Points of interest French Polynesia: Tourism & Monuments

Practical information : Sightseeing French Polynesia

Timetable

Most of the places to visit in French Polynesia are free to enter, with no entrance fee or schedule. When this is not the case, the opening hours vary from 8 or 9 am to 4 or 5 pm, with a possible break at lunch time. The markets - especially the one in Papeete - are very early and open their doors at 5 am or even earlier! The activity is sometimes restricted on Sundays, but the places of visit are usually open, with slightly lighter hours.

To be booked

Pearl farms generally offer guided tours at set times and/or by appointment: please enquire on a case-by-case basis. On some islands - Rangiroa, for example, with Gauguin's Pearl - a shuttle can even pick you up free of charge if you've booked one. As for visits to vanilla plantations on Tahaa - La Vallée de la Vanille, for example - it's best to phone ahead to make sure the owners are available. Alternatively, you can use a local guide, who will organize all your visits without you having to ask such questions.

Main events

The months of July-August are perfect for a visit to Fenua: cultural, sporting and traditional Heiva celebrations are numerous throughout the territory and bring to life some of the most beautiful archaeological sites. Every Saturday in July in particular, the tamure shows at Tahiti's Marae Arahurahu allow you to combine a visit with a plunge into ancestral culture. To be booked in advance at the Carrefour Punaauia ticket office.

Guided tours

If they are not systematically proposed by the places of visit themselves, they nevertheless bring a real added value to your discovery. Where you might only see a pile of stones nicely aligned, a guide will be able to transmit to you the sacredness of a marae, the history of these thousand-year-old archaeological sites, and might even succeed in making you feel the mana that emanates from the place... Not all hikes are perfectly marked or secured (we specify this on a case by case basis in the pages of this guide): calling on a professional can also prove invaluable to penetrate the exuberant Polynesian nature and to survey its steep reliefs.

Tourist traps

As everywhere else, it is preferable to use certified guides, or at least experienced guides, for your guided tours and other tours of the islands. This rule is all the more valid for your dolphin and whale watching tours: unfortunately, guides and pilots do not always respect the regulations applied for the approach of cetaceans. Those mentioned in this guide have been tested and approved by us!

Tourist Attractions & Monuments French Polynesia

BORA BORA TUPUNA SAFARI

ARE TOURS

FRANCKYFRANCK MOOREA TOURS

MOOREA ECO ADVENTURE

MANA'O TAHITI RUM DISTILLERY

GAUGUIN'S PEARL

BELVEDERA

OPUNOHU AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE

TEMA BEACH

THE BLUE LAGON

COMITÉ DU TOURISME DE NUKU-HIVA

VANILLA VALLEY (AT BRIAN AND MOEATA'S)

PAPENOO-MATAIEA FERRY ROUTE

PA'ATI EXCURSIONS

TEREIA BEACH

TOUR OF THE ISLAND

LOVE HERE PEARL FARM

PINK SANDS

UPEKE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

IIPONA ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

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