Visiting Pearl Harbor: Tickets, Memorials & What to Know

Pearl Harbor is one of the most visited historic sites in the United States, drawing approximately two million visitors annually to the harbor where 2,403 Americans were killed and four battleships were sunk on the morning of December 7, 1941. The site operates across four separate memorials — the USS Arizona Memorial, the Battleship Missouri, the Pacific Aviation Museum, and the USS Bowfin Submarine — each covering a different aspect of the Pacific War from the attack to the formal Japanese surrender in 1945. Planning ahead for tickets and logistics makes the difference between a frustrating experience and a genuinely moving one.

Overview and Orientation

The Pearl Harbor National Memorial complex is located at 1 Arizona Memorial Place, Aiea — approximately 10 miles west of Waikiki and 25 minutes by car in light traffic. The visitor center sits on the harbor’s east bank and serves as the hub for the Arizona Memorial boat tour. The Missouri and Ford Island museums are accessible by shuttle bus included with ticket purchase.

The full site covers:

• Pearl Harbor Visitor Center — Free, no reservation required
• USS Arizona Memorial — Free timed-entry boat tour, reservation required via recreation.gov
• USS Missouri Battleship Memorial — Paid entry, approximately $35 per adult as of 2026
• Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor — Paid entry, approximately $25 per adult as of 2026
• USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park — Paid entry, approximately $16 per adult as of 2026

A combo ticket covering the Missouri, Aviation Museum, and Bowfin costs approximately $65 for adults, $35 for children (ages 4–12) as of 2026. The Arizona Memorial boat tour is always separate and always free.

USS Arizona Memorial

The Arizona Memorial is the emotional center of the site. On the morning of December 7, 1941, a Japanese aerial torpedo and bomb struck the Arizona’s forward ammunition magazine, causing a catastrophic explosion that killed 1,177 crew members — more than a third of all Pearl Harbor fatalities — in under nine minutes. The ship sank in less than nine minutes. It remains on the harbor floor.

The white concrete memorial (designed by Alfred Preis, opened 1962) spans the sunken hull and is reached only by Navy boat. Visitors board at the visitor center dock, ride a 15-minute boat crossing, spend approximately 30 minutes on the memorial itself, and return. The memorial contains the shrine room with the names of all 1,177 crew members carved in marble, and the assembly room where you can see the ship’s rusting gun turret breaking the surface.

Key detail: the Arizona still leaks approximately one quart of fuel oil daily. Visible as small rainbow-colored slicks on the surface around the hull, these are sometimes called “the tears of the Arizona” by park rangers.

Booking Tickets

Tickets are free but timed. Book via recreation.gov up to 60 days in advance — this is the maximum booking window and is when the best time slots become available. Peak season (June–August) and holiday weekends sell out within hours of the 60-day window opening at midnight Mountain Time.

Tip: set a calendar reminder for exactly 60 days before your visit and book at midnight MST (2am EST, 11pm PST). Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before your visit, so there’s no cost penalty for booking early and canceling if plans change.

Walk-up tickets are sometimes available at the visitor center when no-shows and same-day cancellations open slots, but this is not reliable in peak season. Do not depend on it.

USS Missouri

The Missouri (called “Mighty Mo”) holds the bookend position in the Pearl Harbor story: Japan formally surrendered on her deck on September 2, 1945, ending World War II. The treaty table is preserved on the surrender deck; a plaque marks the exact location where General Douglas MacArthur oversaw the signing.

The Missouri is docked at Ford Island, a short shuttle ride from the visitor center. Entry approximately $35 for adults, $17 for children (ages 4–12) as of 2026. Self-guided audio tours are included. The ship is enormous — four 16-inch gun turrets, a flight deck, and interior spaces including officer quarters and engine rooms, all open for touring. Allow 2–3 hours.

A kamikaze hit on the Missouri’s hull on April 11, 1945 is visible as a dent near the waterline on the port side — one of the few tangible kamikaze impact sites preserved. The story of the Japanese pilot’s honorable burial by American sailors is one of the more affecting moments of the audio tour.

Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor

Also on Ford Island, the Aviation Museum is housed in two restored WWII-era hangars that were actually strafed during the December 7 attack — bullet holes are still visible in the walls of Hangar 37. Entry approximately $25 for adults, $15 for children as of 2026.

The collection covers the Pacific air war from the opening attack through Midway, the island-hopping campaign, and the final bombing runs over Japan. Highlights include a Japanese Zero fighter (one of very few surviving originals), a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, and the Doolittle Raiders exhibit with one of the B-25 Mitchell bombers used in the April 1942 raid on Tokyo — the first American air attack on the Japanese home islands. Simulators (approximately $5 extra) allow you to fly a replica WWII fighter with instructor guidance.

USS Bowfin Submarine Museum

The Bowfin sits in the water adjacent to the visitor center — the only Pearl Harbor attraction you can access without a shuttle. The “Pearl Harbor Avenger” submarine completed nine war patrols and sank 44 enemy vessels during the war.

Entry approximately $16 for adults, $8 for children (ages 4–12) as of 2026. Self-guided audio tour. The Bowfin is open for interior tours through the cramped crew spaces, torpedo rooms, and command area. Visitors who experience claustrophobia should know that some passageways between compartments require stepping through low oval hatches. The outdoor museum area includes surface weapons and a Japanese Kaiten (manned torpedo) displayed separately.

Full-Day Itinerary

7:00am — Arrive and park (see below). Pick up any walk-up Arizona tickets if needed.

7:30–10:00am — Pearl Harbor Visitor Center exhibits and film, then board the boat tour for the Arizona Memorial. The first tours of the day have shorter waits.

10:00–11:30am — USS Bowfin Submarine — adjacent to the visitor center, no shuttle needed.

11:30am — Board Ford Island shuttle.

11:30am–1:30pm — USS Missouri. Eat lunch at the Missouri’s on-ship café (sandwiches approximately $12–16) or return to the visitor center food court.

1:30–3:30pm — Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor.

3:30pm — Return shuttle to visitor center. Allow extra buffer time on weekends when shuttles run at capacity.

Parking

Parking at the visitor center is approximately $7 per vehicle as of 2026. The lot can fill by 8am on peak days — if you arrive after 8am on a busy day, overflow parking is available across the road. Vehicles over 6 feet in height must use the main lot (overflow area has a height restriction).

Arrival before 7am gives the best combination of early parking, short queues for the visitor center, and early boat tour departures.

Getting There from Waikiki

By car or rideshare: 25–35 minutes from Waikiki via H-1 West. Rideshare (Uber/Lyft) runs approximately $18–25 each way depending on surge pricing. Taxis approximately $25–35.

By bus: TheBus Route 42 from downtown Honolulu stops near the memorial entrance in approximately 45 minutes. Fare approximately $3 as of 2026. The stop closest to the visitor center is on Kamehameha Highway at Arizona Memorial Drive.

Dress Code and Practical Rules

• No large bags. Bags larger than a small purse are prohibited past the security checkpoint. Backpacks, camera bags, beach bags, and large totes must stay in your vehicle. The visitor center is explicit about this: there is no bag storage facility on site.
• Shoes required on the Arizona Memorial — no flip-flops or bare feet during the boat tour.
• Photography is permitted throughout the site including on the memorial. Flash photography is prohibited inside the shrine room.
• Children under 4 are not permitted on the Arizona Memorial boat tour.
• Food and drink are not allowed on the boat or inside the memorial. The visitor center has vending and a full food court.

Tips

• Book Arizona Memorial tickets exactly 60 days out at midnight MST. This is the most reliable way to secure a preferred time slot.
• Do the Arizona Memorial first — it sets the emotional context for everything else.
• Wear comfortable shoes; the Ford Island shuttle is free but walking between sites adds up across a full day.
• Bring water. The site is partly outdoors, exposed to midday sun, and the nearest shade between some attractions is limited.

For broader Honolulu planning, see our Things To Do Guide and the Hawaii overview.

Book guided tours and experiences in Honolulu to visit key sites with expert commentary — particularly useful for historical sites where context significantly improves the experience.

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