So I was here years ago and the neglect the palace was in despair. We came because of the new exhibits and the restoration that we read about. So very glad we did! Awesome! The love for the culture was in every room while respect for Hawaiian Royalty was given throughout the presentation. The quilt on display moved me to tears. So, go! Enjoy the wealth of history and maybe understand that Hawaii was more than uncolonized terrain. Mahalo! read more

Iolani Palace - Museums Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Was definitely interesting and it is the only Royal Palace in the US. Lots of history and a ton of interesting information as well.

It was such a neat experience! My son and I enjoyed learning the facts of Hawaii! Definitely recommend!

The palace tour was great. Our tour guide was well informed, thorough and well spoken. The palace itself was spectacular. The beauty of every room, painting/ portrait and artifact was amazing. It is a must do, while in Honolulu. Highly recommend read more

Its a must see tourist attraction ....excellent tour guides. No food or drink allowed inside, photography allowed no flush. read more

Iolani Palace - The biggest koa wood staircase - Museums Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

My wife and I toured this beautiful palace during our stay in Oahu. The tour was very informative (the palace had electricity before the White House) and quite beautiful. We learned a lot about Hawaiian history that we previously did not know. read more

I did a self guided tour, after frustration to the limited hours. The available parking onsite is very limited and was full by 9:30 am. Street parking is limited to two hours so by the time I would have been able to enter my parking would have expired and required a hunt for a new parking spot. Very disappointing. I searched the site just this morning and missed that the actual hours were not all available for self guided but rather people on guided tours. The actual palace is very interesting, but it was overshadowed by the push for guided tours rather than walk-in visitors. They actually limit self guided tours based on higher priced "guided" tours. This made my tour to be broken up and my waiting to get room access to "self guide". Not impressed, to say the least. read more

A lovely surprise to visit this beautiful palace rich with history, antiques, and woodwork. The tour is full of history of the culture and monarchy of the Hawaiian people that is not really taught in details in school. A gem in the city. read more

Iolani Palace - Museums Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

We attended this tour with two guests. It was our second tour of Iolani Palace and the first for our guests. They were so excited about the history of the various monarchs and memorabilia exhibited within the Palace. Our guide was so informative and answered many questions that we had including adding the background of life in Hawaii during this period. Her personality revealed the reverence that she held of our Hawaii monarchs and passed on to us during our tour. read more

If you ever visit the islands of Hawaii, the Iolani palace should be the first place you visit. Here's why... - Hawaii is a culturally unique state, shaped by many internal and external forces to this day. This palace tour will not just walk you through this small, but gorgeous palace, but it will also educate you on the HISTORY and CULTURE of Hawaii - The tour does an excellent job of refocusing your view of Hawaii from a point of view most people do not get to see, or learn in school, so when you go around the various islands and see various wonders and interact with the people, you get a better understanding and appreciation of your visits. If you are going to Hawaii just to lounge around on the beaches and eat at McDonald's, this tour isn't for you. If you want to really appreciate Hawaii from a scenic and cultural point of view, this should be your first stop. read more

The Iolani Palace self-guided tour was fabulous! The groups were small which made viewing each room and the artifacts in them easy to see and I always felt safe socially-distanced. The docents/guides on both floors directed us with clear directions. It was a seemless, enjoyable experience. The Palace and artifacts were beautifully displayed and the hand-held audio recordings were well-spoken (clear and easy to understand). The photos on the device directed my attention to the appropriate item being discussed - very helpful. If I could, I would rate this tour 10 stars! Great job Paula Akana and staff at Iolani Palace! read more

Wonderful experience. Lots of history and artifacts to see. Enjoyed seeing where the kings and queens held their banquets, where they slept, personal cleansing areas. read more

I was so amazed at how I don't know a lot about what happened to Hawaii. I was so intrigued and excited to learn about new things in regards to our Kings and Queens and the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. read more

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My friends, family and I visited the Palace yesterday! 22 of us in groups of 5 and enjoyed it so much that we want to go again! As locals we tend not to go to "Tourist" places but we need to remember these are our places too and we should enjoy and appreciate them and all that they have to offer us just like our visitors do! They spend thousands of dollars to get to hawaii and we have these treasures in our backyard! Our kids enjoyed it yesterday as well and picked their favorite things in the gallery! Locals and Kanaka please support and bust our Palace, you will not be disappointed! read more

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Beautiful place, self guided tour and a person who is inside for answering questions. I kind of like the old tour guide way, so for me, The self guide was different and I expected more things to see than just two floors. I thought it was overall solid and learned a lot of the Hawaiian history in a short amount of time! read more

Great your. The docents were knowledgeable and friendly. The audio guide for the self tour was filled with so much information. We learned a lot. Highly recommend. read more

If you can only see one site while you are in Honolulu, make sure visit Iolani Palace. The renovation, restoration, and reacquisition of this historical building and its artifacts is still ongoing, but they have done a amazing job at preserving such an important part of Hawaii's history. If you listen to all of the bonus material, the self guided tour is about 75minutes. It will give an informative history including the rein, defenestration, and imprisonment of its royal inhabitant. Parking can be a pain; visitors must use meters located on the grounds or in the surrounding vicinity. These machines take credit cards, but it took three cards to get one of ours to work. We noticed many couples splitting up; one remaining with the car while the other searched for change. Be warned: The gift shop (where you buy tickets) doesn't have a machine and the attendant will not give change. If you find yourself in this predicament, the library next door has a change machine in the lobby; we found it after looking for bathrooms (the gift shop doesn't have a public restroom and you need a ticket to go into the basement of the Palace, where the sites potties are located). Finally, if you park on the streets, make sure you move your car by 3:20pm or you will be towed (the parking lanes become extra lanes to handle all of the rush hour traffic at 3:30pm). read more

I find this place to be very on organized on their tours. Inside the palace there's not much to look at but it is worth seeing one time. After that there's no need to go back. It is very hot inside as there's no air-conditioning. That surprised me because you would think that they would want to keep things at an average temperature to extend its life. Go once just to see it but I don't think there's a reason to go back a second time. read more

Took the family on rainy day while we were on vacation in Hawaii. It was great! Was able to buy tickets online before we went. We all like doing audio tours, so that was fun. You wear booties before going in. We learned a lot about the royal family, but it was a bit of a sad story. Definitely worth a look. We spent an hour on the tour and my middle schooler and elementary school student both got something out of it. read more

What a beautiful place! Very well laid out for optimum viewing. Great flow from room to room. The history "lesson" was great, we did the self guided tour and just loved it. The headset provided was so informative. Staff was super helpful, one in our group required a wheelchair, everything was accessible to her and staff was great. So glad we made this reservation. read more

An amazing and beautiful place. Our guide did an excellent job telling the story of the Islands, the royal's and provided history of the Island people. I would highly recommend the tour...you'll better understand the history and people of this beautiful land. A must see. read more

A group of 20 people is too many. Add a whiny 4-year old throughout the entire tour and a docent who kept turning his head away when he spoke. I got maybe 30% of what was said. Get the audio tour. At least you can distance yourself from others, have a pair of earphones, and hit the rewind button if you miss something. The Hulihe'e Palace docent-led tour on the Big Island was by far much better. read more

Iolani Palace is a perfect place to learn of Hawaiian cultural history. If you are not familiar with Hawaiian history and are living in Hawaii, I highly suggest you immerse yourself by going to Iolani Palace. If you are local Hawaii resident with a state ID or drivers license, once a month you are allowed to enter the palace for free for Kama'aina Sunday. ($22 for adult is the rate, $6 for children). The interior of the palace is kept at pristine condition as it was re-modeled to the exact way it looked in the past when royalty was living there. You can chose from a guided tour or headphone audio tour so you can explore the palace. I suggest parking using street parking, especially if you are going for the Kama'aina Sunday there are a lot of free spots available to chose from near the side of the state library. read more

Take a docent led tour. Ours was very knowledgeable and so informative. Led to me buying a book written by Queen Liliuokalani.

A "must see" if you are interested in either (a) the history of the Hawaiian Monarchy, (b) beautiful historic architecture, or (c) Hawaii Five-O (1968) Although the palace tour could potentially rate 5 stars, it gets only 3 due to the haughty and disrespectful attitude of our tour guide, Ella Puaole. RECOMMENDATION for tourists: Avoid the 10:30am Friday tour, which was given by Ella. At least try to determine the name of your tour guide. Ask to be switched to another time to avoid Ella. RECOMMENDATION for Iolani Palace: Thank Ella Puaole for her many years of volunteer service, and then ask her to retire. THE GOOD: The palace has a rich history, from its original grandeur, decay during wartime use, all the way to it's current restored glory. The building has been refurnished with both original pieces and very authentic reproductions. The tour involves all three levels (basement, first and 2nd floors) and enough rooms to provide that feeling of having had a complete tour. It looks and feels fantastic inside. Tour participants wear easy-to-wear booties that fit over your shoes or slippers to keep the wood floors and carpeting clean. Our tour guide Ella Pauole has been giving tours since 1982. The woman who checked us in, Kawehi, said with a very serious face (no smile) that it was "an honor" to have Ella give us the tour. Ella answered questions, including confirming that the south corner 2nd floor where Queen Liliuokalani was imprisoned would have been the office where Steve McGarrett of Hawaii Five-O (1968) worked. However, she also pointed out that the palace was only used for exterior shots. The tour helped confirm this: the 2nd floor window that the shows zooms into when McGarrett runs up the steps of the building could in no way be his actual spacious office, as it is simply a very small, square "tower room", surrounded by outside walls and inner balcony walls. THE BAD: The tour was essentially ruined by the manner and disdain portrayed by tour guide Ella Puaole. The first clue: as the participants were assembling, putting on our booties, one family in our group who had a baby-in-stroller who cried out a few times. The solemn-faced Ella could be heard saying to Kawahi "I can't stand that voice". Then, even before the tour started, someone snapped a photo of Ella, a woman of retirement age who is still quite attractive and looked beautiful in her long red muumuu dress. She said softly (it was hard to hear because of her low voice and the noise from a surrounding group) "please, no photographs of the docents". Then, another member of our group raised their camera to take a picture of beautiful Ella and Kawehi, obviously not having heard the prohibition. "Did I not just say, no photographs?" was Ella's comment. It got worse. Still out on the porch just outside the building, the very soft spoken Ella started the tour. She was so hard to hear, and she suddenly stopped and said "Can you hear me?" We said it was very difficult. So, rather than speaking louder, or taking us in inside where it was quieter, she walked over and shushed the tour group that had just exited. "Can I ask you to be quiet, please? I'm trying speak..." Later inside the building, she had just taken us into a room. Someone from another group attempted to innocently follow us into the room. Ella held her open palm up to his face, and repeated three times in succession, "You're not in my group". She shut the door on the person's face, turned and said "Chuh!" as if to gain sympathy for her having to deal with such absolute morons. My wife and I did not bear the brunt of any direct insults from Ella, but we were on edge from beginning to end. So I just had to raise my hand ask her: "The other lady said it was a 'great honor' to have you. Can you tell us something about yourself? So we can understand why it is such a 'great honor'"? Rather than humbly deflect any praise, she happily explained that she's been there since 1982, and she keeps her tours on time (45 minutes exactly), and she doesn't allow her groups to wander, as do other guides. THE HULA: Discerning that Ella fancies herself an expert on Hawaiian history, I decided to ask a sincere question: "The original Hawaiian hula was suppressed by the missionaries and foreigners who thought it was shocking and immoral. Now that hula is back, are we seeing the same moves? Or are there moves we are not seeing any more?" Her answer: "Same moves. The movement of the hips, and the figure-eight". That was a satisfactory answer, but it only lasted a few hours. That same evening (this was all on Friday 10/21/2016) we attended a show called Pohaku at the Hawaiian Theatre. During the Q&A session after the performance, I asked the same question to an actual Hula expert. Her answer was quite different: "Some hula has been lost to history. Other hula is private and yet to be revealed". What a contrast with the haughty Ella's answer "same moves". read more

The first royal palace in the world to have electricity! Completed under King David Kalakaua's rule in 1882, this small but well-adorned palace spent more time housing territorial government operations than Hawaiian royalty. Sadly, the original royal house of Kamehameha the Great - the first ali'i to unite the islands under a single Kingdom of Hawaii - and the four Kamehameha kings after him never got to see this palace. In fact, only King Kalakaua (the "Merrie Monarch") and later his sister Queen Lilioukalani were the only two reigning Hawaiian monarchs ever to reside here and that lasted barely 11 years. The rather beefy security guards you'll see as you approach the building are there for a reason. On two separate occasions in the last 10 years, individuals claiming blood lineage to Hawaiian royalty and those supporting them forcefully occupied the Iolani Palace. The place was shut down, people got shoved and hurt, and eventually police hauled the invaders away once they could retake the small palace without injuring the fragile artifacts inside. Keep in mind this palace, namely what happened here to Queen Lilioukalani during the annexation, remains an icon in many Hawaiian Sovereignty movements as a reminder of American oppression of the Hawaiian nation and many activist demonstrations and parades start or end here. Of course, the Royal Hawaiian Band also performs band tunes on the grounds to the delight of regular folks every week. On our visit, we saw hula halau performing on the palace grounds to pay homage out of respect to King Kalakaua - known as the "Merrie Monarch". They were bound to Hilo later that week as one of the honored 29 halau to perform at the 50th Merrie Monarch Festival (which we were there to attend as well!). Seeing the rise of trade and commerce in Hawaii as having a negative effect on the perpetuation of traditional Hawaiian morals, values and way of life, King Kalakaua encouraged expression of the Hawaiian culture and kept it in the forefront of many public palace activities. He was instrumental in the enlightenment of hula and said, "hula is the lifeblood of the Hawaiian people". The Friends of Iolani Palace do a superb job as docents and caretakers of this facility. Everything is epically clean, spotless, and shiny. All visitors are required to wear booties, although secretly I think this is a way to have us buff the floors as we walk. The guided tour is splendidly informative and takes you through all three floors to walk through the reception halls, dining room, throne room, offices, family chambers, the imprisonment room, kitchen, and museum in the basement. Generally, the 1st floor features state rooms, the 2nd floor are private quarters, and the basement houses the servants' workspaces like the kitchen and pantry. Although humble and a far cry from Westminster Abbey, the detail in wood and metalwork in Iolani Palace is about what you'd expect in any regal situation - quite impressive for middle of the Pacific at a time most of the citizenry still had dirt floors! By the way, you do get to see the modest lighting available in the royal office. King Kalakaua spent an equivalent of $315,000 in today's figures to be able to illuminate his writing desk. It was quite the talk of the town for visiting dignitaries and guests of the time. Tickets are purchased at the Iolani Barracks - the nearby annex on the palace's west side - at $21.75 for adults. There are special group rates and Japanese-speaking tours with prior arrangement. Also, kama'aina (Hawaii residents) are able to visit for free on certain Sundays. Audio tours are available. Guided tours leave every 15 minutes but RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED (although you may be able to sign up for a free space on the same-day if available). The well-appointed gift shop is located at the barracks as well. (I bought a nifty cookbook that contains all the great recipes of the local foods I love, wife bought a Christmas ornament.) While you're here, take a moment to visit the state capitol - the only one in the U.S. I know of that is completely open-air and open-sky on the inside. The capitol is in back (on the north side). Also visit the King Kamehameha statue across the busy King Street (use the crosswalk!!) on the south side - great photo opportunity of the statue and the palace. BTW, that building behind the statue was (portrayed as!!) the state police offices of Steve McGarett of the original Hawaii Five-O. (There is no Hawaii Five-O, btw...) The Iolani Palace is a MUST-DO for all visitors and residents if you want to understand an important part of the history of Hawaii! Mahalo nui loa for reading this! read more

Thank goodness for free kama'aina Sunday (usually the first Sunday of the month). This is a destination best for those maybe age 10 or up. My younger two kids were bored (even though my 8 year old son knew all the history from his Hawaiian teacher, he still wasn't interested in seeing it). The palace is almost completely bare of furniture, so unless you're interested in architectural details and enjoy listening to the recorded tour (on headsets like the ones at the Aquarium), you might walk through it pretty quickly. I think they wanted to only use original furniture, but I would have loved to see recreations of the "artfully cluttered" Victorian rooms the royals actually had. The state dining room has its china out, but it would have been more interesting if the King's office, for example, had representations of his interests, or if the music room had musical instruments. Things to remember: You get tickets at the barracks, not the palace. Children under 5 are not allowed upstairs on the tour. No gum, food, water, photos, etc. You must wait for your tour time, even if you're doing a self-tour. The ticket booth gives you the time you are allowed inside. Then you must wait on a bench for further instructions. This is to control how many people get in at once. You must wear cloth booties over your shoes to protect the floors, so don't wear stilettos. read more

The tour guide (Docent) was fabulous! I learned so much. If you care about history of Hawaii this is a must see.

The first time I saw Iolani Palace was on the original incarnation of the Hawaii Five-O television series. There would be exterior shots of Iolani Palace; it turns out that Steve McGarrett, Dano, and the team, this was Five-O's headquarters. Many scenes were filmed here yet the office interiors were filmed elsewhere on off-site soundstages. Cue the Hawaii Five-O theme music, the one from 1968-80 please: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AepyGm9Me6w&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DAepyGm9Me6w Iolani Palace was a "must see" for me. I enjoyed the guided tour. Iolani Palace reminded me in a way of many of the European palaces with its grand stately rooms. I found the history quite interesting and fascinating that the guide imparted on us. How the history of the palace came to be and how the royals had to sell off their belongings. There was a story of a visitor touring Iolani Palace who saw a picture of a chair that resembled the one he had at home in Kansas. When he returned home and upon further inspection, the chair was returned back home to Iolani Palace. The most fascinating yet sobering her-story was that of Queen Liliuokalani and the trials and tribulations she endured from the hands of those from the mainland. She was kept under house-arrest. I saw the quilt she made during her imprisonment. What was quite touching and sobering was her capacity to forgive and not bear grudges against those who humiliated her. Wow. I wish I had her capacity to forgive. I was so overwhelmed. I was so surprised to see an almost life-sized statue of the Queen herself. I spent much time meditating and reflecting with her before moving on. As I mentioned in my "Island of Oahu" review, I was advised that there is resentment towards people from the mainland by some of the people on the islands. I experienced that resentment here when I went to pay for my admission ticket. The woman working at the admissions booth that day advised me residents are admitted free on the upcoming Sunday. I advised her that I was a California resident and I was leaving on Sunday. She gave me a look of disgust as I paid for my ticket. Wow, is that anyway to conduct oneself in the workplace? Talk about customer service, cheez! When one considers tourism is the primary method of commerce for the Islands. It has been 16 years, hopefully she has moved on . . . talk about lacking the Aloha spirit in the tourism industry. Here is the official site: http://www.iolanipalace.org for more information. Fresh Yelp! Review #72 for 2013 read more

I've driven and walked by this place for years, but have never had the opportunity to go because of schedules or budgets. I was finally able to visit during the summertime. Iolani Palace participates in the military Bluecard program. This means during the summertime, admission is free for your group if someone has an active duty or dependent ID. We were pleasantly surprised to find that this covers also the guided tour, not just the self audio tour. Call ahead of time to reserve your spot in the guided tour or be prepared to wait. You won't miss your time though as long as you arrive a few minutes before your tour because they scour the estate to find their tour group. It was a beautiful place to visit. The artifacts they've been able to recover are absolutely beautiful. The building still has some work to be done, but the estate itself is gorgeous. I hope that people return more of the contents after they were auctioned off. It would be wonderful to visit the palace in all its glory. My only gripe, which I repeat for many of the tourist attractions in Hawaii, is the attitude against Americans. Please state the facts without the insults. That's just professionalism. Park at Ali'i Place. You don't want to worry about feeding the meter. read more

It says closed on Sunday, BUT, On the second Sunday of each month, Iolani Palace opens its doors to kamaaina guests to visit the historic landmark for free. "We hope that our Kamaaina Sundays encourages more residents to make a visit to Iolani Palace and explore the rich legacies of our Hawaiian monarchs," said Iolani Palace Executive Director Kippen de Alba Chu. "It's such an important part of our history that all our kama'aina should know and be proud of." Two tour options will be offered: a docent Guided Tour and a Self-Led Audio Tour. Both options include a tour of the first and second floors of Iolani Palace, which includes the staterooms and private quarters of the royal monarchies. The tour concludes with a self-guided exploration of the basement gallery exhibits showcasing the royal collections, restored Kitchen, and Chamberlain's Office. Guided tours will occur from 9:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. and audio tours will be offered from 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Tickets are distributed on a first come, first served basis. The last two remaining dates are Kamaaina Sundays for 2016: November 13 December 11 A valid Hawaii state ID, Hawaii driver's license, or Active Military Identification with proof of Hawaii residency is required to receive complimentary tickets. Visitors may purchase tickets at the regular price. About Iolani Palace Located in Downtown Honolulu, Iolani Palace is the only official residence of royalty in the United States. The cornerstone was laid on December 31, 1879 and marked Hawaii's status as a modern nation and enhanced the prestige of Hawaii overseas. Iolani Palace served as the royal residence for five Hawaiian monarchies, beginning with Kamehameha III in 1845 and ending with Queen Liliuokalani in 1893. After the monarchy was overthrown, the building was used as the capital building for the State of Hawaii until 1969 and was later restored and opened to the public as a museum in 1978. Iolani Palace is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and offers guided tours or self-led audio tours. For more information please visit www.iolanipalace.org or call (808) 522-0822. read more

Iolani Palace is one place that I encourage visitors to Oahu to see. The grounds are beautiful, but pale in comparison to the splendor and history of what lies inside. My hope is that everyone knows the story of Hawaii, and especially that of Queen Liliuokalani - the last reigning monarch of Hawaii. I've always been so amazed at her grace and dignity in such a horrible time. She was also such a prolific songwriter, and wrote so many wonderful Hawaiian songs. Iolani Palace is worth your time and respect. read more

I enjoyed visiting the Palace. I feel as if I learned a lot, and walked away feeling sad for the Queen as the Palace also served as a part time prison for her. We did the audio tour and took our time walking around. We also purchased tons of souvenirs. I want the pink chair with the wooden crown on top for my house. I am going to get one made for my new place. I also want the bear rug! You will spend about 2 hours here... unless you are a long lost heir and have questions about reinstating the crown. In which case, you will be here for 4 hours. Lot's of photo ops here. I would recommend all newbies come here (I am a newbie). All jokes aside, I did learn a lot and walked away appreciating Hawaii history and the culture that much more. read more

My review is focused on the surroundings than the Palace itself. It is located on the north of Kamehameha Statue, west of the State Library, east of YWCA. The Place is surrounded by Banyan Terrace with beautiful Indian Banyan trees, Barracks Lawn with Iolani Barracks, Coronation Lawn with Pavilion. There are small parking spaces available, but I prefer street parking on King St. or Richards St. or around. There are benches and nice looking lawn, good for lunch break with your sandwiches. Nice looking Pavilion on SW in the park, unfortunately it is closed with chains. But there is a bench next to it! I often see events and music around the Palace. It is a beautiful place for gatherings. You could rent the space for your own events! YELP 365 - 18/365 read more

As a lover of history, I was very excited to go and visit the royal palace. We took the audio tour and were a bit confused on parking. Luckily a spot was kindly offered to us outside the gate on King street. Thank you to the kind lady who gave us 1:30 on the meter. + From outside the grounds are surrounded by nice trees, spacious and the sheer grandness of the palace with Hawaiian flag flowing in front made me have chicken skin + Tickets were available for purchase in one other section + The audio tour began with an introduction of headsets, and shoe covers (to preserve the floors) - the headset given to my daughter was to big-so she was upset, and as a family we had to stall a bit to sync up and figure out what room we were in + The staircase made of Koa wood was so grand, and the oil painted portraits of the royal family was all around on the walls. + The royal family were musically inclined and quite talented they composed songs, Queen Liliuokalani and the famous "Aloha Oe" so dignified and Victorian + King Kalakua was well travelled and well read. They had electric lighting, telephones, record player and plumbing. + The dining rooms, and other rooms were exquisite + Overlooking the palace veranda allowed me to step back in time and in a quick moment I shared the same experience of what the royalty would of looked with their own eyes + The throne room was regal and showcases her gown. + the palace residents understood the importance of maintaining the Polynesian culture and accepting the modern + The bedrooms and beds were surprisingly small. + What saddened me was the Quilt Room, were she was imprisoned and overthrown. In 1993 Clinton recognized that the overthrow of the sovereignty of Hawaiian islands were not justified. + The basement was cool and enjoyed learning more about the the actual restoration of the palace and its palace residents. Overall, this is a good place to learn more about the history of Hawaii and understand that it is not just about Tiki huts and hula girls read more

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A must see when visiting Hawaii. You learn fascinating facts about the royal family, Hawaiian history and culture. For example, the palace was ahead of its time with electric lights before the White House. I loved seeing the queen's dresses on display and her jewelry. There is something of interest for everyone. Time and money well spent. Just go! read more

This was a must stop for Oahu for people who want to learn about the culture and history of Hawaii. We're really glad we came here. This stop allowed us to really understand the history of Hawaii and Hawaiian royalty. If you're going to a luau it won't make sense until you head to this tour first; if you're unaware of the Hawaiian history. It helps to get a sense how the Royal Hawaiians lived their life. The audio tour is great. If you need to get here; get here by bus. We took the 2 bus from our hotel from Waikiki. There's a stop specifically for iolani palace so one wouldn't miss it. Also, don't touch anything. They explicitly tell you not to touch anything. This is not a tour for children that can't keep their hands to selves. This is a really old building and i can understand their concern to keep things pristine. A lot of the donors and visitors have contributed to a lot of hard work to keep things the way they are. As the Hawaiian way, let's preserve things so future generations can enjoy this as well. As for the audio tour, be sure to click on the hear more. Follow at your own pace. Don't bother following with the group; as we didn't bother. Overall, the tour took us an hour including the basement. The basement isn't too much. P.S. you get tickets at the Hale Koa building. That's the castle like building that's beside the Palace. If you're facing the building. It's the building on the left. read more

In college, I lived in a dorm apartment building named after Queen Liliuokalani, but I never understood her story nor why she is so revered until I visited Iolani Palace. This is a "must-do" for tourists to Oahu who want to understand more about Hawaii's troubled past and the genesis of today's questions of sovereignty and self-determination. Take the $12 tour - it's not worth it just to see the basement museum and it should be sufficient to take the audio tour without the guide in case you're pressed for dollars. Give yourself some time to view the items on display in the basement. They are the crown jewels of the Hawaiian kingdom, and they'll give you the shivers. read more

The history behind 'Iolani Palace is so intriguing. If you're interested in royalty and learning a little bit about Hawaiian history beyond surfing and Mai Tais, 'Iolani Palace is a good place to start. Definitely recommend taking a guided 90 minute tour for $20. Early in the morning, you can still get parking in the inside parking lot. We initially parked on King Street in front and worried about feeding the meter. One of the workers gave us directions to the inside lot which was easier. The ticket office recommended we watch a short film before the tour which is an overview of the Hawaiian monarchy. There's also a gift shop in that barracks area. After putting on our little booties, we were ready for the tour. Our guide was a charming lady with a gentle, soothing voice. She gave very thorough explanations and was a great storyteller. The only annoying thing were these 2 brash women who kept interrupting and asking dumb questions. The guide was a little thrown off but was ever so gracious. The most compelling royal figure was Queen Lili'uokalani. The story of her overthrow and imprisonment is fascinating. The guide told us they filmed a movie about her on the palace grounds, so hopefully it's actually released. We completely enjoyed our tour of the palace. It made us want to learn more about Hawaiian history. Not many people really know much about it. We went on a Friday when the Royal Hawaiian Band was performing, so that was an added bonus. Make sure to cross the street and take some pics in front of King Kamehameha's statue! read more

I'm sure the rest of the palace is beautiful. Just that I took the 'cheap' tour and only had access to the basement with some rooms that displayed some of the royal jewelry, furniture, china and the royal headgear. You have to watch the video before entering the palace to get a brief history of the place and Hawaii's past monarchy. It's sort of sad. Chalk it up to the haoles to mess up a beautiful thing (Hawaii back in the day) when it was fine without them. read more