Although just 10 miles from its big sister Tahiti, life on Mo’orea moves a little slower. Start the day with a café et croissant (this is a French territory, after all), then follow the coast past white churches and fruit stalls. Escape the midday sun by wandering though ancient marae tucked beneath the peaks, or climb to Belvedere Lookout for sweeping views of Cook’s Bay and Opunohu Bay, twin inlets named for the explorer who visited in 1777. Naturally, as a designated Ramsar Wetland, the lagoon takes center stage.

Papeete pulses with rhythm—market stalls piled high with vanilla pods and papayas, voices rising over the scent of monoi oil and freshly baked baguettes. It’s easy to find the quieter stories that unfold as well, among the local artists carving Polynesian folklore into wood and inking them as tattoos, or with the musicians tuning ukuleles beneath towering flame trees. As the capital, Papeete balances city life with its beautiful nature and postcard-perfect beaches, from the iconic black sands of Pointe Vénus in the northeast to the soft white sands of Vaiava on the west coast.