The Bahamas, for almost anyone not already heading into French Polynesia. It is far easier to reach from North America and Europe, we can source prices for it, and Tahiti is fundamentally an arrival island rather than a destination.
Their seasons are also opposed — the Bahamas December through May, French Polynesia May to October — so fixed dates often decide it outright.
| Measure | Best months | Daily budget | Currency | Language | Plugs | Beaches listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tahiti | May – October | Upper | XPF | French, Tahitian | Type C / E, 220V | 2 |
| Bahamas | December – May | Upper | BSD (USD accepted at par) | English | Type A / B, 120V | 1 |
Tahiti
Tahiti is the hub the rest of French Polynesia connects through. Faa'a is the territory's only international gateway, so every arrival in the country lands here — Moorea is a short hop or ferry, other islands are domestic flights.
Most itineraries give it a night at each end of somewhere else. Treating it as the destination is a minority choice.
Bahamas
The Bahamas is a busy gateway at Nassau with a long tail of quiet Out Islands reached by domestic carriers, several with their own airports and some with direct US service in season.
Very large shallow banks give the water its colour across distances no reef could cover. Spring break, late February to mid-April, is the busiest stretch.
Cost
Bahamas, checked 7 September 2026: an inexpensive restaurant meal $48.75; a three-course dinner for two at a mid-range restaurant $165; a pint of domestic draught $5. The Bahamian dollar is pegged to and interchangeable with the US dollar.
French Polynesia is not covered by the cost-of-living dataset this directory uses, so there are no sourced figures for it and none are offered. It prices in CFP francs, and anything beyond Tahiti adds a domestic flight or ferry.
Getting there
Nassau is the principal gateway; several Out Islands have their own airports and some take direct US service in season. The Bahamas needs a passport valid six months, a return or onward ticket, hotel confirmation or an address, and proof of funds. Visa requirements track the period of leave to land, so anyone staying beyond 90 days should check their nationality. US citizens entering as bona fide visitors may stay up to eight months without a visa; Canadian landed immigrants holding Form 1000 may enter visa-free for up to 30 days.
Faa'a on Tahiti is the territory's only international gateway. Inter-island travel beyond it is by domestic flight or ferry. French Polynesia is a French overseas collectivity: French and EU citizens need no visa, and many other nationalities are exempt for tourist stays under three months, with a valid passport required in every case.
The beaches
On Tahiti's own beaches this page stays quiet. There is no sourced characterisation of them here, and the claim most often repeated about them is one we could not verify. What is sourced for the territory is the lagoon: 27-29°C, warmest November to April, with May to October giving the clearest conditions for diving and snorkelling.
The Bahamas' asset is scale — shallow pale water over enormous areas, with the quiet sand an Out Island flight beyond Nassau. No sourced beach-level data for it here either.
In this directory: Tahiti has 2 beaches listed, 1 rated calm for swimming. Bahamas has 1, 0 calm.
In the water
French Polynesia's lagoon runs 27-29°C depending on season, warmest November to April, with air temperatures of 20-30°C year-round.
The Bahamas is warm most of the year and cooler in winter than the equatorial destinations here. No sourced monthly figures, so no numbers claimed.
When to go
The Bahamas is best December through May, outside a hurricane season that runs June through November. Many Bahamian hotels carry hurricane cancellation policies giving a full refund if a storm disrupts the trip.
French Polynesia's Season of Renewal runs May to October: dry, cooler at 21-27°C, lower humidity, and the clearest conditions for diving and snorkelling. The Season of Abundance, November to April, is humid with tropical showers heaviest December to February — generally brief and followed by clear skies — and the lagoon is at its warmest then.
May is the only comfortable overlap.
Tahiti
- January out of season
- February out of season
- March out of season
- April out of season
- May in season
- June in season
- July in season
- August in season
- September in season
- October in season
- November out of season
- December out of season
Bahamas
- January in season
- February in season
- March in season
- April in season
- May in season
- June out of season
- July out of season
- August out of season
- September out of season
- October out of season
- November out of season
- December in season
1 month suits both, and 1 suits neither.
Beyond the beach
Tahiti's argument is the onward network — Moorea, the Tuamotus for year-round diving, the Marquesas as a year-round cultural destination.
The Bahamas is concentrated on the water and the islands, with Nassau at the developed end.
Choose Tahiti if
- You are continuing into French Polynesia and this is the arrival island.
- Your dates fall between May and October.
- Moorea, the Tuamotus or the Marquesas are the real target.
- You hold a French or EU passport and want entry to be a non-question.
Choose Bahamas if
- You are in North America or Europe, where this is reachable and Papeete is not.
- Your dates fall between December and May.
- You want sourced prices and a trip that works in under a week.
- Shallow pale water across big distances is the specific image.
Beaches in Tahiti
- Plage Publique Vaiava
White · Calm
- Plage Taharuu
Black · Strong current
Beaches in Bahamas
- Pink Sands Beach
Pink · Moderate