Travel Guides: All Countries / Africa / Tunisia
 |  | Travel Reviews : Tunisia |
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| | | | Welcoming in all respects
We returned from a first visit to Tunisia three weeks ago. A country full of contrasts and welcoming in all respects.
The Tunisian people, helpful and friendly. The weather, absolutely beautiful.
A two-day round trip south from Port el Kantaoui into the Sahara desert, Matmarta, then onto the oasis at Touzeur, then through the Atlas Mountains was the icing on the cake to a truly memorable holiday.
Thank you Tunisia! We'll be back soon!
Travel guide: Tunisia
Cheap transport for hagglers
My husband and I stayed at Hotel Saadia in Skanes. Although only a fifteen minute transfer from Monastir, you were not disturbed by planes flying overhead.
The people of the hotel were excellent as were the entertainment team. Food was very varied and good, even for a person like me with a food allergy.
It was very easy to travel, either by horse and cart. But agree your price before getting on the cart.
Taxis from Lourges were very inexpensive. You have to find a taxi driver that is going to your destination and wait until it gets full, but this only takes a a short time.
We travelled to Tunis and back for £7. Again, agree your price before alighting.
There is plenty to visit, from marvellous beaches to mosques and markets. The people are lovely too.
Travel guide: Tunisia
An all-round winner
A wonderful country with fantastic weather, beaches and great hotels.
Very friendly people and great food everywhere.
Travel guide: Tunisia
So good I'm going back
My mother and I stayed in the Sahara Beech Hotel near Monastir in November 2004. We found the food to be fantastic and the people were very friendly.
We went on several excursions including the desert. The scenery was absolutely stunning. We were lucky enough to go on a camel ride to see the sunset over the sands of the desert. The, the following morning, we saw the sun rising over the salt lakes.
We both enjoyed the country so much, we are looking forward to going back next year.
Travel guide: Tunisia
Glimpse of a great past
Our hotel in Hammamet was right on the beach, which was impressively clean, wide and safe - apart from dodging the hawkers trying to sell you things.
The town, with its walled old section and kasbah containing the souks, was pleasant to walk around and less threatening than markets I'd been to in Morocco. We were unadventurous and took organised trips everywhere, but it was a good way of learning a lot in a week.
It was fascinating to visit ancient Carthage in its impressive position by the sea and it brought dusty schoolbook memories to life. Later we saw the far better preserved Roman ruins at Dougga, but Carthage still held more mystique for me because of its legendary status.
My artist daughter loved the whitewashed hilltop village of Sidi bou Said, with its pretty blue iron railings and shutters and its cobbled streets. The candy stalls on the streets were colourful, even if the sweets looked jawbreaking! We bought a beautiful tin doll here.
I fell in love with the great ancient city of Kairouan, where we sat in a carpet shop sipping sweet mint tea and managed to resist buying a handsome rug. The Great Mosque here is superb with a wonderful atmosphere - the whole city has an air of past greatness.
Near Hammamet, we joined the masses at the Nabeul Friday market - chaotic but fun. Not many bargains as they're out to catch the tourists, but I did buy some blue and white bowls. Some were very brittle and broke on the way home, but other pieces survived to grace my kitchen and remind me of North Africa.
Travel guide: Tunisia
A wonderful country
A wonderful country, I was there six times in six months, I even went by myself and I am only 30 and female so it is safe.
If you possibly can try to go the Carbus, Northeast peninsula south from Tunis along the coast with natural geysers and hot springs into the ocean - it's a favourite of the locals to go swimming there for all the minerals coming out but I think it is a secret kept by them!
I have even had the opportunity to have the company of the Mayor of Tunis as a table guest who welcomed me very warmly.
However, if you do go to Tunis do not give them any temptation with bags as they will take it.
From my experience, which was twice, stay clear of the Medinas - it's too long to explain but do not go in.
Try leblebbie - bread, chick peas and spicy sauce and beautiful.
Inlaid chessboards are a good buy, but do not pay more that £40 for one.
And if you are going I wish I was coming with you and have a wonderful time.
Travel guide: Tunisia
An exotic mosaic with souks appeal
From the Mail on Sunday
Fifteen years back I had lunch at the Abou Nawas Hotel on the coastal outskirts of Tunis and promised myself that, one day, I'd make a return visit. It seemed the perfect place for a week's crash-out, a friendly five-star with enough diversions to hand should I get bored with just lying back and not thinking of England. I finally made it a few weeks ago, and rediscovered the joys of indolence.
Day One was bliss, padding to and fro across the deep-pile grass of the lush gardens to the pool or the Mediterranean Sea beyond. The beach here curls in a sandy sweep from Gammarth to La Marsa. In days before independence, it was dubbed the 'baie des singes' (bay of monkeys) by the locals when the French colonials tanned au naturel. Nowadays, curiously, no one even goes topless.
The morning passed with nothing other than the latest Maeve Binchy to engage my brain and, for lunch, I heaved myself all of ten yards to the pool restaurant for a plate of mechouia, Tunisia's twist on grilled vegetables, topped with tuna and olives. With a glass of local wine and a coffee, the bill came to £8. I swam, I read, I applied Factor 4.
Tunisia, the most European of the North African countries, is a safe bet for a late holiday. Temperatures are settling into the comfortable mid-20s Celsius in October and November, which is just right for relaxed sunbathing as well as sightseeing - in fact, trips down to the Sahara, where it's always a few degrees hotter, aren't really bearable until then.
On Day Three, the pool began to pall - partly due to the frequent trill of nearby mobile phones. A ten-minute taxi ride and I was in Sidi Bou Said, a dazzling white village whose Andalusian style, influenced by the Moors retreating from Spain, is zealously preserved. House prices in Sidi Bou Said are on a par with London's, so des. are the whitewashed res. with their studded doorways, blue shutters and window grilles.
Flanked by wafting cheesecloth and twirly wire birdcages, I climbed up the cobbled main street, made friends with a chameleon posing on a rack of leather slippers and, at Mohamed's perfume shop, had fun sniffing samples - Mille Et Une Nuits and Secrets De Desert, a snip at 50ml for five dinars (about £2.50).
The Dar El Annabi palace, family home of a former Mufti of Tunis's main mosque, is open to the public. So is the Ennejma Ezzahra, a palatial villa overlooking the sea, built in the Twenties by a French artist, Baron d'Erlanger, whose love of Arab culture clearly shows in the voluptuous interior full of filigree plasterwork and playing fountains.
Adjourning to the Cafe des Nattes, a time warp of hubble-bubble pipes and carpeted banquettes, I sat on the balcony sipping mint tea with toasted pine nuts and watched the jasmine seller begin his evening round of the tables in the street below.
Travel guide: Tunisia
Very friendly destination
Just returned from one week's holiday in Sousse at The Royal Beach Hotel. I was quite frightened as it was booked last minute and we just did not know what to expect.
It was fantastic. The hotel was excellent, very clean, the food was great and the staff 10/10.
Lovely scenery, great beaches and very friendly people.
Myself and my husband would definitely go again.
Travel guide: Tunisia
Massage, mosaics and fresh oranges
We had a very good hotel with very helpful staff, though English was not their usual language here as the hotel mainly catered for Germans.
The food was very good - continental and Tunisian - and there was plenty of choice.
If you enjoy golf then this is the place for you. A course outside the hotel. There is a gym,sauna,massage (very relaxing), indoor and outdoor pools and tennis. Situated on the beach (clean and pleasant) with a pleasant port.
A taxi into Sousse is £4.The souks were amazing as were the historical mosaics. Look for the man who makes his own perfumes, choose all the best names, and he will sell you OIL not paraffin, for £3 per bottle and it lasts for five years if kept in the dark.
We even purchased a carpet for our lounge, hand knotted, and brought it back on the plane - although my husband swears his arms are a few inches longer now.
Also super weather to drink lots of freshly squeezed oranges.
Travel guide: Tunisia
A Sahara cry from Tunisia's old image
From the Mail on Sunday
Tunisia was once a country you saw only on screen. Raiders Of The Lost Ark, The Life Of Brian and Jesus Of Nazareth were filmed there. The Sahara was deserted in tourism terms until President Ben-Ali took over 10 years ago and vowed to make it a holiday destination. Engineering projects brought in water and there is now an airport at Tozeur, new roads, electricity and luxury hotels.
The finest Indiana Jones scenery is in the Selja Gorge, which is best viewed from the Red Lizard, a restored Pullman train which trundles from one end to the other. Otherwise, hire a four-wheel-drive and head for the Chott, a vast, dry salt lake fringed with oases. Dotted around it are still a number of quiet Berber villages such as Tamerza, built on a rock above a fabulous waterfall.
Many have clean and comfortable rooms available, yet most visitors still stay in Douz, the last staging post before the empty sands of the desert proper reach across to the impenetrable Algerian frontier.
Arriving there, they are shepherded towards the Zone Touristique on the edge of town, a ghetto filled with enormous, impersonal hotels, restaurants, museums and 'entertainment spaces'. These zones are common to many of the bigger towns around the Sahara and are aimed at keeping tourists inside, spending money and enjoying a slick, desert theme park-style experience.
Douz itself springs to life on Thursdays, when a huge market draws in people from miles around, trading in everything from camels, sheep and goats to tons of dates.
For visitors there are brightly woven rugs, silver jewellery, painted plates and vast slabs of coarse olive oil soap.
For refreshment you can buy glasses of thick mint tea and take home dried harissa chillies, pots of olives and hand-pressed, horribly bitter olive oil (be warned - my five-litre purchase was not a good idea).
It is well worth ensuring that your stay at Douz includes a Thursday. Make a day of it - starting with the market in the morning, checking out the couscous at the Restaurant Ali Baba on the Kebili Road for lunch and winding down at the sumptuous Museum of the Sahara in the afternoon.
Travel guide: Tunisia
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| | | | Bedouin shepherds outside the bedroom
On Day Five, I bought a ticket to ride on the little suburban train to Tunis, which for the half-hour journey cost 70p - even less than the taxi to the station. Backpackers and commuters crammed in, the latter babbling away in a wonderful mix of French and Arabic. We trundled through an oriental Croydon of neat back gardens and satellite dishes, with five stops for Carthage, including Carthage Hannibal which has fragments of Roman capitals on the platform.
I didn't redo Carthage, having seen it before, but it's well worth a visit. While nothing is left of Punic times, bits of Roman amphitheatre remain amid sighing pines and buzzing cicadas. Tunisia was Rome's first colony south of the Mediterranean and there are many other sites in splendid nick - Thuburbo Majus and, the most complete, Dougga, are both accessible on day trips from Gammarth.
I decided on a visit to the Bardo Museum, which has the biggest collection of Roman mosaics in existence, taking in the souks on the way. Tunis's Medina is a cultural shakeout after walking the length of the shady Avenue Habib Bourguiba. From a boulevard seemingly transplanted from the fringes of Left Bank Paris, with attendant poster pillars and pavement cafes, you're suddenly pitched into a medieval warren of covered lanes, where the shops sell everything from copper trays to cuddly toy camels.
It's fun and full of bargains; it's also hot. I sank a mineral water in three seconds at Restaurant Mahdaoui, below the Zitouna Mosque, and ordered the local fast food, a brik, a soft-yolked egg in crisp, fried pastry. This, plus a plate of fish couscous, cost £3. The Dar Ben Abdallah Palace is the only building in the Medina that you can go into. It shows domestic life in the 18th-century with tableaux and props - a bride being hennaed for her big day, a boy sitting cross-legged before his tutor who is brandishing a large rod.
My failure to flag down a cab to take me to the Bardo on the opposite side of town was the only hitch of the day. After nine refusals, I finally found a willing driver who eased my paranoia by explaining the problem. It was lunchtime and few wanted to go that far.
I didn't regret persevering. The mosaics were a knockout. Unbelievably vivid and exuberant, with Romans of the third century cavorting, hunting, fishing, banqueting and bathing - in short, having a Roman holiday. It was, however, rather like seeing Monet's waterlilies at the Royal Academy - after an hour-and-a-half I was mosaiced out.
Day Six was sadly my last, so it was spent once again being a pool lizard. I wished I'd had time to go down to the oases and the desert again. I did it one October, driving across the Chott El Jerid salt flats to Tozeur, where suddenly a chasm of fertile gardens opens up and, in the morning, you swish back your curtains to find Bedouin shepherds and their tents outside on the sand.
Tunisia's deep south is riveting. Its ancient fortified granaries, troglodyte caves and vast sandstone wilderness have been used as locations for every Star Wars movie. I've set my sights on a luxury tented camp right at the edge of the Sahara for a winter getaway. Who needs long-haul and jet lag when you can find warmth and a touch of the exotic just over three hours away?
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| | Destination Guide : Tunisia |
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| | | Sample desert life |  | Why go on holiday to Tunisia?
A taste of Africa, yet nearer to the UK than other popular destinations such as Greece and Cyprus. Some great beach resorts but also something for history lovers and a chance to sample desert life or strike a bargain in the bustling souks.
How much does it cost?
There is a wide range of package deals to Tunisia. Expect to pay from about £450 for a week's half-board at a popular resort such as Hammamet in peak season. Flights to Tunis cost from around £200. Mid-range hotels from £25.
When should I go?
Summers are hot and dry. Generally, the further south you go, the hotter it gets. Temperatures can top 90F (32C) on the coast and 100F (38C) in the desert. Winters are mild and wet and rarely get warmer than 70F (21C). During the holy month of Ramadan, some restaurants and shops close in the daytime.
What should I do when I'm there?
The most popular beach resorts are Hammamet and Sousse, which have a good range of hotels and apartments. Skanes, near Monastir, is also taking off as a beach resort. Purpose-built Port el Kantaoui is Tunisia's answer to the posh marinas of the South of France. The island of Jerba is quieter and more down to earth.
What excursions should I make?
Take a desert safari to Matmata, a Berber village where the homes are built underground to escape the heat. Visit the pretty blue and white artists' village of Sidi Bou Said. Kairouan is Tunisia's holy city and a visit to the great mosque is a must. Many other lovely buildings are here too. The city is famous for its carpet making and you may be plagued by touts selling them.
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| | | Explore ancient history |  | Where can I soak up some history?
Marvel at the massive Roman coliseum at El-Jem. Tour the ruins of ancient Carthage. Explore the spectacular Roman ruins at Dougga. Take a trip to the ancient fortress town of Le Kef.
Where can I mix with the locals?
Take a trip to Nabeul Market, which is one of the most famous in Tunisia. You can buy anything here from pottery to a camel. Visit the medina in the capital, Tunis, the focal point of the city for more than 1,000 years. Visit the Ksour area and hear the Berber language.
Where's good for nightlife?
Most nightlife is to be found in the resort hotels which run discos and stage displays of local music, dance and magic shows (watch out for the snake charmer).
What's the food like?
There are lots of dishes, many relying heavily on fresh vegetables, herbs and spices. Try couscous with a stew and harissa, a spicy chilli sauce. Or briq, a deep-fried pastry parcel with an egg inside.
A vast range of cakes and pastries will satisfy the sweetest of teeth. Mint tea with tons of sugar is a popular drink and Tunisians are also great coffee quaffers. Wine has been produced here since the time of the Phoenicians - rose is usually the best.
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| | | Carpets and camels | | What should I buy?
Barter in the souks for carpets, pottery, leather goods, copper, brassware and jewellery. Carpets are either knotted (you pay by knots per metre) or woven. Look for the ONAT mark on the back - this means they've passed a quality inspection. Good carpets aren't cheap but they are good buys. At the other end of the scale, there's always the obligatory stuffed camel!
What is there for children to do?
Most children will be happy enough to play around hotels and resorts, where there's plenty of organised fun, but if you do want to take them exploring with you, you'll find Tunisians love kids and will probably make a great fuss of them.
Tourist office
Tunisia National Tourist Office, 77a Wigmore Street, London W1H 9LJ. Tel. 020 7224 5561.
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| | Fact File : Tunisia |
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| | | Tunisia | | Did you know?
Top movies The English Patient, Star Wars and Raiders Of The Lost Ark were filmed in Tunisia.
Language
Arabic and French.
Visas
None required from the UK.
Getting there
Flights to Tunis, Monastir and Jerba.
Flying time from London
Two hours, 30 minutes.
Getting around
Avoiding thousands of moped riders can make driving tricky. There's a good bus network but fares for louages (long-distance shared taxis) cost only a bit more. The rail network is limited but more comfortable, modern and efficient.
Currency
Dinar.
Costs
As a rough guide: a pint of beer £1.50, moderate restaurant meal £8, roll of film £4, litre of petrol 30p, short taxi ride £1.
Weather
Summers are hot and dry with temperatures regularly topping 90F (32C) and occasionally 100F (38C). Winters are mild and wet and rarely get warmer than 70F (21C).
Time difference
One hour ahead of GMT.
International dialling code from the UK
00 216.
Voltage
Most of the country is on 220V but smaller towns in the south and some Tunis hotels are still on 110V. Tunisia uses European two-pin sockets, so take an adaptor.
Opening hours
Banks open 7.30am-11am weekdays July to September, and the rest of the year Monday-Thursday 8am-11am and 2pm-4.15pm, Friday 8am-11am and 1pm-3.15pm. Shops generally open Monday-Friday from 8am-12.30pm and 2.30pm-6pm and from 8am to noon on Saturday. Souvenir shops keep later hours.
Health — before you go
No jabs required but hepatitis A, polio and typhoid are recommended. Take out adequate travel insurance to cover any medical costs.
Health — when you are there
Tap water is safe to drink in most parts of Tunisia but bottled may taste better. Avoid eating salads and anything uncooked or unpeeled. Shellfish are best avoided.
Warnings
Crime is low in Tunisia, barring the odd theft on the beach. The most irritating thing can be the persistent carpet touts in Kairouan. Be polite but firm and try not to lose your cool.
Emergency
Dial 190 for emergency services. British Embassy, 5 Place de la Victoire, Tunis, tel 01 341 444.
Customs
Tunisia is a Muslim country. Away from the beach, tourists should dress modestly.
Pets
Animals returning from Tunisia will be subject to six months' quarantine.
Tipping
Ten per cent in tourist restaurants. Loose change in taxis and cafes.
Tourist office
Tunisia National Tourist Office, 77a Wigmore Street, London W1U 1QF. Tel 020 7224 5561.
Useful website
cometotunisia.co.uk
Did you know?
Top movies The English Patient, Star Wars and Raiders Of The Lost Ark were filmed in Tunisia.
Language
Arabic and French.
Visas
None required from the UK.
Getting there
Flights to Tunis, Monastir and Jerba.
Flying time from London
Two hours, 30 minutes.
Getting around
Avoiding thousands of moped riders can make driving tricky. There's a good bus network but fares for louages (long-distance shared taxis) cost only a bit more. The rail network is limited but more comfortable, modern and efficient.
Currency
Dinar.
Costs
As a rough guide: a pint of beer £1.50, moderate restaurant meal £8, roll of film £4, litre of petrol 30p, short taxi ride £1.
Weather
Summers are hot and dry with temperatures regularly topping 90F (32C) and occasionally 100F (38C). Winters are mild and wet and rarely get warmer than 70F (21C).
Time difference
One hour ahead of GMT.
International dialling code from the UK
00 216.
Voltage
Most of the country is on 220V but smaller towns in the south and some Tunis hotels are still on 110V. Tunisia uses European two-pin sockets, so take an adaptor.
Opening hours
Banks open 7.30am-11am weekdays July to September, and the rest of the year Monday-Thursday 8am-11am and 2pm-4.15pm, Friday 8am-11am and 1pm-3.15pm. Shops generally open Monday-Friday from 8am-12.30pm and 2.30pm-6pm and from 8am to noon on Saturday. Souvenir shops keep later hours.
Health — before you go
No jabs required but hepatitis A, polio and typhoid are recommended. Take out adequate travel insurance to cover any medical costs.
Health — when you are there
Tap water is safe to drink in most parts of Tunisia but bottled may taste better. Avoid eating salads and anything uncooked or unpeeled. Shellfish are best avoided.
Warnings
Crime is low in Tunisia, barring the odd theft on the beach. The most irritating thing can be the persistent carpet touts in Kairouan. Be polite but firm and try not to lose your cool.
Emergency
Dial 190 for emergency services. British Embassy, 5 Place de la Victoire, Tunis, tel 01 341 444.
Customs
Tunisia is a Muslim country. Away from the beach, tourists should dress modestly.
Pets
Animals returning from Tunisia will be subject to six months' quarantine.
Tipping
Ten per cent in tourist restaurants. Loose change in taxis and cafes.
Tourist office
Tunisia National Tourist Office, 77a Wigmore Street, London W1U 1QF. Tel 020 7224 5561.
Useful website
cometotunisia.co.uk
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| | Available rental properties in Tunisia |
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| |  | | appartment near port kantaoui ,sousse
5 minutes from the beach,plenty of local shops ,grosseries around however its very calm and safe area
|  | | Villa Yasmine Hammamet with pool and jacuzzi
Villa for up to 8 persons. 5 min walk from the beach.
3 bedrooms, fully equiped kitchen, Swiming Pool, jacuzzi, Living room, Dining room, 3 bathrooms, Terrace, Balcon and more
|  | | Villa Yasmine, Hammamet
Modern property in a private residential complex, 500m from its beautiful sandy beach. A 5-bedroom property tastefully furnished with a self-contained
|  | | Beautiful villa near the sea and a beautiful beach
Beautiful villa in the touristic area of North Hammamet, close to a beautiful sandy beach.
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Beautiful fully equipped apartment 30 metres from peacefull beach
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Holiday Rentals in Tunisia |
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