Experiencing some French flair in Nouméa!

Our first stop on our Royal Caribbean cruise was a stop at New Caledonia’s capital, Nouméa, which offers a mix of French flair, great beaches, and laid-back island vibes. 

As the ship docked at Nouméa’s port, we disembarked the ship and made our way onto land were we got onto a complimentary bus that took us to the Cruise Terminal where we were able to get our Hop on Hop off tickets ($15 AUD per person) and we set off to explore the city.

Our first destination was one of the most famous beaches in Nouméa, Plage de l’Anse Vata, where we sat down by the beach, enjoying some quiet time away from the crowds of the ship. We wandered along the promenade for a while, watching the locals having a morning dip and setting up their windsurfing gear for the day.

After our stroll on the beach, we sat down and enjoyed a local coffee and some ice cream before we caught a bus to a nearby shopping centre, the Casino Port Plaisance. Here we explored along the high-end boutiques before entering a local supermarket, a favourite thing of ours to do when we travel. We explored the aisles, seeing local items and also a lot of French items. On top of it all, we spotted some Tim Tam’s being sold at a cheaper price here than back home, go figure. 

We next got back onto a bus that took us to another famous beach area, the Plage de la Baie des Citrons, which felt more lively and had more people in the water. There were also quite a few more cafés, restaurants and bars along the promenade, making it a perfect spot to soak up the island’s charm.

We made it to a popular brewery and restaurant along the promenade, Les 3 Brasseurs, where we grabbed an outside table which offered great views over the beach and ordered in some light snacks and drinks. There were a good selection of local beers and I grabbed myself a paddle which included a wheat, a crisp lager, a pale ale and an amber beer. After our refreshment stop, we once again got back on the bus and headed back into the city centre.

After leaving Les 3 Brasseurs, we made our way to the city centre where we took a stroll through the streets, walking past its Chinatown and looking for a certain bakery that we had heard about, however were unsuccessful and instead walked into another local supermarket (enjoying the A/C and just looking around).

We eventually returned to the Cruise Terminal where we enjoyed a final cold beer, had a final look through the different souvenir shops and where Eloise found a spot for some lollies (where she certainly stocked up), before heading back on the bus that once again took us back to our ship.

Once back on the ship we stood watching as the ship left the port and another day came to an end. It was a great day all in all, we were happy to get off the ship and wander the town, happy to have visited the city!