Seychelles: Tickets, Hours and How to Visit
Seychelles’ marquee sights split cleanly into three kinds: free beaches, paid national parks with real ticket logistics, and one gated resort beach that needs advance permission. Anse Source d’Argent and Anse Lazio are the two names worth building a trip around, but the SPGA-run parks (Ste Anne, Curieuse, Morne Seychellois) all take cards only on-site, not cash, and the Vallee de Mai’s SCR 450 gate fee catches plenty of visitors who read an older, cheaper number online. Here’s what each place actually costs, how long it takes, and how to book it before you land.
Seychelles beaches and sights ranked
| Place | Island | Why go | Cost + access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anse Source d’Argent | La Digue | the granite-boulder beach on every Seychelles postcard | SCR 150 via the L’Union Estate gate, cash or card, valid all day with re-entry |
| Anse Lazio | Praslin | a long white-sand beach among the most photographed in the country | Free; lifeguarded but no protecting reef, so follow the flags; swimming can be unsafe December to March |
| Vallee de Mai | Praslin | UNESCO-listed forest, the wild coco de mer palm | SCR 450 gate, 10% off booked online in advance, under-12 free, 08:30-16:30 daily (last entry 15:30), closed 25 December and 1 January |
| Beau Vallon | Mahe | the main beach strip, closest to Victoria | Free; watch your bags, a flagged spot for petty beach theft |
| Curieuse Marine National Park | off Praslin | hundreds of Aldabra giant tortoises, boat access only | SCR 300, card-only on-site |
| Ste Anne Marine National Park | off Mahe | snorkeling plus Moyenne Island’s free-roaming tortoises | SCR 200 entry, card-only |
| Anse Georgette | Praslin | a stunning beach gated behind a resort | Free once inside, but needs authorisation 3-5 days ahead through the Constance Lemuria resort, roughly 30 non-guests admitted at a time |
| Victoria’s Clock Tower and market | Mahe | the capital’s free half-day | Free; the Sir Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke Market is currently trading from a temporary site on Albert Street while its 1840 building is renovated |
| Morne Seychellois National Park trails | Mahe | hiking above the capital, Copolia to the summit | SCR 100-250 depending on trail; the summit route needs a licensed guide |
Paying to get in
Do the national parks take cash?
Not on site. SPGA parks, including Ste Anne, Curieuse and Morne Seychellois, take cards only at the gate (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, UnionPay), and entering without a valid ticket carries an SCR 600 fine. Bring a card or book ahead through SPGA .
Is Vallee de Mai’s entry fee really SCR 450?
Yes, and it’s worth flagging because plenty of older travel posts still quote roughly EUR 20, a stale figure. The current gate price is SCR 450 (roughly EUR 27-30), with a 10% discount for tickets bought online in advance through the Seychelles Islands Foundation. Under-12s go free either way.
Getting there without overpaying
L’Union Estate’s SCR 150 ticket for Anse Source d’Argent is genuinely good value once you realise it also covers the estate’s vanilla plantation, a giant-tortoise pen, and an old settlers’ cemetery, not just beach access, so budget an hour beyond the beach itself. Anse Lazio is free to enter; arrive before 10am in high season to beat the crowds.
Curieuse and Ste Anne are both boat-access only, reachable by a booked day tour rather than a scheduled ferry like Cat Cocos runs between the main islands. Book a Curieuse Island tortoise and snorkeling day trip on GetYourGuide if you’d rather not arrange the boat yourself, or check current Ste Anne Marine Park tour options on Viator .
Which beach should I prioritize if I only have time for one?
Anse Lazio, if a long white-sand beach is what you want: it is lifeguarded but has no protecting reef, so swim only when the flags allow, and swimming can be unsafe from December to March. Pick Anse Source d’Argent instead if the photograph is the point, the granite boulders are genuinely unmatched anywhere else in the country. Expecting one beach to deliver both the best swim and the best picture is the most common letdown here.
Screenshot this table’s cost column before you land, SPGA’s card-only rule and Vallee de Mai’s real SCR 450 price both catch visitors who arrive expecting cash gates and outdated numbers. Our full Seychelles travel guide covers the ferries and paperwork that get you to these places in the first place, and the 5-day itinerary shows exactly which days to schedule them on.