Mahebourg

Mahebourg was laid out in 1804 by the French on a grid of numbered streets at the head of Grand Port bay, and it was the island's main harbour before Port Louis took the trade, which left it as a working town rather than a resort: fishing boats on the waterfront, a long seafront promenade, low Creole houses and a large Monday market that spreads through the streets selling vegetables, fabric, street food and everything else. The Naval Museum, in an eighteenth-century mansion, holds material from the 1810 naval battle fought in the bay and from wrecks including the Saint-Geran. The airport is fifteen minutes away, and the town is the base for trips to Ile aux Aigrettes and Blue Bay.

What you actually see

• The Monday market - the weekly market filling the streets.
• The waterfront - fishing boats and the promenade along the bay.
• The Naval Museum - the 1810 battle material in an old mansion.
• Creole streets - the grid of low houses from the French period.

When to go

May to December for the cooler weather. Monday is the market day and by far the busiest and best time to be in town. Mornings are when the market and the fishing are active.

Honest expectations

The town is worn and workaday rather than picturesque, which some visitors do not expect. The museum is dated and lightly interpreted. The beach in town is not for swimming. Traffic on market day is heavy.

Nearby

Blue Bay lies south; Vieux Grand Port and Ile aux Aigrettes are north.