Exploring the Cities of Mauritius

Nov 19, 2025 0

Mauritius, an island nation in the Indian Ocean, boasts a diverse landscape and vibrant culture. While known for its stunning beaches and resorts, the island also has several cities and towns each with its unique charm and attractions. Let's delve into some of the key urban areas in Mauritius.

Map of Mauritius

Port Louis: The Capital City

With approximately 200,000 inhabitants, Port Louis is the island’s biggest city. Port Louis naturally developed into the economic and administrative capital of Mauritius after replacing Mahébourg at the beginning of the 18th century, because of its port being of better quality than that of Mahébourg. A lot of Mauritians from the suburbs and surrounding villages come daily to work in the capital. That explains the heavy traffic. Until the 1860s, when the Suez Canal was built, Port-Louis was the recommended stopover for ships from Europe on their way to India.

Most of Port Louis’ visitors are attracted by the Waterfront where a huge elegant shopping centre (Caudan Waterfront) was built directly at the water. Fancy designer boutiques as well as hip surfer-shops sell their goods in a very western environment. Walking some meters towards the centre you can experience the total contrast, because on the Central Market a lot of activities are going on. In a heritage-protected hall many different vegetables and fruits are sold. Next to it there are more halls with meat and poultry.

Going further into the city centre, in the direction of Chinatown, you are surrounded by contrasts. On the one side huge buildings like the Air Mauritius Center, on the other side small semi-derelict houses. Still Port Louis has its own charm. So you will always find someone who explains the way patiently (often times better than trying to orient oneself with confusing or wrong maps) or helps you out of a small parking lot.

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If you look for a place to take a break and relax, you should head towards the Company Garden (near the Government House in the west). You should try one of the numerous snacks that are offered almost everywhere in Mauritius and also near the Company Garden. You can reach Port Louis from almost every place on the island.

Mauritius Turf Club

A special attraction in Port Louis is the race-course Mauritius Turf Club. The second largest race-course worldwide attracts numerous locals as well as tourists. Races take place from May until December, Saturdays around 12h. While some drink their sparkling wine in elegant suits and dresses at the higher stands (entrance fees: men: 175 Rs, women: 100 Rs), most visitors look for places in the lower stands or the inner field of the race-course. As soon as you can see the jockeys the atmosphere gets tense and after the starting signal people are jumping around, cheering, shouting dependent on the success of their horse. If you get hungry or thirsty during the races you’ll find all sorts of snacks in the inner field of the race-course.

Parking: There is a car park next to the Waterfront. Unfortunately the signs are very small. If you come from the South on the motorway you face a roundabout. You can choose between City Centre, the North, etc.

🇲🇺 PORT LOUIS, MAURITIUS – Walking Tour of Central Market, Chinatown, and Fort Adelaide Citadel [4K]

Quatre Bornes: The City of Flowers

Quatre Bornes with a population of 76,000 is one of the largest towns in Mauritius. Located is the city of Mauritius in the inland about 15 km southwest of the capital Port Louis and 30 km from the airport. There is a centre of cities consisting of Rose Hill, Beau-Bassin, Quatre Bornes, Vacoas and Curepipe. Especially nice is the situation of Quatre Bornes. Quatre Bornes is surrounded by green mountains and thus prepares beautiful views. Quatre Bornes translated means the four borders. The city is so situated that you more or less do not come around then to pass through during your stay in Mauritius.

The main street of Quatre Bornes is full of countless shopping opportunities. In addition there is the famous market in Quatre Bornes where on Wednesday and Saturday a very nice fruit and vegetable market is set up. Thursday and Sunday you can discover a huge clothing market, where you will find very cheap clothes and especially fabrics, jewellery and accessories but also a lot of junk is available there. About five minutes walk away is the shopping centre “Orchard Center”.

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If you want to go out for dinner in Quatre Bornes there are countless possibilities. This is a tip for a very delicious snack in between: If you walk from the main bus station to the direction to the Orchard Centre and pass it you will find after 10 minutes on your right hand side the “La Marmite Divine”. It is a small shop which provides only vegetarian cuisine. Here you will find a variety of Mauritian snacks and sweets which are excellently prepared.

By bus: you can reach Quatre Bornes easily by bus. In the rush-hour I would advise you to avoid the traversing of Quatre Bornes by car and by bus.

Nightlife in Quatre Bornes

In addition there is on the third floor of the shopping center the TwentyOne 22, a club which is open every Friday and Saturday night. The DJ sets mostly electronic music like house, minimal and trance. What this club makes different to many others in Mauritius is that here mainly local people of Mauritius and fewer tourists are found.

Rose Hill and Beau Bassin: Twin Cities

The commercial town Rose Hill is the third largest town in Mauritius. The Plaza is more or less the centre of the busy city Rose Hill. Rose Hill became well-known in the end of the 18th century when the disease Malaria was spread over the capital Port Louis. Many people moved to the areas of the Plaines Wilhems where among others Rose Hill and Beau Bassin are located. Up to today Rose Hill and Beau Bassin developed to one big city complex. Beau Bassin and Rose Hill are one city complex. The two commercial towns merge into each other.

Rose Hill is especially known for its good shopping facilities. Some tips for shopping in Rose Hill are the Billabong outlet store which is located nearby the main bus stop. Furthermore there is a wonderful fruit and vegetable as well as a clothing market in Rose Hill. If you want to let yourself tailoring a nice suit in Mauritius, which is very cheap on the island, Rose Hill is the right place. You can buy very cheap and high quality textile either on the market or in a textile shop like the Tulsidas & Tulsidas, a specialist for textile, cloth and Indian clothes, which is located on the Royal Road.

By car: From direction Port Louis you will pass a junction on the main road between Port Louis and Flic en Flac where you have to turn left. Rose Hill is already signed out on the junction. If you follow this street you will reach a t-junction where you have to turn right. From direction Quatre Bornes you have to follow the highway in direction Port Louis. You can reach Rose Hill easily by bus.

As Rose Hill is more a shopping paradise I would say that Beau Bassin is more appropriated for just walking around and explore the city which has some beautiful places. The name Beau Bassin can be translated with the beautiful valley or the beautiful holiness. You should definitely visit the View Point Cascadelle. Beau Bassin is very well known for its pleasant climate. A fresh chilly wind which is coming from the direction of Moka is mixing up with the warm and sunny climate from the west coast.

By car:You have to take the same route to Beau Bassin than to Rose Hill. From direction Port Louis you will pass a junction on the main road between Port Louis and Flic en Flac where you have to turn left. Rose Hill/ Beau Bassin is already signed out on the junction. If you follow this street you will reach a t-junction where you have to turn left. From direction Quatre Bornes you have to follow the highway in direction Port Louis. By bus: You can reach Beau Bassin easily by bus.

Curepipe: The Highland City

Curepipe as the highest city of Mauritius has more to offer than the famous volcanic crater Trou aux Cerfs. It can be very refreshing to spend some time in the highland after some days at the beach, but don’t forget to bring an umbrella as it rains quite often. Because of the mild climate many Mauritians who work in Port Louis choose to live in Curepipe. Curepipe stands at the lower tip of the urban zone which stretches diagonally across the island from Port-Louis, through Beau-Bassin, Rose-Hill, Quatre-Bornes, Vacoas and Phoenix. The strangeness of the name 'Curepipe' has given rise to fanciful etymologies, the most persistent of which is that travelers used to stop there to 'cure' their pipes!

The historic centre is between the townhall, the central market and the church St. Thérès. Between the North Bus Station and the South Bus Station the Townhall Gardens are situated. This could be concerned as a nice but not very special park if there was not the famous statue of Paul and Virginie. This love drama which takes place in Mauritius can be compared to Romeo and Juliet in terms of how famous it is in France and Mauritius.

From the park you can see on one side the pricewinning building of the central market. On the other side the townhall L’Hôtel de Ville which has been built in colonial-creol style in 1902. The story of its construction is a very special one. Curepipe’s citizen conceived the desire to get a new house for festivals. As the major really liked the house „La Malmaison de Moka“ it was dismantled, brought to Curepipe and there stone by stone built up anew.

Some metres from the townhall, in front of the Carnegie library you can see the statue of a very famous Mauritian: Sir Gaetan Duval. His face might be familiar to you as it bears the 1000 - Rupees note. On the opposite side of the road the splendid church Ste. Thérès d’Avila can be seen. Well worth seeing is aswell the catholic basilica Ste. Hélène which can be found at the northern end of the Royal Road.

Around Royal Roal there are many little shops and it can be really fun to have a look around because those are the shops for the locals. Instead of a plush dodo you will able to purchase for example special indian fabrics. For shopping I really like the Curimjee Arcades which are at the corner Ste. Winston Churchill Street/Royal Road. Here you can find many little shops which sell little furnishings, Chinese specialities, and clothes. In the second floor thereis a nice little café. Round about 5 minutes drive from the centre is the Botanical Garden. It cannot be compared to the Botanical Garden in Pamplemousses because it is more like a municipal park.

Grand Baie: A Tourist Hotspot

Especially at the Sunset Boulevard you will find shops of Hémisphère Sud, Lacoste, Camper, etc. Groceries but also everything else can be found at Super-U. This supermarket lies on your right hand if you enter Grand Baie from the inner part of the island. Of course it is the bay, that gives Grand Baie its name and its fame. Just take a coffee at the Sunset Boulevard and enjoy the view at the boats and catamarans that are anchored. If you prefer sports you can choose between numerous watersportactivities.

Grand Baie owes its popularity to the enchanting quality of its emerald waters and to its liveliness by day or by night. It offers opportunities for swimming, windsurfing and water skiing. Grand Bay also offers a variety of fashion and craft shops, hotels (Mauritius Hotels), restaurants and nightclubs.

Grand Baie

Other Notable Locations

Here's a brief overview of some additional locations around Mauritius:

Albion: A coastal village on the north west of the island, located between the capital Port-Louis and the village of Hotel Flic-en-Flac. Albion beach is rather pleasant and quiet - without too many constructions in the neighborhood. It is located 10 km north of Flic-en-Flac. Albion also has a lighthouse which is worth visiting - since the upcoming movie SERENITY has been shot mostly in that region.
Belle Mare: The beach of Belle Mare is a stretch of white sand nearly 10km long! It forms an arc of circle edged with filaos.
Cap Malheureux: Cap Malheureux is located to the north of the island, after the village of Pereybere.
Péreybère: Very popular city for its public beach and its magnificent lagoon; And its typical restaurants.
Pointe d’Esny: Pointe d’Esny is located in Pointe Jérôme in the south-east of Mauritius. Pointe d’Esny is known for its white sandy beaches and its wide turquoise lagoon with its view of the Ile des Deux Cocos. Definitely a beautiful place for a sea bath, and to enjoy a nice day at the beach. Nearby is the town of Mahébourg.
Pointe-aux-Canonniers: A small village, along the coast between Grand-Baie and Mont Choisy. It is 55 km from the airport, 20 km from the capital Port Louis and only 2 km from Grand Bay.
Poste Lafayette: Poste Lafayette is on a peaceful and quiet coast. It is the reflection of an authentic Mauritius.
Roches Noires: Roches Noires, a small village on the northeast coast of Mauritius, offers you a large lagoon with many colors.This still natural coast offers an ideal place to rest where the water is clear and unpolluted. The climate is mild and sunny.
Tamarin: Tamarin is located on the west coast of Mauritius and is popular with surfing lovers.
Trou-aux-Biches: Trou-aux-Biches is one of the most popular places for lovers of Mauritius.You will discover long white sandy beaches and a turquoise lagoon. The casual atmosphere makes it a privileged place.
Trou-d’Eau-Douce: Trou-d’Eau-Douce is located on the east coast of Mauritius. A popular seaside resort because of its proximity to Ile-aux-Cerfs. A fishing village with some villas along its coasts.

A Glimpse into Mayotte's Cities

While not in Mauritius, it's worth noting the cities in Mayotte, a French overseas territory in the Comoro Islands:

Mamoudzou - 71,000 Capital and largest city of Mayotte; administrative, commercial, and ferry hub.
Koungou - 32,000 Northern suburb of Mamoudzou with growing residential areas.
Dzaoudzi - 17,000 Former capital on Petite-Terre; key transport point with the airport nearby.
Bandraboua - 14,000 Northern coastal commune known for fishing and agriculture.
Tsingoni - 14,000 Historic inland commune with one of the oldest mosques in France.
Sada - 11,000 Western coastal commune with beaches and small-scale farming.
Pamandzi - 10,000 Urban commune on Petite-Terre; location of the international airport.
Chirongui - 9,000 Southern commune with rural landscapes and fishing villages.
Bouéni - 8,000 Southwestern commune with coconut plantations and beaches.
Bandrele - 8,000 Eastern coastal commune known for fishing and tourism.
Mtsamboro - 7,000 Northwest coastal commune, gateway to the Choazil Islands.
Acoua - 6,000 Small fishing town in the northwest of Mayotte.
Kani-Kéli - 6,000 Southern commune with farming and historical heritage.
Chiconi - 6,000 Inland commune with agricultural activities and schools.