From the airport to the city centre French Polynesia

Welcome to Polynesia! As soon as you disembark from your international plane at Fa'a'ā International Airport (www.tahiti-aeroport.pf), you are greeted by the sound of the ukulele and magic: the twenty hours of flying seem already far away! One more effort to get to your accommodation.

Some accommodations provide round-trip transfers (for an extra charge, of course); if this is not the case for your hotel or guesthouse, you will have to rely on the cab, which is relatively expensive: for example, count 1,270 CFP to 1,480 CFP to reach the Intercontinental, which is very close... If you plan to stay a few days on the island of Tahiti, it is better to rent a car.

As for inter-island connections, everything is quick and easy in Polynesia thanks to the domestic airline Air Tahiti (www.airtahiti.com) which regularly serves nearly 50 islands and atolls in the 5 archipelagos. The most touristic destinations, such as Bora Bora, are served several times a day, while some atolls in the Eastern Tuamotus are served only once to three times a week. You can choose between two fare options (Flex or Full Flex) and if you wish to visit several islands, several Air Tahiti Passes are available to benefit from more attractive fares.

Arrival by boat French Polynesia

Obviously, we do not reach Polynesia by boat! However, the latter can be considered to travel from island to island at lower cost. The Tahiti-Moorea link, with Aremiti (www.aremiti.pf) or Terevau (www.terevau) ferries, is really convenient: fast (30 minutes between Papeete and Moorea), practical, and much cheaper than the plane. Count 3,540 CFP for a round trip, a book of 10 tickets 11,800 CFP with Aremiti, tickets are valid for one year for the two ships Aremiti Ferry 2 and Aremiti 6. Count 2,490 CFP for a round trip, 9,950 CFP for 10 passages with Terevau. For the rest, long crossings can still be made with supply ships; however, do not be in a hurry, nor too demanding in terms of comfort: it remains really roots.

Public transport French Polynesia

Bus. They are roughly limited to the island of Tahiti and Moorea, but unless you have a lot of time on your hands, we advise you not to rely on them too much. On weekdays only, Tahiti is served by three lines (West Coast, East Coast and Peninsula); Moorea by two (West Coast and East Coast), and the corresponding buses usually leave their departure point as soon as they are 80% full! They run from 5:00 am to 5:45 pm (4:45 pm on Moorea), the ticket will cost you an average of 300 CFP per adult and 150 CFP per child (all schedule information on the website www.teretahiti.pf)

Elsewhere, you will have to rely on cabs, private public transport, hitchhiking, or more simply, renting your own vehicle. Please note that in most islands, restaurants and tour operators provide transfers, for a fee or not.

As for the trucks - these old colored trucks that were once used for public transportation - they are now reserved for school transportation. There are still a few on the more touristy islands, offering tours of the island to visitors, but they are operated by private service providers as part of excursions.

Bike, scooters & co French Polynesia

If the traffic in Tahiti is too dense to enjoy it fully and safely, the two-wheeler is an excellent option in many islands. The distances are generally short, the temperature is ideal, the traffic is fluid and the roads are relatively flat, winding along the lagoons. On the smaller islands and atolls, bicycles are the best option: count 1,000 CFP to 2,000 CFP for a day's rental; most guesthouses rent or even lend them. On the larger islands such as Moorea, Raiatea, Taha'a, Huahine or Rangiroa, scooters are more suitable: count 4,000 CFP to 6,000 CFP per day; reservations are most often made with a service provider (www.helloscoot.com, electric scooter, 100% green energy). Electric bicycles have also appeared in Polynesia in recent years.

In the Marquesas, however, unless you are an off-road specialist, there is no need to think about a two-wheeler: a 4x4 will be much more useful, and a horse is better company! For the latter (change of scenery guaranteed), expect to pay around 3 000 CFP or 4 000 CFP per day.

Finally, if it is more difficult in Tahiti than on the islands, hitchhiking works quite well in French Polynesia.

With a driver French Polynesia

Cab prices in Polynesia are among the highest in the world, and even more so in the islands (when there are any!). Count 1 000 CFP for a pick-up, then 130 CFP per kilometer during the day - a little more at night. Add 100 CFP for each luggage weighing more than 5 kg in the trunk, and 500 CFP for each bulky object (a surfboard for example). Count also 625 CFP for 15 minutes of waiting, and up to 2 500 CFP for one hour... In short, if it can be convenient occasionally, it is better, generally speaking, to rent your own vehicle.

In Papeete, as in mainland France, cabs are taken from the cab ranks (the central cab rank is located in front of the Rétro bar in the city center). In the other islands, if there is no taxi rank, you will be given their coordinates directly.

By car French Polynesia

You will find car rental agencies in most of the high tourist islands of French Polynesia. Here again, the rates are higher than in France, but what a treat to drive through these sublime landscapes in complete autonomy! Count from 6 000 CFP to 10 000 CFP per day at least, with reductions for long periods. The rates indicated are for unlimited mileage, but most rental companies also offer packages with daily rates and mileage.

Apart from the cost of living in the islands, the other reason for the high rates is the requirement that rental companies offer vehicles that are less than three years old. Here, you will benefit from a vehicle that is almost new and always well maintained. Insurance and assistance are included. In some islands, you will also find fun cars and Twizzy, which are very pleasant with their open sky.

Don't forget your driver's license! You will obviously be required to rent a vehicle. You must also be over 21 years old and have held your license for more than a year. Finally, you will be asked to pay a deposit of about 100 000 CFP for a car (up to 350 000 CFP for some vehicles), and 50 000 CFP for a two-wheeler (at least in large structures such as Avis), usually in the form of an imprint of your credit card.

If you plan to visit Tahiti and Moorea, it is more convenient to rent a vehicle on each island rather than keeping the same one for the crossing - not sure if your rental company accepts it. In the Marquesas, driving is rather dangerous, so rentals are almost always offered with a driver.

Don't think you are safe from roadside checks: although they don't exist on the islands, they are quite frequent in Tahiti. So be careful with your speed and your blood alcohol level.

To fill up your tank, you will easily find gas stations in Tahiti, as well as in most of the islands where car rental is offered. If not, you will be billed for the gasoline along with the vehicle and you will not have to worry about filling up. A particularity of French Polynesia is that all gas stations in the territory are supposed to charge the same rates, fixed by decree. This is the reason why they are never displayed. Finally, it is not necessary to help yourself since a pump attendant is on the way.

As for parking, the only paying parking lots in the territory are located in Papeete: count from 100-150 CFP per hour.

Last but not least, to find your way around: you will have to quickly integrate the notion of "PK" for "kilometre point". Indeed, addresses do not exist in Fenua, and as everyone lives along the road, you just have to fix a point of origin and give your distance to this point. Thus, the addresses are all like "PK 4.5 on the mountain side", or "PK 35.8 on the sea side". In Tahiti, for example, the point of origin of the KP is the cathedral in downtown Papeete; the address "Punaauia PK 18 sea side" corresponds to the houses near the white sand beach in the commune of Punaauia, 18 km from the center of Papeete. Beware of subtlety: what about the atolls that do not have mountains? In this case, the two sides of the road are called "lagoon side" and "ocean side". Why look any further after all?