Blue Penny Museum
Blue Penny Museum
4
Speciality MuseumsHistory Museums
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Monday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 3:30 PM
About
Founded by The Mauritius Commercial Bank and erected at the Caudan Waterfront in Port Louis, this state-of-the-art Museum is one of the jewels of Mauritius cultural establishments. Resolutely modern and dynamic in its conception, it houses an exquisite heritage collection that speaks of Mauritius and the region. Transcending time and space, from the first explorer to set foot on the island, all through its successive settlers from Europe, Africa and Asia, an exciting adventure awaits you. Interwoven with reality are the numerous legends which make us all dream. If deep down, you want to taste the soul of Mauritius, to feel its heart beating with memories of the past, to learn all about what makes it so endearing, then the Blue Penny Museum is a must.
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  • htodd389911
    16 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Go here FIRST!!
    This is a delightful, very well presented , modern museum in the Caudan Waterfront area. Start with the upper floor first. There you will find an excellent historical overview of Mauritius and Port Louis. The highlight of this floor is an original, uncancelled, example of the Blue Penny stamp issued by Mauritius. The stamp is only visible for a few minutes each hour, so when they say "Go take a Look", listen and view this little treasure. The history of the posts in Mauritius alone is well worth the price of admission. There is also a terrific, very well curated gift shop. Don't bother looking elsewhere for tasteful cards, beautiful books, hand made gifts, even nice T-shirts and polos. Even the post cards could be framed! This is also a quiet, cool, respite from the waterfront. BTW, spotless restrooms.
    Visited November 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written November 17, 2023
  • Lizeth Travels and Tales
    Pretoria, South Africa213 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A museum dedicated to history and art of Mauritius.
    I really enjoyed this museum a lot, just a shame they do not sell a book with this carefully curated information. I really enjoyed it and would have loved to read more about it afterwards and look at the lovely ships again and read about the amazing bravery of our ship faring forefathers. It is also the home of 2 of the most expensive stamps in the world. $2,2 million. A consortium bought it in 1993 and brought it back to Mauritius after almost 150 years abroad. The famous 1847 Blue Penny and Red Penny stamps. They also showcase the story of Paul and Virginie beautifully. This is the Mauritian version, one can say, of Romeo and Juliet.
    Visited February 2024
    Traveled solo
    Written March 3, 2024
  • Alexandra Pettitt
    Greater London, United Kingdom77 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Historical Recollections
    I was excited at the prospect of visiting this Blue Penny Museum I had never heard of this stamp certainly the Black Penny Stamp is most notorious with the best portrait of Queen Victoria printed in 1840. I was surprised to see the 1848 Mauritian Penny Blue Stamp with Queen Victoria which is in fact twopence and known as the Penny Blue valued at circa 2 million, with the penny stamp in orange /red. The remainder of the upstairs floor is dedicated to the geographical evolution of Mauritius, it's naval battles, ships, navigation encompassing many ancient maps, paintings and other artefacts. The ground floor is entirely dedicated to the delightful mythical tale of Paul and Virginie written by Jaques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre in which he recounts the beautiful story of these young Mauritian children growing up a most moving story indeed no intention of a spoiler a must read. This book can no longer be bought in Mauritius it is still studied at school there, a true literary masterpiece. The major surprise was the wonderful white marble statue by Prosper d'Epinay which adorns the centre of the ground floor and depicts these young lovers a gift returned to Mauritius. This statue was bought at Southeby on 20 November 1997 for £177,500 lot 143.I loved the arrangement of all the various paintings illustrating various scenes of this romantic tale in fact two rooms are dedicated to this most enchanting love story. Further point of interest were the various artefacts and memorabilia created around the Paul and Virginie romance such as plates, jigsaw puzzles, cards, books items to treasure.
    Visited April 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written June 29, 2024
  • Satish P
    Thane, India1,265 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Not worth unless one has special interest in the history
    We visited the museum in the afternoon. It has old stamps and one of the costliest stamp in the world. There is a lot of information about the history of Mauritius but it's only in the written form. Trading all that was not very enjoyable at least for us. Overall it you are at the waterfront and have time at disposal then go there; otherwise one can easily skip it
    Visited September 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written September 30, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles361 reviews
Excellent
116
Very good
152
Average
72
Poor
13
Terrible
8

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Maria
Krakow, Poland1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2022 • Solo
The price of the admission ticket to the museum is overestimated in relation to the exhibition, the staff is rude and unfriendly. The exhibition itself is also debatable.
Relatively few exhibits, but kilometer-long descriptions. Someone will say it's good because the information is detailed. Only that after reading a few descriptions, the rest of the descriptions you pass, because you are to tired to study them.
The exorbitant price of the ticket does not encourage a visit - I was the only visitor during my visit, I saw a few people walking away from the museum door (I heard the talk about the ticket price). While I was visiting, both the ground floor and the first floor, I could hear a loud conversation from the temporary exhibition gallery, one of the people talking so loudly was a member of the staff.
The ban to taking photos in museums is highly debatable, but many museums in civilized countries go away from this ban. Recently, I visited Denmark and Sweden and there was no such prohibition in any of the museums that I visited. I, of course, comply with the ban and do not take photos. This time I asked to photograph ONE signature under the exhibit - I received a negative answer. It was not a relic, it was not a priceless artifact I wanted to take photo!!! Needless to say, also in the past in a similar situation in other museums, the staff always gave their consent.
To sum up: Blue Penny Museum is the waste of time and money.
Written October 1, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Princes of travel
Paris, France6,746 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Couples
The museum is located on the pier, right next to the Caudan Waterfront shopping center. Spread over two floors, the collections tell, upstairs, the history of Mauritius.
From its discovery by the Dutch, through its colonization by the French and then its acquisition by the British, we learn more about the eventful history of the island.
Several themes are addressed via old maps, the philatelic history of the island [don't miss the two original uncanceled stamps which are illuminated alternately for 10 minutes once an hour with a copy]. A real treasure is on display right before your eyes. A slightly more historical part strictly speaking with the French possession then the return of it to the British (who thought that the owner of it would control the route to India).

On the ground floor, an exhibition dedicated to Paul and Virginie, based on the work of Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre. Excerpts from works, paintings, engravings and other objects linked to this tragic story are on display. The exhibition ends with the boutique section.

A nice visit whose entry remains a little expensive. Friendly, smiling staff. They did not fail to warn visitors that the real stamps were illuminated. Unfortunately, photography and filming is prohibited in the museum.
Google
Written December 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

htodd389911
16 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Family
This is a delightful, very well presented , modern museum in the Caudan Waterfront area. Start with the upper floor first. There you will find an excellent historical overview of Mauritius and Port Louis. The highlight of this floor is an original, uncancelled, example of the Blue Penny stamp issued by Mauritius. The stamp is only visible for a few minutes each hour, so when they say "Go take a Look", listen and view this little treasure. The history of the posts in Mauritius alone is well worth the price of admission.

There is also a terrific, very well curated gift shop. Don't bother looking elsewhere for tasteful cards, beautiful books, hand made gifts, even nice T-shirts and polos. Even the post cards could be framed!

This is also a quiet, cool, respite from the waterfront. BTW, spotless restrooms.

Written November 17, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Alexandra Pettitt
Greater London, UK77 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2024 • Couples
I was excited at the prospect of visiting this Blue Penny Museum I had never heard of this stamp certainly the Black Penny Stamp is most notorious with the best portrait of Queen Victoria printed in 1840. I was surprised to see the 1848 Mauritian Penny Blue Stamp with Queen Victoria which is in fact twopence and known as the Penny Blue valued at circa 2 million, with the penny stamp in orange /red. The remainder of the upstairs floor is dedicated to the geographical evolution of Mauritius, it's naval battles, ships, navigation encompassing many ancient maps, paintings and other artefacts. The ground floor is entirely dedicated to the delightful mythical tale of Paul and Virginie written by Jaques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre in which he recounts the beautiful story of these young Mauritian children growing up a most moving story indeed no intention of a spoiler a must read. This book can no longer be bought in Mauritius it is still studied at school there, a true literary masterpiece. The major surprise was the wonderful white marble statue by Prosper d'Epinay which adorns the centre of the ground floor and depicts these young lovers a gift returned to Mauritius. This statue was bought at Southeby on 20 November 1997 for £177,500 lot 143.I loved the arrangement of all the various paintings illustrating various scenes of this romantic tale in fact two rooms are dedicated to this most enchanting love story. Further point of interest were the various artefacts and memorabilia created around the Paul and Virginie romance such as plates, jigsaw puzzles, cards, books items to treasure.
Written June 29, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lizeth Travels and Tales
Pretoria, South Africa213 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Solo
I really enjoyed this museum a lot, just a shame they do not sell a book with this carefully curated information. I really enjoyed it and would have loved to read more about it afterwards and look at the lovely ships again and read about the amazing bravery of our ship faring forefathers.

It is also the home of 2 of the most expensive stamps in the world. $2,2 million. A consortium bought it in 1993 and brought it back to Mauritius after almost 150 years abroad. The famous 1847 Blue Penny and Red Penny stamps.

They also showcase the story of Paul and Virginie beautifully. This is the Mauritian version, one can say, of Romeo and Juliet.
Written March 3, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ronen Das
Chennai (Madras), India350 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Family
Blue Penny Museum is located at one end of Caudan Waterfront and is home to the world famous Orange Coloured One Penny and Blue Coloures Two Pence "Post Office" stamps which are among the rarest of stamps in the world. The museum is located on the first floor and has various sections which are informative and well presented. The original stamps are preserved in a dimly lit section of the museum and are illuminated for a brief period (about 10 minutes) every hour. The illumination usually starts about 20 minutes past the hour and one can plan their visit accordingly. There is a nice souvenir shop behind the ticketing counter that you can visit even if you are not visiting the museum. Please note that photography is not allowed inside the museum. Highly recommended for stamp collectors!
Written July 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

PrestonGuild
United Kingdom56,052 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022 • Couples
I had visited the museum previously to view the rare stamps that they have on display periodically.

This time we just went to look at the free exhibits that the museum has. A display about a local musician, some historical items about Mauritius. We also checked out the gift shop.
Written August 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lucia Kondas
Prague, Czech Republic3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2022
The visit of the museum helped us to better understand why is the Mauritius so special and how the nowadays society and culture evolved. We recomend everybody who wants to learn Mauritius history and consequences to come to this place. Naturally a chance to see original Blue Penny is extraordinary. Thank you.
Written October 8, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

DocBrown63
Erlangen, Germany59 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Family
Well... The blue Mauritius, which gives the museum its name, is illuminated for 10 minutes once every hour and shown. Somehow the original looked no different to the replica. It even looked like a photograph. That's why I wouldn't go there again. The rest of the museum is definitely worth seeing though. Old engravings and pictures of today's Mauritius are shown here, always in the same place. Nicely done!
Google
Written October 23, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Satish P
Thane, India1,265 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2024 • Couples
We visited the museum in the afternoon.

It has old stamps and one of the costliest stamp in the world.

There is a lot of information about the history of Mauritius but it's only in the written form. Trading all that was not very enjoyable at least for us.

Overall it you are at the waterfront and have time at disposal then go there; otherwise one can easily skip it
Written September 30, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Blue Penny Museum - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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