Hawaii Travel Podcast: Hawaii Travel Tips & Things to Do in Hawaii for Your Hawaii Vacation Planning | Hawaii’s Best Travel

7-Day Oahu Itinerary With Hidden Gems and Must-Do Stops

• Bryan Murphy — Certified Hawaii Travel Expert & Owner of Hawaii’s Best Travel | Hawaii Travel Podcast • Episode 208

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Are you trying to plan a 7 day Oahu itinerary and worried you’ll miss key spots or book things in the wrong order?

🌺 FREE 7-Day Oahu Itinerary PDF Guide

Oahu looks simple on a map, but planning a smooth week in 2026 takes more thought thanks to reservations, timing, and how the island actually flows.

👉 Hit play now to get a day by day plan that helps you see more, stress less, and avoid common planning mistakes.

If you’ve ever wondered how to build a realistic Oahu itinerary that balances must do sights with meaningful experiences, this episode is for you.

You’ll learn how to structure your days so the trip feels full, not rushed, and actually works on the ground.

In this episode of Hawaii’s Best Travel, we map out a complete 7 day Oahu itinerary so you can travel smarter and enjoy each part of the island.

👉In this episode, you will:

  • Learn how to plan each day from Waikiki to the North Shore and West Side without backtracking
  • Understand which activities now require reservations and how to plan around managed tourism
  • Get practical guidance on beaches, hikes, food stops, and cultural sites that fit together naturally

Scroll up ⬆️ and hit play now to build a 7 day Oahu itinerary that feels intentional, doable, and worth the trip.

🎧Related episodes:

🤓Chapters:

  • 1:38 Navigating the 2026 Reservation System
  • 3:14 Day 1: Arrival and Settling In
  • 4:42 Day 2: Cultural Grounding in Oahu
  • 7:04 Day 3: Exploring East Oahu
  • 10:35 Day 4: Adventures at Kualoa Ranch
  • 13:50 Day 5: North Shore Exploration
  • 18:47 Day 6: Relaxing on the West Side
  • 20:31 Day 7: Buffer Day and Final Thoughts
  • 21:31 Wrap-Up

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This Hawaii travel podcast is for travelers looking to plan a trip to Hawaii. Discover travel tips, itineraries, and traveling tips & hacks with guides to help you explore Hawaii. Whether you’re planning a Hawaii vacation to the islands, dreaming of a Hawaiian getaway, or visiting Honolulu, Maui, Kauai, Oahu, or Big Island we’ll help you travel with aloha.

Edge of the Ocean, Stick Figure (w/ permission)
Ukulele and Chill, Coby G (w/ permission)
Talk Story, Hawaiian Style Band (w/ permission)

208_7-Day Oahu Itinerary With Hidden Gems and Must-Do Stops


[00:00:00] Bryan Murphy: In this episode, you'll discover the ultimate seven day Oahu itinerary that takes you from the cultural heart of Honolulu to the legendary surf breaks of the North Shore and everywhere in between. Plus, you'll learn how to navigate the reservation system that's catching a lot of people off guard in 2026.

[00:00:23] Bryan Murphy: Loha and welcome to Hawaii's. Best of the podcast helping you plan an unforgettable trip to Hawaii. Here you'll get practical tips, local insights, and everything you need to plan an unforgettable trip. Loha and welcome back. My name is Brian, the owner and host of. Hawaii's best travel Today we are talking all about seven days on the beautiful island of Oahu, and we're not talking about the usual stuff.

[00:00:49] Bryan Murphy: We'll get into Waikiki Diamond head and, and all that stuff because that is important, especially if this is like your one and only trip to Oahu. Those are the things I would highly recommend that. You do, but we're gonna be building a real seven day itinerary that actually makes sense. That balances the big name spots with places that feel more authentic and flows naturally so you're not zigzagging all across the island like a crazy person.

[00:01:14] Bryan Murphy: But honestly, Oahu is kind of a weird. You've got Waikiki, Pearl Harbor, world's famous beaches, and you know all this stuff that you've seen a million times on Instagram, but it's also the cultural and political center of Hawaii home to most of the state's population, and a place with serious indigenous history and real environmental pressures.

[00:01:38] Bryan Murphy: Planning a trip in 2026 can definitely feel different if you have visited the islands before, even if it's just like two years ago. The islands have moved into what is called managed tourism, which basically means you need reservations for a lot more things than you used to in the past. So you can't just wing it anymore and you know, is it annoying?

[00:02:02] Bryan Murphy: Maybe kind of. But it's the reality now and honestly. The intent of these reservations are to help keep these places manageable without being completely overrun. So I'm gonna help you map out your whole week here, starting in Waikiki, in Honolulu, moving up to the Windward coast on the east side, hitting the north shore, and then wrapping around on the west side.

[00:02:24] Bryan Murphy: And this will flow naturally from urban to rural to country. Busy, quiet. And by the way, if you haven't planned a trip to Hawaii, you might wanna check out episode 1 32, link below. It's about planning your very first trip to the island of Oahu. It covers more foundational stuff that'll make this itinerary, I think, way easier to execute.

[00:02:47] Bryan Murphy: And this itinerary is kind of packed. It's kind of packed for my pace. We've done these. Packed itineraries before. We prefer not to do so packed, but if we were visiting Oahu for the first time and maybe. The last time. This is something that I think would be very satisfying. It's doable. It's a lot. So go at your own pace.

[00:03:12] Bryan Murphy: I'm gonna give you options throughout the day.

[00:03:14] Bryan Murphy: So we're gonna start with day number one, and that's arrival. You made it. You're flying into, we're gonna say you're staying in Honolulu, Waikiki area. That's just the majority of where people stay. This itinerary can work if you're staying on West Side where we usually stay, or if you're staying in North Shore at Turtle Bay.

[00:03:32] Bryan Murphy: Or the Ritz, wherever you're staying, this could work. But we're gonna base our home base in Honolulu. And maybe you're staying at the Outrigger or Moana, surf Rider or anywhere in, um, we've also have stayed at the, uh. Royal Hawaiian. That's nice. We really like that for when we're doing like a couple's getaway.

[00:03:55] Bryan Murphy: We're staying at the Royal Hawaiian, but honestly, you're just recovering from your flight. Maybe getting used to the new time zone, but don't overdo it. This is a great day to settle in. Walk Waikiki Beach, just. Feel the vibe of the place. Maybe grab dinner, a sunset dinner at Duke's. We love doing that.

[00:04:13] Bryan Murphy: Catching sunset right outside, right at Duke's and usually there's live music. And just let the island ease you in. You made it, you're here. And bonus, if you're there on a Friday, the Hilton often has fireworks that shoot over Waikiki and uh, you can check if it's happening that week. Definitely a nice bonus.

[00:04:35] Bryan Murphy: So rest just get used to being on ahu. So day two is where we really get started.

[00:04:42] Bryan Murphy: This is where I think we'll call like a cultural grounding day. It's a good day to kind of ease into your trip. And we're gonna start at Pearl Harbor. Now I think if you know anything about Hawaii, you probably have heard about Pearl Harbor.

[00:04:57] Bryan Murphy: It's really not a photo op spot, it's honestly a cemetery. And over 1100 sailors are still entombed in the USS Arizona, so it is sacred ground. The memorial grounds are free, but you'll want. To book a reservation, especially for the USS, uh, Arizona, you can go through, uh, the recreation.gov. There's a $1 reservation fee.

[00:05:22] Bryan Murphy: Also, there's no bags allowed, so not even like a small purse. There's bags storage on site. So just plan for that. But after Pearl Harbor, you got some options. To go even deeper, there's the Bishop Museum and that's like the real deal for Hawaiian and Polynesian history, educational, respectful. It's really comprehensive.

[00:05:46] Bryan Murphy: Another favorite is the Ani Palace, and that's the, that's the only palace in the us, which tells the story of Hawaii's monarchy before the 1893 illegal. Overthrow and if you wanna understand a little bit more about that history, about the overthrow, you can check that out at episode one 15 where I cover it in depth and I'm gonna link that below as well.

[00:06:09] Bryan Murphy: For dinner on day two, I wanna recommend something local, uh, trying out Helena's Hawaiian Kitchen, and you're gonna get some authentic local food there. Or maybe if you wanna check out some of the breweries and street art in Kaka aco. You can totally do that. The point is, you're building some context here.

[00:06:29] Bryan Murphy: Oahu isn't just a vacation backdrop, but it's a place I think you'll realize after day two. It's a place with deep roots and complicated stories and a complicated history. And another spot just to, uh, before I get to day three, just thinking Margaritas, Hawaii is off of Sheridan. Uh, we love that place.

[00:06:51] Bryan Murphy: We've had those, those guys on the podcast before. Yeah, it's a great spot for drinks. Great spot for food. Definitely highly recommend. And it's, it's kind of a, it's got a local vibe. A lot of locals go there. So day three. All right, let's go ahead.

[00:07:04] Bryan Murphy: Day three, we're gonna do, uh, east Oahu. We're gonna start early.

[00:07:09] Bryan Murphy: We're gonna do a diamond head hike, and then you need to get those reservations 30 days in advance. That's five bucks for entry. 10 for parking for non-residents only, and the park opens up at 6:00 AM So going early is smart. You know, day three, you're probably still gonna be waking up early due to the uh, time change.

[00:07:29] Bryan Murphy: But you wanna do diamond head early because you beat the heat. The lighting is better, better pitchers, and the views from the top are just. Stunning. And on a clear day, you can see the entire South Shore. So you did Diamondhead. It was epic. After Diamondhead, we're gonna be driving the East Oahu coastal loop.

[00:07:49] Bryan Murphy: So if you snag a reservation at Hahan Bay, that's amazing for this day. Maybe you're too tired from the hike, but it's all right. Day three is a good day to do some snorkeling. Hama Bay is like a world-class snorkeling spot. It's a protected marine preserve with incredible coral and fish and it, it's open Wednesday through Sunday and it costs 25 bucks for non-residents.

[00:08:15] Bryan Murphy: And that educational video that everybody has to watch before entering, it's actually worth paying attention to. Definitely don't just discount it. The goal is to try and protect this fragile. Ecosystem of Ha Bay. But if Hama Bay didn't work out or it's just too tough to get in, or if you're not wanting to do snorkeling, just you know, don't stress about it.

[00:08:39] Bryan Murphy: Keep going up the coast. Stop at Helona blowhole for a quick photo. We usually do this on our way over to Mokapu Lighthouse Trail, and if you bypass Diamond Head, ma Capu is another great hike. It's stroller friendly, it's paved all the way up. And in the wintertime, you may spot some humpback whales as they are migrating.

[00:09:03] Bryan Murphy: Next, we're gonna head over to Waimanalo Beach, one of the longest, most beautiful stretches of sand on the island, and that is followed by Kailua, the town and Lonnie Kai Beach. In the afternoon. But quick note, Lon Kai is a residential neighborhood. It's limited street parking. There's no public facilities, uh, and locals are trying to protect their community there.

[00:09:26] Bryan Murphy: So please be respectful. That's why we like Wyman Olive Beach better. It's the same beautiful, you know, beach views, but, uh, there's parking, there's facilities there. So up to you what you wanna do with that. But right now it's probably around lunchtime or you maybe wanna grab an early dinner. I would recommend Barefoot Beach Cafe and Wai Manolo or Ole Poi Factory.

[00:09:56] Bryan Murphy: Those are some good options over there. So this day is all about exploring the beautiful coastline of the east side of Oahu. Alright, and just so you know. Just because of time, I put together a PDF guide that goes into more details about these days and it gives more options, more than what I can do right now in this episode.

[00:10:17] Bryan Murphy: And I think for something like this, having it visual is important. So you can grab that free PD. In the first link in the show notes below that gives you this itinerary Plus with some more options and just some more details that I help with your planning.

[00:10:35] Bryan Murphy: So, day four, we're gonna head back over to the Winward side, but today we're gonna start at.

[00:10:41] Bryan Murphy: Kula Ranch, and this is a massive private nature reserve that's been, you know, in filming locations for Jurassic Park, the TV series loss, and a bunch of other films. And you can do a TV tours here, uh, horseback riding zip lines, or the Hollywood movie sites tour. It's, it's. Kind of touristy. Yeah. But it's legitimately beautiful and it's fun.

[00:11:06] Bryan Murphy: And if you're gonna do like one big adventure or tour that you pay for, I would highly recommend putting Klo Art Wrench on that list. But here's the thing, KLO Wrench, it's a, it's a blast and it's visually just incredible, but it's also important to recognize that. This land here has deep indigenous history that obviously predates Hollywood.

[00:11:32] Bryan Murphy: The ranch acknowledges this in a great way, but it's worth thinking about how we, I guess, interact with these landscapes. Are we just consuming the. Know, quote, Jurassic Valley experience, or are we also honoring the cultural significance of the Koola Mountain Range? Kula Ranch does a great job, I think, in answering those questions and being, um, mindful.

[00:11:58] Bryan Murphy: So after Koola Ranch, there's some options there. You got the Oma Lucia Botanical Garden. That is a free activity. They are currently closed. On Thursdays right now, and I'm not sure how long that's gonna go for, but that started in 2026. Typically, they're open every day, I believe at 8:00 AM Just double check them for, uh, when, when they open.

[00:12:22] Bryan Murphy: But this is a, whenever we're on the east side, this is a no brainer. We always stop at whole Maia Botanical Garden because it is free. Views are incredible. There's shades, so if it's hot, you can cool off. You can do a picnic there or whatever. Would recommend definitely going to the botanical gardens. But if you're feeling active and you're up for it, maybe you want to tackle the Lon Kai Pillbox hike in the afternoon.

[00:12:49] Bryan Murphy: It's moderately difficult, but there's great views. Or maybe you wanna rent kayaks in Kailua and paddle out to the Moua Islands. These are these two little offshore islets that are. Gorgeous. You've probably seen 'em in pictures. If you're driving up the coast, you'll see 'em, you'll recognize 'em. It's just a beautiful backdrop, but you can kayak to one of those, which is pretty cool, but you wanna make sure that you pick a day that isn't too rough.

[00:13:16] Bryan Murphy: My wife did it one time and it was super windy, super choppy. So getting over the surf with the kayak, that was a challenge. Depending on the weather, it could be a nice relaxing journey over to the eyelets. And by the way, I did do a, a full deep dive on exploring this area of the island, the east side in one day.

[00:13:39] Bryan Murphy: So maybe you want to check out episode 30. I did that with local photographer Heather Ayenga, and she walks through the entire Windward coast from sunrise to sunset.

[00:13:50] Bryan Murphy: Alright, day number five, we're gonna do some North Shore exploring. And you need a rental car for this. So if you are staying in Waikiki.

[00:13:59] Bryan Murphy: Definitely you wanna rent a car for this day. The bus can technically get you there, but it'll eat hours of your day. So definitely wanna rent a car. If you want to explore the North Shore, or if you want to get fancy, maybe consider staying overnight on the North Shore, turtle Bay, Ritz Carlton, the Courtyard.

[00:14:19] Bryan Murphy: That's more a vibe. We've, we've done the courtyard before. It's a, it's a great spot. We, we were able to do it with three young kids at the time. It was a little crammed, but we just did one night there at. The courtyard, but the vibe shift from Waikiki to the North Shore, it's huge. It, you're moving from urban density to rural surf culture and it's worth doing and soaking it in and just going with the vibe and, and pace of the North Shore and.

[00:14:47] Bryan Murphy: In the wintertime, it, this is where you can see those huge ginormous waves. If you happen to be going during the wintertime, you're, you can see that in person. You know, I would start off in Hava, it's the historic surf town up there. Maybe grab breakfast, browse some, the local shops and art galleries there.

[00:15:07] Bryan Murphy: It's, uh, you, you just feel the laid back vibe and the energy. Of the, uh, north Shore. Then I would recommend heading to Y MEA Valley. It's a botanical garden and a beautiful waterfall that you can swim under. It is paid to get in, but it's uh, it's definitely worth it. We actually. I have the executive director on the podcast and I'll link that below as well.

[00:15:31] Bryan Murphy: A quick safety note here is if you do have any open cuts or wounds, definitely skip the swimming. There is a risk of bacterial infection. I'm not a doctor. But you know, at your own wrist, if you have any open wounds or cuts, I'd recommend not doing that. Alright, next is Lanny Akea Beach, where Hawaiian sea turtles or nu come rest ashore and you'll probably see them, they'll be on the sand, but you wanna definitely keep your distance.

[00:16:01] Bryan Murphy: That's the law. These are endangered animals, but so beautiful and uh, great to get pictures from a distance and just. But you'll, you're almost guaranteed to see Green Sea Turtles. Lon Akea Beach for lunch. Maybe you want to hit up one of the food trucks up there. We like surfing salsa. Lot of people want to go up there and try Giovanni's Shrimp truck.

[00:16:27] Bryan Murphy: It's good. I've had a few times. You know, it's not my favorite, honestly, but that's just my own personal. This is why you're, hopefully you listen to the podcast, try to give you my honest opinion, but Giovanni's is good. But, um, if I'm up on the North Shore, there's a couple spots that I like to go to instead.

[00:16:46] Bryan Murphy: Surfing, salsa being one of those. And if we want to get fancy, we like the beach house up there. It's a great sit down right across the street from the beach. And just good vibes, good drinks, too. So your afternoon really depends on the season, whenever you're traveling in, in the winter, November through February-ish, the North Shore is the epicenter of big wave surfing from Sunset Beach, bonsai Pipeline, Waimea Bay.

[00:17:14] Bryan Murphy: There might be some. Surf competitions going on. Always definitely check traffic, especially during the wintertime if you're planning on visiting the North Shore. But these spots get massive waves and you can watch professional surfers absolutely doing crazy, wild things. Just cool to watch it. Safely from the shore.

[00:17:36] Bryan Murphy: But if you're traveling in the summertime, those same beaches are calm, they're swimmable, and they're perfect for snorkeling at places like Sharks Cove. And if you do Sharks Cove, definitely hit up our friends over at Sunrise Shack for a good after snorkeling treat. Now, on your way back, you can stop at the Dole Plantation and yeah, it's touristy and, but.

[00:18:01] Bryan Murphy: You know, it's a good bathroom stop for sure. But if you got young kids, it's cool to do, you know, doing the train. It's a nostalgic piece of ahoo tourism. We, we still do the whole plantation. We actually just the whole plantation a couple weeks ago and we did the whole train ride. Dull whip. It's good. Just be prepared if you have kids to say no a lot because it is a huge store of just e everything you can think of.

[00:18:29] Bryan Murphy: So if you want more North Shore recommendations, you can check out episode 180 1, where I cover top best local restaurants on Oahu. That includes several North Shore spots, some we didn't talk about today. Day six. We gotta hurry up here.

[00:18:47] Bryan Murphy: We're heading to the west side, west side. Best side especially, this is the dry, sunny side of the island and it's, it's got these four protective lagoons that are perfect for families, calm, swimming, and paddle boarding.

[00:19:01] Bryan Murphy: However, just note that there are no lifeguards on duty at any of these lagoons. But you can visit Disney, the Alani Resort right there, monkey Pie kitchen. Our favorite is it's solid. Best ma HAIs. I'm also working on a ma Thai copycat recipe that I think I have got down pretty good, so definitely wanna.

[00:19:27] Bryan Murphy: Watch the blog, Hawaii's best travel.com for when that gets posted. But if you're feeling adventurous, you can drive all the way out to Yokohama Bay, and that's the end of the road on the West Coast. It's remote, it's rugged, no cell service, very uh, local. There's a spot also to eat out there on your way back in, it's called pineapples.

[00:19:52] Bryan Murphy: We ate there one time and definitely would wanna go back for sure, but by late afternoon, let's head back to Waikiki for your final night. Head back, maybe have a relaxing dinner at Duke's or Maui Brewing, or I guess Cheesecake Factory. But. When you're on Oahu or any of the islands, just, you know, try to do your best to not eat at those chain restaurants, especially if you have those chain restaurants back at home.

[00:20:21] Bryan Murphy: You wanna definitely head up some of the spots that you can only get on island, but we're gonna, we're wind down. This is our last sunset, right? So we're gonna catch the last sunset. Take it all in.

[00:20:31] Bryan Murphy: But day seven, it's kind of a wild curve. What I mean by that, it's, it's kind of your buffer day. It's kind of your catch up on what you Ms.

[00:20:37] Bryan Murphy: Day. Maybe it's your travel day, maybe you got a red eye that night, or you're leaving early on day eight, whatever that is, but. Day seven can be a day to just maybe do the things recommend not traveling too far across the island, but maybe if you wanted to do Han Bay in the morning or maybe do Elana Palace or Bishop Museum if you didn't do it yet, this is a good day to do that.

[00:21:04] Bryan Murphy: Or it could be you're packing and you're getting ready to go home, but whatever, whatever that is, take the morning in, maybe just do a slow morning. We like doing our last day a, a slow morning right there in Waikiki. You got Island Vintage Coffee. We love going to Island Vintage, especially like one of our last days getting their, um, Kona Mocha.

[00:21:26] Bryan Murphy: Yeah, I think that's what it is. So good. But I hope your trip was amazing.

[00:21:31] Bryan Murphy: That's seven days packed from historical to adventurous to the urban to country. And if you want more detail, I go into that. You know, specific restaurant recommendations, exact driving. Directions, backup plans. For each day, I've put together a free PDF guide that goes along with this episode, and it's available in the first link in the show notes below, and it's got everything you need to actually execute this itinerary.

[00:22:01] Bryan Murphy: And if you want help customizing this itinerary for your specific trip, maybe you're traveling with kids or you want to focus more on food, or you have. You know, accessibility considerations. I offer one-on-one planning consultations, and I also included that link below. But we can build something that fits exactly what you're looking for for your trip, so you can schedule that, uh, in the link below as well.

[00:22:26] Bryan Murphy: So things, again, for listening all the way to the end. And if you did. I think that means we just became best friends. And so until next time, my friend as always live with Aloha

[00:22:42] Bryan Murphy: Mala for listening to this episode of Hawaii's. Best to stay up to date on future episodes. Hit follow on your podcast app. Hawaii's Best is a production of Shore break media group with editing by easy podcast solutions and music courtesy of our friends stick figure.


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