Two walks, one in the city and one in a protected valley. The city loop needs no booking, while the valley walk needs a permit and a plan. Walk 1: the city loop Order Stop What you will see 1 Place Vai’ete Waterfront square, public toilets, craft pavilion 2 Parc Bougainville Banyan trees and a monument 3 Mairie de Papeete, Rue Paul Gauguin Palace-style town hall 4 Notre-Dame Cathedral Active church; silent and modest dress 5 Marché Mapuru a Paraita Produce, fish, flowers, crafts The ground is flat and paved.

Papeete suits couples best as a stopover. Four ideas are listed below with what each involves, and a short note on timing. Prices are in XPF; none are quoted here because menus and charters change. The setting The west coast of Tahiti faces Moorea, whose peaks stand out at sunset. Nearly every idea below uses that view. Idea 1: an overwater dinner Le Lotus belongs to the InterContinental Tahiti Resort in Faa’a.

Family options near Papeete are limited, so this page lists each one with the age fit and the practical catch. Paofai Gardens (all ages) About 5 hectares of public park under trees, beside the lagoon and close to the centre. Take drinks and a picnic. Whether any playground equipment is open varies, so look when you arrive. Museum of Tahiti and the Islands (school age) Under 18s go free; standard entry is 1,000 XPF Saturday guided tour: 1,000 XPF for children Open Wednesday to Sunday, 09:00 to 17:00; closed Monday; Tuesday is for school groups The museum stands at Pointe des Pêcheurs in Punaauia Vaimahuta waterfall (young walkers) At Faarumai the first fall (80 m) is a few minutes from the car park.

Five kinds of organised outing leave from Papeete. For each, the notes say what a trip normally covers, how long it takes and what to check first. 1. 4x4 safari to Lake Vaihiria Route: up the Papenoo Valley, through the basalt tunnel to the lake Operators seen on current listings: Tahiti Safari Islander (about 7 hours, pickup near 08:10), 4x4 Safari Hereakimanu (about 8 hours, pickup near 08:30), Natura Exploration (Papenoo to Mataiea crossing with a certified guide) Also offered: a half-day quad-bike tour from Taravao Check: ask what the trip includes, as prices differ by operator 2.

Use Papeete as the junction of an island-hopping trip. The plan below works from the transport rules rather than a fixed day count, so you can stretch it to fit. Step 1: decide how you will move Ferry: Papeete to Vaiare on Moorea only, 30 to 45 minutes; operators are Aremiti, Tauati Ferry and Vaearai Air Tahiti: every other island; flights depart from Faa’a airport, about 5 km west of the centre Passes: Air Tahiti sells multi-island passes.

Four one-day options, compared on distance, effort and what you need to pre-book. Trip Getting there Pre-book? Moorea Ferry from the Papeete terminal to Vaiare, 30 to 45 minutes Yes on busy weekends East coast loop Coast road, Point Venus about 10 km out No Teahupo’o Road to the south-east tip, roughly 60 to 75 km Boat watching, yes Tetiaroa Catamaran from the Papeete marina, about 11 hours total Yes Moorea in a day Aremiti runs the Aremiti 5 and Aremiti 6 on the Papeete to Vaiare line, and Tauati Ferry and Vaearai serve it too.

Landmarks are grouped here by distance from central Papeete: in town, along the east coast, and further out. Almost all are free to see. In town (walkable) Landmark Notes Mairie de Papeete, Rue Paul Gauguin Replica of Queen Pomare IV’s palace by one description; counter open Mon to Thu 07:30 to 15:30, Fri 07:30 to 14:30 Parc Bougainville Shaded waterfront park with banyans and a monument Notre-Dame Cathedral Active church on Rue du Général de Gaulle; modest dress, quiet, no photos during Mass Paofai Gardens About 5 hectares of trees by the lagoon Mass times and visits: cathedraledepapeete.

At a glance: capital of French Polynesia, currency CFP franc (XPF, fixed at 119.33 per euro), exercise normal precautions per the US State Department (Level 1). The seven stops below are ordered from the first thing you can do on arrival to the last. 1. The market, from dawn Where: Marché Mapuru a Paraita, central Papeete Cost: free to walk through When: open every day; the Sunday session starts around 04:00 Tip: weekday closing times are not published, so make it a morning visit and carry cash 2.