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Mauritius - St Denis

As the Roland Garros International Airport and the department’s main city, St-Denis, are located on the north coast, it is the start (and end) point of most Réunion holidays. The far north of Réunion is generally defined as the area around St-Denis, extending inland to St-François, Plaine d’Affouches and the wonderful hiking area of Roche Ecrite, on the northern edge of the Cirque de Salazie.

Founded in 1668, this attractive coastal city in northern Réunion is home to around 140,000 inhabitants. St-Denis took over as capital from St-Paul in 1738, after being declared as such by the then governor Mahé de Labourdonnais. Understandably, people refer to St-Denis (pronounced ‘san de-nee’) as the capital, and it is the administrative capital of the island, but Réunion’s status as a département d’outre-mer means that Paris is the true capital.

St-Denis is bordered by the sea to the north and backed by high, green mountains to the south, so its setting is very appealing. Although it sits on a tropical island, its trendy cafés and French shops give it a European flavour. The simple grid system makes it an easy place to explore.

It is possible to see the town’s main attractions in a day’s walkabout. The seafront promenade known as Le Barachois, once a port, is a good place to start, with its cannons left over from the days of war with the British. The bars and restaurants in the area really come to life in the evenings. At Place Sarda Garriga (named after the governor who published the decree abolishing slavery) you’ll see the statue of Roland Garros, a famed St-Denis-born aviator after whom the international airport is named.

St-Denis is perfect for lovers of history and architecture, with a wealth of old buildings. The Préfecture, the island’s administrative offices near Le Barachois, is in an attractive former French East India Company building, constructed in 1735. On Avenue de la Victoire is the Tuscan-style Cathédrale de St-Denis, which was begun in 1829. Further along is the impressive old town hall, lighting up the street with its sunflower-yellow exterior. In front of it is the Monument aux Morts, erected in 1923 in honour of the Réunionnais casualties of World War I. Rue de Paris is lined with wonderful colonial buildings, many of which are 19th-century Creole mansions built for those made wealthy by the sugar industry. The attractive Maison Carrère, at 14 Rue de Paris, dates from 1820 and now houses the tourist office. On the corner of Rue Félix Guyon stands the opulent, much-photographed Creole mansion of the Secretary General. Rue de Paris is also where most of the town’s museums are found.

The main market (grand marché) and its smaller counterpart (petit marché) are both on Rue Maréchal Leclerc, which also boasts a fine Creole building, the home of former French prime minister, Raymond Barre. In the same street is the city’s mosque, La Grande Mosquée, which was the first Islamic religious building to be constructed in France (1905).

At the far southern end of Rue de Paris is the Jardin de l’Etat, established by French botanists after the property was bought in 1767 by an Officer Cremont. This is also where you will find the Musée d’Histoire Naturelle

Mauritius - St Denis

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