Visit Tunis: what are the best things to do and see in the Tunisian capital?
Tunis , the capital of Tunisia, is located on a hill by the lake of Tunis, a few kilometers from the Mediterranean coast of Africa. It is one of the most casual cities in North Africa, with its exotic charm. The city centre is old, going back to the Ottoman Empire, but it is surrounded by the infrastructure of a modern Arab city, so you will see its two faces. Tunis is a good choice for cultural holidays, with two World Heritage sites and hundreds of historical monuments. Because of possible political unrest, as was the case in the summer of 2011, travellers to Tunisia must regularly consult the France Diplomacy website ( diplomacy.gouv.fr ). If all the lights are green for your trip to Tunisia, discover the best things to do in Tunis .
1. Carthage
Flickr – Sarah Tz
The remains of the old Carthage , rich and legendary maritime city of the Phoenicians, are scattered along the Gulf of Tunis. The ruined columns and piles of marble rubble are bordered by a panorama on the Mediterranean Sea, which was so fundamental to the prosperity of the city. Completely destroyed during the third punic war in 146 BC, the remaining ruins are nothing compared to some other ancient sites in North Africa, but this does not mean that you should not visit them. With a superb setting by the sea, the vestiges have an incomparable look, as lost in time. Various sites are scattered along the bay and are easily accessible on foot or through the use of the Tunis light metro. Don't miss the view of the top of the Byrsa hill .
2. Medina
Flickr – Véronique Debord-Lazaro
You will find innumerable decayed buildings by strolling through the parade of all the narrow alleys of each other: the medina district (old city) is the historical heart of Tunis and a lot of sites to see. The main entrance door, marking the end of the new city and the beginning of the medina is known as Bab el Bahr ("gate of the sea"). Built in 1848, it was known as the " Porte de France" during the colonial period. The old walls of the city of the Hafside era have disappeared (in part) for a long time, but once inside the mosques, madrassas (schools) and mausoleums, you can admire the sumptuous works of tiles and the splendid lines of the Fatimid and Ottoman architectures in the tortuous streets. Losing yourself in the meanders and falling on a fabulous monumental vestige is only part of your pleasure...
Here is a plan of the Tunisian medina: 
Credit: planetware.com
... indeed, market followers will move towards Souk of the Cheeks where manufacturers of traditional Tunisian wool hats have had their workshops for centuries. The area between Djemma ez Zaitouna Street and Kasbah Street is where most souvenir shops are collected.
3. Sidi Bou Saïd
The Café des Délices in Sidi Bou Saïd – Wikimedia – Moumou82
The beautiful coastal area of Andalusian style Sidi Bou Saïd owes his fame to three young painters. While traveling here in 1914, Paul Klee, August Macke and Louis Moilliet captured the beauty of bleached buildings and blue doors On the canvas. Since then, Sidi Bou Saïd has something of art and bohemian, and it’s a privileged getaway for the locals on the weekend. Very touristy (this is part of its charm), you can not miss being seduced by the perfectly white and blue streets, the teen coffees with cliffs (including the famous Café des Délices ) and the view on the coast.
4. The Bardo National Museum
Flickr – Dennis Jarvis
One of the most beautiful and larger collections of Roman mosaics resides in a sumptuous palace in Tunis. The Bardo is the second museum of the African continent after the Egyptian Museum of Cairo. Inside, room after room are presented examples of rich and complex mosaic art that have been discovered in sites throughout Tunisia. The Sousse room, Ulysses and Dougga have particularly impressive exhibitions of this form of art, but the whole collection is a treasure and it is worth one afternoon to devote even a day to it. The ground floor of the building includes interesting non-mosaic exhibitions with exhibitions of the neo-punique, Christian, and Islamic eras.
5. Zitouna Mosque, or olive mosque
Flickr – khaled abdelmoumen
The large mosque in the Medina district is home to some of the most beautiful examples of the religious architecture of the country. Company during the Omeyyades Dynasty in the year 732, it was modified and refined by conquering empires in the centuries that followed. Although non-Muslims cannot enter the prayer room, visitors are free to walk in the opulent and quiet outer courtyard, but also to go to the roof where dazzling mosaic works are exposed. The roof is also one of the best places in the Medina to make panoramic photos of the surrounding area.
6. La Goulette (Port de Tunis)
Wikimedia – Nikolas Becker
The Goulette is the port suburb of the Tunisian capital and has been a place of strategic importance (controlling the port entrance) since always. Under the reign of Emperor Charles Quint, it was the most important Spanish possession in the eastern Maghreb. From 1574 the Ottoman rulers enlarged and strengthened the fortress built by Spain. La Goulette became a port only during the French colonial era, when the lake of Tunis broke down and could no longer take any ships, regardless of their size.
La Goulette has Spanish and Ottoman forts to explore and the gateway to the Ancien Arsenal (on the road to Tunis). If you only want to soak in the sea air, the coastal road (avenue Franklin Roosevelt) is a nice place to walk to La Goulette. Beyond the modern port, the long sandy beach is one of the best places in the city to spend an evening and or relax on the weekend.
7. Saint Vincent de Paul Cathedral
Flickr – Citizen59
In the New City of Tunis there is this imposing cathedral, the largest resurrected building of the French colonial period in Tunisia. Its voluminous facade of the Moorish, Gothic and New Byzantine style presides majesticly at the northern end of the place of Independence . It was, at the time of its construction in 1893, a monument that recalled the domination of France over the country. Inside the cathedral is the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
8. The New City of Tunis
Flickr – Tim Little
Very far from the entanglement of the alleys of the Medina, City of Tunis was developed in the French colonial era. Its main core is the Avenue Habib Bourguiba , a beautiful and large avenue lined with palm trees and eucalyptus. Perfect straight line, the avenue goes east, just outside the medina on the Independence Square in the direction of the port.
Architectural enthusiasts will appreciate the wonderful mix of colonial and post-colonial buildings along Habib Bourguiba Avenue, from the modernist inverted pyramid of the Hôtel du Lac to the most distinguished government buildings in the European style. At the intersection with Mohammed V Avenue, Place d’Afrique presents a tour of the Horloge symbolizing the modern era of Tunisia.
9. Sidi Mahrez Mosque
Credit – thislimages.photoshelter.com
This Ottoman-style mosque bears the name of Mohamed Mahrez As-Siddiq (the “ascetic”), which is the Islamic equivalent of a holy patron of the city. It is an elegant building topped by nine white domes. Mahrez played an essential role after the plunder of Tunis in the year 944, encouraging citizens to rebuild and develop trade and industry. He's buried in front of the mosque. The mosque is considered the most beautiful in Tunis
10. Other sites to visit in Tunis
If you spend more than a weekend in Tunis, you will certainly have time to visit other places and heritages of the capital. Here are some ideas:
- Go back to a hammam. Men can try the hammam at the 30 Souk of the Libraries, and women the one place Halfaouine
- The Tourbet (Mausolée) Aziza Othmana
- The architectural jewels of Sidi Brahim Street and Pacha Street
- Dar Hussein Palace
- Dar Ben Abdallah Palace
- The Tourbet El Bey
- The Parc du Belvédère and the Museum of Modern Art
How do I go to Tunis? Where to stay in Tunis?
The end of spring and autumn are the best seasons to travel to Tunis. Tunis owns its own airport (Tunis-Carthage), served by direct flights from Lyon, Paris, Marseille, Toulouse, Nantes, Strasbourg, Nice, Bordeaux... Transavia, Air France and Tunisair are the main companies for this destination. Find cheap flights to Tunis on our partner's website Ulysses .
The choices areas where to stay in Tunis are numerous, while the well-proven hotel offer. To find a cheap hotel in Tunis, search this Compare hotels .
Have you visited Tunis?
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