Ala Moana Boulevard stems from Kalakaua Avenue on the eastern part of Honolulu and ends on the western end of the city in Chinatown. It’s one of the most popular streets in Honolulu. Along the boulevard, you can find some of the most prominent landmarks in the city centre, including Ala Moana Center, Kaka’ako Farmers Market, and Ala Moana Regional Park. The boulevard is also one block away from both the Ala Wai Boat Harbour and Cruise Terminal and is easy to get to from anywhere in the city.
Whether you’re looking to head to the beach, grab a bite to eat, go shopping, or just want to explore downtown Honolulu, Ala Moana Boulevard is easy to get to and a great road to plan your day around.
Ala Moana Boulevard in Honolulu - one of the highlights of 10 Most Popular Streets in Honolulu (Read all about Honolulu here)
photo by Daniel Ramirez (CC BY 2.0) modified
What not to miss along Ala Moana Boulevard?
Downtown Honolulu features some incredible shops and restaurants and many of them are located right on Ala Moana Boulevard. The first place to stop if you’re looking for delicious food and some retail therapy is Ala Moana Center. This open-air shopping mall is among the largest in the country and has more than 350 shops and restaurants.
At the mall, you can find luxury brands like Gucci, Chanel, Harry Winston, and Kate Spade as well as other name-brand stores such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Gap, and Giorgio Armani. For dining, their food court is filled with popular eateries like Panda Express, Raising Cane’s, and Sbarro. Also scattered throughout the mall are upscale restaurants like Morton’s Steakhouse, Romano’s Macaroni Grill, and California Pizza Kitchen.
Another notable stop along the Boulevard is the Kaka’ako Farmers' Market, which is open every Saturday morning and features live music and goods from local farmers and businesses. This farmers’ market is one of the largest in the city and you can find a variety of products from speciality foods and spices to organic pet treats and artwork.
One more stop to make while walking along the boulevard is Ala Moana Regional Park. This park sits right on the beach and is home to a pavilion, tennis courts, and plenty of room to picnic and spend an afternoon relaxing.
How to get to Ala Moana Boulevard?
Honolulu is a relatively small city, which makes it easy to navigate the city centre on foot. If you’re looking to go further out or are trying to get around quickly, the best way to do so is by public transportation. TheBus is Honolulu’s official method of transportation on the island and has extensive routes throughout the city centre. Since Ala Moana Boulevard is in the heart of it all, there are multiple stops along the road, located about every 2 blocks with prominent stations at the cross streets of Forrest Avenue, Koula Street, Opp Atkinson Drive, and Hobron Street.
If you’re looking for a more in-depth experience on public transport, the Waikiki Trolley is an awesome option. This hop-on hop-off bus has 3 lines throughout the city centre and the pink line, called the Ala Moana Shopping route, has a few stops along Ala Moana Boulevard. This line is the cheapest of the 3, but there are also multi-line and multi-day passes available if you’d like to take advantage of these educational and convenient bus rides and get a more extensive view of the island and city.
Parking on Ala Moana Boulevard
Since Ala Moana Boulevard is such a busy road, parking can be scarce. Even so, there are a few great parking garages. On the eastern end of the boulevard, just off Kalia Road and in between the Prince Waikiki Honolulu Luxury Hotel and The Modern Honolulu by Diamond Resort, there are 3 public parking garages. Across the bridge toward the beach and just past the shopping mall are a few parking lots on the south side of the road.