Where to stay
A great place for your family to stay is at Casa de Sole Serviced Apartments. Just two minutes' walk from the famous white-sand beaches, Casa Del Sole has two bedroom apartments with fully equipped kitchens. They also have large sunny balconies overlooking the picturesque Anse Vata and Baie des Citrons beaches.
Likewise, the Nouvata Park Hotel is well equipped for families. All rooms are large and luxuriously appointed and have private facilities, air conditioning, telephone, television, mini-bar, tea and coffee making facilities and each has a private balcony with either ocean or pool views. It also has the new NP Club to keep kids entertained.
Guests of obth properties have free use of non-motorised water sports equipment at Plage Loisirs, including beach chairs, snorkelling equipment, pedal boats, canoes and windsurfers. Families will enjoy the nearby aquarium, or a trip on le petit train to visit the zoo and botanic gardens.
Resorts with Kids' Clubs
The Nouvata Park Hotel has a new kids' club. In addition, babysitters are available upon request at the major hotels.
Health
No vaccinations are necessary to visit New Caledonia. Outbreaks of dengue fever sometimes occur during summer months, during which visitors should take precautions against mosquitoes. New Caledonia is free of all other tropical diseases including malaria.
Food
New Caledonian cuisine is as varied as its ethnic groups. It combines the omnipresent French culinary arts with Italian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Japanese and Melanesian cooking traditions. While you’re there, try the traditional New Caledonian meal called bougna, which entails chicken, manioc, yams and sweet potato wrapped up in banana leaves and steamed in an earth oven warms by stones.
Eating out with a family may get expensive so it is a good idea to stock up at the local supermarkets and delicatessens or visit the waterfront market.
Shopping
Noumea, the capital of New Caledonia, is known as “Little Paris”, so you can find quite a lot of French goods, whether it be clothing, jewellery and perfume or chocolates and china. Local arts and crafts are also available in Noumea as well as roadside stalls and there is excellent duty free shopping. Shops are open from 7:30am until 6:00pm, but are closed between 11:00am and 1:00pm.
Population
The population is a little over 200 000 inhabitants and has strong Melanesian and French influences which gives ‘a taste of France in the South Pacific’.
 Language
French is the official language and is spoken by almost all New Caledonians. There are about 30 Kanak dialects but these are spoken only in villages and remoter areas. English-speaking staff are commonplace in hotels and resorts, many restaurants and among many tour operators, although it is recommended that visitors learn French greetings and basic phrases.
Time
New Caledonia is 1 hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time.
Currency
The local currency is the French Pacific Franc (XPF) pegged at a fixed exchange rate to the Euro (one Euro = XPF119.25). For an up-to-date currency converter click here.
Tipping/Haggling
New Caledonians do not tip or haggle.
Passport and Visa
No visas are required for Australian, NZ, EU or US passport holders for stays of up to three months. A passport with at least six months validity and an onward or return air ticket are required on entry.
 Airport Transfers
Nouméa’s Tontouta International Airport is approximately 50km or 50 minutes’ drive from the city so try to organise transfers to and from your hotel, as a taxi could be costly.
Getting around
Buses: Nouméa has an excellent bus system that is cheap, fast, frequent and simple to use. Routes are colour-coded according to destination and cover all the major tourist destinations in the city. Buses run every 15-30 minutes
Le Petit Train – The cheapest and easiest way for visitors to explore Nouméa, Le Petit Train visits all major sites of interest and stops at major hotels and resorts. Passengers can board and disembark as often as they like on a single day ticket.
Ferries: The high-speed catamaran Betico sails three times a week from Nouméa to the Isle of Pines, taking two and a quarter hours. Water taxis are also available to islets in the Nouméa area, departing from Anse Vata.
Click here for Things to See & Do in New Caledonia
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CAPITAL: Noumea 
Where it is and how do I get there?
