Best Place to Exchange Money in Port Louis

Where to change money in Port Louis

Change money once you arrive: the island's tourist board says rates are generally better there than at home. Port Louis is the banking centre of Mauritius, but neither bank checked here says whether a branch will change notes for a visitor without an account, so ask before you queue. SBM's daily table of indicative rates includes pound notes and makes a useful yardstick.

• MCB cash machines, Le Caudan Waterfront - Le Caudan names MCB as the provider of its cash machines without saying where they are. MCB claims more than 180 machines on Mauritius and Rodrigues, says selected ones exchange foreign currency, without naming them, and calls itself the only bank offering exchange in major currencies around the clock.
• Exchange desks and cash machines, SSR International Airport - The tourist board puts both just past baggage reclaim. Operators and charges are not published, so compare any quote with SBM's table.

Changing money at the airport

At SSR International Airport (MRU), the tourist board says, there are cash machines and exchange desks once you clear baggage reclaim, but no operator page confirmed who runs them or what they charge, so exchange no more than taxi money there. GOV.UK says to carry evidence of a return or onward ticket and to submit the Mauritius All in One travel form on the web ahead of departure, printing the version with its QR code; otherwise you fill in a disembarkation card on landing.

The Mauritius Revenue Authority caps neither cash nor bearer instruments, but a total above Rs 500,000, or the equivalent in another currency, must be declared whether you are arriving, in transit or leaving, online or on the Currency Declaration Form, stating where the money came from and its purpose. Anyone carrying currency should use the red channel.

ATMs and cards in Port Louis

MCB calls its network the largest in Mauritius. Its fee table (from 1 September 2026) shows free withdrawals for its own debit cards only and nothing for foreign ones, so your UK bank's overseas charges decide the cost; pay in rupees if offered pounds, as Which? advises.

No official source checked here says how widely cards are taken in Port Louis shops, at the Central Market or by taxi drivers. Market stallholders expect to haggle, according to the tourist board, so carry rupees in small notes for stalls, buses and tips.

Paying for transport in Port Louis

The Metro Express tram links Port Louis with Curepipe via Rose-Hill and Quatre-Bornes. Defimedia reported in January 2026 that the full Curepipe to Port Louis trip cost Rs 55, against Rs 51 by bus, that seniors and students ride free, and that the minister ruled out an early cut. L'Express gave the same Rs 55 single (Rs 52 with the ME Card) and about 40 minutes when the Curepipe section opened in October 2022; in 2022 fares ranged from Rs 35 to Rs 55 by distance.

In 2020 the ME Card cost Rs 200 at the central stations in Port Louis and Rose-Hill (Rs 100 refundable deposit plus Rs 100 credit), and ticket machines took coins and notes. Whether the tram now takes bank cards or contactless was not confirmed, so have rupees ready. For taxis, the tourist board suggests asking your hotel.

Good to know

• Notes run from Rs25 to Rs2000, with polymer and paper versions both legal tender. The old paper Rs2000 has not been legal tender since 1 February 2019 and can only be swapped at the Bank of Mauritius, so refuse one.
• Tipping is optional but appreciated. Some upmarket restaurants already include a service charge of 10 to 15%, so read the bill first (tourist board).
• Le Caudan Waterfront is a short walk from the Central Market and Chinatown, so you can draw rupees there before visiting the stalls.
• SBM marks its rates as indicative and subject to change, so ask for the rate that applies and any fee before handing over cash.