Papeete
The capital of French Polynesia, where every distance on Tahiti is counted from the cathedral steps, the ferries leave for Moorea and the food trucks fill Place Vaiete at dusk.
- Arrival
- Tahiti Faa'a · PPT
- To the city
- About 5 km to the centre
- Private jets
- Two business-aviation handlers at Faa'a
- Best time
- June to September
The city
Kilometre zero.
Papeete takes its name from a water basket, and it is still the town where Tahiti comes to trade. The yellow cathedral of Notre-Dame, inaugurated in 1875, marks kilometre zero for the whole island. A landscaped waterfront runs for about a kilometre and a half from the ferry terminal to Place To'ata, where the Heiva festival fills July with drums and dance.
The afternoons stay at 30 to 32 °C all year. From June to September the rain falls to around 60 to 80 millimetres a month; December, the wettest month, brings close to 400.
- Papeete market Local produce beside pareos, carved tiki and other island crafts, in the centre of town.
- Paofai Gardens along the lagoon, and a Protestant temple where Sunday hymns are sung in full voice.
- Place Vaiete Roulottes, the island's food trucks, gathering by the harbour every evening.
Arriving
The airport on the edge of town.
Faa'a, the international airport of French Polynesia, lies five kilometres west of the centre of Papeete. Flights to the other islands and the boats to Moorea start from here and from the Gare Maritime in town.
- Nadi 4 h 50
- Auckland 5 h 35
- Honolulu 6 h 00
- Sydney 8 h 15 long-range jet
- Tokyo 12 h 30 long-range jet
When to go
June to September.
It is hot and humid in every month, with highs that vary by barely two degrees. The southern winter, June to September, is the drier time; from November to March heavy showers are frequent.
- 31° J 318 28°
- 31° F 278 29°
- 32° M 240 29°
- 32° A 143 29°
- 31° M 150 28°
- 30° J 81 27°
- 30° J 63 27°
- 30° A 66 26°
- 30° S 64 26°
- 31° O 121 27°
- 31° N 155 27°
- 30° D 397 28°
Where to stay
Near the airport, and on Matavai Bay.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- InterContinental Tahiti Resort & Spa Bungalows over the lagoon, two infinity pools and a 25-hectare garden looking across to Moorea, two kilometres from the runway.
- Hilton Tahiti Two hundred rooms and suites by the sea, six restaurants and bars, one of them on stilts, and a pool with private cabanas.
- Tahiti Pearl Beach Resort Ninety-one rooms, every one facing the ocean, above the black sand of Matavai Bay.
Where to dine
The best tables in and around town.
No MICHELIN Guide covers French Polynesia. L’O à la Bouche is listed by Tahiti Tourisme for French gastronomic cooking; Le Lotus is the gastronomic restaurant of the InterContinental.
- L’O à la Bouche Tourist office, gastronomic French and Polynesian Central Papeete
- Le Lotus Signature restaurant, InterContinental Tahiti Resort & Spa French gastronomic $$$ InterContinental Tahiti, Faa’a, about 6 km from the centre
Elsewhere in French Polynesia
More reasons to come.
Flying to Papeete?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.