Advertisement
Waikiki Aquarium

Waikiki Aquarium

Waikiki Aquarium
4
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Learn about sea life in Hawaii here.
Duration: 1-2 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.

Top ways to experience Waikiki Aquarium and nearby attractions

The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Diamond Head - Kapahulu - St. Louis
Reach out directly
See what travellers are saying
  • AsherP0403
    Bloomington, Illinois21 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Meh. Just okay, maybe.
    Not sure how this would ever take one hour let alone two. It’s certainly not worth $12. Though learning about the coral reefs and ecosystems was interesting, the featured marine life was okay. I’ve seen much better at other aquariums for about the same price. No seals. No octopus. Seems those areas were under construction. The most interesting marine life was jellyfish species. Not worth time or money.
    Visited November 2023
    Travelled with friends
    Written 2 November 2023
  • Dawnrosemary
    Corona, California173 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Take a break from the heat and spend some time with cool fish.
    Quaint aquarium that allows you to take your time and and get up close to many species of fish. This aquarium does a lot of reef conservation and helps with regrowth. Unfortunately, the Monk Seal was in San Diego at the time of my visit. At this time the enclosure was closed for refurbishment. They did have a large outdoor aquarium for viewing, the rest of the environment is inside with great A/C. The week I was there temps were in the high 80’s, the indoor environment was what I needed for a hot and humid day. I spent 90 min here. Great price…$12
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled solo
    Written 12 November 2023
  • plaidbagel
    Walla Walla, Washington1,006 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    An hour's worth of entertainment.
    We spent about an hour here. We got out of the rain so happy we were mostly inside and enjoyed walking around but when we went outside, we realized there was nothing out there as it was being worked on. Bummer! They take your picture and try and get you to buy a book. We did end up buying it as a souvenir as you also got the digital pics. But one of the pics was with the seal that is no longer there. My kiddo did enjoy it and there were many fish we hadn't seen before. Worth it if it's a walk from your hotel or to get out of the rain or sun.
    Visited December 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 4 January 2024
  • Christine K
    4 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fun little aquarium
    We were looking for fun things to do with kids on a rainy day in Waikiki Beach and found this aquarium. We were able to walk here from our hotel (with kids aged 13 and 7 and one adult with a broken foot). The aquarium was small but had lots of cool exhibits including seahorses, sharks, octopi, jellyfish, stingrays, sea urchins, turtles, tropical fish, coral, and more. The seal exhibit was closed but we were lucky enough to see one in the wild basking in the sun days before, so we weren’t disappointed. Staff members were friendly and answered a lot of questions from my curious 7 year old. We spent an hour or two here and had a nice visit.
    Visited January 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 20 January 2024
  • H P N
    Zebulon, North Carolina131 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nice little aquarium
    It is a nice little aquarium. There are quite a few different tanks and type of fish, although the seals are still missing. I would say tops is to spend an hour there, and probably best aimed at younger children.
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 15 February 2024
  • Dchoch
    Lewisville, Texas71 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Really nice small aquarium
    We knew by the reviews that this was a small aquarium so we were able to enjoy with that I mind. It is a really nice aquarium. The collection is good, the information is interesting. I would recommend taking a little of your time to visit. We didn’t have children but still enjoyed it.
    Visited April 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 8 April 2024
  • William R
    4 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    WAIKIKI AQUARIUM - a wonderful place to visit, especially on a warm Waikiki day! Great place for young famalies.
    We had a very nice aquarium visit. It was a 1.4 mile stroll from EMBASSY SUITES, 201 Beachwalk St in Waikiki. The entry fee was very reasonable & the staff very polite & knowledgeable about the variuos exhibitions. The visit lasted about 1.5 hours & we got to see a lot of sea life & sea life that is relevant to Hawaii.
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 2 May 2024
  • GillJezz
    Aberystwyth, United Kingdom539 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Informative and well set out
    We walked here from our hotel along the seafront and through the park. There was very little else of interest in Waikiki to be honest, with its overcrowded beach, sky high prices and hideous architecture. However, this was extremely good. We've been to bigger aquariums but this was probably the most informative. The conservation work these people are supporting is impressive too. Recommended.
    Visited March 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 6 May 2024
  • h_e_tompkins
    Round Rock, Texas55 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Rainy day option
    Because we arrived on the island during a very rainy period, we chose to do an indoor activity. The aquarium is very small but contains some very nice displays. I would skip it if the weather had allowed, but as a backup plan it worked to entertain our little kids for about an hour.
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 23 May 2024
  • BrooklynRider
    142 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Small aquarium but an excellent diversion from beach for a couple of hours. Easily walkable from Waikiki.
    We visits the aquarium one morning before headed to the beach. This is a very small aquarium and took us about 1.5 hours to see it all. The indoor exhibits were excellent and well curated with sea life endemic to Hawai’i. The docents were engaging and very knowledgeable from sea life to Hawai’i geology. Sadly, monk seals were not on display. We (2 adults) paid $12 each, so it is a relatively inexpensive, easy to walk to attraction. The aquarium has some upgrades to exhibits planned, but other than monk seals all of the tanks had gorgeous creatures. Take a break from the beach for this lovely diversion. While the zoo is antiquated and in urgent need of upgrades (the fantastic potential is untapped at this time), this is the opposite. Two thumbs up.
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 25 June 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles1,845 reviews
Excellent
570
Very good
674
Average
450
Poor
121
Terrible
30

sabrinak136
New Orleans, LA1,499 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
July 2021 • Family
It was our last day in Waikiki and we definitely needed to use up some time prior to arriving at the airport so the Waikiki Aquarium became the place to spend our remaining time. The Waikiki Aquarium was an excellent price, a mere $17.00 for one adult and one child; however, if you have not had an opportunity to snorkel this aquarium provides an amazing example of the underwater world of Hawaii. Also, there is an app that allows you to download an audio guide which provides specific information about each area. There are many beautiful coral and fish exhibits however, my favorite fish to see was the Hawaiian state fish: Humuhumunukunukuapua. The fish were so vibrant and absolutely beautiful which made for a happy day despite our imminent departure. Please note that there is only a vending machine for food but there is a nice outdoor area to enjoy snacks. Also, Barefoot Cafe is about 5min. walk. Also, they do take photos upon entering and you have the opportunity to purchase a book for $36.00 which supports the aquarium. The book has great information about the fish etc. and you can download the photos as well. Waikiki Aquarium is a nice place to spend 60 to 90 minutes.
Written 31 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mahalo for your review! We are happy you had a fin-tastic time at the Waikiki Aquarium. We are a window to the sea where visitors can come face to fin to more than 500 marine species -- without even getting wet! Hope to "sea" you again in the future!
Written 14 August 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

circa2015
Spokane, WA137 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020
The Waikiki Aquarium is a pleasant walk along a tree-shaded boulevard past the Honolulu Zoo. It's quite small, but effectively displays the colorful tropical fish of the area. We watched a small shark patrol its tank and there were several pretty species of jelly fish. Our favorite sight was the monk seal at feeding time. This animal had learned lots of tricks and performed them readily in return for fish. The seal is nearly blind so it wouldn't be able to live in the open sea, but makes a fine ambassador for its endangered species.
Written 6 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

BrooklynRider
Brooklyn, NY142 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
June 2024 • Couples
We visits the aquarium one morning before headed to the beach. This is a very small aquarium and took us about 1.5 hours to see it all. The indoor exhibits were excellent and well curated with sea life endemic to Hawai’i. The docents were engaging and very knowledgeable from sea life to Hawai’i geology. Sadly, monk seals were not on display. We (2 adults) paid $12 each, so it is a relatively inexpensive, easy to walk to attraction. The aquarium has some upgrades to exhibits planned, but other than monk seals all of the tanks had gorgeous creatures. Take a break from the beach for this lovely diversion. While the zoo is antiquated and in urgent need of upgrades (the fantastic potential is untapped at this time), this is the opposite. Two thumbs up.
Written 25 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

MindStorm
Honolulu, HI859 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022
The aquarium is rather small, and can easily be seen in an hour or less. What is there is well presented though. It also continues beyond the building into the pleasant yard outside, with additional displays there.
Written 14 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Dawnrosemary
Corona, CA173 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Solo
Quaint aquarium that allows you to take your time and and get up close to many species of fish. This aquarium does a lot of reef conservation and helps with regrowth. Unfortunately, the Monk Seal was in San Diego at the time of my visit. At this time the enclosure was closed for refurbishment. They did have a large outdoor aquarium for viewing, the rest of the environment is inside with great A/C. The week I was there temps were in the high 80’s, the indoor environment was what I needed for a hot and humid day. I spent 90 min here. Great price…$12
Written 12 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

GAFamilyTraveler
ATL, GA1,271 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2022 • Family
Nice afternoon at the aquarium while on vacation. My teen son loves to visit different aquariums whenever we travel so it was a thrill to find this one close to our hotel. We popped in for a visit on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. We arrived on an early afternoon after lunch, no crowds and we found a parking space right out front. Small and quaint attraction that my son still enjoyed, we were there approx 90 minutes. Some exhibits were closed but the entry fee is very inexpensive. Glad we were able to visit and the foodtruck right outside served delicious burgers!
Written 5 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

SydneyJim56
Green Point, Australia310 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2022 • Couples
One of our regular stops when in Waikiki. Small but well laid out and thoroughly enjoyable. We booked on line and there are discounts for seniors. Unfortunately their monk seals are currently off exhibit.
Masks are required indoors but not in the outside exhibit area.
Written 15 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

h_e_tompkins
Round Rock, TX55 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2024 • Family
Because we arrived on the island during a very rainy period, we chose to do an indoor activity. The aquarium is very small but contains some very nice displays.

I would skip it if the weather had allowed, but as a backup plan it worked to entertain our little kids for about an hour.
Written 23 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

HappyPlace
San Francisco, CA6 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
June 2023 • Family
Man, when I was a kid, we used to come here all the time. We had the family pass and would go just to cool off on hot summer days while heading to the beach. Sadly, not much has changed since then. Maybe because I've been to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but considering this is Oahu's only aquarium, you would think we would have built a better one by now. Inside, they improved the jellyfish exhibit and added a few more "windows". On the outside, they added a coral exhibit and one for the larger fish. We went back twice to look at the exhibits and still we were done in less than an hour. Hawaii deserves a better place than this to showcase our ocean's unique sea creatures and to teach stewardship, conservation, and respect for our precious ocean and sea life.
Written 7 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Martin K
Pittsburgh, PA145 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2023
This was a welcome relief from the commercialism and crowds of Waikiki. We didn't see it advertised anywhere, but we came across it while walking and decided to give it a try. It's not large, and it doesn't have a huge tank with fish in large numbers or sizes. However, it had a surprising number of small tanks with a large variety of colorful corals and reef fish. The descriptions were first-rate. We highly enjoyed it.
Written 3 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Showing results 1-10 of 1,544
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

Waikiki Aquarium - All You MUST Know Before You Go (2024)

All Honolulu HotelsHonolulu Hotel DealsLast Minute Hotels in Honolulu
All things to do in HonoluluZoos & Aquariums in Honolulu
Day Trips in Honolulu
RestaurantsFlightsHoliday RentalsTravel StoriesCruisesRental Cars