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TravelTips24 : Africa : North Africa : Tunisia : Tunis

Tunis

Tunis (تونس) is the capital of Tunisia.

Culture and History

Located on the Mediterranean coast but lacking much in the way of beaches, Tunis has been spared the onslaught of package tourism in the resorts to the north and south. With a population of less than 700,000, the entire city feels small and compact. There isn't much in the way of must-see attractions, but Carthage is easily accessed from here and the souq is one of the most authentic and hassle-free in North Africa.

Orientation

Tunis is divided into the old city, known as the medina, and the new city, or ville nouvelle in French.

Travel to Tunis & Visa Requirements

Flights and airtickets to Tunis

Tunis-Carthage Airport (TUN), 8 km away from the center, is small and in reasonable shape with all standard facilities. You can exchange money here at decent rates. A taxi into the city center — insist on the meter — The fare should be around 3 dinars during the day and 5 dinars at night. Alternatively, buses depart fairly regularly during the day (but not at night)and charge a fraction of the price.

Beware of the Taxi drivers at the taxi stand, at night they will ask 20 - 25 TD. During the day, The drivers will use the meter without argument but it is often tampered with and thus reads high. If it reads more than 2 dinar before the end of the airport road, you are being ripped off and you should contemplate getting out (without paying) and catching another taxi.

A better idea is to go upstairs to the departure area and catch a taxi that has just dropped someone off. This increases the odds of an honest driver immensly and is often done by locals (especially those who work at the airport).

The food and drinks near the check in counters are very reasonably priced and good quality but those in the transit area are extremely expensive and poor quality (low turnover).

By train

Tunis Central Station is near Place de Barcelone for easy interchange onto the light metro.

By car

Buses to Tunis

By boat

Ferries connect Tunis to a number of international destinations including Trapani, Pantelleria, Genova, Naples and Marseille. The main ferry terminal is at La Goulette, but check your departure terminal carefully as there are also other ports.

Tours & Getting around Tunis

Tunis is well-served by a convenient four-line light metro system run by Société des Transports des Tunis [1] (French/Arabic only). The interchange hub for all lines is in the center of town at Place de la République/Place de Barcelone. Single trips cost 0,410 TD.

The TGM suburban train line, starting at Tunis Marine station on Lines 1-4, connects to La Goulette (ferries), Sidi Bou Saïd, Carthage and the beaches of Marsa.

Tunis attractions and sightseeing

  • Bardo Museum (Le Musée National du Bardo), Le Bardo-2000, (nearest station Bardo on Metro line 4), 1 513-650 (Fax: 1 513-842), [2]. Nov-Apr daily 9:30AM-4:30PM. May-Oct daily 9AM-5PM. Occupying the palace of the Ottoman-era bey (ruler) and renowned for its extensive collection of Roman mosaics, although the (huge) collection covers Tunisia's entire existence from the prehistoric era until the Ottoman days. Exhibits from Carthage, Mahdia, Sousse, many from the Roman period in addition to presentations of Arabian culture old and new.
  • Dar Ben Abdallah (Musée du Patrimoine Traditionnel). Tu-Su 9:30AM-4:30PM. A small but interesting museum within an 18th-century palace in the medina, covering the everyday life of a rich merchant in the Ottoman era.
  • Cathedral of St. Vincent de Paul
  • Zitouna Mosque (Jemaa ez-Zitouna). The largest mosque in Tunisia and the closest thing Tunis has to a landmark, this Aghlabite mosque dates back to the 9th century, although the distinctive square minaret is a much later 19th century addition. Modest dress essential, but non-Muslims can only enter the courtyard, not the mosque itself.
  • Bab el Bahr (Porte de France). Gate to the sea.
  • Bab el Khadra. Another gate.

Tunis city tours

Learn

Work

Tunis souvenirs & shopping

  • ATMs are a convenient way of getting money without going to a bureau de change and there are many VISA cashpoints around the city [3]
  • The souq in the medina makes for a fascinating stroll. Tiny shops overflowing with stuff; people selling, buying, milling about; skeletal cats lurking in the shadows; the smells of essential oils, spices, frying food and rotting garbage; the sounds of the muezzin, raï, football on the radio, Arabic and French... The Tunis medina's main routes are labeled "touristique", but even a few steps off the beaten track it's a real, working market. Behind the often scruffy facades hide old palaces, mosques, medrasas (Islamic schools). Compared to Morocco or even Sousse you will not be hassled here. Bab El Bahr (The large stone-arch "French Gate" at the head of Avenue DeFrance) is a good starting point for the Souk. The goldsmiths are close to Bab Bnet. Haggle if you wish to buy anything.
  • Halfaouine food market.

Tunis Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

Budget

  • Abid, 98 rue de Yogoslavie, tel: 216 1257052. You can get a solid meal such as lamb in macaroni for TD5.

Mid-range

  • L'Orient 7, Rue Ali Bach Hamba, tel: 216 71 252 061. close to porte de France. The steaks are bland, the fish good and local food such as Berber Lamb is excellent. The service is prompt.
  • La Mama, Av de Carthage, tel: 216 71340423, email: lamamma@planet.tn. Very cosy restaurant on several floors. Good italian inspired food. Has live music and is open to 3 am.
  • El Khalifa, rue d'Iran, tel: 216 22428470. close to Metro stop Nelson Mandela. Delicious West African food at very reasonable prices, popular with employees of the African Development Bank. Far tastier and friendlier than the typical mediocre Tunisian restaurant experience. Open for lunch only until 3pm, Monday through Saturday.

Splurge

Tunis nightlife, bars, clubs & pubs

  • Café M'Rabet cafe and restaurant.

Tunis cheap and luxurious hotels, youth hostels & lodging

Budget

Tunis Youth Hostel, ☎ +216 71 567 850. Buried deep within the Medina and a bit of a challenge to find (although there are intermittent signs along the way), this former palace of a sultan is worth the effort to find. Rooms are basic and cooled only by fan. Evening cooking is filling and cheap. Breakfast, a simple affair of French bread, jam and coffee, is a bit ropey and is served in the large open courtyard.8TD incl. breakfast.  edit

Mid-range

La Maison Doree, 6 bis rue de Hollande, ☎ +216 71 240 632(fax: +216 71 240 631). Charming hotel in a colonial era building. Rooms are basic (the hotel building is old) but clean. Excellent restaurant. edit

Splurge

Contact

Stay safe

Touts and unofficial "guides" hang around near tourist spots. Shoo them off if they start to launch into a spiel on the architectural wonders of this or that, or they will expect to some baksheesh for their unwanted efforts.

Cope

One thing that can get really annoying in Tunis is the number of "friends" a tourist will attract. There is a decent number of men who hang out on avenue Bourguiba, the main drag in Tunis. They usually work in groups. They approach tourists and start talking to them. The tourist may think that this person is just being friendly but don't buy it. Later on your new "friend" will ask you for 10 Dinars or a pack of Marlborros or this or that. It is best to just avoid these people or to shoo them off. They also have different techniques to get your attention. They include: asking for a cigarette, asking for the time, asking for a lighter, bumping into you on the street. The most common one seems to be when they ask you for a cigarette or a lighter. It is wise to get rid of anyone who tries to just bluntly start a conversation with you on the street. Chances are that there are no good intentions involved whatsoever. Tunisian people are nice and curious towards strangers but avoid the ones who seem too friendly.

Get out

  • Carthage, famously razed by the Romans with the few remnants now safely encased in a museum, easily reached by train
  • Kerkouane, Phoenician and Punic historical site 80 kilometers west of Tunis
  • Sidi Bou Saïd, a lovely village of white-and-blue houses and fancy cafés and restaurants, easily reached by train

This page was last edited at 21:58, on 24 August 2008 by Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. Based on work by Nick Williams, David, Wandering, Jani Patokallio and Terry King, Wikitravel user(s) Eiland, Valtteri, Jake73 and Episteme, Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel and others.

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