You can get to French Polynesia reasonably easily from most parts of the world. It appears inaccessible but that is simply the distances involved, and the length of the flight particularly if you are coming from Europe or the eastern Seaboard of the USA.

Airlines such Qantas, Air New Zealand, Air France, Hawaiian Air, all fly into Papeete to Faa Airport.

In terms of getting around the scattered island of French Polynesia, there are two ways, and that is by boat or by air.

Air Tahiti flies from Papeete to 42 airstrips in French Polynesia.

There are a number of inter island boats which run regularly between the main island groups, and this is an incredible way of getting around this part of the South Pacific. There are huge catamarans that run between Tahiti and Moorea, but of course with the pressures of modern life and the probability that your vacation will be two weeks only, then flying is the most likely option for most people.

On the other hand French Polynesia is probably a once in a lifetime vacation, and you will have been flying for around 24 hours if you have come from Europe, so at least a month would still not be long enough to see and do everything!! It would however give you the chance to travel around a little by boat.

On land in Tahiti and the more developed islands there is a local bus service which is cheap cheerful and pretty reliable. A much more expensive option are taxis, and you can rent cars scooters, and bicycles to explore the island you are on. Finally you can hire 4x4’s to explore inland.

The big question about any vacation destination is the weather, what is it like, and when is it best to go?

French Polynesia has warm tropical weather all twelve months of the year. The climate is sunny and pleasant. You need to realise that as the islands of French Polynesia are south of the Equator, the seasons are reversed compared to Europe.

There are effectively two seasons, the first from November through to May when the weather is warm and somewhat humid with the daily temperatures averaging about 85 degrees Fahrenheit. It is at this time that most of the rainfall occurs, but it’s still sunny, and there is a refreshing breeze. Between June and October it is drier and cooler, with a daily average temperature of about 82 degrees. The average sea temperature is in the low 80’s and it rarely gets lower than 70 degrees at night.

It may take you a lot of flying time, but if ever a place was worth the effort it is French Polynesia

Return to World Wide Vacation Spots