Municipal Market, Papeete

Great place for many kinds of local gifts, flower arrangements, fabrics, coconut oils. They also have take away foods, mostly sandwiches, pastries and grilled meats, and deep fried items. They also have lots of local fruits and vegetables and fresh fish for sale. Many shops outside the main market. No seating tho for eating just stand up tables.

The market is in the centre of town. It’s stocked with souvenirs such as black pearls, woven baskets, traditional Tahitian clothes, perfumes, flower arrangements. There is also a fresh food section where you can buy local produce such as tuna, mangos, pineapples and cooked foods. It’s spread over two levels. The market provides the local people with an income. By comparison to other markets around the world this market is very small and easy to visit in less than an hour but the traders are lovely (friendly, not pushy, you don’t feel like anyone is trying to cheat you).

We had a few hours to kill before our ferry to Moorea so we walked over from our hotel. Hours everywhere online were slightly wrong so we wandered a bit more in the area for 30 mins. When it did open you could tell that a lot of the stalls were still getting up and running, which was fine with us! Lots of fish and fruit stands. A few bakery spots along the sides. Upstairs is a cafe that wasn’t open yet so we didn’t get to have any coffee. Grabbed some baked items from one of the stands and it was all delicious! The banana bread pudding and banana empanada were our favorites. Also a few places selling pua roti, the Tahitian version of char sui pork. Some had long lines and smelled delicious but we had found a tiny hole in the wall a block away also selling some so we had our fill. Only thing we couldn’t find was fresh baked plain baguettes even though we saw people walking around with them!

Great open air market, lots of choices and competition plenty to see just wandering around with no purpose enjoying the sights and sounds and smells. Broad range of all things Tahitian across the entire quality spectrum from cheap tourist trinkets to pearls and carvings if artist quality.

This is an awesome local market in the heart of downtown Papeete! You can find anything and everything Polynesian and Tahitian here - you’ll be shocked at how much stuff the people here are selling! There is fresh tropical fruit, vegetables and fish, Tahitian vanilla beans and vanilla products, Polynesian fabrics, souvenirs (t-shirts, cups, carvings, shells, etc.), pearl jewelry (both real and artificial), French food and Tahitian food (beignets, smoothies, pastries and more), and I could go on and on! The market is two floors and it is massive - you could spend a long time here if you really wanted to. Do be aware the market has different sellers on different days of the week, so if you’re in Papeete for multiple days, it’s worth going several times to see if you can find anything different being sold! When I visited, I felt very safe - it’s quite a lot different from markets in Asia, for instance, where you’re clutching your bag because you’re scared someone will take it. This market has a more laid-back atmosphere (less hectic than Asia), and there is no bargaining obviously. It’s much more “official”, it’s a lot cleaner, and all the sellers are much nicer than what you may expect. All in all, I was very pleased with the Papeete Market on the days I went, and I will definitely visit again when I’m back in town!