Honeymoon, adventure holiday, family vacation, or just pure relaxation? There are a multitude of reasons for visiting our islands, and whatever your motives, we feel honored that you have decided to come to The Islands of Tahiti. Situated in the middle of the Pacific ocean, our islands are a magical paradise of myths and legends.

French Polynesia stretches over a surface area of 1,6 square miles (4 million km²) in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, which makes it almost the same size as western Europe. It is part of the Polynesian triangle formed by Hawaii, New Zealand and Easter Island. It is just 4,100 miles from the West Coast of the United States.

Where are the different islands in French Polynesia?

The flight time from Los Angeles or San Francisco is about 8 hours 30 minutes nonstop and 10 hours nonstop from Seattle.

The territory consists of five archipelagoes: the Society Islands, the Tuamotu Islands, the Gambier Islands, the Marquesas Islands and the Austral Islands. The most visited islands include: Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, Huahine, Raiatea, and Rangiroa.

There is a 3-hour time difference between Tahiti and Los Angeles, it is in the same time a zone as Hawaii. Tahiti is the main island in French Polynesia and has the territory’s only international airport.

While in The Islands of Tahiti, visit the Society Islands: The island of Tahiti is composed of two parts: Tahiti Nui, the main island, and Tahiti Iti, the peninsula. The two are joined together by the Taravao isthmus. Tahiti is 4,100 miles (6,630km) from Los Angeles and 6,000 miles (9,765km) from Paris. The island of Moorea is just 10 miles (17km) from Tahiti and Bora Bora is 170 miles (277km).

Direction French Polynesia and its archipelagoes

The Tuamotu Islands are made of 76 atolls, including Rangiroa, Tikehau and Fakarava. The archipelago is about an 1h30 flight from Tahiti and is the largest chain of atolls in the world.
Mangareva, with its capital Rikitea, is the most important island in the Gambier Islands. This archipelago is the cradle of Catholicism and also the birthplace of the Tahitian black pearl.

The Marquesas Islands were an inspiration for the artist Paul Gauguin and the singer Jacques Brel, both of whom are buried on the island of Hiva Oa. The archipelago is known as ‘Henua Enana’ in Marquesan, which translates as the ‘Land of Men’. They are about 930 miles (1,500km) from Tahiti and the main island is Nuku Hiva.
The Austral Islands are spread over hundreds of kilometers, with Rurutu, about 350 miles (570km) from Tahiti, Tubuai or Raivavae. High cliffs, mysterious caves and superb beaches make this little-known archipelago one of the best kept secrets in The Islands of Tahiti.

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