French Polynesia
TerritoryAdministered by: France
“118 islands across an area the size of Europe, and the lagoon that defined the word.”
French Polynesia is 118 islands scattered across five archipelagos over an ocean area roughly the size of Europe, which is why the internal flight network is the defining logistical fact of any trip. The Society Islands — Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, Huahine — hold the lagoons and the overwater bungalows. The Tuamotus are coral atolls with the diving. The Marquesas are young volcanic islands with no reef, vertical basalt spires and the Polynesian carving tradition at its strongest.
It is a French overseas collectivity using the CFP franc, and it is expensive — imported food, small scale and a luxury-weighted resort market. The way most people manage it is pensions de famille, family-run guesthouses on the less-visited islands, which cost a fraction of the resorts and are a better experience. Fakarava's southern pass, where hundreds of grey reef sharks hold station in the current, is one of the great dives anywhere.
Highlights
Bora Bora's lagoon
A volcanic peak ringed by a turquoise lagoon and a motu barrier — the image that sells the South Pacific. Overwater bungalows, ray and shark feeding sites, and a circle-island lagoon tour that is the standard day out.
Fakarava south pass
A UNESCO biosphere atoll where hundreds of grey reef sharks hold station in the Tumakohua pass current — one of the highest concentrations recorded anywhere, dived on the incoming tide.
The Marquesas
Young volcanic islands with no protective reef, sheer basalt spires, tiki sites and the strongest surviving carving and tattoo traditions in Polynesia. Reached by air or the Aranui cargo-passenger ship.
Moorea
Thirty minutes by ferry from Tahiti — Cook's and Opunohu bays, the Belvedere viewpoint, humpback whales from July to October and a fraction of Bora Bora's prices.
Entry requirements for French Polynesia
Checking your passport…
We don't hold entry details for this passport group yet.
Before you fly
The detail
- Passport validity
- Most destinations want validity beyond your stay, and some want six months. Check yours against the return date.
- Onward travel
- Airlines may ask for a return or onward ticket at check-in.
- Health
- French healthcare standards in Papeete; limited facilities on the outer islands, with evacuation by air. No malaria. Dengue, Zika and chikungunya outbreaks occur — use repellent. Ciguatera poisoning from certain reef fish is a real local risk; take local advice on what to eat.
- Money
- The CFP franc is pegged to the euro at a fixed rate. Cards work in Papeete, resorts and larger pensions; carry cash on the atolls and outer islands, where ATMs may not exist.
When to go
BestMay–Oct. AvoidDec–Mar.
Dry season opens — clear, calm and quiet.
The band above each month is our editorial verdict - it weighs crowds, prices and access as well as weather. The line is average daily temperature, the bars are monthly rainfall. Select a month for the figures. Climate figures: ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2005–2024 normals.
What it costs
A day in French Polynesia
Comfortable · sample day
≈ $248
Line items are real prices we track. The daily budget is an editorial estimate for this level, not their sum.
Where this sits among 244 countries we have costed
July and August are peak, with the Heiva festival and the northern-hemisphere holidays coinciding. February and March are cheapest and wettest.
Updated Aug 2026 · Editorial synthesis — Air Tahiti tariffs, pension and resort rate sampling (2025–2026) · confidence high
Excludes international flights - they depend on where you fly from.
Regions to know
5Tahiti
Papeete, the roulottes food trucks, the black sand of the east coast, Teahupo'o's wave and the interior valleys.
Moorea and the Windward Islands
Cook's Bay, the Belvedere, pineapple fields and whale watching thirty minutes from Tahiti.
The Leeward Islands
Bora Bora, Huahine, Raiatea with the Taputapuātea marae and Tahaa's vanilla plantations.
The Tuamotus
Rangiroa, Fakarava and Tikehau — coral atolls, pass diving, pearl farms and almost no elevation.
The Marquesas and the Australs
Nuku Hiva and Hiva Oa in the far northeast; Rurutu and Rapa in the cool south, with humpbacks in season.
Practical guide
Getting there
Faa'a in Papeete is served by Air Tahiti Nui, French Bee, Air France, United and Air New Zealand from Paris, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Auckland and Tokyo. The Paris route via Los Angeles or Vancouver takes about 22 hours.
Getting around
Air Tahiti flies the inter-island network and a multi-island air pass is usually cheaper than separate tickets. Ferries connect Tahiti with Moorea frequently and the Leeward Islands less so. The Aranui 5 combines cargo and passengers on a two-week Marquesas run.
Money & costs
The CFP franc is pegged to the euro at a fixed rate. Cards work in Papeete, resorts and larger pensions; carry cash on the atolls and outer islands, where ATMs may not exist.
Safety
Very safe. The hazards are marine — currents in the passes, stonefish on the reef flats, and sun. Petty theft occurs in Papeete. Reef shoes are genuinely useful.
Health
French healthcare standards in Papeete; limited facilities on the outer islands, with evacuation by air. No malaria. Dengue, Zika and chikungunya outbreaks occur — use repellent. Ciguatera poisoning from certain reef fish is a real local risk; take local advice on what to eat.
SIM & internet
Vini and Vodafone; SIMs available at the airport. EU roaming does not apply. 4G in Papeete and the main islands; limited or absent on remote atolls.
Driving
French road rules. Tahiti's coastal road is busy around Papeete at rush hour. On the smaller islands a scooter or a bicycle covers everything — Bora Bora and Moorea are circled in an afternoon.
Rules change - verify with an official source before you rent.
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French PolynesiaFrequently asked questions
How expensive is it really, and can it be done cheaply?
The resorts are among the most expensive in the world. But pensions de famille — family guesthouses — run a fifth of the price with half board, the roulottes food trucks in Papeete serve a full meal for a fraction of a restaurant, and inter-island ferries beat flights where they exist. A pension-based trip to Moorea, Huahine and a Tuamotu atoll costs a third of the Bora Bora version.
Do I need a visa?
French Polynesia is a French overseas collectivity outside the EU and outside Schengen, with its own entry rules. EU/EEA and Swiss nationals enter freely. UK, US, Canadian, Australian and most Schengen-exempt nationalities get 90 days visa-free. A standard Schengen visa is not valid — visa nationals need one specifically endorsed for French Polynesia.
When are the whales?
Humpbacks calve in these waters from roughly July to October, with Moorea and Rurutu the best-known sites. Swimming with them is regulated and only permitted with licensed operators. That window sits inside the dry season, which makes July to October the strongest all-round time to come.