The actual trou d'eau douce for which the town is named can be found in a human-made stone hole next to the national coastguard's office. To find the natural spring, follow the fork in the main road away from the Eglise Trou d'Eau Douce as it slopes down the hill to the docks – the well is on the right. Locals visit the stash of fresh water when the government supply gets corrupted after a strong storm.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
12.52 MILES
This popular ecotourism destination is a 26-hectare nature reserve on an island roughly 800m off the coast. It preserves very rare remnants of the coastal…
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Gardens
16.6 MILES
After London's Kew Gardens, the SSR Gardens is one of the world's best botanical gardens. It's among the most popular tourist attractions in Mauritius and…
9.56 MILES
Protecting a 400-year-old forest, this reserve is an important habitat for the Mauritius kestrel, one of the world's most endangered raptors, and a visit…
19.7 MILES
Although dedicated to the world-famous Mauritian one-penny and two-pence stamps of 1847, the Blue Penny Museum is far more wide-ranging than its name…
18.89 MILES
If you're only going to visit one attraction related to Mauritius' rich colonial history, choose Eureka. This perfectly preserved Creole mansion was built…
18.1 MILES
The shrine of French Catholic priest and missionary Père Jacques-Désiré Laval is something of a Lourdes of the Indian Ocean, with many miracles attributed…
27.16 MILES
Locals like to wax nostalgic about Tamarin Beach and its surfing heyday, and in many ways this sandy cove still feels like a throwback to earlier times,…
12.18 MILES
Don't miss the central foire de Mahébourg, near the waterfront. The initial focus was silks and other textiles, but these days you'll find a busy produce…
Nearby Mauritius attractions
0.48 MILES
One of Maurutius' more handsome churches, this stone, Gothic structure only dates back to 1990. If the door is open, wander in and take a pew – the sense…
0.8 MILES
Worth a look, Victoria 1840 is an old sugar mill that has been lovingly refurbished to house some of the works of Yvette Maniglier, a bewitching French…
2.18 MILES
Small, perfectly formed and lapped by waters a near-perfect shade of turquoise on a sunny day, this is the pick of the public beaches on Mauritius' east…
6.45 MILES
This white Hindu temple sits on a teeny islet tenuously tethered to the mainland by a thin land bridge. The views of the dazzling bastion are best…
9.56 MILES
Protecting a 400-year-old forest, this reserve is an important habitat for the Mauritius kestrel, one of the world's most endangered raptors, and a visit…
6. Frederik Hendrik Museum & Vieux Grand Port Historic Site
9.91 MILES
The battered ruins of Fort Frederik Hendrik stand in a park near the church at the northern end of Vieux Grand Port and include the remains of an old…
10.04 MILES
A monument marks the site where the Dutch (and indeed the first people ever) first landed on the island on 20 September 1598. It's a fairly low-key site…
12.18 MILES
Don't miss the central foire de Mahébourg, near the waterfront. The initial focus was silks and other textiles, but these days you'll find a busy produce…