Ville Nouvelle
South of the medina is the Ville Nouvelle, a fairly compact and walkable area where the majority of the restaurants, shops and hotels are located. Its a mix of sophisticated clothing boutiques, apartment buildings and government buildings that close fairly early in the evening. The
Great Mosque
The Great Mosque is a typically austere Aghlabid affair. It was built, according to a Kufic (early Arabic) inscription in the courtyard, in the year AD 851 by a freed slave called Mudam, on the instructions of the Aghlabid ruler Abul Abbas. Mudam adapted an earlier kasbah (fort), w
Mosque of Sidi Mahres
There are mosques all over the medina; interiors are off-limits to non-Muslims. The finest include Mosque of Sidi Mahres, built in 1692 and named after Tunis patron saint, who saved the city after it was captured by Abu Yazd during a rebellion against Fatimid rule in AD 944. He als
Sahib Hammam
You havent fully experienced Tunisia until youve been scrubbed down with an oven scourer by an enthusiastic elderly masseur. The oldest and most atmospheric hammams (public bathhouse) are in the medina, keeping residents steamed and cleaned. Often recognisable by their candy-stripe
Kairouan Medina
Less commercial than other medinas in the country, Kairouans feels even more like it ebbs and flows to a different rhythm than modern Tunisia. Most of it is given over to quiet residential streets whose rather derelict façades are set off by grand and ornate doors, and windows, arc
Boujaffar Beach
Sousses Boujaffar Beach, with its multi-kilometre stretch of high-rise hotels, cafés and restaurants, is the citys landmark. Named somewhat incongruously after a local Muslim holy man, the soft, sandy strip is a playground where families picnic, children frolic, foreigners sunbathe
Museum Dar Essid
This small, private museum is also not to be missed. In a quiet part of the medina, it occupies a beautiful old home, furnished in the style of a well-to-do 19th-century Sousse official and his family. The dimensions of the elaborately decorated, arched door are the first indicatio
Musée de Carthage
At the Musée de Carthage, housed in the former French cathedral seminary, the ground floor features some fine 5th-century AD mosaics featuring lots of peachy bottoms; a Roman sculpture of a boozy Silenus and Maenad continues the sensual theme. There are lamps dating from the 4th ce
Sanctuary of Tophet
The chilling Sanctuary of Tophet was first excavated in 1921. French archaeologists uncovered a sacrificial site and burial ground, where its believed Carthaginian children were sacrificed to the deities Baal Hammon and Tanit - a stele now in the Bardo Museum shows a priest carryin
Byrsa Hill
Getting off the TGM (suburban train line from Tunis) at Carthage Hannibal or Carthage Dermech, its a short, steep walk to the top of Byrsa Hill. The entire site is visible from the summit, with amazing views through cypress trees to the ancient Punic ports and the intense blue of t
International Culture Centre
Hammamets International Culture Centre is the ultimate party house. Its a mansion designed and built by Romanian millionaire George Sebastian from 1920 to 1932. Frank Lloyd Wright said it was one of the most beautiful places he knew: the appreciative architect was just one of Sebas
Antonine Baths
The Romans chose a sublime seaside setting for the fabulous Antonine Baths complex, a short walk across the road from the Roman villas. Begun under Hadrian and finished in the 2nd century, it was the largest outside Rome, supplied with water by the great Zaghouan aqueduct. Just the
Zaouia of Sidi Boumakhlouf
Below the kasbah sits this enchanting 17th-century Sufi mausoleum, with a brilliantly tiled interior and narrow tower. The guardian, gorgeous Madame Zemourda, is a descendant of one of the occupants; call and she will arrive to open the door and show you around. Just outside is a b
Palmeraie
This enormous green space has over 200,000 date palms, as well as fig and pomegranate trees and canopied garden holdings. Its best explored by foot or bicycle (ask at your hotel for recommended bike hire). Calèches (horse-drawn carriages) can be found opposite the Hôtel Residence K
El
The most important synagogue on Jerba and the oldest in North Africa is signposted 1km south of Erriadh, 7km south of Houmt Souq. Blank from the outside, the interior is an exquisite combination of glowing blue tile work and moodily dark wooden furniture. The inner sanctuary, with
Sfax Medina
Surrounded by ancient crenulated walls that could have been filched from a childs toy castle, this tourist-tat-free zone hasnt been prettified for visitors. The main narrow thoroughfares bustle with everyday commerce, while away to the northeast and southwest wind quiet, twisting l
Doing business & staying in touch while in Tunisia
Tunisia: Doing business & staying in touch
Tunisia Weather, Climate and Geography
Tunisia Weather, climate and geography
Tunisia History, Language and Culture
Tunisia History, Language and Culture
Tunisia Travel Guide and Travel Information
Tunisia Travel Guide
