Visiting the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor is free, but it helps to line up tickets ahead of time. Photo courtesy of Pacific Historic Parks.
This article was originally published on January 5, 2022, and was updated Aug. 26, 2025.
Visiting Pearl Harbor is one of the most impactful experiences you will have on Oʻahu. The bombing of Pearl Harbor was the single most significant factor causing the United States to enter World War II and effectively change the course of history forever. Standing at ground zero of the Battle of Pearl Harbor has a profound effect on visitors.
According to Pacific History Parks, “the USS Arizona Memorial is the number one visited destination in Hawaiʻi.”
USS Arizona Memorial ticket prices are free. You can obtain them two ways: online or at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial Visitor Center. Although this seems easy enough, there are a limited amount of tickets given out each day, which means acquiring one takes a bit of legwork.
How to Get Free Tickets to the USS Arizona Memorial
1. Book online at 3:00 pm for the next day.
Every day at 3:00 p.m., a limited number of “next day” USS Arizona Memorial tickets are released at www.recreation.gov. These tickets sell out fast. We recommend you set a reminder for yourself to visit the site at exactly 3:00 p.m. If you wait too long, the tickets might be sold out.
Please note: There is a non-refundable $1.00 convenience fee per reserved ticket. Reservations are limited to 12 tickets per person per day. It is suggested that you arrive an hour before your ticket time in order to pick-up your tickets. A minimum of five to ten minutes is required. If you are late, you may forfeit your free USS Arizona Memorial tickets to walk-in customers on standby.
2. Walk-in to the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center Before 7:00 am
1,300 walk-in tickets are available daily on a first come, first served basis at the Visitor Center. We recommend arriving before 7:00 am to increase your chances of receiving a ticket. We can’t stress this enough. Someone wrote us once that they saved Pearl Harbor for the last day of their family vacation. They showed up too late, and all the tickets were gone. They traveled all that way, were so close, and never got to visit the Arizona Memorial. Don’t let that be your story! Please plan ahead.
As the early birds receive their tickets, they usually begin filling up the morning tours. That being said, you may need to wait a few hours for your USS Arizona Memorial tour. In the meantime, you can visit the other attractions (USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park, the Battleship Missouri Memorial, the Pacific Aviation Museum) or explore the exhibits and store.
Skip the line at Pearl Harbor
Now, guests can join a virtual standby line for the USS Arizona Memorial Shuttle. The new virtual queueing system is located at the Narrated Tour Desk and is highly recommended by guests.
3. Booking in advance.
Due to an upcoming preservation project starting Sept. 3, visitors are currently unable to book free tickets to see the USS Arizona Memorial eight weeks in advance, like they could before. Advance reservations will be paused until further notice.
Book a Self-Guided Multimedia Tour
There are no USS Arizona guided tours, but you can book a self-guided tour. The USS Arizona Multimedia Narrated Tours contain audio narration by actress Jamie Lee Curtis, USS Arizona and World War II Survivors, National Park Service Rangers and Historians, with hours of archives, photos and research.
The tour includes:
• Official USS Arizona Memorial Multimedia Narrated Tour Map
• Usage of smartphone audio device for duration of this self-guided tour
• Narrated guidance through the Pearl Harbor National Memorial Visitor Center, two museums and the USS Arizona Memorial
• Complimentary Earbuds
The Pearl Harbor Visitor Center is open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The visitor center, two museums, and USS Arizona Memorial program are free for all visitors. The visitor center is closed Thanksgiving Day, December 25 and January 1.
