we dive into the itinerary, it is important to note that you shouldn’t be too strict about it. I believe an itinerary is a great tool to have so you have a rough idea of what activities you want to do and what you can do on the same day. However, it is important to go with the flow. You might have a morning hike planned but you wake up to find it’s raining for the next 2 hours. In this case it’s probably best to push the hike until later in the day and maybe enjoy brunch while you wait for it to clear up.
Hawaii is a tropical area so it’s likely it’s going to rain at some point during your stay. Don’t let the rain dampen your spirits, it typically moves pretty quickly so you can be back outside in no time. It is worth keeping a rain jacket on you so if you do get caught in the rain, you’re prepared.
Day 1- Traveling
Your first day isn’t going to be the most exciting one, especially if you have a long flight like we did.
Most inbound flights arrive in the afternoon, ours arrived around 3:30pm and by the time we made it to our hotel in Waikiki it was around close to 5:00pm. We didn’t do much the first day but hung out at the beach a little and grabbed some dinner. We were in bed pretty early since traveling 10 hours left us exhausted. If energy levels are higher than ours were, you can definitely spend more time at the beach and explore some shops.
Day 2
Snorkeling
You’ll likely be up early adjusting to the time change, making it perfect to catch the 9:00am snorkeling tour. There are a few different snorkeling options but we chose Captain Bruce Kaneohe Bay Sandbar Cruise with Snorkel and we weren’t disappointed!
If you book through their website vs on TripAdvisor transportation is included which is a great bonus. Depending what hotel you’re staying at, pickup is between 8:05am-8:15am. Our pickup location was only a 3 minute walk from our hotel and they do have a few different pickup locations.
The snorkeling trip starts off with a short boat ride to the Kaneohe Sandbar. You’ll have roughly an hour to hangout on the sandbar. They have floaties, water toys and paddle boards for you to use. The next hour is used for snorkeling around the reef and observing the sealife and sea turtles. They provide coffee, juice, soft drinks, and snacks on board. You’re welcome to bring your own alcoholic beverages and they provide cooler space to store it.
After the snorkeling cruise is over you’ll have about 20-30 minutes before the shuttles pick you up. I recommend using this time to get some soft serve ice cream at the snack shack by the bathrooms. We got the ube and pineapple flavors- 10/10 you have to try!
Waikiki Beach
Once back in Waikiki, grab some lunch before spending the rest of the afternoon at Waikiki beach. Swim, read a book, watch the sunset; whatever you choose to do just relax and enjoy your vacation. I recommend grabbing lunch at the Steak Shack, and hanging out at that beach.
Day 3
Byodo-In Temple
It’s time to rent a car and venture out of Waikiki. After grabbing breakfast & your rental car, head to the Byodo-In Temple, just 30 minutes outside of Waikiki. Passes for the temple are only $5 per person and can be purchased in person, or on there website ahead of time. This Buddhist temple is no longer used for practicing so anyone is allowed to visit. This is still a sacred place so no bathing suits are allowed here. Spend some time walking around and taking in its beauty. Be sure to ring the gong outside to release any negative energy you might have.
Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden
After spending time at the temple, head over to the Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden, which is only a 20 minute drive away. The Botanical Garden is free to visit. The gardens feature amazing views of the Koʻolau Mountain range, 100s of plants species and multiple walking trails. One thing to note is most of the trails are dirt paths and can be extremely muddy if it has rained recently. Either wear hiking boots or tennis shoes you don’t mind getting dirty. As you make your way through the botanical gardens, be sure to stop at the overlook for some great views of the garden and mountains.
Koko Cater Botanical Garden
If this is enough for one day, you can obviously head back to Waikiki and spend the rest of the day on the beach. We had an early start to the day so we headed over to Koko Crater Botanical Garden and did the two mile loop around the gardens.
Windward Beaches
Since you’re on already on the windward side, you can choose to hangout at one of those beaches or head back to Waikiki. If you do decide to hangout here, it’s important to check the swimming conditions before heading over there. That whole side was extremely windy and the water was not safe to swim in when we visited. Always read and follow any signs listed as the ocean can be very dangerous and unforgiving!
Whichever you decide, when you start heading back to Waikiki, you should definitely grab lunch or dinner at bEASTside Kitchen. We stopped during their happy hour (M-F 3pm-6pm) and shared the garlic umami fries, the guava bbq chicken, and garlic umami shrimp. My wife still says this was her favorite restaurant we ate in Hawaii and it was definitely a close second for me!
Day 4
Farmer’s Market
On Saturday, start the morning off early at the KCC Farmers Market, located just outside Waikiki. It opens at 7:30am and I recommend getting there not too long after it opens. We arrived just before 8:00 and it was already pretty busy. There are plenty of vendors to choose from so take your time browsing. They had everything from fresh fruit juice, hot food vendors, plants, jams, and more.
Makapu’U Lighthouse Trail
After you finish browsing the farmers market, head over to Makapu’U Lighthouse trail, which is about a 20 minute drive away. This trail offers amazing views of the coast, windward Oahu and is only 2 miles round trip.
Once you finish the lighthouse trail, grab some lunch at Paia Fish Market in Waikiki. They have some of the best fish in town, you can’t leave without visiting! We enjoyed it so much the first time we had to go back on our last day. After lunch grab your swimsuits and hit the beach. Around 6:00pm head over to Kuhio Beach Hula show located near the Duke Kahanamoku Statue. Shows are every Tuesday and Saturday from 6:30pm-7:30pm.
Before your trip, it is worth looking online to see if any events will be happening during your stay. On the Saturday we were there, the Waikiki Festival was going on. They had 4-5 blocks closed off and a ton of vendors, food trucks and more lined along the road. It was a ton of fun and lasted most of the afternoon.
Day 5
It’s time to explore the North shore. It will take about an hour or so to get to the North shore so you might want to leave early if you want to spend the day over there.
Ehukai Pillbox Trail
Like other days, start the morning off with a hike, this time a pillbox hike. Ehukai Pillbox is 2 miles round trip and gives you amazing views of the North Shore coast. After the hike you can hang out at the beach directly across from the trail head-Sunset Beach. Or you can head over to Laniakea Beach, which is a popular beach for viewing sea turtle.
The North Shore has plenty of food trucks so when you get hungry be sure to check out one. Giovanni’s Food Truck is a popular one, but in that area there are at least 5 or 6 other options if you’re looking for something different. One thing to note is a good amount of the food trucks don’t take cards so be sure to bring some cash.
A popular attraction on the North Shore is Jurassic Adventure Tour on Kualo Ranch. This 2.5 hour adventure will take you through Kualoa, Hakipu’u and Ka’a’awa Valleys where the Jurassic Park series was filmed.
Driving there we took the faster route, through the center of the Island, but on the way back we followed along the coast for a while and the views were so worth it! We pulled off at Kahana Bay to take in the incredible view.
Day 6
Diamond Head
You can’t leave O’ahu without hiking Diamond Head! Diamond Head has become so popular you now need a reservation to hike it. If you plan on hiking in the morning, you should make a reservation a few days in advance because the morning spots do fill up fast. We were able to make a reservation for the afternoon the same day though. You’re alotted 2 hours do the hike, but odds are it won’t take you that long.
After hiking Diamond Head, head back to the city to do some souvenir shopping before your trips ends. Waikiki has a lot of shops so you have a lot of options to browse through.
Spend the rest of the afternoon swimming soaking up sun on the beach. I’d recommended staying until sunset because there is something so magical about watching the sunset on the beach.
Day 7
You might want to spend the last day just hanging out and relaxing on the beach- and that is completely fine! However, we decided to spend the last day back on the North Shore, zip-lining at Keana Farms. They have a few different time options but we choose the 12pm tour- giving us plenty of time to head over.
Leonard’s Bakery
We started off the day at the Leonard’s Bakery, famous for their Malasadas. Malasada is a Portugese doughnut without a hole. They are fried, tossed in sugar, and can be filled with different flavor custards. You’ll find Malasada bakeries all over O’ahu, so even if you don’t stop at Leonard’s be sure to checkout another one while you’re there! We also had Penny’s Malasadas in the Royal Hawaiian food court and they were just as tasty.
After picking up out malasada, we spent the morning at Kualoa Regional Park. This park gives you great views of Chinaman’s Hat and the Koolau Mountains. Before zip-lining we grabbed lunch at Aloha Shrimp food truck. The spicy garlic shrimp was to die for!
Zip-Lining
I definitely recommend the Keana Farms Zip-lining tour. Its about 2.5 hours long with 8 zip-lines and offers amazing views of the island! Not to metion the tour guides were so knowledgable about the island and its history, it was all around a great experience.
Once the tour ended, we made our way back to Waikiki, turned in our rental car, and spent the rest of the night enjoying the city and the beach.
Saying Goodbye to O’ahu
We were technically there 8 days, our last day being a half day while we waited for our flight back home. We spent the last day reading on the beach, eating one last meal in Waikiki, and just feeling grateful for our time on this amazing island.
Getting Around
Since the snorkeling cruise offered free transportation, we didn’t rent a car for the first two days to save some money, and since we weren’t needing it. We opted not to rent a car through the typical enterprise, etc. Instead we rented from Getaround and Turo, sites that allows you to rent from locals. This was honestly so much better than renting from traditional options since it came with a parking pass to a central located parking garage. The garage ended up being directly across the street from our hotel which was amazing.
There’s very limited street parking in Waikiki and most hotels don’t offer free parking. Our hotel was valet only and it was 49$ a night. Just something to keep in mind as you’re renting a car and choosing a hotel.
Visiting Hawaii
Aloha really is a state of mind the locals live by. They are on island time so do not expect to drive anything over 55 miles per hour, drive slow and appreciate the view. Be respectful and kind to everyone you meet. And, most important, be respectful of the land. Do not go off trail, take anything from nature(including rocks), or leave any trash behind.
Not sure what to pack? Checkout this Hawaii Packing List so you don’t leave anything behind.
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