Moris
🏛️ Culture, history & markets · South-East
Mahébourg & Vieux Grand Port
A historic fishing town on the south-east lagoon: the naval museum, a Monday market, the waterfront and the site of the only French naval victory over the British under Napoleon.
Mahébourg was founded by the French in 1805 on the bay where, in 1810, the Battle of Grand Port took place, the only naval victory of Napoleon engraved on the Arc de Triomphe. The National History Museum, in an old colonial house, tells that story and the island's history since the Dutch.
The town has a sleepy charm: a waterfront promenade, colourful fishing boats, and a big market on Mondays. North along the coast, Vieux Grand Port and the Frederik Hendrik Museum mark where the Dutch first settled in 1638.
- Battle of Grand Port history
- Monday market
- Waterfront promenade
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Getting there
🚗 By car: 1 h 10 (58.3 km) off-peak. Street parking along the waterfront. Directions in Google Maps ↗
- 🚕 Taxi from the villa: about Rs 2,350–3,150 one way per car (agree the price first; a return trip with waiting time is often negotiable).