Mahébourg Naval Museum

The Mahébourg Naval Museum is one of the most underrated attractions in Mauritius — a beautifully maintained colonial mansion housing artifacts from the Battle of Grand Port, the only naval engagement of the Napoleonic Wars in which Napoleon himself claimed victory (it was fought while Napoleon was still emperor and the news arrived to his relief after a string of land defeats).

The battle, fought in August 1810 in the lagoon directly outside the museum's windows, saw a French fleet defeat a British squadron attempting to take Île de la Passe at the entrance to the lagoon. The engagement was fiercely contested — four British ships were captured or destroyed, and both sides suffered heavy casualties. The Creole plantation house on the shore was used as a hospital for the wounded of both fleets, which is why the museum is here rather than in Port Louis.

The collection includes cannons and anchors recovered from the seabed, ship models, navigational instruments, personal effects of the officers who fought and died in the battle, and oil paintings depicting the engagement. The accounts of wounded officers from both sides being treated in the same building by the same doctors are among the most poignant exhibits. There are also displays on the history of Mauritius under French and British rule and on the slave trade that funded the colonial economy.

The museum is free and takes about an hour. The colonial building itself — wide verandas, high-ceilinged rooms, polished floorboards — is as much of an attraction as the collection inside. Combine with a walk along the Mahébourg waterfront, where fishermen still bring in their catch in traditional wooden boats and the views across the lagoon to the Ile aux Aigrettes nature reserve are exceptional.