Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# 7 Stopover in Papeete Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea / Tahiti & French Polynesia
simonbnz 21:41 UTC 13 Jan 2010 | Hi All. I have a 7hr stopover in Papeete on Sunday before carrying onto LA, so am weighing up the options on whether I should get out of the airport and take a look around. Ive heard there isnt too much on the mainland that I should desperately check out, would this be a fair assumption? Would I have to pay an arrival tax? Also what are the electrical outlets like they use? Thanks in advance! Simon |
nukuhiva2 21:22 UTC 14 Jan 2010 | I think Tahiti is worthwhile visiting. Its downtown market is open daily from 5 a. to 5pm and busy on Sunday mornings. You could hang out at the ferries and watch people or you could walk to the yacht harbor. The long outrigger canoes should all be out on a Sunday morning. You could take a ferry over to Moorea, take the large slow one for sightseeing purposes. You could buy pineapples and mangoes in the Morrea ferry terminal and walk up the hill to the spot where you look back down again onto the ferry arrival and see Tahiti from that point. There is a bus that takes you around Moorea, but I am not sure about the schedule and exact itinerary. Since I had a bad experience with the buses (never arrived) outside the Papeete/airport corridor, I would never rely on them again. Of course, you could rent a car in Tahiti or in Moorea and so be very flexible. | 1
trvlguy66 05:20 UTC 15 Jan 2010 | I definitely think if you have 7 hours that you should head into Papeete. Even if it is not for everyone, it is worth seeing as the capitial of Tahiti. As mentioned, the market is there and just to stroll around the streets and relax by the waterfront is much nicer than spending hours sitting at the small airport. I think with only 7 hours and considering you are going to have to be at the airport to check-in for your next flight a couple hours before, I personally probably venture over to Moorea - but it is worth heading into Papeete. Enjoy your trip!! Carl | 2
nukuhiva2 22:17 UTC 15 Jan 2010 | You're right Carl. If it's 5 hours, no Moorea. | 3
gillrh 22:23 UTC 15 Jan 2010 | Just heading into the market in the early morning is worth it. It's pretty close to the waterfront near the cruiseship dock and first thing in the morning it is great. There are more beautiful fish lined up there than I've seen anywhere else plus the vegetables and local craftwork. A hit with some pf the people I was with were the intricately carved black pearls available at the market. Plus - the French influences are still strong so you can feast on baguette and fromage or pain au chocolat with good coffee or wine. | 4
samara400 05:49 UTC 04 May 2010 | I was in Pape'ete Sunday, and the place was dead. LP told me the market would be jumping, it was deserted. It was a depressing day, and was dissappointed with LP. It sounds like you guys know about a different Pape'ete? Samara | 5