District · Port Louis
Caudan Waterfront
Waterfront arcade, cafés, the Blue Penny Museum and hotels; flat and easy.
Key facts
- Suits
- A first morning; short stays with bags
- Room prices
- $$$
- price band of 5
- Sights here
- 3
- Eats here
- 1
What it's like
- Feels:
- Redeveloped, air-conditioned and easy; a mall-like waterfront
- Suits:
- A first morning; short stays with bags
- Best time:
- Morning to late evening
- Watch out for:
- Expecting local street life.
- In short:
- Waterfront arcade, cafés, the Blue Penny Museum and hotels; flat and easy.
About these names
The centre lies along the harbour: the Caudan Waterfront at the west end, Place d'Armes and the museum just inland, the Central Market and Chinatown to the east, and the Champ de Mars racecourse and Fort Adelaide on the south-east edge. The airport is on the far south-east coast, and the main beaches are 25–60 minutes away.
Where exactly
This district is highlighted. Shapes follow this guide's walking areas and places, not official boundaries.
Caudan Waterfront
seeeatsleepPrice $$$
Waterfront arcade, cafés, the Blue Penny Museum and hotels; flat and easy.
Suits: A first morning; short stays with bags
On the map: Blue Penny Museum
District guideWalk: Caudan WaterfrontSleep: Caudan Waterfront (hotel)In the districts table
Off the map: Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (MRU) (55–80 min by the usual route).
Not drawn yet (no coordinates in this guide): Plaine Verte and Sainte-Croix, Ébène and Moka, Grand Baie and Flic en Flac. See the table above.
Where’s what, as a list:
- Caudan Waterfront: Waterfront arcade, cafés, the Blue Penny Museum and hotels; flat and easy. Suits: A first morning; short stays with bags. Price band $$$.
- Market and Aapravasi Ghat: The Central Market and the immigration depot; go before 13:00.The Central Market and the immigration depot; go before 1:00 PM. Suits: Street food and heritage.
- Chinatown and the Jummah Mosque: Compact streets of shops and canteens; best on weekdays. Suits: Dumplings, a mosque and a temple.
- Champ de Mars and the Citadel: The racecourse below the hilltop fort; go by taxi. Suits: Early views and race days. Price band $.
- Plaine Verte and Sainte-Croix: Residential quarters; Sainte-Croix has the Père Laval shrine. Suits: Local life and a pilgrimage shrine.
- Ébène and Moka: Business district and suburbs 15–25 minutes south of the centre. Suits: Business stays and modern hotels.
- Grand Baie and Flic en Flac: The main beach bases; day trips to Port Louis. Suits: Beach holidays.
- Sleep area Caudan Waterfront (hotel): suits A first morning; short stays with bags, price band $$$.
- Sleep area Champ de Mars (guesthouse or hotel): suits Early views and race days, price band $.
- Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (MRU), 55–80 min by the usual route.
Stay here?
How this district's sleep area scores for five kinds of traveler, ranked against the other Port Louis districts that have scores. Scores are this guide's 1–5 judgements.
First visit
best of 2
The museum, the market and the ghat are walkable.
Families
best of 2
Open space at the waterfront; few beaches.
Light sleepers
best of 2
Quiet at night once offices close; some traffic noise by day.
Night owls
best of 2
Cafés and restaurants at the waterfront; the real nightlife is on the coast.
On a budget
2nd of 2
Mostly mid-range and upmarket hotels.
Better for this: Champ de Mars and the Citadel
See
Opening hours and prices from each place page; (check) means typical hours, not yet verified.
A small museum on the waterfront holding the Mauritius 'Post Office' stamps and the island's colonial history; an hour indoors, good for the heat or rain.
- Hours:
- Desk estimate: day hours; closed one weekday; confirm on the official site.(check)
- Entry:
- About Rs 300–450 (2026 estimate, check)
A small museum of Mauritian wildlife and the dodo, in a 19th-century building near Place d'Armes: 30–45 minutes, free or cheap, good on a hot or wet morning.
- Hours:
- Desk estimate: weekday day hours; confirm locally.(check)
- Entry:
- Free or a small fee (check)
The waterfront square at the harbour end of Royal Road, lined with government buildings and palms: a 15–20 minute stop for the statue of the founder and the old Government House.
- Hours:
- Open air; buildings keep their own hours.(check)
- Entry:
- Free
Eat
What to order and what locals pay, from each eat page. Prices are estimates; check the menu.
- Caudan Waterfront restaurants
A cluster of sit-down cafés and restaurants on the waterfront with AC, sea views and Creole, seafood and international menus: the easy choice for a booked lunch or dinner.
Order: Cari: Say the meat or fish.
Price: A main is Rs 450–900 (2026 estimate).
Sleep
First-timers: a waterfront hotel on the Caudan side, staffed all night, with a car at the door for the airport; everything for day one is a short walk.
Rooms: Rs 5,000–10,000 (check)
Skip this if: The waterfront is quiet after 20:00 outside the restaurants.
2–5 min walk to Caudan Waterfront · 7–11 min walk to Central Market & Aapravasi Ghat · 13–18 min walk to Chinatown & Jummah Mosque
Drink and nightlife
Lines from the Port Louis drinking guide that name this district.
- Caudan Waterfront bars and cafés · Cafés, bars, restaurants · until Late eveningThe main after-work scene in the capital.
Shopping
Markets and shopping streets from the Port Louis buying guide that name this district.
- Caudan Waterfront craft market · Souvenirs, model ships, textiles, spices · Daytime (check) · haggling: lightCalmer and air-conditioned in parts; prices are higher than the Central Market.
- Model ships and crafts · Caudan Waterfront and the marketCheck quality and packing; ask for a receipt.
Getting there and around
Where to get off
- Caudan Waterfront, waterfront arcade level · for Blue Penny Museum
- Walk from Place d'Armes · for Natural History Museum
- Walk from the waterfront · for Place d'Armes
- Caudan Waterfront arcade (walk from your hotel) · 3 min walk to Caudan Waterfront restaurants
Walks inside the district
- Blue Penny Museum → Place d'Armes: 9–15 min on foot (Walk)
- Place d'Armes → Natural History Museum: 3–6 min on foot (Walk)
- Blue Penny Museum → Natural History Museum: 10–17 min on foot (Walk)
- Blue Penny Museum → Caudan Waterfront restaurants: 2–4 min on foot (Walk)
On to the next area
- Walk east: about 8 min to Central Market & Aapravasi Ghat
- Walk east: about 15 min to Chinatown & Jummah Mosque
From other sleep areas
- From Champ de Mars (guesthouse or hotel): 25–35 min walk to Caudan Waterfront
Minutes are this guide’s typical walking and ride times (p50–p90); traffic and heat stretch them.
Walking loop
A loop that starts and ends at the same place, through this district's sights and eats. Pick a length; download it for Organic Maps, OsmAnd or Google Earth.
About 98 min in all: 18 min on foot, the rest at the stops. 4 stops, back to where you started.
- Blue Penny MuseumStart here · stop about 30 min
- Caudan Waterfront restaurants2 min walk · stop about 15 min (snack, or note it for later)
- Natural History Museum4 min walk (estimate) · stop about 25 min
- Place d'Armes3 min walk · stop about 10 min
- Back to Blue Penny Museum: 9 min walk
Walking minutes come from this guide’s route graph where it has one; “estimate” means straight-line distance plus a quarter for street detours at an easy pace. Opening hours are not checked: look at “Open now” below before you set off.
Half-day walk
In the day plans: Day 1 — Waterfront, Aapravasi Ghat, a 12:30 lunch by the market (Port Louis in 3 days)
Safety at night and noise
Caudan Waterfrontday: oknight: ok
Lit and busy in the evening; take a taxi from the door.
Quiet nights
Quiet at night once offices close; some traffic noise by day.
Nightlife
Cafés and restaurants at the waterfront; the real nightlife is on the coast.
Late arrival
Hotels keep desks staffed; the airport is 50–60 minutes away.
Nearby districts
Built from this guide’s Port Louis districts table, place, eat and sleep pages, route graph and city notes. Hours, prices and rules change: anything marked (check) is typical, not verified. checked: 2026-09.