Museum

Mauritius Postal Museum

from MUR 225 per person

The General Post Office of Port Louis was built between 1865 and 1870, in mid-Victorian style, beside the harbour. Listed as a national monument in 1958, it became the Postal Museum in 2008. The visit follows three periods: the first exchanges of mail under Dutch occupation, from 1638 to 1715, the first official postal service set up by the French, then the major developments of the British period, up to 1968. It dwells on the arrival of postage stamps in 1847, the Penny Red and the Two Pence Blue, and on the coming of the railway to the colony.

At a glance

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm; Saturday 8.30am to 12.15pm
Closed: Sundays and public holidays
Setting: In the old General Post Office, built from 1865 to 1870
Founded: 2008

What sets it apart

The place is worth as much for its building as for its displays. A postman character, Sam Le Facteur, tells the story to younger visitors in a playful way, and a philatelic bureau sells stamps, first day covers and souvenir sheets.

Highlights

A Victorian building of 1870, a national monument
The story of the first Mauritian stamps of 1847
Complimentary guided tour on request
Museum shop and philatelic bureau

Good to know

Ask at the desk for the guided tour: it is complimentary.
On Saturdays the museum closes at 12.15pm.

Getting there

On the Port Louis waterfront, in the old General Post Office.

Where to stay

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In the journal