Mauritius · Port Louis District
Where to Stay in Port Louis, Port Louis District
A bay ringed by mountains cradles Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius, a harbour city founded in 1735 in the Port Louis District.
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Where to stay in Port Louis
The right area depends on your trip — here's what each neighbourhood is best for.
Port Louis wraps around its bay below the mountains, so where you stay depends on how close to the harbour and the old centre you want to be. The waterfront draws the city in. Along the harbour the modern centre gathers the museums and the offices of the capital, while the older colonial-era streets climb inland toward the slopes of the Port Louis District.
Each part keeps its own tempo. Base yourself by the waterfront for the Blue Penny Museum, the Mauritius Postal Museum, and the harbour of Port Louis within reach. It suits you if you want the sea and the capital at hand.
Inland, the older quarters hold the Intercontinental Slavery Museum and the statues of Queen Victoria and Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam among colonial-era streets. Each side tells its story. The choice runs between the harbour-front centre and the historic quarters spread across the Port Louis District and the neighbouring Black River District.
About Port Louis
What is Port Louis known for?
Port Louis is known as the capital and largest city of Mauritius, the island's financial and political centre. Its harbour made it. The bay and the surrounding mountains hold a port founded in 1735, while museums such as the Blue Penny Museum, the Mauritius Postal Museum, and the Intercontinental Slavery Museum trace the layered history of Port Louis District.
What are the main landmarks in Port Louis?
Port Louis fills its centre with museums and monuments. The Blue Penny Museum and the Mauritius Postal Museum hold the island's famous stamps, while the Intercontinental Slavery Museum and the Port Louis Photography Museum trace its past. Statues mark the streets.
The Statue of Queen Victoria and the Statue of Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam stand near the harbour, and the Mikado Shell Museum adds to the landmarks of Port Louis District.
What is the history of Port Louis?
Port Louis was founded in 1735, when the French laid out a harbour town in the bay below the mountains of what would become Mauritius. The port grew from that beginning. The Statue of Bertrand-François Mahé de La Bourdonnais recalls the era of French rule, and the colonial-era streets of the old centre still trace the plan of the early town in the Port Louis District.
British rule followed the French, and the Statue of Queen Victoria marks that later chapter. Through the harbour passed enslaved people and, after abolition, indentured labourers from across the seas, a history gathered in the Intercontinental Slavery Museum. Independence came in time.
The Statue of Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam honours the leader of the new nation, while the Blue Penny Museum and the Mauritius Postal Museum keep the memory of the island's early stamps at the heart of Port Louis.
Where is Port Louis?
Port Louis sits in a bay on the coast of Mauritius, ringed by mountains that rise close behind the city. Sea and hills press together. Sheltered in its harbour, the capital spreads from the waterfront up the lower slopes, mostly within the Port Louis District and reaching a little into the Black River District.
The bay and the mountains hold it tight.
What is the climate of Port Louis?
Port Louis has a warm tropical climate, tempered by the sea around Mauritius. The ocean eases the heat. Warm and humid through much of the year, the city sees a hotter, wetter season and a milder, drier one, with sea breezes moving in over the bay and the mountains.
Rain gathers on the heights. That maritime warmth runs through Port Louis.
How do you get to Port Louis?
Port Louis is the main harbour and capital of Mauritius, the point where the island's roads and shipping lanes gather. Most arrivals reach the capital. As the country's financial and political centre, Port Louis draws the routes that cross Mauritius and the ships that call at its bay, linking the Port Louis District to the rest of the island.
The harbour opens the city to the sea. From the waterfront, the roads climb inland past the mountains.
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Updated July 2026