How to get to Tahiti - All you need to know!

I’m ashamed to admit that this was the first article I wrote when we started our blog in 2017. I haven’t taken the time to update it recently. Now I have!

The names ‘Tahiti’ and ‘Bora Bora’ – who hasn’t dreamt of them? Have you finally settled on French Polynesia as your destination? Are you looking for a way to get to French Polynesia? Many of you will recognise these exotic names, evoking images of turquoise lagoons, white beaches, coconut palms and lush and tropical forests. For over 6 years I’ve been lucky enough to discover this beautiful polynesian territory of islands and atolls.

So here’s the first article dedicated to this beautiful area, telling you how to get to Tahiti, French Polynesia and, most importantly, how to find a cheap flight to Tahiti. If you’re traveling on a budget, you’ll find the article on how to travel cheaply in Polynesia very useful.

Right, back to transport. Are you looking for a way to get to the Marquesas Islands, for example? Now that I live there, I’m in a good position to tell you all about it!

It’s worth remembering that French Polynesia is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and it’s a long way from anywhere! So it all depends on where you live, but the hours of flying time can add up and can be endless. From France, it’s the other side of the world. From Los Angeles or Chile, it’s “only” 8 hours by plane! In any case, the plane ticket won’t be cheap. You’ll have to spend some money to come and discover the area.

Below, you’ll find a list of the options for getting to French Polynesia from the main destinations that serve the territory.

It’s safe to say that almost all travelers who come to Tahiti to holiday, honeymoon or visit with their family will arrive by air. Depending on your point of departure, it’s the easiest and quickest way to get to Polynesia.

However, as this article was originally written in French, the majority of readers will be French-speaking. They will often come from France or Europe in general (Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg). But there are also a growing number of expatriates from the United States and, of course, our friends from Quebec (Canada).

However, from other countries that offer round-trip flights to Polynesia, I’ll give you all the options in this article.

This is what most of you will be interested in.

Here are some interesting things to know before you start the search for flights to Papeete:

• You are about to embark on a 22 to 24 hour flight (from Paris). Most of the time, you will have a stopover in the United States,
• There are currently 4 airlines flying to and from Paris, as follows Air France and Air Tahiti Nui (the two airlines that have long agreed to set very high prices), French Bee, the low-cost airline that arrived in 2017 and is responsible for the significant drop in prices, and United Airlines, which arrived in 2018 but is still in the minority, often more expensive and more interesting for people living in the USA,
• My advice is therefore to focus your attention on the 3 main airlines: French Bee, Air Tahiti Nui and Air France,
• As for fares, although the trend is upwards, it’s still possible to find flights (tickets price) for under €1,000 if you’re very flexible and especially if you don’t include meals/luggage, especially with French Bee, which is often the cheapest airline we’ve flown with and always been happy,
• All in all, at the most popular times of year, I’d say you’re looking at between €1,100 and €2,000. Admittedly, that’s a wide range. But bear in mind that a lot depends on the season, your flexibility and the airline.

Let me stop you right there: you are under no obligation to use a flight comparator to buy your flight to Tahiti. It’s just a habit that Mélanie and I have developed over the years. We don’t systematically use them to book our flights, but we do use them to look at the options available to us, the cheapest flight to make some good deals.

In other words, you can find out when the cheapest flights are available, whether it’s in the week you’re planning or elsewhere. The idea is to be able to adjust your international flight dates to get the best possible flight price, if you can.

Finally, in the event of problems, delays or cancellations – the sort of things that are bound to happen – dealing directly with the airline will make things a lot easier. Feedback from users always points in this direction, and indeed, if you have booked through a travel comparison site, it will always be much more complicated.

We recommend that you use the Skyscanner comparator to do your comparison flight shopping.

Here’s an overview of the different airlines you can consider flying to Tahiti from France.

Air France flies from Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport (CDG) to Papeete, very often with a stopover in Los Angeles (LAX). One of the main advantages of this airline is that it offers many connections between the various French provinces and Paris. For example, if you live in Lyon, Marseille or Bordeaux, you can take an Air France flight from your city to Paris and then continue with the same airline to Tahiti / Papeete. The advantage of this is that you don’t have to collect your baggage, which makes your journey much easier.

Although the fares are often higher than those offered by French Bee, it may be worth choosing Air France for this option. There’s also an interesting feature on the Air France website: once you’ve chosen your return dates, you can explore other fare options throughout the week, which can be useful for finding the best deal for your travel preferences (although I’d advise you to do this on a comparator site as well).

French Bee offers cheap flights from Paris Orly airport, with the usual stopover in San Francisco, at fares that are often more attractive than those of its competitors. It’s important to note, however, that departing from Orly may put some people off. If you have a connection at Paris-Charles de Gaulle (because you are coming from the provinces, for example), you will need to take this into account. Getting from Orly to Charles de Gaulle can sometimes be tricky, especially if you have a lot of luggage.

You don’t have much choice: take a taxi (around €100) or the RER, which is cheaper but more difficult, especially if you’re loaded. Their website also has an interesting feature: you can compare prices over a whole month to see how much fares vary, although generally not by much.

The airline of choice in French Polynesia. As the oldest and most popular local airline, it flies from Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport with a regular stopover at Los Angeles (LAX). Given its good reputation, it’s worth noting that the price difference with French Bee (the low cost airline) sometimes doesn’t really justify the extra cost. An alternative to consider depending on your preferences and budget for your vacations.

This may be a practical choice if you’re connecting from a flight at Paris-Charles de Gaulle, but as the airline doesn’t serve destinations in mainland France, you’ll still have to collect your luggage. Once you have selected your initial travel dates, the website also allows you to compare fares for one week before and after your departure and arrival dates.

For those planning to travel to Polynesia from Switzerland or Belgium, there do not appear to be any direct flights available, at least not with a single stopover leading directly to Tahiti. Unfortunately, French Bee doesn’t serve these two countries, so you’ll have to make your own way to Paris if you decide to fly with this airline. However, it is possible to find flights from Geneva to Orly at prices often below €100, which can be an interesting option.

On the other hand, other airlines such as Air France and Air Tahiti Nui offer flights from Switzerland (Geneva / Zurich) and Belgium (Brussels), usually with a stopover at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and then Los Angeles (LAX). This alternative allows you to book a single ticket and depart directly from your home country without having to worry about baggage. This can be a very convenient solution. United also offers this option.

Be sure to check the details of the flights offered from Belgium and Switzerland, because depending on the flight and the airline, not everything is perfectly seamless and you may have to spend an extra night in Paris (often the case with Air France from Belgium) or an extra night in Amsterdam (in some cases from Switzerland).

In some cases, please note that certain parts of the journey from Switzerland or Belgium are made by train in partnership with the SNCF. This is the case with Air Tahiti Nui or Air France from Belgium for the first leg.

United Airlines also offers interesting options for Swiss and Belgians, with flights from Geneva, Zurich or Brussels.

If you want to spend a few days in the US, for example, you can fly from Switzerland/Belgium to Los Angeles or San Francisco and then return to Papeete with a French Bee. If you book two separate passes, beware of any problems with the first flight and of course you will need to collect your baggage on arrival between the two flights.

Several direct flights connect Tahiti to certain paradise islands in the South Pacific. Here are some options for your vacations:

• From New Zealand: Air New Zealand and Air Tahiti Nui fly 2 or 3 times a week and the flight time is about 5? hours.
• From Australia: There are no direct flights, but you will have to stop in Auckland, New Zealand. Flights are operated by Air Tahiti Nui.
• From the Cook Islands: Air Tahiti operates flights from Rarotonga and the flight time is approximately 2 hours.
• From the Hawaiian Islands: Hawaiian Airlines operates flights from Honolulu and the flight time is approximately 5 hours. The number of flights per week varies.
• From New Caledonia: Aircalin operates one flight per week, with a flying time of approximately 6.5 hours.

Due to its size, Canada has to be divided into two coasts. Only the east coast is mainly French-speaking and therefore the most likely to consult this article!

From Quebec

As far as we know, there are no direct flights to Papeete, the Tahitian capital. You will need to fly to San Francisco or Los Angeles before continuing on to Papeete. Air France and Air Tahiti offer flights from Toronto, but with several stopovers.

From the West Coast

United Airlines offers interesting flights from Vancouver, with one stopover.

As mentioned above, flights to Polynesia from the United States are mainly from Los Angeles and San Francisco. More recently, Air Tahiti Nui has started flights from Seattle with a stopover in Los Angeles.

From the land of the Kiwis, you’ll find flights from Auckland that take about 5 hours. Expect to pay at least €500 return. Flights from Christchurch with a stopover in Auckland are also available.

LATAM offers flights from Santiago de Chile, but these now seem to go via Auckland (whereas they used to go via Easter Island).

Air Tahiti Nui has monthly direct flights from Tokyo.

As mentioned above, most travelers to French Polynesia choose to fly. The plane option is generally faster, more comfortable and often cheaper than traveling by boat (cruising), especially from France, Quebec or the West Indies.

However, some travelers choose to travel by sea, particularly sailors from South America, Australia or New Zealand. They may be looking for crew members to accompany them on the crossing. Online platforms such as Vogavecmoi, La Nautique or Find a Crew offer opportunities for those wishing to experience this transoceanic adventure. Joining a crew on a sailing yacht bound for Polynesia can be a unique and rewarding experience for those with sailing experience or those wishing to learn.

For those who prefer a more conventional travel experience, specialist or generalist agencies offer tours that include French Polynesia as a destination. Companies such as La Maison du Voyage, Costa Cruises and MSC Cruises offer a variety of options.

Don’t hesitate to leave me your comments and questions on the subject, I’ll be happy to answer them!

I’m coming to the end of this article on how to get to Tahiti, French Polynesia. I hope it has helped you in your search for flights and in preparing your stay in French Polynesia.

If you’re looking for more information about the French polynesian territory, check out the other articles on preparing for your trip to Polynesia.

Before you buy your ticket, you should know that there is an ideal time to visit Tahiti. The article “When to go to Tahiti” will give you all the information you need.

We hope to see you soon,

Sylvain

Written by Sylvain PONS

From 2015 to 2021, French Polynesia was our home, with Mélanie and our children. I'm happy to share my experience and advice to help you organize an unforgettable stay in French Polynesia, based on my in-depth knowledge of the territory.

Despite our care, a mistake may have slipped into this article. If you find any, please don't hesitate to let us know so we can correct it as soon as possible and keep our information up-to-date!