Tunis
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Tunis (تونس) is the capital of Tunisia.
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[edit] Understand
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.
[edit] Orientation
Tunis is divided into the old city, known as the medina, and the new city, or ville nouvelle in French.
[edit] Get in
[edit] By plane
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 — shouldn't cost much more than 5 dinars: you are more likely to get this fare by waiting for a taxi outside the upper floor, rather than at the taxi stand. Alternatively, buses depart fairly regularly and charge a fraction of the price.
At night, the buses will have stopped and the taxi ride into town could cost you 10 - 15 TD. What do you do ? Don't get upset about it, pay up and start enjoying your visit.
[edit] By train
Tunis Central Station is near Place de Barcelone for easy interchange onto the light metro.
[edit] By car
[edit] By bus
[edit] 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.
[edit] Get around
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.
[edit] See
- 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.
[edit] Do
[edit] Learn
[edit] Work
[edit] Buy
- ATMs are a convenient way of getting money without going to a bureau de change and there are many VISA cashpoints around the city
- 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, medersas (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.
[edit] Eat
[edit] Budget
- Abid, 98 rue de Yogoslavie, tel: 216 1257052. You can get a solid meal such as lamb in macaroni for TD5.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Splurge
[edit] Drink
- Café M'Rabet cafe and restaurant.
[edit] Sleep
[edit] Budget
<sleep name="Tunis Youth Hostel" address="25 rue Saïda Ajoula phone="+216 71 567 850" price="8TD incl. breakfast">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.</sleep>
[edit] Mid-range
<sleep name="La Maison Doree" address="6 bis rue de Hollande" phone="+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.</sleep>
[edit] Splurge
[edit] Contact
[edit] 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.
[edit] Cope
[edit] 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