Museums in Mauritius for a Fun Day Outing

Blue Penny Museum is a famous stamp museum located in Port Louis. It is named after the famous 1847 2-pence Blue Penny Stamp, engraved for Mauritian post offices by Joseph Osmond back in the 1800s. The museum also houses an enviable collection of old marine maps used by sailors back in the past, paintings from colonial times, and old engravings, inscriptions and sculptures. There are also some exhibition rooms that focus on different aspects of Mauritius's philately and postal history. A guided tour is available. 

Timings: Monday to Saturday - 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Closed on Saturdays and public holidays. (Museum closes at 2:00 PM on 24 December and 31 December)
Entry Fee: Adults: INR 225, Children: INR 100
Address: Caudan Waterfront, Block A, Port Louis, Mauritius

The Natural History Museum in Port Louis is a haven for naturalists as it houses a wide array of exhibits illustrating Mauritius' diverse fauna and aquatic life. The entire museum is segregated into four galleries. The first gallery houses exhibits of the countless bird species including several endangered ones. In the second gallery resides the abundant marine life, including an extensive collection of seashells and a giant seventy-kilogram clamshell. The third gallery is dedicated to the memory of the now extinct flightless bird - the Dodo. The fourth section is dedicated to the geology, meteorology, corals, shrimps and turtles of the island.

Timings: Monday to Friday - 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Saturday - 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Closed on Sundays and public holidays.
Entry Fee: No Entry Fee
Address: La Chaussée, Port Louis, Mauritius

The Martello Tower Museum is a fortress built during British rule, which has been converted into a museum to educate visitors about life during the colonial reign. The main highlight is the two fixed guns on the roof, which could once take a cross-shot across the entirety of the bay. The main areas of the tower that are open to tourists include the basement, the ground floor, which was used as an armoury room for storing gunpowder, the first floor with a place built for use by the chief officer of the tower, and the roof with the cannons. Guided tours are available.

Timings: Tuesday to Saturday - 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Sunday and public holidays - 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM. It is closed on Monday.
Entry Fee: INR 160
Address: La Preneuse, Black River.

This museum, housed inside a bungalow built entirely out of coral called La Nef, was the house of Mauritian poet Robert Edward Hart.
There are four rooms inside the museum - two bedrooms, one bathroom and an office cum drawing-room. On display are several of Hart's original letters, speeches, plays, poetry, his violin, spectacles, awards and books. 

Timings: Monday to Friday - 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM (closed on Tuesdays). Saturday - 9:00 AM to 12:00PM. Closed on Sundays and public holidays.
Entry Fee: No entry fee
Address: Savanne Road, Souillac, Mauritius

Frederik Hendrik museum is located in Vieux Grand Port. It is named after the stadtholder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, who was in office from 1625 to 1647. The museum complex, surrounded by a lush tropical garden, contains artefacts found during archaeological excavations. Ruins of the Governor's primary residence, a bakery, a store, and a prison cell erected by the French colonial rulers can be found within the premises. 

Timings: Monday to Saturday - 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM (closed on Wednesday). Sundays and Public holidays - 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Entry Fee: No entry fee
Address: Vieux Grand Port, Mauritius

Devoted to the memory of Mauritius' first prime minister Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, this museum houses his personal belongings. In addition, several photographs documenting his life and decisions as a national leader are hung on the walls, which will transport you to post-independence Mauritius. This museum is built in the house where Seewoosagur Ramgoolam used to practise medicine. A bronze statue of Mauritius' Father also resides in the front courtyard.

Timings: Monday to Friday - 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM (closed on Wednesdays). Saturday - 9:00 AM to 12:00PM. Closed on Sundays and public holidays.
Entry Fee: No entry fee
Address: 87, Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Street, Plaine Verte, Port Louis.

The brainchild of Mr Tristan Bréville, a passionate photographer, the Mauritius Photography Museum houses a wide range of artefacts documenting the early days of Mauritian photography and cinematography. The exhibits are as old as the 1800s and are a treasure trove of old camera and photograph prints, including daguerreotypes (the forerunner of photographs) produced in 1840.

Timings: Monday to Friday - 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Entry Fee: Adults: INR 645, Children under 12 years: Free
Address: Rue du Vieux Conseil, Port Louis

Built back in the 1800s, the Château de Labourdonnais is a grand Creole mansion once owned by Christian Wiehe and his family and converted into a museum. Guided tours of the building start with visits to the house's different rooms and move on to the old orchards and lush green gardens. The tour ends with a visit to the adjacent distillery, where you can learn about the history and various techniques of production of agricultural rum.

Timings : 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Entry Fee : Adults: INR 385, Children: INR 220

This museum in Remy Ollier Street houses a vast collection of objects illuminating the Chinese immigration in Mauritius, such as photographs, models of the Chinatown district, old Chinese scales for weighing articles, old Chinese newspapers, and calendars and printing equipment.

Timings: Monday to Friday - 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Closed on weekends and public holidays.
Address: Remy Ollier St, Port Louis, Mauritius

L'Aventure du Sucre meaning 'Sugar Adventure' in English is a sugar museum located in the beautiful Pamplemousses village. A tour of this sugar museum takes you through the old Beau Plan Sugar Factory which used to operate from the 18th to 20th century. It displays a vast array of arts that depicts the journey of sugar dating back from the 15th century to the contemporary day.

Timings: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Entry Fee: Adults - INR 350, Students and Children - INR 175

Eureka House is a 19th-century Creole-style house built in 1830 on the banks of the Mauritian river Moka. It is one of the island’s most visited historical sites. The interior decorations and furniture are well maintained along with the mahogany and ebony antiques, old ceramics and beautifully painted chinaware, photographs of daily life and books. It is considered to be the largest house in Mauritius with its 109 doors and windows.

Time Required : Sunday - Friday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Saturday: 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Entry Fee : Adults: EUR 10, Kids (3-12): EUR 6

Located in south-western Mauritius, the Curious Corner of Chamarel is the only one of its kind museum in Mauritius. It is a house full of mysteries, illusions, mind games and various other activities meant to excite the curious minds of the people. It is a world of optical illusions, and puzzles with 40 exhibits like a mirror maze, upside-down room, Ames room and more.

Timings: Monday - Sunday: 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM
Entry Fees: Adults: EUR 10, Children (3-12 years): EUR 6

With more than 1800 species of 8000 seashells in 70 display cabinets, World of Seashells is located on the first floor of Chateau de Bel Ombre. Eric Le Court, the founder and collector of this enchanting museum, has gathered shells from Mauritius and different parts of the world and assembled an impressive collection that gives us a chance to explore the aquatic riches!

Timings: Monday to Saturday: 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM, Public Holidays: 9:30 AM to 2:00 PM, Sunday: Closed
Entry Fee: Adults: INR 250, Children (Up to 17 years): INR 125

The Mauritius Post opened the Mauritius Postal Museum in 1995 which exhibits various stamps and miscellaneous articles from all over the world. There are four rooms inside the museum with different displays including a temporary exhibition area and a philatelic gallery. The latest addition to the display in the museum includes the history of the Mauritius Post, and it is portrayed through photographs and other visual displays. 

Timings: Monday to Friday – 9.00 AM to 4.30 PM, Sunday and Public Holidays – 10.00 AM to 4.00 PM
Entry Fee:
For residents of Mauritius: Children: INR 25, Adults: INR 50
For non-residents of Mauritius: Children: INR 90, Adults: INR 90 - INR 150