These are free, ready-made itineraries you can follow as-is, from a single day on the Big Island to a full week, including a cruise-ship version built around shore time out of Kona and Hilo. The Big Island set runs 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 days, and there are full itineraries for Maui, Kauaʻi, and Oʻahu when your trip stretches across islands.
Use these if you are deciding how to split your days, or if you would rather hand off the route entirely. Our honest take: it takes seven days to see even a fraction of the Big Island, so we build the shorter plans around at least one night each in Kailua Kona, Hilo, and Volcano Village up near Kīlauea. If your time is short and you are island-hopping, start with the one stop we would not skip: Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
- 1-day itinerary: Big Island Highlights.
- 2-day itinerary: Beaches and a Volcano!
- 3-day itinerary: Around the Big Island.
- 5-day itinerary: Unmissable Activities.
- 7-day itinerary: A great island-wide exploration.
- Cruise Ship itinerary: Make the most out of your shore excursions from Kona and Hilo.
- Itineraries for Maui, Kauaʻi, and Oʻahu.
Money-saving and trip-enhancing trip planning tips
With life getting so expensive it makes sense to save as much money on your trip as you can. These resources help you to save money (#1), to book the best tours and activities (#2), and greatly simplify trip planning (#3 + #4):
- The Discount Hawaii Car Rentals website is our first stop for a quote when we need a rental car. We like them (a) because they offer the best rates, (b) require no prepayment and charge no cancellation fees, and (c) because they offer additional benefits such as free extra drivers and reduced young-driver rates.
- We put a lot of effort into figuring out which tours actually are the best. Have a look at our curated tour section to see tours that get consistently good reviews and offer great value.
- Did you know we give away free itineraries for all Hawaiian islands? These are a great place to start planning your own trip.
- Our Trip Planning 101 Guide is another great place to start for first-time visitors.
The three recommended Big Island bases sit on different sides of the island: Kailua Kona on the west, Hilo on the east, and Volcano Village in between, up by Kīlauea Volcano.
Planning your trip can easily take more time than you had planned. Our itineraries help you make the most of your time on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi
What Every Big Island Itinerary Should Include
Whatever length you choose, build the plan around the sights you cannot see anywhere else: Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park on Kīlauea, the Green Sand Beach at the island’s southern tip, and the telescopes on top of Mauna Kea.
Our list of favorite small outings on the Big Island (about 2 hours each) is easy to slot into any itinerary.
Related: see also our trip-planning primers for first-time visitors to the Big Island and first-time visitors to Oʻahu.
Itineraries for Maui, Kauaʻi, and Oʻahu
Plenty of Big Island visitors pair their trip with one or more of the other Hawaiian islands. Here is where to start for each.
- Oʻahu is the most diverse and multicultural island in Hawaiʻi, and no other island in the chain can match the contrast of its offerings, wide-reaching and complete. Read more in our 7-day itinerary for Oʻahu and/or in our list of 14 bite-sized Oʻahu activities.
- Maui is beloved because it successfully offers a little bit of everything. From five-star, oceanside luxury resorts to back country cabins atop a 10,000-foot volcano, Maui can offer you both extremes and everything in the middle. See our 8-day Maui itinerary for inspiration for your next trip to Maui.
- Also nicknamed the Garden Isle, Kauaʻi is the oldest, lushest, and most dramatic of the main islands of the Hawaiian chain. With a population of less than 75,000, Kauaʻi is truly a small-town island littered with open space, protected preserves, and old plantation history. Curious? Have a look at our 1 week itinerary for Kauaʻi.
Resources for Planning Your Hawaiʻi Trip
The first things to decide on when planning your trip to Hawaiʻi are (1) which islands do you want to visit? (2) how many islands do you want to visit? and (3) what’s the best time of year to come? The answers to these questions depend of course a LOT on who does the asking, but we have written a guide to help you answer those 3 questions for yourself.
Read more in our guide to start planning your trip to Hawaiʻi.
Big Island planning tips
These pointers point you to the most relevant content on the site for your situation:
- We wrote a complete step-by-step overview for planning your trip to the Big Island to help you plan your vacation like a pro.
- If this is the first time that you think about spending time on the Big Island, either our 7 day itinerary or our highlights for the Big Island where we list our favorite activities, beaches, and culinary activities are a good place to start.
- If you already have a rough schedule in mind you can fill that in using our city guides or activity summary.
These itineraries are suggestions, not rules. Tailor them to your own taste: give more time to what you care about, and drop what does not fit your trip.