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It is rather difficult to single out specific sights in French Polynesia, since the whole country with all 130 more unique islands is one. The center of cultural and social life in French Polynesia is the capital city of Papeete on the island of Tahiti. It is the most developed and Europeanized city in the country. Transport is noisy here, shops, restaurants, bright markets and banks are open. In Papeete, there is the central cultural square of To’ata, the Pearl Museum, the Vaima Center shopping area, Bruat Avenue with all government institutions and Tarachoi Square with the statue of Pouvanaa Oopa. Also worth visiting are the Harrison Smith Botanical Garden, the Museum of Tahiti and other Islands, the Mataoa Garden, the Lagunarium Ocean Museum, the Pearl Museum, the Du Cuquilage Museum, Pearl Center “Taiti Pearl Center” with an incredible collection of the rarest black pearls. Despite its modest size, the Gauguin Museum is the most famous tourist attraction in the capital. Otherwise, French Polynesia is an incredible pure untouched nature. Like the world-famous islands of Bora Bora, the volcanic island of Moorea impresses with its beauty and is one of the most picturesque in the world. By the way, this place is also important from a historical point of view, it was here that Captain Cook first landed on the lands of French Polynesia. Tetiaroa is the only coral island among its neighbors, also known as Marlon Brando Island after its former owner. The oldest archaeological site in French Polynesia is located on the island of Hua Hin, here were discovered the remains of the ancient civilization of Maui, dated 800-900 years. n. e. In the Leeward Islands group, the most interesting to visit are Bora Bora, Tahaa, Raiatea, Hua Hin, Maupiti and the uninhabited Mopelia, Tupai, Scilly and Bellingshausen Island. In the archipelago of the Marquesas Islands, it is worth visiting Nuku Hiva, Hiva Oa, Wa Pou, Wa Huka and Tauata, in the Tuamotu archipelago – Rangiroa, Tikehau, Manihi and Fakarava.

National cuisine of Tahiti

The cuisine of French Polynesia is a mixture of European and Asian cuisines. The basis, of course, is the freshest seafood, which is cooked here in a variety of ways. Many local fish and shellfish do not even have a Russian name, their diversity is so great. Frequent ingredients of the local cuisine are also bananas, yams and sage, breadfruit. Especially popular dishes in French Polynesia are fish la tahitienne marinated in lemon juice and coconut milk, as well as pork with pasta, Chinese cabbage and beans called chinese ma’a tinito.

Transport

Transport within French Polynesia, as well as ways to get here, is not an easy question, since the country is extremely remote from the rest of the world. The journey here is quite long with one or two transfers, it takes more than a day. The most popular routes are Moscow-Tokyo-Tahiti, Moscow-Paris-Los Angeles-Tahiti and Moscow-New York-Tahiti. Pay attention to the need to obtain a transit visa during the flight through the United States and France. The main transport within French Polynesia, between its islands is the plane. The 35 major islands of the country are interconnected by a dense route network of the local airline Air Tahiti. The country allows the use of private planes and helicopters, which is often used by VIP tourists. The country also has a Le Truck public transport system, represented mainly by water transport and only a little by land. Some of the islands have roads and buses, but for the majority, this is something incredibly far away. For traveling around a particular island, hitchhiking and bike/car rental are also common among tourists.

Currency exchange in Tahiti

In French Polynesia, dollars and euros are used, most often euros are accepted at a more favorable rate than dollars. You can exchange other foreign currencies at exchange offices at the airport, banks and hotels, but the rate can vary greatly between them. All tourist establishments like hotels and restaurants accept bank cards. Banks on the larger islands are open Monday to Friday (sometimes Saturday) from 7:45 to 15:30.