Time difference Mauritius
3 hours more in Mauritius during our European winter (Mauritian summer), 2 hours more during our summer (Mauritian winter). In January, when it is 7pm in Mauritius, it is 4pm in France.
Opening hours Mauritius
To see / To do Mauritius
Tourist attractions such as the Musée de l'Aventure du Sucre (the country's largest), the Usine de Thé de Bois Chéri or planters' houses transformed into museums and leisure centers like Domaine de Saint Aubin or Château de Labourdonnais, for example, are generally open 7 days a week from 9am to 4.30-5.30pm. Important natural sites such as Jardin de Pamplemousses or Terre des Sept Couleurs de Chamarel open slightly earlier. Other museums have a slightly narrower range of opening hours, averaging around 10 a.m. and closing around 4 p.m. They are generally closed on Saturday afternoons and all day Sundays.
Enjoying yourself Mauritius
There is no schedule more variable than those of the restaurant world and this is also true in Mauritius. Some street vendors are present from the morning, others just pass by; some gargotes open continuously, others close as soon as the food is exhausted; some urban tables also serve coffee and open from morning to night, others stick to the classic lunch and/or dinner hours, etc. In all cases, the more touristy the area, the wider the range of opening hours. A particularity: Port Louis being an economic and administrative capital (and not a city in which one lives), restaurants, apart from the food-courts and other fast-foods mostly gathered on the sea side at the level of Caudan, are generally closed in the evening. In a more general way, the closing hours of the restaurants are Sunday evening and/or Monday. But, once again, it depends on the tourist rate and the season. Be aware that on holidays and weekends, tables are usually very busy - reservations are often necessary. In any case, it is impossible to be left stranded: whatever happens, you can always go to the "Chinese" or buy dumplings or a dholl puri from a street vendor.
Concerning the particular case of the restaurants located in the hotels, which are very numerous and count among the best tables of the island, the policy is the same for all: they are open to the external customers, but only according to availability and on reservation. The higher the season, the more you have to book in advance. This is where you can have the pleasure of dining by the sea, or even directly with your feet in the sand, because in Mauritius, few independent restaurants have a waterfront location. It is generally also the hotel restaurants that, with a few exceptions, have the most beautiful settings with structures largely open to nature and the ocean.
Take a break Mauritius
The more touristy the area, the more flexible the hours. In general, especially at the height of the season, cafés and bars are open continuously from 8:00 am to 9:00 am. In hotels, the same thing happens, they are open all day, with a peak in traffic at snack time or sunset. In the malls, which are living spaces in their own right, the opening hours follow those of the shopping center.
(To) please yourself Mauritius
Shops usually open from 9:30 am to 5-6 pm from Monday to Saturday and sometimes also on Sunday morning in the most touristic areas. In the interior of the island, they may be closed on Thursday afternoon in addition to Sunday. The malls follow the same schedule except for their food courts and entertainment areas which stay open later. The Bagatelle, Cascavelle and Grand Bay malls close later (around 8pm). Hypermarkets are open from 9am to 7:30pm-8:30pm but generally close around 3pm on Sundays and holidays. Markets generally start and stop earlier than shops, except for the big ones, such as the one in Port Louis, which stay open until 6pm.
Get out Mauritius
Mauritius is neither Madagascar nor Ibiza, and apart from private parties, there are few places where the night goes on late. As in Europe, the nightlife is mostly animated on weekends, from Thursday to Saturday night. In very touristy places like Grand Baie or Flic en Flac, especially during the high season or during the vacations of Mauritians, the amplitude is greater. Bars are often open all week, sometimes even continuously.
On Wednesdays, Thursdays and weekends, bars and cafés are the first to be open, as the atmosphere in discotheques rarely starts before 1am until 4 or 5am. In the musical bars hosting singers and bands such as the Banana Café in Grand Bay, Big Willy's in Tamarin or Lakaz Cascavelle near Flic en Flac, the atmosphere heats up earlier, sometimes as early as 9pm.
In the hotels, the situation is different. A band often entertains in the main bar at sunset and/or at cocktail hour. The weekly sega show often takes place around 9 or 9:30 pm during or just after dinner. The same goes for the musical or dance evenings, which generally end around 11 pm, sometimes midnight, except for the very rare hotels with a discotheque. One never stays out very late in Mauritius, an island that is generally not very festive and where the sun rises and sets early.
There are also a few casinos in the main cities and resorts; they are generally open from 10am to 4am.
