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Voykit pocket guide · Samoa
Apia
Apia is a base for one or two nights: do the harbour, the cathedral and the markets in the morning, rest in the heat, and leave the beaches and waterfalls to the rest of Upolu by hire car — and plan around Sunday, when the town is closed.
Apia is a small capital on the north coast of Upolu with the harbour, the markets and the cathedral. The beaches, pools and waterfalls are elsewhere on the island and belong to villages that charge a small fee. Sunday is for church and rest: most shops, market stalls and tours close. Four clusters cover the town; a taxi joins them, and a hire car opens the island.
- Country
- Samoa
- Best months
- May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct
- Time zone
- Pacific/Apia
- Stay
- 2 days: Harbour and cathedral, Fugalei market
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- WST
- Money
- Cash for markets, taxis and small eateries; cards at hotels and larger restaurants. Cash is scarce outside Apia — withdraw what you need in town before a road trip.
- Daily spend
- Budget WST 150–250 excl. bed · Mid WST 250–500 excl. bed · High WST 500+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Install an eSIM before you fly, or buy a tourist SIM from a carrier store in Apia (passport needed).
- Emergency
- Police 995 · Fire 994 · Ambulance 996
- Plugs
- 230–240 V; three-pin sockets (type I, the same as Australia/New Zealand). Bring an adapter.
- Tipping
- Not traditionally expected; increasingly welcomed at hotels and upmarket restaurants — check whether a service charge is already added.
- Water
- Ask your hotel about tap water; many visitors default to bottled water.
- Toilets
- Hotels, cafés and the market; carry tissues — public toilets are limited.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee at a café | WST 8–15 |
| Market lunch plate | WST 10–20 |
| Sit-down restaurant meal, per person | WST 30–70 |
| Local beer (Vailima) | WST 8–15 |
| Taxi ride across town | WST 10–20 |
| Hire car, per day | WST 120–200 |
| Palolo Deep Marine Reserve entry | WST 5–10 |
| Tourist eSIM or SIM, about a week | WST 40–80 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- Faleolo International Airport (APW)
- APW to Apia: one pre-booked hotel pickup or airport taxi, about 45–70 minutes — many flights land at night, so the risk is arriving with no ride arranged.
By rail and road
| Station | Serves | To the centre |
|---|---|---|
| Faleolo International Airport (APW) | International and domestic flights | Taxi or hotel transfer, about 40–50 min |
| Mulifanua wharf ferry to Savai'i | Savai'i island | Already there; about 20–30 min from Apia by road to reach the wharf |
Typical fares
- Faleolo Airport (APW) → Apia, taxi or hotel car
- About WST 60–90, 40–50 min (check)
- Taxi across town
- WST 10–20
Get around
Walk inside the compact town centre. Taxis cover everything else in Apia; a hire car is the practical way to see the rest of Upolu.
| How | Fare | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| Walking | Free | Inside the Beach Road / cathedral core |
| Taxi | WST 10–20 across town | Longer hops, heat, night |
| Local bus | Cheap, cash only | Confident budget travellers |
| Hire car | WST 120–200 a day | Seeing the rest of Upolu (beaches, waterfalls, To Sua) |
Fares are estimates; check before you ride.
- Passes
- No pass. Agree the taxi fare before you get in; hire a car for days you leave town.
- Late at night
- No rail. Taxis are few late at night: ask the hotel to book the ride back before you go out.
See and do
01Fugalei Market at dawnFugalei
Fresh produce and the town's daily rhythm, coolest and busiest before 09:00.
Hours: best 07:00–08:30 · Price: Free to browse · Time: 30–45 min
02Immaculate Conception Cathedral
The town's landmark church on Beach Road.
Hours: best Morning, outside service times · Price: Free · Time: 20–30 min
03Museum of Samoa
A compact, air-conditioned introduction to Samoan history and culture.
Hours: best Any time · Price: Entry fee, check · Time: 45–75 min · -13.8333, -171.7508
04Snorkel Palolo Deep
Reef and marine life a short walk from Beach Road hotels.
Hours: best Calm, clear mornings · Price: WST 5–10 · Time: 1–2 h · -13.8358, -171.7442
05Robert Louis Stevenson Museum, Vailima
The writer's restored home and hillside grave with a view over Apia.
Hours: best Morning · Price: Entry fee, check · Time: 1.5–2 h
06Mulinu'u PointMulinu'u
War memorials and government buildings on a quiet coastal peninsula.
Hours: best Late afternoon · Price: Free · Time: 45–60 min · -13.8256, -171.7825
07To Sua Ocean Trench day trip
The single most-photographed spot in Samoa, on the south coast.
Hours: best Weekday, dry season · Price: Entry fee plus transport · Time: Full day
08Papase'ea Sliding Rocks
Natural rock slides into freshwater pools, a short trip from town.
Hours: best Morning · Price: Small entry fee · Time: 1.5–2 h
09Apia Courthouse and Clock TowerFale Fa'amasino / Clock Tower
A German-colonial-era landmark on the Beach Road waterfront.
Hours: best Any time · Price: Free · Time: 10–15 min · -13.8342, -171.7519
10Cultural show and umu feast
Traditional dance and an earth-oven meal, the best introduction to Samoan food and performance.
Hours: best Evening · Price: WST 40–90 · Time: 2–3 h
Hours and prices are desk estimates (checked 2026-09); anything marked (check) is not confirmed. Coordinates open in any map app.
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| To Sua Ocean Trench and the south coast | Hire car or tour, about 1–1.5 h each way | Full day |
| Savai'i (via Mulifanua ferry) | Drive to the wharf (about 20–30 min) then a ferry of about 1–1.5 h | Full day, better as an overnight |
| Robert Louis Stevenson Museum, Vailima | Taxi, about 15–20 min | Half day |
| Papase'ea Sliding Rocks | Taxi or short drive, about 15–20 min | Half day |
Eat
| Where | What · area | Price | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fish Market | Fresh fish, grilled or raw (oka) · Harbour | WST 10–20 | Budget |
| Market food stalls | Palusami, sapasui, simple plates · Fugalei market | WST 8–15 | Budget |
| Beach Road cafés and restaurants | Café meals and fresh fish · Beach Road | WST 25–60 | Mid-range |
| Giordano's Pizzeria | Pizza and Italian menu · Beach Road | WST 30–60 | Mid-range |
| Sails Restaurant | Seafood and international menu, waterfront setting · Beach Road | WST 80–150 | Splurge |
Per person, one dish or one meal, 2026 estimate in tālā (WST). Many places close or shorten hours on Sunday.
Sleep
| Band | Price a night | Where | What |
|---|---|---|---|
| budget | WST 40–90 dorm bed · WST 150–250 double | Beach Road, cathedral area | Guesthouses, small hotels |
| mid | WST 300–600 | Beach Road | Mid-range hotels |
| splurge | WST 700+ | Beach Road and resorts just outside town | Larger hotels, some historic properties |
Per room per night in tālā, 2026 estimate; Teuila Festival week and Christmas–New Year add 20–50%.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Talofatah-LOH-fah |
| Thank you | Fa'afetaifah-ah-feh-TAI |
| How much is this? | O le a le tau?oh leh ah leh TAU |
| Please | Fa'amolemolefah-ah-moh-leh-MOH-leh |
| Goodbye | TofaTOH-fah |
| The bill, please | Fa'amolemole, le pilifah-ah-moh-leh-MOH-leh leh PEE-lee |
| Please take me to this address | Fa'amolemole, ave a'u i lenei tuatusifah-ah-moh-leh-MOH-leh AH-veh AH-oo ee leh-NAY too-ah-TOO-see |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Sunday: Kept for church and rest; avoid loud activity near churches during services, and expect most shops and tours to be closed.
- Village curfew (sa): Some villages observe an evening prayer curfew (a bell or conch signals it); if you are on a village road at that time, stop or slow respectfully until it passes.
- Dress: Cover shoulders and knees in villages and churches; a lavalava (sarong) over swimwear away from a resort pool.
- Land: Almost all land outside central Apia is customary village land — ask before entering, swimming or taking photos, and expect a small fee at village-run beaches and pools.
- Photography: Ask before photographing people, particularly in villages and at church.
- Tipping: Not traditionally expected; increasingly appreciated at hotels and upmarket restaurants — check if a service charge is already added.
Red lines
- Dress modestly in town: cover shoulders and knees; a lavalava (sarong) over swimwear.
- Sunday: church services; keep quiet near churches and ask before swimming or photographing.
- Ask before entering village land or photographing people.
Scams and watch-outs
- Unmetered taxi rides with no price agreed first: agree the fare before you get in, or ask your hotel for the going rate.
- Small entry fees requested at village-run beaches, pools and natural sites are normal, not a scam — carry small notes rather than arguing them down.
One and two days
1 day
A stopover before or after the rest of Upolu. Skip: A hire-car day trip — it needs its own day.
- 07:00Fugalei Market
- 09:00Cathedral
- 10:30Museum of Samoa (indoor, AC)
- 12:30Lunch on Beach Road
- 15:00Snorkel at Palolo Deep
2 days
A first visit with time for one out-of-town half-day. Skip: Doing a full south-coast day trip on the same visit without an extra day.
Day 1 — Apia town
- 07:00Fugalei Market
- 09:00Cathedral and Beach Road walk
- 12:30Lunch on Beach Road
- 15:00Museum of Samoa
Day 2 — Vailima and the reserve
- 09:00Robert Louis Stevenson Museum, Vailima
- 13:00Palolo Deep Marine Reserve
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Samoa Tourism Authority (official): www.samoa.travel/
- UK FCDO travel advice — Samoa: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/samoa
- Wikivoyage — Apia: en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Apia
- Wikivoyage — Samoa: en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Samoa
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Apia
Fa'amolemole, ave a'u i lenei tuatusi
Please take me to this address
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Take me to
- FugaleiFugalei produce market
- Mulinu'uMulinu'u Point
- Fale Fa'amasino / Clock TowerApia Courthouse and Clock Tower
Most embassies for Samoa are accredited from Wellington or Canberra rather than resident in Apia; write your own country's contact below before you travel.
Landmarks and village names are how locals and taxi drivers navigate, more than street addresses.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/apia). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.