Honiara is the capital of the Solomon Islands, a sprawling, low-rise town on the north coast of Guadalcanal. It is not conventionally attractive — dusty, humid, and chaotic — but it is the gateway to one of the Pacific's most fascinating and least-visited island nations.
The town's most significant history is from World War II. The Battle of Guadalcanal (1942–43) was one of the bloodiest Pacific campaigns, and the area is littered with relics. The Guadalcanal American Memorial on Skyline Ridge overlooks the town. The Vilu War Museum, about 15 kilometres west, has an open-air collection of American and Japanese aircraft, artillery, and vehicles rusting in the tropical vegetation. The waters offshore hold some of the most significant wreck-diving sites in the world — Iron Bottom Sound, named for the dozens of ships sunk during the naval battles.
The Central Market in Honiara is lively and worth visiting — piles of betel nut, sweet potato, fish, and tropical fruit. The National Museum has a small but interesting collection on Melanesian culture. Getting beyond Honiara to the outer islands — the Western Province (Munda, Marovo Lagoon), or the remote Rennell and Bellona — is the real reward of visiting the Solomons, but most itineraries start and end here.