Port Vila.
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Overview

Port Vila (French: Port-Vila) is the capital of Vanuatu. Vanuatu's largest town, with some 50,000 people, it lies on the south coast of the island of Efate in the province of Shefa, right in the middle of the archipelago.

Understand

Often described as the most beautiful capital in the South Pacific, Port Vila owes this epithet less to its street-level appearance, a hodgepodge collection of concrete buildings in varying states of repair and congested, potholed roads, and more to its stunning location on the lush green hillside by the blue waters of Mele Bay. As the political, economic, cultural and transport hub of Vanuatu, "Vila" offers the nation's best eating, shopping and resorts, and nearly all tourists and divers exploring the country's various islands, beaches and diving spots will at least pass through.

This article covers greater Port Vila, roughly defined as "where public buses will go", meaning the crescent of the bay from Mele Village in the north to Pango Beach in the south. See Efate for points of interest elsewhere on the island.

History The town was founded by French settlers as Franceville in 1889 and became the capital of the New Hebrides Condominium on its founding in 1906. The name comes from the local South Efate language, where the area is known as Efil. Port Vila grew during World War 2 when the US army built an air base at Efate Field, today Port Vila's airport.

A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck in December 2024, killing 14 people and causing many buildings to collapse. The "Red Zone" in central Port Vila was reopened in April 2025, but there are still many construction sites and condemned buildings awaiting demolition.

When to go Port Vila has a tropical climate. Humidity hovers around 80% all year round. The peak season for tourism is the pleasantly warm but not too hot dry season from July through September, especially the Australian school holidays in mid-July and again in late September. Highs average 27°C, with lows around 20°C, and it still rains 100-200 mm monthly, so bring a light sweater and an umbrella.

November to April is the cyclone season, with average highs around 31°C and a monthly average of 300mm of rain. This is unsurprisingly also the low season, and some resorts and tourist businesses shut down entirely between mid-January and mid-March.

Get in

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.

This is an economical option for small groups, and they will wait for you if your flight is delayed; however, the shuttles are shared, so it may take a while to get to/from your hotel.

The absolute cheapest option is to walk out to the main road and grab a public bus for 150 VT, see #Get around.

By boat Many cruise ships visit Port Vila and cruises are a very popular way of exploring Vanuatu and the surrounding Islands.

Due to landslides caused by the December 2024 earthquake, the main cruise terminal remains unreachable, so cruise ships ferry passengers back and forth with tender boats instead. Normal operations are expected to resume sometimes in 2026.

Get around

Orienting yourself in Port Vila is straightforward, since the town is squeezed in between Mele Bay to the west and Erakor Lagoon to the east. The main road, Kumul Highway, travels near the bay side, passing through central district of Nambawan (as in #1) and then south in neat logical order through Nambatu and Nambatri.

Allow plenty of time to get around, since Port Vila has surprisingly heavy traffic for its size. On a bad day, it can take up to an hour to cross town from the airport to the southern resorts or vice versa.

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. Outside it, prices are up to your negotiating skills, but shouldn't exceed 300 VT/person or so even for longer trips like the Mele Cascades. There are significantly fewer buses on the road on Sundays.

Easily spotted by the "TAXI" sign on the roof and the "T" license plate, there are much fewer taxis than buses on the road. Many are SUV-type vehicles that can fit four people with luggage and tackle rougher roads.

Taxis can also be chartered for a full or half day.

By rental car In addition to the usual suspects (Hertz, Europcar, Avis etc), World Rental Car rents out cars from 10,000 VT/day. Given the state of the roads, it's wise to pay a bit extra for an SUV or ute, and the all-terrain Suzuki Jimny is a popular pick. Branches at the airport and in the city.

See

National Museum of Vanuatu. Dusty exhibits relating to the culture and history of Vanuatu. There are often live demonstrations of sand drawing.

Evergreen Cascades Waterfall. 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.

Hideaway Island. A small resort islet known as Hideaway Island. Offers snorkeling and glass bottom boat tours. 24/7 ferry service from Mele Pier, next to the Beach Bar. Famed for the world's first underwater post office, opened in 2003 at a depth of 3m offshore.

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.

Do

Beaches Beaches in Vanuatu are always private. Resorts limit access to guests only, although some island resorts like Erakor and Hideaway offer day passes in the 2000 VT range.

Honeymoon Beach. Pretty beach at the far end of the Pango peninsula. Decent snorkelling at a coral reef just offshore, but exposed to ocean waves at high tide. Basic showers, toilets and changing rooms. Bring reef shoes, food and water.

Scuba diving Scuba diving is one of Vanuatu's main draws and there are a number of operators in Port Vila, as well as the country's only hyperbaric chamber.

Big Blue Vanuatu. One of Vanuatu's largest and best-regarded dive shops. Full range of PADI courses, including instructor development training.

Independence Park, Port Vila. A cricket ground which hosted the matches in the 2019 ICC Women's Qualifier EAP tournament in May 2019.

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

Port Vila is a duty free zone for tourists, so duty free alcohol and cigarettes are comparatively 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.

Au Bon Marché Numbatu. The largest supermarket in Vanuatu, with a wide range of expensive imports and some local goods, including spectacular Vanuatu beef. Also has a decent wine selection and French cheese.

Tana Russet Plaza. Vanuatu's only modern shopping mall worthy of the name. 20 rather upmarket shops, cinema, French bakery-cafe, decent food court.

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.

Port Vila Market. The main market in Port Vila, which mostly sells fruits and vegetables. A great place to sample tropical fruit, but get here early since most places close or run out by noon. There are also some affordable local lunch options.

Eat

Budget 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.

Family Restaurant. 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.

Kai Vanua. 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, manioc, taro or kumala. In addition, the Farmacy cafe here serves up coffee, smoothies and breakfast favorites.

Three Pigs. Casual garden restaurant that serves up the best tacos in Vanuatu, although this is admittedly not a terribly lofty bar. 500 VT tacos and 1000 VT margaritas on Taco Tuesday.

L'Houstalet. 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.

Stonegrill. Often ranked as Port Vila's top restaurant, the concept here is simple: steaks of premium Vanuatu beef that you grill to your liking on a sizzling hot stone. Basic steaks from under 2000 VT, but wagyu will set you back closer to 5000 VT.

Drink

Like everywhere in Vanuatu, the local drink of choice is not alcohol but kava, a mildly narcotic drink made from pounded roots. There are numerous kava bars (nakamal) where you can sample this, see Vanuatu#Drink for a primer on how to indulge.

Alcohol is widely available but targets visiting tourists and is priced accordingly. Expect to pay 400-600 VT for a local beer (Tusker), more for anything imported.

Beach Bar. Your classic barefoot beachside bar right on the dark volcanic sands of Mele Bay, with cold beer and mediocre pub grub (pizzas, burgers). The main draw here is the rather impressive fire show held every Friday; book ahead in season if you want a table, and prearrange your transport back to town.

Sleep

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 Budget lodgings in Port Vila tend to be inland, with no direct beach access.

Travellers Motel. Basic motel rooms and a mixed dormitory. Pool, air-con.

MG Cocomo Resort. Beachfront, restaurant and bar, BBQ, outdoor pool, kayaks, fishing rods, beach volleyball court, playground and trampoline.

Mangoes Resort. Bungalows and apartments with balconies, outdoor pool. Mangoes Restaurant serves organic produce, local seafood, Santo beef and sweet treats.

Sunset Bungalows. Ten waterfront bungalows, eight lagoon view studio units and one honeymoon spa bungalow. Swimming pool, waterfall, kayaks, patanque, professional tour desk.

Holiday Inn Resort Vanuatu. Vanuatu's largest hotel, in a 1970s-vintage concrete block. Day Spa, nine-hole golf course, two swimming pools, kids club, tennis courts, kayaks, paddleboards, and catamarans.

Warwick Le Lagon. Opened 1969, this was the first major resort to open in Vanuatu, set on sprawling grounds on the shores of Erakor Lagoon. Very popular among families.

Iririki Island. A resort in Port Vila's harbour. It has areas that allow children. A ferry runs back and forth to the main downtown area.

Erakor Island Resort. 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 VT adult/child), half of which can be used as credit for food & drinks.

Poppys on the Lagoon. 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.

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.

Paradise Cove Resort. Tucked away at the quiet far end of the Pango peninsula, the beautifully manicured French-run Paradise Cove has only 10 villas, a small pool and above all direct access to a fine sheltered 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).