French Polynesia

French is the official language and dominates signage, menus, and official business. Tahitian (Reo Tahiti) and other Polynesian languages are still widely spoken at home and carry real cultural weight — place names, songs, and greetings are almost always Tahitian rather than French. English is common in the resort areas of Bora Bora and Moorea and in Papeete, but far less so on smaller islands and in the outer archipelagos.

Prepaid SIM cards and eSIMs are sold at telecom shops in Papeete and, at a higher price, at Faa'a Airport. Bring your passport — vendors may ask for ID. Data plans cost more than in mainland France. Coverage is reliable on Tahiti, Moorea, and Bora Bora but drops off sharply on smaller Tuamotu atolls and in parts of the Marquesas, where a resort's Wi-Fi may be the only connection for days at a time.

Tap water is treated and generally safe to drink in Papeete and on the main islands, but bottled or filtered water is the safer choice in the Tuamotus and Marquesas, where supplies often depend on rainwater catchment. Pharmacies are well stocked in Papeete and the larger towns; on smaller islands, plan around limited hours and stock. No special vaccinations are required for most travelers, but routine immunizations should be up to date. Because the main hospital is in Papeete, travel insurance that covers medical evacuation is worth having for any trip that includes the outer islands.

Schengen visas do not apply here — French Polynesia sets its own entry rules, separate from mainland France. Citizens of the EU/EFTA, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and several other countries can enter visa-free for up to 90 days within a 180-day period. Chinese citizens can currently enter visa-free for up to 15 days as part of a trip organized by an approved travel agency; outside that scheme, and for most other nationalities including India, a visa must be arranged in advance. Travelers from other countries should check whether a visa is required and apply at a French embassy or consulate.

Visa and entry requirements change frequently. Verify current requirements with the official immigration authority or your country's embassy before travel.

• Dress modestly at churches. Cover shoulders and knees. Sunday service is a genuine social event on most islands, not only a religious one.
• Greetings are warm: a handshake or a light cheek kiss, once on each side, is common between people who already know each other.
• Sundays are quiet. Most shops, and many restaurants outside hotels, close for the day.
• Ask before photographing people, church services, or dance rehearsals.
• Expect a relaxed pace. Schedules on smaller islands can run later than posted, and that is normal, not rude.

Sunday closures are the single most disruptive thing for visitors to plan around: most shops, and many restaurants outside hotels, do not open. Grocery shopping and errands are best done on Saturday.

The Heiva i Tahiti festival, a month of traditional dance, singing, and sporting competitions held around National Day in July, is the biggest event of the year and fills hotels on Tahiti well in advance.

• By air: Air Tahiti operates the domestic network linking nearly 50 islands. Flying is often the only practical way between archipelagos. Book inter-island legs early in peak season (July–August, December–January).
• By boat: Fast ferries connect Papeete with Moorea in about 30–45 minutes. Slower cargo-passenger ships ("goélettes") serve the Tuamotus and Marquesas on multi-day runs and are used by locals and adventurous travelers alike.
• By road: Rental cars and scooters cover Tahiti, Moorea, and Bora Bora well. City buses run in and around Papeete. Elsewhere, a rental car or an organized transfer is usually necessary.

Breakfast is often French in style — a baguette or croissant with coffee — while lunch and dinner turn Polynesian, built around fresh fish and coconut. Poisson cru, raw tuna marinated in lime juice and coconut milk, is the closest thing to a national dish and appears on nearly every menu. Roasted breadfruit (uru), taro, and coconut-based stews like poulet fafa round out a typical plate.

Street food centers on roulottes — food trucks that gather each evening in Papeete's harborside square, serving everything from Chinese-Polynesian noodle dishes to wood-fired pizza and crepes. Chinese immigration in the 19th and 20th centuries left a lasting mark on the everyday menu, alongside French bakery culture and the islands' own seafood traditions. Hinano, the local lager, is the default drink at a casual meal, and Tahitian vanilla, among the most prized in the world, turns up in everything from desserts to cocktails.

French Polynesia's five archipelagos are spread across an ocean area roughly the size of Europe, so most trips focus on one or two of them.

The Society Islands hold the country's best-known destinations. The Windward Islands include Tahiti — home to the capital, Papeete, and the country's only international airport — and its quieter neighbor Moorea. The Leeward Islands hold French Polynesia's most photographed scenery: Bora Bora's lagoon, Huahine's villages, Raiatea's ancestral marae, and Taha'a's vanilla plantations.

The Tuamotu Archipelago is a chain of more than 75 low coral atolls stretching east of Tahiti, known for diving, pearl farms, and islands like Rangiroa and Fakarava.

The Marquesas Islands are rugged and mountainous, largely without lagoons or barrier reefs — a wilder, less-visited alternative to the Society Islands, rich in Marquesan carving and tiki traditions.

Further south, the Austral Islands see few visitors outside the July–October humpback whale season, and remote Gambier, at the country's eastern edge, is the most isolated of all, reached by an infrequent flight or a multi-day boat trip.