Region
Port Louis and the centre
Treat Port Louis as a day-visit or a first-or-last night: the waterfront, market and citadel fit in a day, and the beaches are elsewhere.
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Key facts · Mauritius
- Best months
- Apr–Nov
- Currency
- Mauritian rupee
- Language
- Mauritian Creole everyday
- Plugs
- C · G · 230 V
- Time zone
- UTC+4 all year
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Port Louis is the capital and the island's working city, not its beach resort. It is compact on foot, jammed at rush hour, and quiet on Sundays. Sleep here for a night or two, then move to the coast that suits the season; the plateau towns and Pamplemousses are day-trips by car.
Where to sleep
Sleep base
- Port LouisTrip line
Waterfront hotel for a first or last night; walk the market and museums.
Best Apr–Nov
JFMAMJJASOND
Day trip
- Curepipe and the plateauCity guide
Trou aux Cerfs crater and tea estates; about 40 min south by car.
Best May–Dec
JFMAMJJASOND
Plan the nights
How to split the nights, day-trips and what to do with your bags
Open Plan the nightsClose Plan the nights3 partsNights · Day-trips · Bags
Night sequences
- 2 nights
- Port Louis 1 + a coast base for the rest
- 4 nights
- Port Louis 2 + Pamplemousses and the plateau by car
- Port Louis is far from the airport (about an hour); do not plan a same-day beach transfer after a late landing.
Day-trips door to door
| To | From | Door-to-door p50 | Last return | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pamplemousses | Port Louis | 30 min | unknown | Go outside rush hour; hire a car or a driver. |
| Curepipe | Port Louis | 45 min | unknown | Rain is common on the plateau; take a layer. |
Bags between cities
No luggage forwarding culture: ask your hotel to hold the bag while you sightsee.
When to go
Months and weather
Open When to goClose When to go1 partSeasons
Seasons at a glance
Pick a month to see where to go.
Show all 12 months, country by countryHide the 12-month table
| Country | JJan | FFeb | MMar | AApr | MMay | JJun | JJul | AAug | SSep | OOct | NNov | DDec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Louis | ok | ok | ok | go | go | go | go | go | go | go | go | ok |
| Pamplemousses | × | × | × | ok | go | go | go | go | go | go | go | go |
| Curepipe and the plateau | × | × | × | × | go | go | go | go | go | go | go | go |
| Mauritius (country-wide) | ok | ok | ok | go | go | go | go | go | go | go | go | go |
Computed from each country’s own data; hover a country name for the source. Advisory countries are left out.
Eat and move on
Regional food and where to go next
Open Eat and move onClose Eat and move on1 partGo next
Go next
West and south-west coast
planned3–5 nights
Le Morne, Flic en Flac, Black River Gorges and Chamarel; sunsets and calmer winter seas
North coast
planned3–5 nights
Grand Baie, beaches and boat trips to the northern islets
East coast
planned3–5 nights
Belle Mare, Île aux Cerfs and resort beaches
Port Louis and the centre: what we know, and what is coming
3 of 3 places open
On this page
- 3 places with their role: where to sleep, what to do as a day trip
- How to split 2 or 4 nights
- 2 day trips with door-to-door time
- Seasons month by month, from the cities’ own tables
- What to do with the big bag between beds
Coming as the guide grows
- Climate strip by zone, with the storm and haze months
- Get in: airports and stations with door-to-door times
- Regional passes and cards, with a buy / skip verdict
- Regional food: what, where and when it works
Planning aids
Built from this guide's own data
Open Planning aidsClose Planning aids2 partsIn numbers · Local time
Region in numbers
- Where to sleep
- 1 base
- Day trips
- 2, 30 min to 45 min
- Nights suggested
- 2–4 nights
Local time
What time it is there now, compared with the clock on your device.
Port Louis
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Checking your clock…Indian/Mauritius
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