What is the Honolulu self-guided walking tour?
The Honolulu self-guided walking tour is a narrated tour with your phone in place of a guide: in the World City Trail app you follow a route on the map and, at each stop, hear the history, legends and odd facts of the place, with no group to keep up with and no departure time. Count on roughly 3 hours overall, 37 minutes of it on foot, across 2.7 km and 10 stops. The walk stays within the old civic district, where the buildings of the Hawaiian Kingdom stand a few minutes from the offices of the modern state.
At Saint Andrew's the narration explains how a French Gothic cathedral came to be shipped from England in prefabricated pieces. At the Hawaii State Capitol you learn to read the building: columns shaped like royal palms, two chambers that recall volcanoes and a pool standing for the Pacific. ʻIolani Palace brings the story of King Kalākaua and the overthrow of the monarchy in 1893, Kawaiahaʻo Church the coral stone it was built from and the kings who swore their oaths there, and the hula dancer by Aloha Tower takes her name from a song by Queen Liliʻuokalani.
- Durationabout 3 hours
- Walkingabout 37 min · 2.7 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish
How the walk unfolds
Listen on the spot
Each stop opens its own chapter as you arrive: the people behind the building, the events it witnessed, a legend or two and a small detail to look out for. Every chapter can also be read on screen.
Follow the map
Each leg to the next stop is drawn in Google Maps. The whole route is 2.7 km, roughly 37 minutes of walking at a normal pace.
Stop when you want
Coffee, lunch, a museum you had not planned on: the app remembers where you stopped, and you pick up the thread later that day or on a different one.
Eat and shop nearby
Along the way the app suggests places to eat and local shops. You can also start at a different stop or change the order of the route.
See the route and attractions →
How it works
- Book online Choose the number of people. Your booking reference arrives by email straight away.
- Get the app Download the World City Trail app from the App Store or Google Play and enter your booking reference.
- Walk when you like Start whenever you are ready, walk at your own pace and pause any time. No guide, no fixed schedule.
Who enjoys it most
Curious minds
Who built it, why it stands there, what the name means: the narration answers the questions a street corner raises.
Families and couples
Children get the legends, adults get the history, and nobody has to rush.
Return visitors
Streets you thought you knew gain a past once you hear what happened in them.
Good to know
- Bring a charged smartphone with mobile data; a power bank helps.
- No entry tickets needed: everything happens outside the buildings. Going inside is optional and paid separately.
- Family friendly; children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Not suitable for wheelchair users and difficult with strollers.
- Groups of up to 5 work best; larger groups split up, one ticket per person.
- Every purchase helps support stray cats and dogs in Greece.
From the cathedral to the harbour: the route
10 stops · about 37 min walking · start: Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew · finish: Aloha Tower
The first stop is the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew, whose cornerstone was laid in 1867. From there you walk to Capitol Modern, the state art museum, and on to the Hawaii State Capitol and ʻIolani Palace. Honolulu Hale (City Hall) and Kawaiahaʻo Church come next, then the King Kamehameha Statue in front of Aliʻiōlani Hale. The route ends by the water with the Aloha ʻOe hula dancer statue and Aloha Tower, for four decades the island's tallest building. You can reorder the stops in the app, and none of them needs an entry ticket.
Open the route map ↗
1Cathedral Church of Saint AndrewStart
The Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew is the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of Hawaii, begun under King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma. Its cornerstone was laid in 1867 by Kamehameha V, and London architects designed the French Gothic building, which was shipped from England in prefabricated pieces and consecrated in 1902.
2Capitol Modern
Capitol Modern, the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum, is on the second floor of the Capitol District Building in downtown Honolulu. Dedicated in 1928 in Spanish Mission style, the building stands on the site of Hawaii's first hotel, which opened in 1872.
3Hawaii State Capitol
Completed in 1969, the State Capitol was designed by Belt, Lemmon and Lo with John Carl Warnecke and Associates. Its perimeter columns are shaped like royal palm trees, the two cone-shaped chambers recall volcanoes, and the reflecting pool around the building stands for the Pacific Ocean.
4ʻIolani Palace
King Kalākaua had ʻIolani Palace built, with its cornerstone laid in 1879 and the building completed in 1882. It is the only royal palace in the United States, and it served as the seat of government until the monarchy was overthrown in 1893.
5Honolulu Hale (City Hall)
Honolulu Hale, the city hall, was completed in 1928, and its inner courtyard, staircase and open ceiling were modelled on the Bargello in Florence. It is the seat of the city and county government of Honolulu.
6Kawaiahaʻo Church
Built of coral stone between 1836 and 1842, Kawaiahaʻo Church is popularly known as Hawaiʻi's Westminster Abbey. Kings of the Hawaiian Kingdom took their oaths of office there, and King Lunalilo is buried in a crypt near its front courtyard.
7King Kamehameha Statue
The statue of King Kamehameha I, who unified the Hawaiian Islands, was sculpted by Thomas Ridgeway Gould. It was erected in 1883 in front of Aliʻiōlani Hale.
Read the full story →
8Aliʻiōlani Hale
Aliʻiōlani Hale received its cornerstone in 1872, and from 1874 it housed the government offices, the legislature and the courts of the Kingdom of Hawaii. The Kamehameha statue stands in front of the building.
9Aloha ʻOe hula dancer statue
The bronze statue Aloha ʻOe shows a hula dancer and stands in front of Aloha Tower, near the entrance to the Aloha Tower Marketplace. It was commissioned in 1994 and made by Pegge Hopper of Honolulu and Leo Rijn of Los Angeles, and its name comes from the song by Queen Liliʻuokalani.
10Aloha TowerFinish
Completed in 1926, Aloha Tower stood 184 feet tall and was the island's tallest building for four decades. Its lighthouse served as a navigation landmark for ships, and its clock was one of the largest in the United States.
Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.