The Caudan Waterfront

The visit of a country would be incomplete without a passage in its capital. That of Port Louis is even more important because the Mauritian capital is home to the political and economic structures of its history and development. Already known during the Dutch colonial period as Noord-Wester Haven (North West Port in Dutch), it is under the French that the city will really take off. The city plan, checkered, typical of colonial cities, is based on port basins that have been and remain today, the lungs of the city. This part of the island is better known as the Caudan.

An essential place for tourism

Since its opening in 1996, the Caudan waterfront in the center of the capital of Port Louis has become an essential place for Mauritian tourism. You will find many shops to do your shopping, clothing and creative craftsmen to buy souvenirs.

Shopping Center

There are all the major international brands, but as Mauritius is a major textile producer, you will discover factory outlets, with the clothes of the biggest brands, at affordable prices that rub shoulders with luxury boutiques specialized in jewelery.

The craft market Caudan called the craft Market offers many local handicrafts, Mauritius, but also Rodrigues. Perfect for finding spices, basketry, paintings or of course models of boats.

Entertainment

There is also a business center and many restaurants. You can choose many dishes to import from any nationality and settle in the middle of a place with tables and chairs under umbrellas. Ideal for a break between two shopping sessions.

You will also find a casino, cinemas to watch the latest international films.

The shopping center also offers plenty of parking. Boaters and sailors can take their boat to moor at the marina of Caudan. A highly efficient security system managed by Caudan security services ensures security throughout the shopping center.

Because the waterfront of Caudan is not reserved for tourists, you will meet many Mauritians coming for lunch or take a break from shopping. It is obviously the rendezvous of the Mauritian youth. It’s an extraordinary place to live.

The Central Post Office

Magnificent stone building, the central post office, at the edge of Port-Louis harbor, is an architectural masterpiece. Still in use, it also houses a museum telling the fascinating story of the post office in Mauritius, which was one of the first in the world to publish stamps.

History

Commissioned in 1870, the post office building in Port Louis is one of the most beautiful heritage of the British era in Mauritius. Classified as a historic monument in 1958, it is made of beautiful black stones cut with infinite precision. The architecture, typical of the Victorian era, has a facade inspired by Greek wall columns. An old clock decorated with Roman numerals sits on the front.

The roof, made of red sheets, has the typical colour of the postal offices of Mauritius during the English colonization. The central post office is one of the greatest architectural treasures of the country, but also one of the best preserved. If one part of the building is still utilitarian, the other has been converted into a historical museum telling the main stages of the post office in Mauritius. This museum is one of the most successful that can be visited on the island.

Beautiful illustrations line the walls, while the pieces are decorated with many objects used by postal workers and postmen during various periods. Uniforms, old letters, old mailboxes, telegraphs, telephones and many other everyday objects help the visitor to go back in time. The post office in Mauritius, inaugurated in 1772, is indeed one of the oldest in the world. She was the fifth on the planet to issue stamps.

The visit to the museum ends with a magnificent collection of stamps, some of which are among the most sought after by collectors. Foreign visitors do not miss the exit to buy some stamps and postcards to make jealous their correspondents.