Mauritius Travel Guide: Self-Guided City Walks

Mauritius is a small island country in the Indian Ocean, shaped by centuries of movement across the sea. Its layered history, multicultural society and changing colonial heritage make it worth exploring beyond its beaches. For a closer look at the country’s main urban destination, see the guide to Port Louis, Mauritius’s capital.

Neywo has a free audio guide for Mauritius, covering 1 city and 11 narrated places in 11 languages.

Things to do in Mauritius: discover its history and culture

Mauritius is compact, but its story reaches across several continents. The island was uninhabited before its first recorded visit by Arab sailors near the end of the tenth century. Portuguese sailors arrived later, followed by a Dutch fleet that took possession of the island and gave Mauritius its present name, in honour of Prince Maurice of Orange.

The Dutch attempted to establish settlements, exploiting the island’s ebony forests and producing sugar and arrack. France later took control and renamed the island Isle de France. Britain seized Mauritius in the early nineteenth century, and the island became a major sugar-producing British colony. Mauritius gained independence in 1968 and became a republic in 1992.

That sequence of arrivals and political changes is still visible in daily life. Mauritius brings together Indian, Creole, Sino-Mauritian and Franco-Mauritian communities. Hinduism is the most practised religion, making Mauritius the only country in Africa where this is the case. English and French are widely used in government, courts and business, while the legal system combines elements of English common law and French civil law.

Explore Port Louis

Port Louis is the city currently covered by Neywo in Mauritius, with 11 narrated places to discover. The capital brings together important traces of the island’s political, cultural and social history, making it a useful starting point for understanding the country.

Among the city’s highlights are Aapravasi Ghat, the Citadelle de Port-Louis, the Blue Penny Museum and the Mauritius Postal Museum. Together, these places reflect different parts of Mauritius’s past: migration, colonial power, cultural heritage and communications.

Visit Aapravasi Ghat

Aapravasi Ghat is one of the key historical places in Port Louis. Its significance is connected to the movement of people that helped shape Mauritius, making it an important stop for anyone interested in the island’s communities and connections with the wider world.

See the Citadelle de Port-Louis

The Citadelle de Port-Louis represents the military and political history of the capital. Its position and purpose are part of the story of the successive powers that controlled Mauritius, from the French period to British rule.

Discover the Blue Penny Museum

The Blue Penny Museum offers another way to explore Mauritius’s heritage. It belongs among Port Louis’s cultural landmarks and helps place the island’s history within the wider story of travel, trade and communication across the Indian Ocean.

Stop at the Mauritius Postal Museum

The Mauritius Postal Museum adds a further perspective on the island’s links with the outside world. Postal history may seem modest beside political events, but it reflects the connections that have long tied Mauritius to distant countries and communities.

The best cities to visit in Mauritius

For now, Port Louis is the city available on Neywo in Mauritius. Its 11 narrated places make it the country’s main destination on the app and a practical place to begin exploring the island’s history in context.

Port Louis is especially useful for travellers looking for more than a general overview of Mauritius. Its museums, historic sites and cultural landmarks bring together the different periods and communities that have shaped the country. The city also provides a direct way to encounter the island’s history of Arab, Portuguese, Dutch, French, British and Indian Ocean connections.

Explore Mauritius with Neywo

Download Neywo and discover Mauritius with a free audio guide covering 1 walking tour in 1 city, with 11 narrated places in total. The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. Narration is available in 11 languages, so you can explore Port Louis independently while the city’s history unfolds around you.