Fodor's Expert Review Place Tarahoi

Once the compound of Tahiti's 19th-century royal family, today it's the center of French Polynesia's territorial government. The square houses the French Polynesian Assembly (Mon.–Fri. 9–5) on one block and the elaborate Presidential Palace (by appointment only), with expansive gardens and fountain, on another. Nearby is a memorial to Tahitian World War I hero and Tahitian independence advocate Pouvanaa o Oopa (1895–1977). Although this area has witnessed many political demonstrations in recent years, it's incredibly peaceful on weekends and even roosters and chickens roam freely just beyond the impressive palace gates.