French Polynesia Travel Guide
GETTING THERE
Arriving by plane
As a country located in Oceania listed on ehistorylib, French Polynesia is used by Air France (AF), Qantas (QF), Air New Zealand, Delta Airlines (DL) (Internet: www.delta.com), American Airlines (AA) (Internet: www.aa.com) and Air Tahiti Nui (TN) (Internet: www.airtahiti.com) in cooperation with other airlines. Air France flies from German airports, from Vienna and Zurich via Paris to Papeete.
Flight times
Frankfurt / Zurich / Vienna – Papeete: 25-26 hours; Paris – Papeete: 21-22 hours
Arrival by ship
Papeete in Tahiti, the only international port, is within the scope of cruises, among others, Cunard (website: www.cunard.com), Princess Cruises (website: www.princess.com), Holland America (website: www.hollandamerica.com) and Radisson Seven Seas (Internet: www.rssc.com) started.
ON THE GO
Traveling by plane
Air Tahiti Nui (TN) flight services (Internet: www.airtahitinui.com) connect Tahiti from Tahiti Faa’a Airport with the neighboring islands (Moorea, Huahine, Raiatea, Bora-Bora, Maupiti) and the remote island groups Tuamotu, Rangiroa, Manihi, Mataiva, Anaa, the Austral Islands Rurutu and Tubuai, the Mangareva Islands and the Marquesa Islands Hiva Oa and Nuku Hiva. Regular air taxi service between Tahiti and Moorea.
Air Moorea (Internet: www.airmoorea.com) flies from Tahiti Faa’a Airport to Moorea (flight time: 10 minutes). Air Moorea also serves the Tetiaroa Islands.
On the way by car / bus
Bus: The cheapest modes of transport in Tahiti and most of the other islands are the Le Truck buses, which are open and depart from Papeetes’ largest market, and the large, white RTC coaches. There are no timetables.
Taxis are available in Tahiti, Moorea, Bora-Bora, Huahine and Raiatea. They can be found at most hotels, airports and ferry ports.
Rental cars: International rental car companies are represented on the larger islands. Mopeds can also be rented cheaply. Documentation: National driver’s license.
On the way by ship
The passenger ship Aremiti catamaran 4 operates several times a day between Tahiti, Moorea and Aremiti (journey time: 30 minutes). The car ferry Aremiti-Katamaran 4 (journey time: 1 hour) also connects Papeete, Vaiare and Moorea several times a day. The Moorea Express catamaran runs several times a day between Tahiti and Moorea. As a passenger ferry it takes half an hour, as a car ferry it takes an hour.
Cruise ships of the following shipping companies run Tahiti and its islands and including the Marquesas to: Radisson Seven Seas Cruises (website: www.rssc.com), Princess Cruises (website: www.princess.com)Bora Bora Cruises (Internet: www.boraboracruises.com), Aranui (Internet: www.aranui.com) and Archipels Croisieres (Internet: www.archipels.com).
MONEY
Currency
For the French overseas territories (Départements d’Outre-Mer) French Guyana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion as well as for the local authorities (Collectivités Territoriales) Mayotte and St. Pierre and Miquelon, the euro has been the official currency since January 1, 1999. For more information on using the euro, see the France chapter. In the French Overseas Zealand (Pays d’outre mer / POM) French Polynesia and in the French overseas territory (Territoires d’Outre-Mer / TOM) New Caledonia, the official currency is the CFP Franc, which is pegged to the Euro.
1 CFP Franc = 100 Centimes. Currency abbreviation: CFP Fr, XPF (ISO code). Banknotes are in circulation to the denomination of 10,000, 5,000, 1,000 and 500 CFP Fr; Coins in denominations of 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 CFP Fr.
Credit cards
American Express, Visa, MasterCard and Diners Club are mainly accepted in hotels, larger shops and car rental locations in Tahiti, Bora Bora, Moorea and Huahine. Details from the issuer of the credit card in question.
ATMs
ec / Maestro card / Sparcard
On the larger islands there are banks with ATMs that accept EC cards with the Maestro or Cirrus symbol for withdrawing money.
Attention: Travelers who pay with their bank card abroad and want to withdraw money should find out about the possibilities of using their card from their bank before starting their journey.
Bank opening times
Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-3.30 p.m., e.g. T. also Sa 7.45-11.30 a.m.
Foreign exchange regulations
- France.
Currency Exchange
At the airport, in banks and in authorized hotels and shops in Papeete.
LANGUAGE
Overview
The official languages are French and Tahitian. Polynesian languages and English are also spoken.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
DUTY-FREE SHOPPING
Overview
The following items can be imported into French Polynesia duty-free:
200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250 g tobacco (people aged 17 and over);
2 liters of wine and 1 liter of spirits with an alcohol content of more than 22% or a total of 2 liters of spirits with an alcohol content of no more than 22% (people aged 17 and over);
50 g perfume and 250 ml eau de toilette;
other items for personal use up to a value of 5000 CFP Fr (children up to 15 years of age 2500 CFP Fr).
All luggage from Fiji and Samoa is disinfected upon arrival in Papeete (duration: approx. 2 hours).
Prohibited imports
Drugs, narcotics, weapons, animal products, fruits, flowers.
