ALOHA!
Below is map of Hawaiian islands with pictures of the best things to do on each of the major Hawaiian islands!
The best island to visit for your first trip to Hawaii are Oahu, Maui, the Big Island, or Kauai.
These are the 4 major tourist islands of Hawaii.
See below for the clickable interactive version of the Hawaiian islands map! Most icons have pictures and additional info! If you are on your phone, also see tips for using the map on mobile below the interactive map!
Be sure to play around with the map!
Hawaii map (interactive google map)
Click the little icon in the top left corner of the map below to see the list of what you’ll find on this map.
On the map, click on an icon to know what’s there!
Read about it:
- Things to do in Oahu
- Things to do in Waikiki (the biggest tourist hub in Hawaii, on the island of Oahu)
- Things to do in Maui
- Things to do on the Big Island
- Things to do in Kona (the biggest tourist hub on the Big Island)
- Things to do in Kauai
- Things to do in Lanai
- Things to do in Molokai
- Maui vs Big Island
- National parks in Hawaii
👆 How to start using this map: Click the top left icon! Or just zoom in to start looking and clicking around! If you start off by clicking on the gold stars, that will tell you the basics of each of the major islands.
This map may not work very well on this page on mobile, sorry!
In that case, send a link of this page to yourself and try on desktop!
Or…
Tips for using this google map of the Hawaiian islands on mobile!
If you are on your phone, you can also have a look at this Hawaiian islands map. (It is the same map as above but it might be easier for use on your phone.)
For this map, in short, in addition to clicking the icons that you see on the map, also click on the names that come up when you click on an icon!
Most icons have pictures and/or info to go along with it so if you are not seeing it, then click around!
Longer version…
If you do look at the map directly on google, start off by clicking the text at the bottom of the screen (the text that says “hawaiian islands map”) to see the different categories.
Then you can start clicking around on this list.
Or, you can also just start clicking around on the map.
When you click on an icon on the map, you will see the name of the spot come up at the bottom of the screen.
Click on that name.
Then, you will see a picture of that spot (in most cases!) and also possibly more info!
Phones may have different displays but basically click around on both icons and text!
What’s on the Hawaiian islands map?
You will find the the best islands to visit in Hawaii on the Hawaiian islands map.
This includes the best things to do in Hawaii on each of the Hawaiian islands of Oahu, Maui, the Big Island, and Kauai.
Best islands to visit in Hawaii
1. Oahu
Oahu is one of the most visited Hawaiian islands.
It’s home to Honolulu and Waikiki.
It’s also home to the Pearl Harbor Memorial.
Oahu is the most budget-friendly Hawaiian island.
As long as you don’t mind slow island life, there’s the Oahu bus that can take you to many parts of the island.
The Oahu airport is Honolulu Airport HNL.
The Oahu cruise port is Honolulu.
You can take a bus from the airport to Waikiki, and you can take a bus from the cruise port to Waikiki.
Just use the google maps public transport option!
Bring dollar bills for your first time on the bus, if you don’t have the chance to stop by to buy a HOLO card at an ABC store first.
Oahu is an amazing island to visit for your first trip to Hawaii. See why:
Spoiler: All Hawaiian islands are amazing islands to visit for your first trip to Hawaii! 🤣 You can’t really go wrong with any island! Hawaii is Hawaii!
2. Maui
Maui is one of the most visited Hawaiian islands.
It’s the honeymoon island of Hawaii.
But it can also be a perfect island to visit if you are a solo traveler to Hawaii too, so don’t let the name put you off!
Maui home to one of the 2 Hawaii national parks, Haleakala National Park.
You need a car to get to the best places to visit in Maui, but there are things you can do by taking the Maui bus too.
The Maui airport is Kahului Airport OGG.
The Maui cruise port is Lahaina or Kahului.
Maui is an amazing island to visit for your first trip to Hawaii. See why:
3. Big Island
The Big Island is one of 4 major Hawaiian islands. This is also called the island of Hawaii.
It’s home to Kona, where the Ironman triathlon world championship takes place.
The Big Island is home to one of the 2 Hawaii national parks, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
Lava eruption has been on and off recently, but you can see lava fields (aka old lava flows) on the island any time.
Because of the recent volcano activity, the Big Island is the best Hawaiian island to see black sand beaches.
The big island is BIG and it’s not bus-friendly for tourists.
You’ll want to rent a car if you go to the Big Island.
The Big Island airports are Kona Airport KOA (more common from out-of-state) or Hilo Airport ITO.
The Big Island cruise port cruise port is Kona or Hilo.
The Big Island is an amazing island to visit for your first trip to Hawaii. See why:
- Things to do on the Big Island
- Things to do in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
- Best Big Island hikes
- Best black sand beaches on the Big Island
- Best state parks on the Big Island
4. Kauai
Kauai is one of the 4 major Hawaiian islands.
Kauai is best known for the Napali Coast.
The Kauai airport is Lihue Airport LIH.
The Kauai cruise port is Nawiliwili near the Lihue airport.
Kauai is an amazing island to visit for your first trip to Hawaii. See why:
👆 Compare the Hawaiian islands of Maui and the Big Island!
👆 The best Hawaiian islands include Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island! What’s pictured above?! Things to do in the Hawaiian islands for VIEWS include the Lanikai pillbox hike (one of the best Oahu hikes), Haleakala National Park (one of the national parks in Hawaii), Pololu Valley (one of the famous valleys on the Big Island), Kekahai Kai State Park (one of the best state parks on the Big Island), Hoapili Trail (one of the best places to see lava fields on Maui), and Waikiki (the biggest tourist hub in Hawaii!)!
HAPPY CHOOSING YOUR FIRST HAWAIIAN ISLAND TO VISIT!
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