Oahu Guide2025 Visitor Guide

Oahu Visitor Guides

Choose between our Oahu Introduction Guide and our more detailed Oahu Essential Guide

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2025 Oahu Travel Guides

When to Visit... Weather, and more...

VISITOR GUIDES to the GATHERING PLACE

ONE REMARKABLE EXPERIENCE!

Get Your Free Oahu Starter Guide (Limited Time) + Unlock the Full Experience with Our Essential Edition

Don't miss out on our 20+ years of inside Oahu knowledge, tips, and recommendations

We've included a lot of pertinent information for Oahu that should help you plan the perfect trip! Our two Oahu guides are updated twice a year (or more) to ensure they're entirely up to date with the latest Oahu details and information.

Below, we'll review in more detail what our updated Oahu Travel planners include. You can also click here to compare all of our Visitor Guides.

"I purchased some of the Hawaii Guides last spring. The guides have been helpful. I really appreciate the tips to enhance our visit. Mahalo and keep up the great work!"

Ralph M.

Premium Oahu Guides

2025 Oahu Travel Guide & Visitor Planner

These new Oahu guides contain dozens of pages of pertinent travel information to assist in planning your perfect Hawaii trip. There's lots of good Oahu information, maps, weather charts, hotel pricing graphics, and more—ideal for those planning their trip to Oahu.

These visitor guides also have NO third-party advertisements or paid product placements. They are ad-freebeautifully designed, and perfectly curated for quick access on your trip. Our guides package the best of our website into a streamlined, ad-free, printable format for your ultimate convenience.

Get Your Insider Guide to Oahu Now

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Highlights Guide

$8.95
Ad-free
Oahu Highlights Visitor Guide

Essential Guide

From $16.95
Ad-free
Oahu Essential Visitor Guide
Our Visitor Guides & Maps are provided in two formats:

'Digital Guide' is a PDF Download delivered immediately on the purchase confirmation screen and via email immediately after purchase. This version is designed for use on your computer, iPhone, iPad, Android, or any other tablet. You can also optionally print the document on standard 8.5x11 paper. No physical copies will be mailed as this variant is a digital file only.

'Printed Guide' is a Physical Copy printed on demand by our printing partner, Lulu, and shipped to you, typically arriving within 10-15 days. A complimentary copy of the digital guide is provided on the checkout confirmation screen. Please select the proper shipping speed during checkout, as we cannot adjust the shipping speed after you complete your purchase.

"We are just finishing our 17-day trip to Oahu/Big Island. We wanted to THANK YOU for your helpful suggestions and insights. We had a safe and fulfilling time."

Dave K.
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Visitor Guide F.A.Q.

  Why choose this guide over free online information?

While free information is abundant online, it’s often scattered, outdated, or influenced by sponsorships. Our Visitor Guides provide clear, accurate, unbiased recommendations curated by independent Hawaii travel experts. We’ve distilled over 20 years of local knowledge, genuine traveler feedback, and continuous on-the-ground updates into one convenient resource—saving you countless hours of research and ensuring you get the most out of your trip to Hawaii.

  Who created these guides, and why should I trust them?

These guides were created by John & Victoria Derrick, the independent owners of HawaiiGuide.com—the second most visited Hawaii travel website behind only GoHawaii.com. With over two decades dedicated to exploring, photographing, and writing about the Hawaiian Islands, they’ve personally experienced Hawaii’s best (and worst), carefully documenting it all. Unlike corporate-owned sites, they maintain complete independence, meaning recommendations are always unbiased, honest, and crafted from genuine expertise.

  Is this guide regularly updated?

Absolutely! Our Visitor Guides are reviewed and updated by our team at least twice a year—often more frequently for digital editions. We’re committed to ensuring our visitors always have the latest information, whether it’s new attractions, updated maps, safety tips, or current local insights. With this guide, you’re never stuck with outdated or incorrect information, ensuring your Hawaii vacation is seamless from start to finish.

  Is this guide unbiased and ad-free?

Yes! Our Visitor Guides are completely ad-free and independent. Unlike other websites or guides funded by advertisers, our recommendations are driven solely by what’s best for travelers—not sponsors. Creators John and Victoria Derrick have personally explored and evaluated the Hawaiian Islands for over two decades, ensuring honest, unbiased insights you can trust.

  How does this guide compare to the official Hawaii visitor guide?

Unlike the official visitor guide, which is now available only digitally and filled with numerous advertisements—often occupying half or even full pages—our Visitor Guides are entirely ad-free. Official guides typically have frequent commercial interruptions, making it harder to quickly find useful, trustworthy information. Our independently created guides prioritize clear, unbiased advice without distractions. Because we're not funded by advertisers, you can rely on our honest and straightforward recommendations, ensuring your trip planning remains stress-free and focused.

  What makes your recommendations independent and unbiased?

We’re committed to maintaining our independence because it's essential to providing genuine, trustworthy advice. Many other guides rely heavily on advertising revenue, which inevitably influences their content. We refuse ads entirely, ensuring our recommendations come solely from direct experience, traveler feedback, and expert insights. When we suggest a location, activity, or accommodation, it's because we've personally verified its value—not because someone paid us to promote it.

  How can this guide save me time?

Free online resources and AI (especially AI) often require extensive searching, fact-checking, and cross-referencing. Our Visitor Guides eliminate this hassle. We've done all the legwork, organizing 20+ years of Hawaii travel experience into an easy-to-follow format. With accurate, carefully curated, and regularly updated information at your fingertips, you can confidently plan your trip faster, without second-guessing or endless scrolling through conflicting online advice. Save yourself 10 hours of searching with our expert advice.

  What type of information will I find in this guide that I might not easily discover elsewhere?

Beyond standard tourist spots, our guides offer insightful local tips, lesser-known gems, detailed safety recommendations, updated maps, and practical advice tailored to genuine traveler experiences. We highlight valuable insights that other sources might overlook, ensuring your Hawaii vacation is uniquely enriching and hassle-free.

Visitor Guide Comparison

2025 Hawaii Travel Guides

Feature Intro (Lite) Highlights Essential
Packing Tips
Weather & Climate
Best Time... FAQ
Regions Guide
When to Visit
Local Food/Eats
Top Attractions 5 9 11
Road/Beach Maps
Tours & Activities
Rental Car Tips
Where to Stay
Region Maps
Digital Option Online PDF PDF
Printed Option
  Free $8.95 $16.95
 

Free Starter Oahu Visitor Guide

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View your FREE intro copy today and take advantage of our destination expert's Hawaii insights. This free travel guide contains pertinent Oahu travel information to assist in planning your perfect Hawaii trip.

Upgrade to one of our premium Oahu guides to unlock even more valuable Hawaii travel insights; more information is below.

Oahu Intro Visitor Guide
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Where to Stay on Oahu Guide

Oahu is a destination that attracts a unique mix of tourists from all over the world. There are resorts and hotels all over the island, but there are also many free-standing hotels and vacation rentals, which allow you to choose from a wide range of accommodations. We provide a list of these top favorable destinations according to popularity.

We've also included a list (with links) of our favorite Oahu hotels and those we recommend to visitors like yourself.

Our Where to Stay guide will highlight the best places to stay on Oahu and the best parts of Oahu, especially Waikiki. Oahu offers several favorable areas for different types of vacationers.

Details on Oahu's Weather & Climate plus When to Visit

Know what you're likely to experience weather-wise on your trip by reading through our Hawaii Weather summary. Our weather information additionally includes a rainfall map, a precipitation chart (for each month of the year), and a high/low-temperature graph/chart so you can plan accordingly for your trip.

Wondering what the hotel prices will be during the weeks of your visit? Look no further; we've got you covered with our Oahu Hotel Price averages graphic that provides insight into what pricing you can expect at different times throughout the year.

We've also covered the Best Time to Visit, including a graph showing the monthly visitor statistics for the island.

BEST TIME to... Oahu FAQ

When is the best time for good weather? How about when to avoid crowds? Or when exactly is the best time to book your trip to Oahu? We've covered each of these questions and several others in our Best Time to.... Oahu FAQ.

Discover which time of the year is the best time to visit for local festivals and events or when hiking conditions are prime for hitting Oahu's incredible plethora of trails. We've also covered when to go whale watching, take a Hawaii cruise, and much more.

Detailed Overview of Oahu's Regions

Learn more about each of the regions on Oahu in our detailed region section.

This section covers the basic geography of the island, the top attractions within each region, along with tips on the best nearby attractions.

Top Local Grindz - Best Eats

Sun, sand, and surf are not all Hawaii is known for. Sure, we travel to islands for a relaxing time that will incorporate all these things, but you gotta eat too, right? Hawaii certainly doesn’t let us down on that issue. Hawaii, and Oahu more specifically, offers some of the best culinary experiences in the world.

In this section, we cover some of our favorite places for authentic Hawaii food, the best 'ono grindz (delicious food) that can be found on the island.

Oahu Road & Beach Maps + more

Our travel guides wouldn't be complete without detailed Oahu Road Maps. For this updated planner, we've added a bonus road map for each area of significance on the island.

We've additionally included Beach Maps, so you can quickly and easily determine which beaches are best to visit during your trip, not to mention which are closest to your Oahu resort or hotel.

For our Oahu Essentials Guide, we've included several bonus regional maps to help provide more insight into Oahu's most popular areas.

Discover Oahu's Top Attractions

We've covered the top attractions on Oahu in detail, including how to visit them and where each attraction is located on the island.

Photos and details are provided for each top attraction, so you can quickly decide which sights, beaches, and/or hiking trails are best for you during your visit.

Oahu's Top Tours & Activities Suggestions

As the most populous and iconic island in the Hawaiian archipelago, Oahu offers a wide range of experiences for travelers.

Name an activity or tour, and you can likely book it on Oahu: hiking, whale watching, surfing, paddle boarding, ziplining, horseback riding... the possibilities are seemingly endless. 

To this end, we have carefully handpicked several Oahu Tours and Adventures that we highly recommend.

Oahu Rental Car Tips & Recommendations

Renting a car on Oahu just may be the best way to see the island's incredibly diverse and impressive scenery on your terms.

Whether you're visiting Oahu and need an economy car, full-size car, truck, luxury car, or convertible, we can help you find exactly what you need.

Explore our rental tips & recommendations, including where visitors should book their rentals for the best Oahu vehicle rental rates.

Select a Oahu Travel Guide

Highlights Guide

- 20 Pages -
Updated 2023 Hawaii Visitor Guide Image

Oahu Essential Guide

- 50+ Pages -
Oahu Essential Travel Guide

Our Hawaii Travel Guides

Island Highlights Visitor Planners

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