All the classified hotels have good restaurants. Chinese, French, Italian and Vietnamese food is served, as well as the Polynesian specialities; Papeete is noted for Chinese and French cuisine. Tahitian food can be found in some hotels. Trucks or lunch wagons parked on the waterfront sell steak, chips, chicken, poisson cru, brochettes and shish kebabs. A full range of alcoholic drinks are available.

Things to know: A key to how expensive a restaurant will be is often indicated by dollar signs; for instance, '$$$$' will indicate an expensive restaurant, whereas '$' will indicate a budget restaurant.

National specialities:
• Smoked breadfruit.
• Mountain bananas.
• Fafa (spinach) served with young suckling pig.
• Poisson cru (marinated fish, for example raw tuna served with coconut cream and limes).
• Poe (starchy pudding made of papaya, mango and banana).

National drinks:
• Noni Juice comes from the Noni tree and is famous for its health-enhancing effects.
• Hinano is the beer of Tahiti.

Tipping: In general tolerated but not practised, since it is contrary to the Tahitian idea of hospitality.

Papeete is full of life in the evenings with many restaurants and nightclubs. Most hotels feature Tahitian dance shows, bands and other traditional entertainment.

Facilities are concentrated in Papeete. Special purchases include Marquesan woodcarvings, dancing costumes, shell jewellery, Tahitian perfumes, Monoi Tiare Tahiti (coconut oil scented with Tahiti's national flower), vanilla beans and brightly patterned pareu fabrics that make the traditional Tahitian pareo.

Shopping hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1200 and 1330-1700/1730, Sat 0800-1100. Shops sometimes close for lunch, anytime between 1100-1400. Some shopping centres in the suburbs of Tahiti are open 0730-2200