French Polynesia Transportation

 
by malianrob
 
  •   Automobile
    by malianrob
  •   Ferry
    by malianrob
  •   Ferry
    by malianrob
  •   Ferry
    by malianrob
  • Ferry
      Ferry
    by Jim_Eliason
 

Most Viewed Transportation in French Polynesia

1.

Ferry   Bora-Bora

Ferry, Bora-Bora

 3 Reviews  Because most of the island's hotels are seperated from the actual island itself, the ferry system in Bora Bora needs to be very comprehensive. During our stay on the Bora Bora Nui, which is on a motu... 

 See All 24 Transportation in Bora-Bora

2.

Le Truck   Tahiti

Le Truck, Tahiti

 6 Reviews  Le Truck was a fun and cheap way to get around Tahiti. When Le Truck pulls up, tell the driver where you want to go so he knows where to stop for you. Make sure to pay after you exit. When you get on... 

 See All 24 Transportation in Tahiti

3.

Ferry   Moorea

Ferry, Moorea

 8 Reviews  They say it takes 7 minutes to fly from Papeete to Moorea and vice versa but why would you fly if its only 30 minutes on the ferry and is alot cheaper. The ferry even holds cars. You can drive right... 

 See All 33 Transportation in Moorea

4.

Scooter   Bora-Bora

Scooter, Bora-Bora

 2 Reviews  To explore the small island renting a scooter will do. We had one for 4 hours, which gave us plenty of time to go around the island. We paid 5000 CFP (42 EUR) per scooter which includes unlimited... 

 See All 24 Transportation in Bora-Bora

5.

Plane   Tahiti

Plane, Tahiti

 7 Reviews  The best compagny to fly to French Polynesia. Planes are brand new with personal tv screen and games even in economics. Service is excellent and food better than usual in planes. You already feel like... 

 See All 24 Transportation in Tahiti

6.

Automobile   Moorea

Automobile, Moorea

 5 Reviews  You dont really need a car to go around the island. You can rent a scooter, or bikes or do a tour. Renting a car is pricey especially if you want a 4x4 jeep. You are looking at 90 to 100 dollars for... 

 See All 33 Transportation in Moorea

7.

Bikes   Bora-Bora

Bikes, Bora-Bora

 2 Reviews  I had wanted to rent a scooter for our trip around the island but the company I contacted did not have any for rent, only cars and bicycles. Having seen the rates for cars, I chose the sporty... 

 See All 24 Transportation in Bora-Bora

8.

Plane   Moorea

Plane, Moorea

 5 Reviews  From Tahiti, the quickest way to reach Moorea is to fly this tiny airplane. A funny flight actually, very noisy and not that reassuring, although you can control each of the pilot's moves : there is... 

 See All 33 Transportation in Moorea

9.

Bikes   Moorea

Bikes, Moorea

 2 Reviews  Traveling around Moorea by bicycle is a wonderful way to see the island. You can go where you want, you're not restricted to paved roads, and yet you can get around easily without sacrificing your... 

 See All 33 Transportation in Moorea

Comments

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Family Flight Passes

by cheaptickets

When travelling with children in French Polynesia make sure to get a Family ID Card. Bring a passport size photo the the Air Tahiti office in Papeete, fill out their form, show your passports and you can receive up to 75% off on flights for Children (2-11yrs) and 50% off on flights for Adults. It saved us a bundle as we were travelling with 5 children for 2 months.

Travel between the Islands

by Kakapo2

/Air Tahiti flies to 27 islands – which includes all biggies of the Society Islands, and also Rarotonga (but this only during very limited periods), the main island of the Cook Islands. Travel starts at Faa’a Airport in Papeete.They have airfares which either include 20kg or 50kg free luggage.Just an example: In the high season a one way flight with 20 kg allowance from Papeete to Bora Bora costs between 164 and 181 Euro, return from 294 to 324 Euro.From Bora Bora you can fly to nine different islands.Also check out Air Passes if you plan island hopping.http://www.airtahiti.aero/home.phpAdditionally, Air Moorea operates between Tahiti and Moorea.http://www.airmoorea.com/home.php?cat=1A cheaper option to travel between the islands is by boat. And between the Society Islands this is no real problem, in most cases there are at least two trips per week. Between Tahiti and Moorea you have...

A cargo ship getting into the port of Papeete.
Getting around on the Islands

by Kakapo2

/There are generally five possibilities: Le Truck which is the public bus, rental car or scooter, or bicycle, or a guided tour.The problem with Le Truck is that it only has a kind of real schedule on Tahiti but you will struggle during the weekend. During the week you can get around the island without the chance of not getting back to where you started. On the smaller islands service is very limited. On Bora Bora, although the circle island road is only 32 km to circumnavigate, there is no round the island service.So you rely on rental vehicles, and those are extremely expensive. On Tahiti I got information about a rental company named Robert which has cars with daily hire rates of about 5000 CFP (42 Euro) but with most other companies you pay twice this and more for the smallest vehicle.We tried to hire a scooter in Moorea but the big companies like Europcar and Avis have no scooters –...

The buses named Le Truck are not always reliable.
Getting to French Polynesia

by Kakapo2

-Distances and flight times from international destinations to Tahiti:Paris 17,100 km/20 hoursLos Angeles 6,200 km/8 hoursNew York 10,100 km/12.5 hoursAuckland (New Zealand) 3,900 km/5.5 hoursSydney 5700 km/6.5 hoursSantiago de Chile (via Easter Island) 7,500 km/8 hoursTokyo 8,800 km/11 hoursAirlines that service Papeete (Tahiti; Faa’a Airport):Air FranceAir CalinAir New ZealandHawaiian AirlinesJapan AirlinesLan AirlinesQantasAir Tahiti NuiAlways check out if a round the world ticket could be the best deal for you. For example, if you live in Europe it could be hugely interesting to fly with Lan Chile and have a stop-over on the Easter Islands on the way to Tahiti or back home.Direct links to the above listed airlines on this website:http://www.boraboraisland.com/gethere.html#papeete

Flying into Papeete. Moorea in the background.
Air Tahiti Nui

by Muya

Eleven hours + 8 more after the unpleasant stop in L.A.; a 22 hours-journey on the whole. Long flight but very comfortable plane. Each seat is provided with a private TV screen allowing you to choose your own programme during the flight. You can choose from a selection of 8 movies, various games, Tiare TV (Polynesian TV) or the Air Show indicating your exact position on a detailed map. The different meals we got were quite good and gave us a first taste of Polynesian dishes. And I can't forget to mention of course the traditional gardenia flower offered to each passenger boarding the plane in Paris !! A really thoughtful little attention that will be repeated all along your trip in French Polynesia !

Air Tahiti Nui
Air Tahiti

by cgf

Using AIr Tahiti (not Air Tahiti Nui which is an other airline) is the quickest way to visit the atolls of French Polynesia. Very clean and confortable ATR, no meaningful delay, the staff is very kind and helpful. In the case you want to visit more islands, I suggest to buy a pass.http://www.airtahiti.aero/articles.php?id=69The Air Pass could be bought sending a request by email with an itinerary which has to be confermed. debit on my credtit card was made one month before first flight with them even I booked 4 monthes in advance.

Le Truck - a bus service around the Island

by easyoar

By far the cheapest way to get around any particular island in French Polynesia is to use Le Truck. Le Truck is a bus that basically drives around the island you are on (e.g. Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora etc), and you flag it down at a stop, and let the driver know when you need to get off - it can be flexible sometimes although it is supposed to use proper stops.I can'tremember the exact cost, but it was the only thing I remember in French Polynesia that felt good value. However be aware that Le Truck does run on Tahiti time (i.e. it can be pretty late). If you are doing something to a budget then Le Truck is great. If you are in a hurry, get a car!However Le Truck can be good for getting to and from the Ferry, as it stops right outside the ferry terminal, and seems to try and coincide its stops with the ferry arriving/departing.I haven't got picture of Le-Truck myself, so this photo is...

Le Truck - a bus service around the Island
Rent a car and drive around the Island you are on

by easyoar

Whilst it is not especially cheap to rent a car in French Polynesia, it can work out quite cost effective compared to paying someone else to take you to places (hotels are so expensive you don't tend to be staying long, so everything is done in a hurry, so Le Truck is not always feasible!).You can rent cars by the day with unlimited mileage, or you can pay less if you are going to do less mileage, with a surcharge for every extra kilometre you drive. If you have a good idea that you are not going to drive too far, this can be a good idea.This picture shows the car we rented in the grounds of the Tahiti Museum.

Rent a car and drive around the Island you are on
Just around in the sea

by easyoar

This is a slightly flippant transport tip, but if you just fancy a padle about in the sea or viiting a Motu under your own steam, it is well worth rentng or borrowing a boat of some description and paddling about.A good number of the islands have coral reefs around them, which protect the islands from strong currents and make swimming and boating much safer than it would otherwise be.Of course if you rent one in the evening, you can have a romantic moment and watch the sun set. Just be careful not to capsize the boat ;-) A sudden dose of seawater is not the most romantic thing I can think of.

Paddle about in the sea
Boats between Moorea and Tahiti

by easyoar

There are several boats that leave to/from Moorea to Papeete (Papeete is the capital of Tahiti) a few times a day.Unfortunately they all seem to depart at virtually the same time, so if you miss a boat, you can have several hours wait for the next one, so make sure you know what times the boats leave in advance and get there early as they depart promptly - they don't work on Tahitian time (i.e. late!).From memory, the boat is around £5 (less than $10 US) for a single to Tahiti (returns are double), which actually maks it quite good value by Polynesian standards!

Boats between Moorea and Tahiti

Top 3 Hotels in French Polynesia

Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa  Moorea

 9 Reviews and 757 Opinions  My wife and I went there for a 4 night getaway and we were impressed with everything from the start.... 

 See all 14 Hotels in Moorea

Show Prices

Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora  Bora-Bora

 648 Opinions

 See all 20 Hotels in Bora-Bora

Show Prices

Le Tahaa Private Island And Spa  Tahiti

 2 Reviews and 288 Opinions  Le Taha'a is a lovely hotel in many ways, but it is not a good fit for everyone. The layout of the... 

 See all 9 Hotels in Tahiti

Show Prices

French Polynesia Transportation

Reviews and photos of French Polynesia transportation posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for French Polynesia sightseeing.
Map of French Polynesia