By air
SSR International (MRU), ~45 km
Indian Ocean Islands · Mauritius
Port Louis, Mauritius
Markets, a waterfront and the Aapravasi Ghat
Getting there
Best time to visit
May to December — cooler and drier
Don't miss
The Aapravasi Ghat
The Central Market
The Caudan Waterfront
Fort Adelaide
Things to do
The Central Market
The Caudan Waterfront
The Blue Penny Museum
Where to eat
What to pack
Light clothes
A quieter corner
Chinatown's food stalls
Questions travellers ask
What are the main sights in Port Louis?
The Aapravasi Ghat, the Central Market, the Caudan Waterfront and Fort Adelaide, plus the Blue Penny Museum.
What street food should I try in Port Louis?
Street dholl puri and gateaux piments. Chinatown's food stalls are the hidden gem.
Is Port Louis far from the airport?
SSR International (MRU) is about 45 km away.
When is Port Louis most comfortable?
May to December, when it's cooler and drier. Light clothes will do.
About Port Louis
- Coastal
Where it is
Port Louis is the capital of Mauritius, on a harbour on the island's north-west coast, backed by an amphitheatre of mountains that includes Le Pouce and Pieter Both.
History
Named after King Louis XV, Port Louis became the capital of French Mauritius in the 1730s under the governor Mahé de La Bourdonnais, and it grew into a busy harbour on the sea route to India. Under British rule from 1810 it received hundreds of thousands of indentured labourers from India through the Aapravasi Ghat immigration depot, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
People
Port Louis reflects the whole of Mauritius, with Hindu, Muslim, Creole, Chinese and Franco-Mauritian communities speaking Mauritian Creole, French, English, Bhojpuri and Hakka among other languages. Its streets hold the Jummah Mosque, Chinatown, temples and churches, and vendors sell dholl puri, gateaux piments and alouda.
Known for
- The Aapravasi Ghat
- The Central Market
- The Caudan Waterfront
- Fort Adelaide above the city
- Street food such as dholl puri
Did you know?
The Blue Penny Museum in Port Louis holds the island's famous Post Office stamps of 1847, among the earliest stamps issued in the British Empire outside Britain and among the rarest in the world.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.