Tumon Bay is the reason most visitors come, and it delivers: a long crescent of pale sand, calm turquoise water, and enough coral to make snorkeling interesting without needing scuba certification. It's the tourist heartland, surrounded by Japanese-owned hotels and duty-free shops, but the beach itself is genuinely beautiful. Go early before the tour buses arrive.
Chamorro Village Night Market in Hagatna runs every Wednesday evening and is the best single place to experience local culture in one setting. Food stalls sell red rice, kelaguen (a citrus-cured meat dish), barbecued ribs, and fresh coconut. There's live music, local crafts, and a relaxed crowd of residents and visitors mixing easily.
Latte stones are the island's most distinctive historical monuments — ancient stone pillars, shaped like mushrooms, that once supported the thatched houses of the pre-colonial Chamorro. The best site is the Latte Stone Park in Hagatna, where you can walk among the stones for free. They're a quiet but powerful symbol of a civilization that existed here for thousands of years before Europeans arrived.
Two Lovers' Point (Puntan Dos Amantes) in northern Guam offers vertiginous views from a 400-foot cliff over the Philippine Sea. The name comes from a Chamorro legend of two young lovers who leapt from the point rather than be separated. It's touristy but the view is genuinely spectacular, especially at sunset.
War history is everywhere on this island. Guam was occupied by Japan from 1941 to 1944, and the liberation campaign was brutal. The War in the Pacific National Historical Park encompasses several sites around the island — the beaches at Asan and Agat where US forces landed, Nimitz Hill, and a visitor center with exhibits that treat both sides of the conflict with care. The island's relationship with this history is complex and worth engaging with.
Talofofo Falls in the south is a genuinely beautiful spot — a series of freshwater cascades in dense jungle, accessible via a gondola ride through the forest canopy. The Yokoi Cave nearby adds historical texture: this is where Japanese soldier Hiroo Onoda hid for nearly three decades after the war ended, not knowing (or not believing) it was over. The park charges a small entrance fee.
Diving and water sports are excellent around most of the island. Apra Harbor has some of the best wreck diving in the Pacific — Japanese and American ships from the war lie at diveable depths in clear water. Cocos Island, off the southern tip, offers snorkeling and kayaking from a resort island accessible by ferry from Merizo.