PapeeteCapital
French Polynesia · Country profile
Papeete is the waterfront capital of the French Polynesia, the warm, flower-scented city of the island of the Tahiti that spreads its harbour, its markets, its wartime cathedral and its colonial-style wooden houses along the bay of the north coast, beneath the green cliffs of the great island and the deep blue of the Pacific. The capital of the territory of the islands since the nineteenth century, when the missionaries and the kings of the Tahiti made the village the seat of the kingdom, it is the administrative, the commercial and the entertainment heart of the whole of the French south Pacific, and the jumping-off point for the marvellous islands of the Tahiti and the Moorea, the Bora-Bora and the Tuamotus. The market of the capital, the cathedral, the gardens and the wharf of the town anchor the essential visits, while the ferries and the flights of the harbour spread the travellers across the encircling coral world. Bright, easy and irresistibly tropical, Papeete is the gentle capital of the islands of the French Pacific.
About Papeete
Papeete is the capital of French Polynesia. The city's documented population is around 26,000 people. For visitors from abroad, the local currency is the CFP Franc (XPF) and French and Tahitian are spoken; the dialling code is +689. It is served by 1 airport in our guide: Faa'a International Airport.
The Market of the Flowers and the Cathedral of the Mission
Papeete is a compact, waterfront capital where the essential circuit moves between the great market of the town, the cathedral and the waterfront of the harbour, with the gardens and the colonial wooden houses of the historic quarter filling the short days. The famous market of the capital, with its enormous morning floors of the fruit, the fish, the pareos and the vanilla of the islands, the cathedral of the town and the museum of the islands anchor the cultural visits, while the ferries of the harbour reach the island of the Moorea across the bay in a short hour. The coastal loop of the great island, with its waves, its black sand and its blow-holes, and the charms of the hill villages of the interior fill the excursions beyond the town, and the whole capital runs the lazy, flowered rhythm of the French Pacific.
The Houses of the Wood and the Waterfront of the Harbour
The climate of the capital is the warm, humid tropical of the south Pacific, with the wet, sultry season and the summer cyclones of the southern months, and the drier, pleasant winter season of the island, when the trade winds bring the blue of the clearest days. The franc of the Pacific is the currency, with the French and the Tahitian the languages of the town and the English common in the tourist world. The market, the cathedral and the waterfront make the core visits, and the islands of the region lie within the easy reach of the ferries and the flights of the capital. Light clothing, sun protection and a swimsuit complete the easy preparation for the island capital.
The Island of the Moorea and the Museum of the Islands
The great market of the capital, the celebrated market of the town with its stacked baskets of the tropical fruit, its enormous fresh fish counters and its fragrant stalls of the vanilla, the monoi and the flower crowns of the islands, is the beating food and craft heart of the French Pacific, and the market mornings of the town, with the flower-sellers and the live produce of the mountains, are the great social scene of the island. The cathedral of the capital, the pretty grey-stone cathedral of the mission that faces the waterfront with its lagoon-blue steeple, dates from the era of the kingdom of the Tahiti, and the gardens and the pae on the shore of the nearly paddle of the town, with their giant banyans and their tidal views, provide the shady heart of the city. The colonial wooden houses of the quarter, with their corrugated roofs and their verandas, the museum of the islands with its marae, its artefacts and its early photographs, and the ferry and the flight connections of the harbour that spread the visitor across the whole marvellous archipelago, complete the essential circuit of the gentle capital of the France of the Pacific.
Report an error or suggest an update
- Country
- French Polynesia
- Population
- 26,000
- Coordinates
- -17.5567, -149.6110
- Capital
- Papeete
- Region
- Oceania
- Currency
- CFP Franc (XPF)
- Languages
- French, Tahitian
- Calling code
- +689
- Country code
- PF
Getting to Papeete
Airports we list for Papeete:
Frequently asked questions
Is Papeete the capital of French Polynesia?
Yes — Papeete is the capital of French Polynesia.
What currency do I need in Papeete?
The local currency is the CFP Franc (XPF). Languages spoken in French Polynesia include French and Tahitian.
What is the dialling code for French Polynesia?
The international dialling code for French Polynesia is +689.
Which airport should I fly into for Papeete?
Faa'a International Airport (PPT) is the airport we list for Papeete.
Flying out of Papeete? Check the entry requirements for your destination in our entry requirements tool before you fly.