PF · Curated travel guide
French Polynesia: 10 places worth the journey
Tahiti, Marquesas Islands, Mont Orohena and 7 more — what each one is, and why it is worth the detour.
- Places
- 10
- World Heritage
- 1
- Language
- French
- Currency
- XPF
What to see in French Polynesia
Chosen from everything Wikidata knows about French Polynesia and ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions describe them, which is about as close to "famous" as open data gets. One is on UNESCO's World Heritage list.
World Heritage
Marquesas Islands
Archipelago in French Polynesia
Volcanic islands belonging to French Polynesia, France's overseas collectivity in the South Pacific. Mount Oave, on Ua Pou, rises highest, 1,230 m (4,035 ft) above the sea.
Photo: Sémhur · ✉ · ✍ ·, CC BY-SA 3.0
Mont Orohena
Mountain on the island of Tahiti
A mountain on Tahiti, in the South Pacific, 2,241 metres (7,352 ft) above sea level, the highest point of both Tahiti and French Polynesia.
Photo: FRED at French Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Society Islands
Archipelago in French Polynesia
A Polynesian archipelago in the South Pacific belonging politically to French Polynesia, a semi-autonomous part of France.
Photo: ArnoldPlaton, CC BY-SA 3.0
Tuamotus
Archipelago in French Polynesia
Also called the Tuamotu Islands, a chain of just under 80 islands and atolls of French Polynesia in the southern Pacific, the world's largest chain of atolls, spread over an area roughly as big as Western Europe.
Photo: Michel-georges bernard, CC BY-SA 3.0
Austral Islands
Archipelago in French Polynesia
French Polynesia's southernmost island group, in the South Pacific; French Polynesia is an overseas country of the French Republic. Geographically there are two distinct archipelagos. To the northwest lie the Tupua'i islands: Îles Maria, Rimatara, Rūrutu, Tupua'i Island itself and Ra'ivāvae. To the southeast lie the Bass Islands: Rapa Iti, the main island, and little Marotiri.
Photo: Jérémie Silvestro (If you can improve this photo development, ask me the RAW .), CC BY-SA 4.0
Gambier Islands
Archipelago in French Polynesia
An archipelago of French Polynesia at the south-eastern end of the Tuamotu archipelago, covering 27.8 km² or 10.7 sq mi. It is made up of the Mangareva Islands, high islands left from a caldera, plus islets on the fringing reef around them, and Temoe, an uninhabited atoll 45 km south-east of the Mangareva Islands.
Photo: The original uploader was FRED at French Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 3.0
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Moʼorea
Island in French Polynesia
Also written Moorea, a volcanic island of French Polynesia 17 kilometres (11 mi) northwest of Tahiti. The two are the biggest of the Windward Islands, a group within the wider Society Islands archipelago.
Photo: European Space Agency / CNES, Attribution
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Raʻiātea
Island in French Polynesia
Also written Raiatea, the second-biggest of the Society Islands after Tahiti, in French Polynesia, in the South Pacific. It is widely seen as the "centre" of the eastern islands in ancient Polynesia, and the organised voyages of migration to Hawaii and other parts of East Polynesia probably set out from here.
Photo: Remi Jouan, CC BY-SA 3.0
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About French Polynesia
An overseas collectivity of France and its only overseas country, listed by the United Nations as a non-self-governing territory. Its 121 widely scattered islands and atolls stretch over more than 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) of the South Pacific. The European Union counts it among its associated overseas countries and territories (OCT).
Officially French Polynesia.
Based on the Wikipedia article, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0: the facts are Wikipedia's, the wording is this site's.
Questions travellers ask
What is worth seeing in French Polynesia?
This guide lists 10: Tahiti, Marquesas Islands, Mont Orohena and Society Islands and others. Marquesas Islands is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
How were these places chosen?
By machine, from open data, with no human ranking them and nobody able to pay for a place on the list. Everything Wikidata records in French Polynesia that is a building, a landform, a protected area or a tourist attraction, has coordinates, a photograph and an English Wikipedia article, is ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions wrote about it. Provinces, cities, airports, stations and stretches of sea shared with the neighbours are filtered out.
Which places here are UNESCO World Heritage Sites?
1 of the 10 in this guide: Marquesas Islands. That is not the full count for French Polynesia, only the listed sites that made this guide.
What language is spoken in French Polynesia, and what currency?
French. The currency is XPF.
How do I get mobile data in French Polynesia?
A travel eSIM is usually the cheapest way, and avoids a roaming bill. The plans suggested at the foot of this guide start at $21.82 for 1GB per day. The eSIM is data-only and sits alongside your normal SIM, so calls, texts and WhatsApp keep working on your own number.
Which networks would my phone use in French Polynesia?
Vini. Your phone picks whichever has the best signal where you are, the same way a local phone does.
One practical note: staying online
Maps, tickets and translation all want data, and roaming is the expensive way to get it. A Computatus eSIM eSIM connects to Vini once you land, and installs by QR code before you leave.
See 13 Computatus eSIM plans for French Polynesia from $21.82
| Plan | Data | Valid | Price | Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1GB per day Cheapest | 1 GB | 1 day | $21.82 | Get it → |
| 1GB for 7 days | 1 GB | 7 days | $23.09 | Get it → |
| 1GB per day | 1 GB | 1 day | $25.67 | Get it → |
| 2GB per day | 2 GB | 1 day | $41.06 | Get it → |
| 2GB per day | 2 GB | 1 day | $48.76 | Get it → |
| 3GB for 15 days | 3 GB | 15 days | $61.59 | Get it → |
No app needed. Install by QR code before you fly, keep your own number for calls, and it connects the moment you land.
Vini 5G
A commission on plans bought through these links is what pays for this guide. Nothing above depends on it: the places are chosen before any price is looked up.