Hawaii Five-0 Filming Locations Guided Tour

The tour loops Oahu's southeast and windward sides before coming back through Honolulu, and the locations divide neatly into three kinds: landmarks you can photograph freely, beaches and lookouts that are worth the stop regardless of the show, and private property you see from the road.

The landmarks: Ali'iolani Hale, Chinatown, the film studio

Ali'iolani Hale — the Supreme Court building that doubled as Five-0 headquarters — is the photographic centrepiece, with the gilded King Kamehameha statue standing in front of it. It is a public building on a public street, and the statue is one of the most photographed objects in Honolulu regardless of the series.

Chinatown provided the show's car chases and undercover work, and it photographs well for the same reasons it filmed well: neon, old shopfronts and market crowds. The Hawaii Film Studio, the production home for ten seasons, is the behind-the-scenes stop.

The scenery: Pali Lookout, Maunalua Bay, Waimanalo

Half of this tour is a sightseeing route wearing a television costume, and that is not a criticism. The Nuuanu Pali Lookout is the best cliff view on the island. Waimanalo Beach and the Sherwood Forest park behind it are windward-coast classics. Maunalua Bay and the Kaneohe Bay research pier give you water and the Ko'olau ridge. Magic Island, where Kono taught Danny to surf, is the Ala Moana peninsula that visitors photograph anyway.

You would enjoy these stops with no knowledge of the show at all — and the Best of Oahu photo tour covers a similar coastline with a photographer guide if that is the version you want.

Koko Head Stairs and Kamekona's shrimp truck

The Koko Crater Trail — the old railway incline locals call the StairMaster — is where Alex O'Loughlin trained to stay in shape for the role. This is a look-at rather than a climb-it stop on a four-hour tour; the full ascent takes most people well over an hour.

Kamekona's shrimp truck is the fan-service stop and the one where people actually buy something, since food is not included.

Some locations are drive-by only

The listing is explicit: some locations, such as McGarrett's House, are drive-by only. The Bayer Estate is a private oceanfront home, not a set open to visitors, and the same applies to Rachel's House on Summer Street. If your plan was to stand at the gate for a photograph, adjust it — you get the view from the vehicle, and a guide explaining what you are looking at.

Bring a lens that copes with a moving car, or accept that these two stops are for the anecdote rather than the album.

No children under seven

The listing does not accept children under 7 or babies under 1, and states an upper limit of 95 years. Four hours in a vehicle with drive-by narration is a poor fit for small children in any case. Families with young kids looking for a photography-related activity are better served by a short beach session — the couples and families photographer covers up to fifteen people in 45 minutes.

Food is not included

Four hours, no food or drinks provided, and a shrimp truck on the itinerary that you pay for yourself. Bring water: the southeast coast stops are exposed and Oahu afternoons are warm year-round, with day highs sitting between about 27°C and 31°C all year.

4.4 rather than 4.9, and what the reviews say

Fourteen reviews average 4.4 — the lowest rating in this catalog, which is worth naming plainly. The written reviews are strongly positive and mostly about the guides: Courtney, January 2026, called the tour "incredible" and recommended it "if you're a fan of the show or if you're just wanting knowledge of the island from a local"; Franz, May 2026, praised a guide named Matt Malei and an on-time hotel pickup. A 4.4 average across fourteen bookings means a couple of people rated it lower without leaving text, which usually indicates expectations rather than failures — most often, on tours like this, the drive-by stops.

Book it if

You watched the show and you want the island explained through it — with a camera in your bag.

• You are a fan who wants the locations named and dated by someone local
• You want a four-hour island loop with hotel pickup and no driving
• You are content photographing landmarks and coastline rather than being photographed
• You are travelling without children under seven

Book something else if

You want photographs of yourself: every portrait session in this catalog does that, starting with the island-wide Oahu shoot. If you want the scenery without the television framing, and coaching on your own camera, the Best of Oahu photo tour covers the same coast in five hours with seven seats and a photographer guide. Both are on the comparison table.