Budget-Friendly Pearl Harbor Tours

For many people, making—and sticking to—a budget is a factor in everything from planning a trip to the grocery store trip to deciding on details of a Hawaii vacation. Pearl Harbor is a must-see destination, and there are options to fit nearly every pocketbook. Here's a look at some of the more budget-friendly Pearl Harbor tours.

You may be thinking that a guided tour of the Pearl Harbor National Memorial is going to cost a lot, but that isn't always the case. While there are costlier experiences that showcase the historic sites in unique ways, there are Pearl Harbor tours that include transportation and guide starting under $50!

Budget-Friendly Pearl Harbor Tours

The following tours all include round-trip transportation from Waikiki and an expert guide who provides in-depth background information about the events of December 7, 1941, as well as tips and tricks for getting the most out of your time at Pearl Harbor.

Pearl Harbor Excursion

The Pearl Harbor Excursion is the shortest Pearl Harbor tour. Once you arrive at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, your guide provides an orientation in the Aloha Court and distributes the tickets for the timed Arizona Memorial program.

USS Arizona (BB-39) was one of two battleships that were completely destroyed in the Pearl Harbor attack. Today, a serene memorial to the 1,177 men who lost their lives when Arizona exploded and sank sits directly over her rusting remains.

After exploring the exhibits of the Visitor Center, you enter the Pearl Harbor Memorial Theater to watch a 23-minute documentary with actual footage of the attack. After this, board a US Navy shuttle boat for a narrated ride across the harbor to Battleship Row and the USS Arizona Memorial (conditions permitting).

Pearl Harbor & Honolulu City Tour

King Kamehameha Statue

For just a few dollars more, the Pearl Harbor & Honolulu City Tour adds a brief tour through historic downtown Honolulu. While there are no changes to your Pearl Harbor itinerary, after you’ve explored the Visitor Center and paid your respects, you head out for an informative look at some of Honolulu's other historic sites.

The city tour includes a drive through the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl Crater, the final resting place for thousands of members from all branches of the American military. Before returning to Waikiki, the tour takes you to see the Hawaii State Capitol and Iolani Palace, the only royal palace on American soil. There's also a stop at the iconic King Kamehameha Statue, dedicated to the man who uited the Hawaiian Islands under his rule.

Remember Pearl Harbor - Arizona Memorial & Battleship Missouri

Battleship Missouri

Like the previous two tours, the Remember Pearl Harbor tour picks you up in Waikiki, takes you to the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, and includes tickets to the USS Arizona Memorial program. But it adds another of the centerpieces of Pearl Harbor: a tour of the Battleship Missouri.

Known affectionately as the Mighty Mo, the Battleship Missouri is now a museum ship open to the public. The guided tour takes you across the decks and other parts of the last battleship built by the US Navy, including the Surrender Deck, where Japan signed the official documents ending World War II.

The Battleship Missouri serves as a perfect counterpoint to the USS Arizona Memorial. Where one symbolizes the horror that accompanied the beginning of the war, the other marks the relief and triumph that came with its end.

The Remember Pearl Harbor tour also includes a drive through Punchbowl Crater and downtown Honolulu.