Tunisia - Ten Best ThingsTo Do In Tunis

Roman Ruins, Shopping In The Historic Medina,Sunbathing on the Beach

Feb 1, 2008

Tunis is easy to explore. It is more like a large, easily negotiable town than a major city. A good base for visiting some of Tunisia's main attractions.

Tunisia offers culture, history, fine handicrafts and great beaches. Many visitors make straight for the sun and sand before seeing what Tunisia is really about. For this, you need to spend a little time in the capital, Tunis. A sophisticated modern city, Tunis offers culture, history and fine dining. The Medina is one of the best in the Arab world and is classified as a World Heritage Site - a shopper’s paradise.

Tunis - Best Museum - The Bardo.

In a 17th-century palace is the finest collection of Roman Mosaics in the world. See the harem where the Roman poet Virgil is shown flanked by the muses of drama and literature. Don’t miss the monumental Triumph of Neptune. (Rue Mongi Slim, 4km west of the city centre)

La Marsa beach is easily reached via a TGM train from the city centre. It is busy at weekends but weekdays are pretty peaceful. During the summer there are a few cafes and fish restaurants at the beach but other than that, it’s just sun, sea and sand. Normal beachwear is fine.

Tunis - Best Shopping

The medina. Carpets are everywhere. The ONAT stamp on the back means they are government inspected and approved. Tunisian pottery is beautiful and cheap. Traditional Berber jewelery is not cheap but is something special and a visit to the perfume souk introduces you to “all the perfumes of Arabia”

Louages (shared taxis) are an easy way to hop from place to place. They are usually white Peugeot vans with a distinctive blue stripe along the side. You can hail them as you would a taxi. They are very cheap and are government licensed and controlled

Get lost in the medina. Some guide books contain information on finding your way around. Forget it - you will lose out on the atmosphere and the sheer pleasure of just wandering. It’s perfectly safe.

Most nightlife is centred round the tourist hotels. A happy compromise are restaurants which put on a show with live music, and often a belly dancer. Some hotels have casinos. Foreign currency only and they are out of bounds to Tunisians.

Dougga - a Roman city 106km (63 miles) south west of Tunis - one of the best and biggest of the Roman sites in Africa. The ruins occupy a fantastic position on the edge of the Tebersouk Mountains with great views of the surrounding countryside.

Dah Dah Amusement Park is a ten minute drive from Tunis at Les Berges du Lac. Good for when the kids need a change from making sand castles. Entrance is free but you pay for rides. Just behind the Dah Dah are several bowling alleys.

Sidi Bou Said - may seem a long way to go for a glass of mint tea. But it’s only 10km from the city and everybody goes there as it is one of the most beautiful places in and around Tunis. The mint tea is wonderful because of where you drink it - in a traditional Moorish cafe, the cafe Chaabane, overlooking the blue waters of the Gulf of Tunis.

Learn a few words in Arabic. Most Tunisians speak French as well as Arabic and sometimes English too. Try out your Arabic and see how they react - they love it, and will like you much more too.

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