The route that gives French Polynesia its complete argument: one day on Tahiti (the main island — the point of arrival, the Paul Gauguin Museum at Papeari, and the waterfall at Faarumai visible from the coastal road as the reason the painter came and the reason the island changed him), two days on Moorea (the heart-shaped island 20 minutes by ferry from Papeete — the Cook’s Bay and the Opunohu Bay visible from the Belvedere viewpoint as the specific French Polynesia landscape that the postcard reproduces and that the physical reality exceeds), and four days on Bora Bora (the lagoon that invented the overwater bungalow concept in 1967, the Mount Otemanu (727 metres) visible from every point in the lagoon, the manta ray snorkel at the Anau manta cleaning station that gives the 2-metre wingspan at arm’s reach from the surface without the dive certification).
Reading time: 10 minutes | Last updated: 2026
French Polynesia is 118 islands across 5 archipelagos spread over an ocean area the size of Europe — but the tourist circuit covers three: Tahiti (the main island, the arrival point), Moorea (the most accessible of the outer islands), and Bora Bora (the name that the overwater bungalow concept made globally synonymous with the luxury Pacific island escape). The 7-day circuit gives all three at the pace the islands require.
Before You Leave
Getting there: Fly London Heathrow-Papeete, Tahiti (via Los Angeles (Air Tahiti Nui direct from LAX — 8.5 hours) or via Auckland — total 22-26 hours from London). UK citizens: visa-free 90 days (French Polynesia is a French overseas collectivity — the same visa rules as metropolitan France).
Currency: CFP Franc (XPF). 1 GBP ≈ 145 XPF. The CFP is pegged to the Euro.
The honest cost: French Polynesia is one of the most expensive destinations in the Pacific. The overwater bungalow at the Conrad Bora Bora or the Four Seasons costs USD 800-2,500 / £630-1,969 per night. The budget guesthouse (pension) on Moorea or Bora Bora gives the same lagoon view from the garden at USD 80-150 / £63-118 per night. Both are valid. The guide gives both options.
Inter-island flights: Air Tahiti connects Papeete-Moorea (the 5-minute flight — the same journey takes 20 minutes by ferry; fly for the experience, take the ferry for the views), Papeete-Bora Bora (50 minutes, XPF 12,000-18,000 / £82-124 one way).
The Route
Papeete, Tahiti (1 night) → Moorea (2 nights, 20-minute ferry) → Bora Bora (4 nights, 50-minute flight)
DAY 1 — Tahiti
The Paul Gauguin Museum:
Paul Gauguin arrived in Tahiti in 1891 to escape “everything that is artificial and conventional.” The museum (the Musée Paul Gauguin at Papeari, 50km south of Papeete — the reproductions of the paintings with the original Polynesian context visible in the island setting around the museum) gives the Gauguin in the place he was trying to paint rather than in the Paris gallery he was trying to escape.
Entry: XPF 600 / £4.14.
The Faarumai Waterfalls:
The Faarumai (the three waterfalls 25km north of Papeete on the Route de la Côte — the Vaimahuta falls at 100 metres, the Haamaremare iti and the Haamaremare rahi accessible by the 15-minute trail from the car park):
Free.
DAYS 2-3 — Moorea
The Belvedere Viewpoint:
The Belvedere (the mountain viewpoint above the Cook’s and Opunohu Bays — the two bays visible simultaneously from the viewpoint, the specific Moorea landscape that appears in the BGGD destination database more than any other single image from French Polynesia):
At 7am: the bays in the first light, the mist clearing from the Opunohu interior, the Mount Rotui (899 metres) visible between the two bays.
The lagoon snorkel:
The Moorea lagoon (the interior lagoon, the coral visible at 1-3 metres depth from the paddleboard or the snorkel): the blacktip reef shark visible at the coral edge at 3-4 metres (the Carcharhinus melanopterus — the shark, 1-1.5 metres, the specific French Polynesia reef shark visible throughout the Society Islands lagoon, the shark that the local population swims alongside and that the visitor who understands the species reads correctly as the visual presence rather than the threat).
The sting ray feeding:
The stingray feeding (the Moorea lagoon tour — the guide feeds the southern stingray (Hypanus americanus) in the shallow lagoon, the rays visible at surface level as the tour boat stops, the ray climbing the guide’s arm for the feeding gesture): XPF 5,000-8,000 / £34.48-55.17 per person for the 2-hour lagoon circuit.
DAYS 4-7 — Bora Bora
The overwater bungalow:
The overwater bungalow (the specific French Polynesia invention — the Bora Bora Lagoon Resort built the world’s first overwater bungalow in 1967, the concept subsequently adopted by the Maldives, the Fiji, the Philippines, and every other luxury Pacific destination):
The entry-level overwater bungalow (the pension overwater room, the lagoon visible through the glass floor panel, the ladder into the water from the deck): XPF 25,000-40,000 / £172-276 per night.
The luxury overwater villa (the Conrad Bora Bora, the Four Seasons Bora Bora, the St Regis Bora Bora): USD 800-2,500 / £630-1,969 per night.
The manta ray snorkel:
The Anau manta cleaning station (the specific Bora Bora site — the cleaning station where the manta ray (Mobula birostris) returns daily to have the parasites removed by the cleaner wrasse visible at the station, the manta ray at the surface visible from the snorkel without the dive certification):
At 9am: the manta at the cleaning station, the 2-metre wingspan visible from the surface as the ray circles at 1-2 metres depth. XPF 8,000-12,000 / £55.17-82.76 per person for the guided lagoon tour.
The Mount Otemanu:
The Mount Otemanu (727 metres — the volcanic plug at the centre of Bora Bora, the peak visible from every point in the lagoon, the specific Bora Bora silhouette that the island is identified by in every photograph):
The Otemanu hike (the 4-5 hour hike to the summit — requires the licensed guide, the trail not marked without the guide’s local knowledge): XPF 8,000 / £55.17 per person. The lagoon view of the Otemanu (the same view from any point in the lagoon, free, more visually specific than the summit view because the mountain visible above the turquoise is the Bora Bora argument).
What It Costs
| Category | Budget (pension) | Mid-Range | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Return flights (UK-Papeete via LAX) | £800-1,200 | £1,000-1,500 | £1,200-2,500 (Biz) |
| Inter-island flights (Tahiti-Moorea-Bora Bora) | £140-248 | £140-248 | £140-248 |
| 7 nights accommodation | £440-830 | £700-1,500 | £4,400-17,500 |
| Food and activities | £80-200 | £200-500 | £300-800 |
| Total | £1,460-2,478 | £2,040-3,748 | £6,040-21,048 |
French Polynesia spans the widest price range of any destination in this library. The pension option gives the lagoon experience at approximately 20% of the luxury resort cost.
