The blue waters of Papeete's jungle-fringed harbor have dazzled tourists for years, as has the area's local culture and color. While many excursions require a drive into the island interior, not all do. For a close-to-the-hotel diversion, lace up your walking shoes and explore the small city on foot.
The posh boutiques of Centre Vaima stand opposite the tuna boat dock on Boulevard Pomare. It was the city's first shopping mall, and the Centre Vaima remains a popular lunchtime meet-up for local expatriates. Across the boulevard, a wooden boardwalk leads to the Quay, an upper-crust yacht marina ever abuzz with small cruise vessels and Tahitian locals. Stroll the boardwalk to check out the opulent vessels moored therein.
Sunburned visitors find respite on the tree-shaded grass at Parc Bougainville, where affectionate couples stroll amongst the official-looking statuary. Located just along the park sits Papeete's bustling year-round fairground, called "The Waterfront." Especially busy on days when cruise ships debark their passengers, the fair features carnival rides, steaming food kiosks, arts-and-crafts stalls and regularly scheduled musical performances.
The imposing, beige facade of the Eglise Evangelique houses French Polynesia's largest missionary church. Founded by proselytizers from London, the modern pastors and most of the attendees are predominantly Tahitian. Don't bother going inside, as the church's primary draw is the outside architecture -- the soaring steeple. To see more architecture, walk just west of the church along Boulevard Pomare. There, owners have lovingly maintained a row of charmingly historic colonial homes, overlooking the harbor from a breezy bluff.
The cheap, alfresco food kiosks and snack bars of Place Toata hawk remedies for Papeete's punishing midday heat: cold drinks and ice cream. Full meals are available if you're still feeling peckish after a snack, and an outdoor amphitheater offers a comfy place to sit down as well as year-round concert performances.
During business hours, you can stroll through the impressive halls of Place Tarahoi, Papeete's governmental center. Once an opulent royal mansion, the front courtyard now features a beautiful monument to a local Tahitian war hero.
A word to the wise: Don't bother venturing out on Sundays. Almost every destination in town is closed.
