Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum
Photo: Own work — CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Established in 1889, the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum in Honolulu houses over 25 million artifacts, including Hawaiian royal heirlooms and Pacific cultural items, offering extensive exhibits on Hawaiian and Pacific cultures, natural history, and interactive science displays.
Planning your visit
The Bishop Museum is the state museum of Hawaii and the principal repository of Hawaiian and Pacific material anywhere. Charles Reed Bishop founded it in 1889 in memory of his wife, Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the last direct descendant of Kamehameha I, and it began with the royal heirlooms she inherited.
The Hawaiian Hall is the centrepiece: three floors around a koa wood atrium, holding feather cloaks and helmets made from hundreds of thousands of bird feathers for the ali'i, kii temple images, weapons, tools and a sperm whale suspended overhead. The feather work is among the most extraordinary craft produced anywhere.
The Pacific Hall covers Polynesian, Micronesian and Melanesian cultures and the navigation that settled the ocean.
The collections run to over 25 million items including natural history and the largest Pacific insect collection in the world.
A planetarium and science centre serve families.
Bookable options are general admission tickets. Current availability is shown below.
Before you book
Where is Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum?
Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum is in Honolulu, United States. The map on this page marks its exact location.
Do I need to book Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum in advance?
Tickets can be bought on the door at quiet times, but booking ahead fixes the date and avoids the queue at busy ones. Live availability is shown on this page.
