Sightseeing on Tahiti

The Papeete Market

The Papeete Public Marketplace covers 7,000 sq. meters (75,350 sq. ft.) and is the lively and authentic heart of the city. It is open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and 5-9am on Sundays. It is particularly crowded in the early morning. The market section devoted to fl owers and fruits should not be missed.

Flowers such as tiare Tahiti, taina, tipanier, pitate and many more species will engulf you with their sweet perfumes. The place to shop is on the top floor of the market, where typical Polynesian hand-made products are waiting for you: pareu, hats, bags and baskets, wonderfully carved wood objects, fabrics, bed covers with vegetal patters or hand-sewn ethnic decorations.

The Papeete City Hall

This French colonial-style building was inspired by the architecture of the Queen Pomare IV Palace.

Papeete’s Notre Dame Cathedral

Built in 1875 and restored in 1987, this church, with a fascinating blend of modern and ancient images decorating its windows.

Venus Point Lighthouse

Built by people from the Gambier Islands in 1867, the lighthouse confirmed the adjacent Matavai Bay as Tahiti’s main harbour at the island’s northernmost point of land. The majority of European explorers anchored here during the second half of the 18th Century. British navigator Lt. James Cook gave Venus Point its name in 1769 in honor of his mission to observe the passage of the planet Venus across the sun on June 3, 1769. The lighthouse overlooks a beautiful and big black sand beach.

The Tahara’a “One Tree Hill“ And Orientation Table

Located on the island’s north coast, “One Tree Hill“ offers a panoramic view of the east coast all the way to Papeete. The beautiful and impressive mountainous silhouette of Moorea looms in the distance, a spectacular sight at sunset.

Paul gauguin museum

Open daily 9 am - 5 pm. Admission fee is charged. An amazing retrospective on the life and works of Paul Gauguin, the famous French artist who spent the last 12 years of his life on Tahiti and in the Marquesas Islands, The museum owns some of this unconventional painter’s original works (sculptures, engravings and letters) and has a big philatelic center renowned for collectors.

Papenoo Valley

Whether on foot, on a mountain bike or in a 4x4, it is best to tackle the Papenoo Valley with a guide. This valley, stretching across the island, is rich in archaeological sites and spectacular countryside punctuated with many impressive waterfalls. A road runs through the valley to the Maroto Hill, then descends through the Maroto Tunnel to the famous natural volcanic Lake Vaihiria before descending to the Mataiea Plateau.

Le Belvédère Restaurant

This restaurant with its stunning views is accessible via a road running through the Hamuta Valley in the Commune of Pirae. Besides being the departing point for hiking to Mount Aorai, the restaurant has a terrace where visitors can marvel at the neighboring Fautaua Valley, the City of Papeete, Papeete Harbor and Moorea on the horizon.

The Taravao Plateau

This lookout point with its spectacular panoramic views from Tahiti’s peninsula merits a visit. The road towards the Taravao Plateau climbs through Normandy- or New England-like countryside, ending at an observation post where visitors can take in with a sweeping glance both sides of the peninsula, two bays and the impressive size of Tahiti Nui, the main island.

Climbing Mount Aorai (2,066m/6,678 ft.)

The climb can be done without a guide. It begins at an altitude of 600m (1,969 ft.). (See Le Belvédère). The summit provides a panorama of all the island’s peaks, its deep valleys of a thousand waterfalls, as well as the imposing silhouette of Moorea and tiny dots in the ocean that are Tetiaroa and Maiao a sublime view.

The Hitiaa “lava tubes”

Located on a rocky coast, the Hitiaa “lava tubes” are best explored with a guide, beginning in a 4x4 SUV, and then on foot. These channels of narrow galleries or caves, are fl ooded by infi ltrating water which often ends up creating waterfalls.