7 Days: Honolulu and the Neighbor Islands

7 Days: Honolulu and the Neighbor Islands

Seven days is the version that earns two neighbor islands instead of one, and it is genuinely ambitious, not a relaxed week. Three nights on Oahu cover Waikiki, Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head and Hanauma Bay, a 35-minute flight puts you on Maui for Road to Hana, then a further 40-minute hop lands you on the Big Island for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park before flying back through Honolulu. If a slower pace matters more than a second island, the 6-day version , which gives Maui two full days instead, is the better trip. Full planning notes live in the Honolulu island-hopping guide .

Book these before you go

Day 1: Land and settle into Waikiki

This is a domestic flight even from the far side of the mainland, no passport, no customs, just long: San Francisco runs about 5 hours 36 minutes, Los Angeles 5.5 to 6.25 hours. TheBus routes 20 and 303 reach Waikiki from HNL in 45-60 minutes for a $3 HOLO fare, or budget $35-50 for a rideshare. Check in, note the resort fee on your folio (commonly $45-61 a night), and keep night one light, six travel-heavy days follow.

Day 2: Pearl Harbor in the morning, Diamond Head in the afternoon

Take an early Pearl Harbor slot, a rideshare or TheBus 20 gets you there in 30-40 minutes; arrive an hour ahead for the 45-minute USS Arizona Memorial program. By early afternoon, hike Diamond Head State Monument , a steep 0.8-mile, 1.5-2 hour round trip with last trail entry at 4:30pm.

Day 3: Hanauma Bay at opening, then Ala Moana

Arrive close to the 6:45am opening, last entry is 1:30pm and the preserve closes Monday and Tuesday for reef recovery. Rinse off and spend the afternoon at Ala Moana Center or Ala Moana Regional Park, a flat 20-30 minute walk from Waikiki. Pack for Maui tonight.

Day 4: Fly to Maui, settle in, afternoon at the beach

The Honolulu-to-Kahului hop runs about 35 minutes on Hawaiian Airlines or Southwest. Pick up your rental car at Kahului Airport right away, Maui has nowhere near Oahu’s bus coverage. Check into Kihei or Lahaina and spend the afternoon at a calm south-side beach.

Day 5: Road to Hana

Leave by 7am for the Hana Highway’s 620 curves and 59 bridges over roughly 52 miles, Waianapanapa State Park’s black sand beach is the one stop not worth skipping. Book a guided Road to Hana tour if you would rather not drive it. Return to Kihei or Lahaina for the night, tomorrow you are changing islands again.

Day 6: Fly to the Big Island, afternoon in the park

Return your rental car at Kahului and fly to Hilo, roughly 40 minutes, the closer of the Big Island’s two airports to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park at about 45 minutes’ drive (Kona, the resort side, is a further 2 to 2.5 hours from the park, skip it on this itinerary). Check in near Hilo or Volcano Village, then spend the afternoon in the park: steam vents near the visitor center, the Kilauea Iki crater overlook, and Thurston Lava Tube if it is open, closures shift with volcanic activity so check current alerts before you drive out.

Day 7: Second half of the park, then fly home through Honolulu

Catch a second look at whichever overlook impressed you most, or drive out to Punaluu Black Sand Beach if you would rather see green sea turtles than more crater rim. By afternoon, fly Hilo to Honolulu, roughly 50 minutes, and connect to your mainland flight from HNL that evening. This is a two-flight travel day, budget real buffer time between the inter-island leg and your mainland connection.

Is three islands in one week actually a good idea?

It is doable, and it is a lot. Every transfer day (day 4 and day 6 here) is a half-lost sightseeing day, so this trip suits travelers who want a genuine sampler of Oahu, Maui and the Big Island over one who wants to relax on any single one of them. If depth matters more than breadth, the 6-day version , which spends the whole trip on Oahu and Maui, is the better call.

Why the Big Island and not Kauai for the second neighbor island?

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is the one Hawaii landscape genuinely unlike anything on Oahu or Maui, active lava features included. Kauai’s Na Pali Coast is the more common second-island pick and arguably the better scenery for less driving, a Na Pali catamaran tour is worth swapping in for day 6-7 if volcanoes interest you less than sea cliffs.

At a glance

Day Distance / travel time Focus
1 HNL to Waikiki, 9 mi / 20-30 min drive Arrival, settle in, sunset on Waikiki Beach
2 Waikiki to Pearl Harbor ~12 mi / 30-40 min; to Diamond Head ~3 mi / 10 min Pearl Harbor morning, Diamond Head afternoon
3 Waikiki to Hanauma Bay ~10 mi / 25-30 min Hanauma Bay at opening, Ala Moana afternoon
4 Honolulu to Kahului, Maui, 35 min flight Settle into Maui, afternoon beach
5 Kahului to Hana and back, ~104 mi round trip Road to Hana
6 Kahului to Hilo, Big Island, ~40 min flight Fly out, afternoon in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
7 Park to Hilo Airport ~45 min; Hilo to Honolulu, ~50 min flight Second park look or black sand beach, fly home

Screenshot every reservation confirmation before day 6, cell service and wifi both thin out around the volcano side of the Big Island.