Understand
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WARNING: Port Vila was hit hard by an earthquake in December 2024. While most tourist infrastructure is back to normal and visitors are welcome, as of March 2025, a part of the city centre remains a fenced-off Red Zone where all businesses are closed and no pedestrians and cars can enter. See the VCCI Earthquake Recovery site for maps and updates. |
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Port Vila, Vanuatu's capital, is a common starting point for tourists and divers exploring various islands, beaches and diving spots in Vanuatu. The many natural reefs and shipwrecks scattered around the country are popular with divers.
Get in
[edit]By plane
[edit]1 Port Vila International Airport (Baeurfield, VLI IATA) (7 km north of Port Vila). Port Vila's pint-sized airport is the main gateway to Vanuatu, with international services from Sydney, Brisbane, Noumea (New Caledonia), Nadi (Fiji) and Honiara (Solomon Islands) and domestic services to all major islands. 
The airport is small but has a National Bank of Vanuatu money exchange counter (in the baggage claim area before Customs), car rental and a tourist information booth. Taxis operate on a fixed fare taxi system, with lists of destinations posted as you exit Customs. As of July 2025, fares range from 2500 VT for central Port Vila to 4000 VT for resorts at the westernmost tip of the Pango peninsula.
By boat
[edit]Many cruise ships visit Port Vila and cruises are a very popular way of exploring Vanuatu and the surrounding Islands. However, as of 2025, cruises remain suspended since the December 2024 earthquake caused a landslide to take out the main road between Port Vila and the cruise terminal.
Get around
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Port Vila has surprisingly bad traffic for a town of its size, and the road closures forced by the 2024 earthquake do not help.
By bus
[edit]Buses in Port Vila are really shared taxis: Toyota Hiace-type minivans with red "B" license plates, they shuttle up and down the main roads of Port Vila. They are plentiful and can be hailed at designated bus stops or anywhere else there's a bit of space, and will deliver passengers to wherever they want to go as long as it's roughly in the right direction. The driver chooses the route, so you may not go there in a straight line, but you'll get there eventually.
Buses are by far the cheapest way to get around and quite safe. Within Port Vila, a flat fare of 150 VT per passenger applies (2025). Outside it prices are up to your negotiating skills. Resorts off the main bus routes can call a bus by phone, figure on 1000 VT for a ride from Pango to central Port Vila. There are significantly fewer buses on the road on Sundays.
By taxi
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Easily spotted by the "TAXI" sign on the roof and the "T" license plate, there are much fewer taxis than buses on the road. The flat fare price for most journeys within Port Vila city limits is 500 VT, which makes them cheaper than the bus if there are 3 or more of you. Outside the city the metered fare is around 100 VT/km.
Taxis can also be chartered for a full or half day. Rates vary based on distance etc but figure on around 8000-10000 VT for a whole day.
See
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- National Museum of Vanuatu. Specialises its exhibits relating to the culture and history of Vanuatu.
- 1 Evergreen Cascades Waterfall (10 kilometres outside Port Vila). Stands at a height of 35 metres and is famous for its natural pools that make it perfect spots for swimming. There are independent guided tours that lead to the cascades.
- 2 Mele Island. A small resort islet known as Hideaway Island. Offers snorkeling and glass bottom boat tours. It is 15 minutes boat access from the capital. There is the world's first underwater post office, opened in 2003.
- 3 National Library. The National Library is the national library of Vanuatu, located within the Vanuatu Cultural Centre and contains about 15,000 books, serving both as a national repository for "rare and special" material, and as a lending library. It was established in April 2004.
- 4 Vanuatu Cultural Centre (Bislama: Kaljoral Senta, French: Centre Culturel du Vanuatu). A founded in 1955, and is the national cultural institution of Vanuatu.
Do
[edit]There are markets selling a variety of local goods such as fruit and vegetables. They close on Sundays unless there is a cruise ship in port.
Sport
[edit]- 1 Independence Park, Port Vila. A cricket ground which hosted the matches in the 2019 ICC Women's Qualifier EAP tournament in May 2019.
- 2 Korman Stadium. Korman Stadium is the national stadium and the home of the Vanuatu national football team and has a capacity is 6,500. Korman stadium was named for one of Vanuatu's politicians, the head of the Vanuatu Republican Party, Maxime Carlot Korman.
Buy
[edit]Port Vila is a duty free zone for tourists, so duty free alcohol and cigarettes are cheap in Port Vila. Buy your duty free before going to the airport as the airport duty free prices are slightly higher and the range not as great.
Stores cannot sell alcohol to take away between midday Saturday and Monday morning. This does not apply to bars and restaurants.
- 1 Au Bon Marché Numbatu. The largest supermarket in Vanuatu, with a wide range of expensive imports and cheap local goods, including spectacular Vanuatu beef. Also has a good wine selection and plenty of French cheese.
- 2 Port Vila Market. The main market in Port Vila. Severely damaged by the 2024 quake and closed until further notice.
- 3 Seaside Market. Small market hall, now temporarily extended to cater for the closure of the main market.
Eat
[edit]Budget
[edit]Budget options for eating out are thin on the ground. Look for local Vanuatu dishes like laplap or tuluk at the markets, or self-cater at a supermarket.
Mid-range
[edit]- 1 Family Restaurant, Rue Bretagne. Tue-Sun 10AM-9 PM. Hunanese home cooking by Chinese for Chinese that doesn't pull its punches on the chillies. Try the braised hongshao pork belly (Chairman Mao's favorite dish), the steamed fresh snapper or the daily rice bowls. Cash only. From 1300 VT.
- 2 Kai Vanua (in Regenerative Vanua compound, Numbatri). Mon-Fri 9 AM-8 PM. Possibly the only sit-down restaurant in all of Vanuatu that serves a (slightly jazzed up) version of actual Ni-Vanuatu food in a lovely, rustic courtyard overflowing with greenery. Curries, ribs, steaks and tuna served with your choice of yam (laplap), manioc, taro or kumala. In addition, the Farmacy cafe here serves up coffee, smoothies and breakfast favorites. Meal with drink from 1000 VT.
Splurge
[edit]- 3 L'Houstalet, Captain Cook Ave, ☏ +678 22303. Daily 5-9PM. Likely the most famous restaurant in Vanuatu, l'Houstalet has been serving up an eclectic menu of "French Pacific" cuisine since 1973. The specialties here are lobster, coconut crab and civet de roussette, giant bat in red wine sauce. It's pricey for what you get, though, and service can be glacial. Mains 2000 VT.
Drink
[edit]Alcohol is reasonably expensive in Port Vila. Expect to pay between 300VT and 500VT for a local beer or between 400VT and 600VT for imported beers.
Sleep
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Port Vila has Vanuatu's widest range of accommodation, but most of it consists of posh resorts priced for Australian visitors on Australian budgets, meaning you're generally looking at A$300/20000+ vatu per night. Off-season (outside school holidays), long stay and package rates can be much cheaper.
The listings below cover greater Port Vila, including Mele, Pango, and the lagoons of Erakor and Emten. For listings elsewhere on the island, see Efate.
Budget
[edit]Mid-range
[edit]- MG Cocomo Resort (Formerly Lagoon Beach Resort), Teouma Road, ☏ +678 25505, fax: +678 25515, [email protected]. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: 11AM. Beachfront, restaurant and bar, BBQ, outdoor pool, kayaks, fishing rods, beach volleyball court, playground and trampoline. Approximately US$185.
- Mangoes Resort, ☏ +678 24923, fax: +678 24037, [email protected]. Bungalows and apartments with balconies, outdoor pool. Mangoes Restaurant serves organic produce, local seafood, Santo beef and sweet treats.
- Sunset Bungalows, Teouma Road, ☏ +678 29968, fax: +678 29970, [email protected]. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: 11AM. Ten waterfront bungalows, eight lagoon view studio units and one honeymoon spa bungalow. Swimming pool, waterfall, kayaks, patanque, professional tour desk. Approximately US$150.
- Holiday Inn Resort Vanuatu, Tassiriki Park, ☏ +678 22040, fax: +678 22461, [email protected]. Day Spa, nine-hole golf course, two swimming pools, kids club, tennis courts, kayaks, paddleboards, and catamarans.
Splurge
[edit]- Warwick Le Lagon, Elluk Road, Efate (Off Kumul Highway), ☏ +678 22313, [email protected]. The most popular and largest of the resorts. It has been operating for over 30 years. It offers substantial discounts for children, as a result there are lots of children here during the Australian school holidays.
- Iririki Island, ☏ +61 3 9326 6579, [email protected]. An exclusive resort situated in Port Vila's harbour. It used to be "adults only" but since 2006 it has areas that allow children. A ferry runs back and forth to the main downtown area.
- Erakor Island Resort, Erakor Lagoon (close to Le Lagon), ☏ +678 26983, [email protected]. Based on an island in the lagoon. Great snorkeling, but the bungalows have seen better days. A free ferry takes you to and from the island. Open to day trippers (2000/1000 vatu adult/child), half of which can be used as credit for food & drinks.
- Poppys on the Lagoon, Captain Cook Av, Erakor Lagoon, ☏ +678 23425, [email protected]. Set on the shores of Erakor Lagoon and provides superior self-contained accommodation. The resort is designed to take advantage of the cooling breeze of the South Pacific trade winds.
- 1 Ramada Resort Port Vila. Opened 2017, this is the newest of Port Vila's large resorts, with a private beach, three restaurants and a large pool. Walking distance to central Port Vila, but the Achilles heel is that the beach faces Erakor Lagoon, which is off limits for swimming.
- 2 Paradise Cove Resort, Port Vila Bay (Pango). Check-in: 2PM, check-out: 11AM. Tucked away at the quiet far end of the Pango peninsula, the French-run beautifully manicured Paradise Cove has only 10 villas, a small pool and above all direct access to a fine snorkeling reef. The downside to the tranquility is that there is nothing within walking distance and the French-inspired restaurant, while tasty, charges like a wounded bull (mains 4000 VT). A$400 (high season).
Stay safe
[edit]The narrow channel of Erakor Lagoon on the east side of the city, where many large hotels are located, is contaminated with raw sewage and not safe for swimming or fishing. The bay on the west side is better, but you'll still want to stay outside the city if snorkeling off the beach is a priority.
Walking around Port Vila at night is best avoided, especially on Fridays and Saturdays.