With very few exceptions, all visitors to the Seychelles will pass through Mah, even if only to land and take off at the international airport. Victoria, the charmingly low-key capital, is the starting point for most excursions, and a destination in itself.

Apart from numerous idyllic beaches, Mah's numerous attractions include many sites of historic interest, some stunning viewpoints, and studios belonging to sculptors and painters who have fallen for the Seychelles's charms, and settled down here to let their art imitate the life around them. Hikers and bikers can roam free on the island's trails, and the roads are easily navigable by car; it's very hard to get lost.

Most of Victoria's shops and main facilities are set around the distinctive clock tower (Lorloz, in Creole) which was built in 1903 to commemorate the Seychelles becoming a crown colony in its own right, separate from Mauritius. A replica of Little Ben, which marks the entrance to London's Victoria Station, it initially stood on the waterfront but, thanks to extensive land reclamation, is now some way inland.

Another colonial memento, the Sir Percy Selwyn Clarke Market, named for a popular post-war governor, is a daily hotchpotch of fresh food and flowers, and an excellent spot to pick up some souvenir spices.

Victoria's two imposing cathedrals act as a reminder of its Anglo-French heritage. Construction on the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception, on Olivier Maradan Street, started in 1851, and it was renovated in 1995 when the Seychellois sculptor, Egbert Marday, fashioned the tabernacle and the carved doors. The Anglican cathedral, St Pauls, on Revolution Avenue, was originally consecrated in 1859, but completely rebuilt in 2004.

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Seychelles Attractions - What to See in Seychelles