Blue Penny Museum Visit (Port -Louis, North)

About Blue Penny Museum

The Blue Penny Museum will have you on a journey to the past of Mauritius. Discover the historical and cultural facets of Mauritius through numerous enchanting avenues. The museum is the place to be for history, literature and art aficionados. You will be transported back in time through the epic collections of photographs, paintings, stamps, coins and statues

The Exhibition Rooms

It features 6 distinct exhibition rooms each with a different theme namely: The Maritime World, Colonisation, The Capital, Postal History, Philately and ‘Paul et Virginie’.

The Age of Discovery Room depicts the world of navigation within the Indian Ocean over the years. Within its enclosed area it features objects and snippets about navigation, exploration, discovery, maps, technology and commercial routes.

The Island Builders Room is the second exhibition you will go through. It will allow you to learn how Mauritius was colonised, how settlers took over territories and eventually extrapolated to population and development.

The room named after the Capital of Mauritius, Port-Louis, features, as its name suggests, the history of the capital through old photographs. You will foray into the evolution and development of the port and town since 1736.

The Postal Adventure exhibition room will have you go over the history of postal services in the country. You will learn about the channels and communication systems organised over nearly 4 centuries. A real walk down memory lane. You cannot leave the Blue Penny Museum without checking out the Philately room. This room is all about stamps, from the manufacture over the course of history to the exhibition of the Blue and Red Penny stamps.

The Paul & Virginie room is an ode to the famous novel by the French author, Jacques-Henri

Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, is forever associated with Mauritius and the mythical story of these  two lovers is a masterpiece of world literature. It features artistic representations of Historical sources, the tragedy, the vestiges, the novel and its notoriety.

The Blue Penny Museum is one of those rare places providing visitors with a captivating glimpse of the art and history of Mauritius. It is therefore a must-stop for anyone who is curious about discovering the country in depth. Once your tour is over you can always make a stop at the shop to get some souvenirs to remember this day by.

About the shop at Blue Penny Museum

The museum’s boutique offers visitors an entire line of products inspired by the Post Office  stamps and the finest jewels of the Mauritian heritage.

Philately enthusiasts will find there a range of items inspired by the Blue Penny and Red Vermilion

– T-shirts, bookmarks, caps, soap, pens as well as key rings. The boutique also sells various items related to the exhibitions of the museum, detailing the history and heritage of Mauritius.

Ship models, postcards, table mats, posters, reproductions of engravings and prints as well as handicrafts and a number of books on Mauritius are on display on elegant beech wood shelves – all of them amazing treasures to be acquired and shared.

Comments et notes

Food and drinks are not permitted inside the museum.

No photography is allowed inside the museum.

The Post Office stamps are only visible for 10 minutes on the half-hour of every opening hour. The aim is to protect these philatelic gems from the ageing and destroying effects of sunrays.

Start & End times:

Operating hours:

10h00 – 17h00*

Operating days:

Everyday, except Sunday and public holidays**

Duration of visit:

Flexible

Note:

*Admission desk & boutique closes at 16h30. Exhibition rooms start to close at 16h30

**The museum closes exceptionally at 2p.m. on 24th and 31st December