Blue Penny Museum

The Blue Penny Museum, located in the Caudan Waterfront in Port Louis, takes its name from two of the rarest and most valuable stamps in the world — the 1847 Mauritius "Post Office" stamps, a one-penny orange and a two-penny blue, commissioned by the colonial post office and famous for carrying the error inscription "Post Office" rather than the correct "Post Paid." Only 27 of each denomination are known to survive, and the museum holds one of each.

The stamps are displayed in a circular room at the museum's centre, lit from below in a darkened space that gives them the reverence of sacred objects. They are the size of a thumbnail and look unremarkable to the untrained eye, but the story around them — the 1847 scandal, the century of philatelic obsession, the 1993 consortium of Mauritian companies that paid over $2 million to repatriate them — makes them fascinating. The room has an exhibit explaining stamp collecting and why these particular pieces command such extraordinary prices.

Beyond the stamps, the museum is an excellent general history collection. Seven themed rooms cover the island's pre-history, the arrival of the Dutch and French, the slave trade, the colonial sugar economy, the indenture system, and political independence. The photographic archive is particularly strong — images of Port Louis in the 19th century, plantation life, and the multicultural street life of the capital are well presented and captioned.

The museum is a reliable choice in Port Louis for history, air conditioning, and a café that serves good coffee. The Caudan Waterfront location means you can combine it with the Central Market, a walk along the harbour, or the Aapravasi Ghat for a full morning in the capital. Allow 2 hours.