Everything you need to know on getting to the French Polynesian islands of Tahiti.
While Tahiti and her islands include more than 100 islands, it all begins on the main island of Tahiti. Faa'a to be exact. Every plane must land at Faa'a airport before connecting to another flight. This includes private jets. But before we get there, how do you get to Tahiti in the first place? The best option for most is to fly to California and take a direct to flight from either LAX or SFO.
Airlines that currently fly to Tahiti include, Air France, Delta, French Bee, and our favorite airline, Air Tahiti Nui. Hawaiian airlines also runs flights from Hawaii to Tahiti. A direct flight from LAX or SFO will be around 8 hours or so. The plane will land at Faa'a International Airport, you will go through customs and retrieve your bag. Upon exiting, you will be greeted by your friends or family, tour operators, or hopefully us!
If you are an American citizen, you do not need an additional visa to be a tourist in Tahiti. You are able to stay up to 90 days without a visa, if you are there for tourism. If you are not an American, please check with your country's specific visa requirements for travel to Tahiti.
There will be two lines for customs. One for European passport holders and another for all others, which includes Americans. Customs for Americans can typically take anywhere from 20 minutes to 1 hour, (depending on if multiple flights arrive at the same time or not.) You will need your passport and the documents provided during your flight to present to the customs agent. Once you pass customs, you will pick up your luggage on the one carousel Tahiti has. Luggage carts are free! Occasionally customs officers may pull visitors aside for additional checks. No need to panic as these are routine checks! (Please make sure to check the list of prohibited items before boarding your flight to Tahiti. Tahiti is a strict no drug country.) Alcohol can be purchased at the duty free shop right after you pick up your luggage. There are also public restrooms in the terminal as well.
There are one set of doors that lead you to the outside. Faa'a International airport does offer 1 hour of free wifi connection. I would suggest connecting to the wifi only after passing customs, that way you can have connection to contact your host if needed. You will be kicked off the free wifi after one hour, so use it wisely! Tahiti doesn't have a user friendly public transportation system yet, but thats where we come in! We'll make sure to be there as soon as you land, so that you're not worried about finding a cab. (Which can be difficult and pricey.) If you are staying at an airbnb or pension, make sure to contact your host to arrange pick up. If you book with us, we'll handle all those details so your arrival can be as smooth as possible.
We are lucky to have multiple options to fly to Tahiti today. We recommend taking a red eye so that you can arrive in the morning and enjoy your full day! Or if you're not a morning person, no problem, take the afternoon flight, arrive in the evening and we'll make sure your bed is ready for you!
(Tahiti, is sometimes referred to as French Polynesia. This is because it was colonized by France in 1880. However, Tahiti did gain Autonomy in 1984, meaning they have their own local government in addition to being under the French law. But you'll learn more about the history of Tahiti with our walking tour!)
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