Discover Papeete |
Papeete, as the administrative and
economic capital of French Polynesia, is first and foremost a port city
making it possible for Tahiti to open up to the outside world.
The city has only 25,769 inhabitants within its limits.
While Papeete has not much character from the architectural viewpoint,
visitors should not fail to pay a visit to the marketplace. The liveliest
day of the week is Sunday morning, between five and seven thirty, before
the various church services.
The waterfront, which has been rearranged, is an invitation to voyage
since, next to the local yachts, boats from all over the world have
dropped anchors to discover "Paradise". Not far from the
wharf, towards the western exit of the city, the Black Pearl Museum and
the Paofai Protestant Church are places of interest for visitors.
Downtown, in the commercial area, between the large and attractive city
hall building and the cathedral, shopping lovers will be able to buy all kinds of souvenirs, ranging from
plain flowered pareos to the most sumptuous sets of black pearls.
And at night, the wharf turns into a lively place when the "roulottes", or vans operating as mobile restaurants, prepare for their evening activities: local specialties as well as French, Chinese, specialties, etc., are proposed to suit all tastes and proved tasty, inexpensive meals.