Tunisia Destination Guide
Tunis
Tunis is a nice, gentle introduction to North Africa with a Mediterranean feel. It was a French protectorate until the 1950’s and a European influence can be seen in its architecture, and the easy going character of the people. It’s home to the suuq, one of the Eastern world’s best markets. Tunis is neither Arab, African nor European. It is a functional and clean city which mixes the old and new head to head. Top site to visit in the city is Zitouna, a name meaning olive tree which is the main mosque and formerly a centre for learning.
Part of the Tunis region but a good day trip away, Carthage is well worth a visit. Much of its rich Roman history has been demolished, but the museum and ruins of Byrsa are testament to its history. The ruins are spead out, so there’s a lot of walking involved. The sites include a child sacrifice spot in Tophet, an amphitheatre in Byrsa and the gigantic Antonine Baths.
Sidi Bou Said, famed as a long forgotten 90’s English indie band, is actually an elegant whitewash cliff top village with a touristy culture of cobbled streets and cafes – a pleasant place to lunch from the city.
If ancient history is your bag, the provincial Roman city of Thuburbo Majus, 40 miles from Tunis contains interesting ruins. Zaghouan, The town sitting at the foot of Mt Zaghouan, also contains interesting Roman relics from the days it supplied the ancient city with water.
Cap Bon Peninsula
If you’ve booked a package deal to Tunisia, chances are you’ll be heading here where the sun shines brightly and accommodation is cheap and plentiful. Best avoided if your aim is to be independent and escape western European culture, but if you’re happy to muck in with the throngs, it’s a good area to go camping. Of all the resort town’s in this region, Nabeul is cheap and relaxed, with a nationally renowned market taking place every Friday – perfect to pick up a piece of pottery and other indigenous crafts. El Haouaria contains some Roman Caves, and is one of the only places around where bananas are grown.
Northern Tunisia
The North is the place to go to find remote, uncluttered beaches. Raf Raf and Sidi Ali El-Mekki, both near the city of Bizerte, are hugely popular with Tunisians but beware – western tourism is set to take over this unspoilt land as the next package destination. Tabarka is a great little friendly town with a great beach and Genoese fortwhere you can get local red coral jewellery. The Roman ruins at Bulla Regia were once underground roman villas, although the site is poorly maintained.
Central Coast
Another area you’re more likely to meet Europeans on a cheap package deal than any locals, but away from the beach you can gain some peace amongst the vast olive groves. Tourism is centred around the major city of Sousse, a mass of white concrete hotels. If you like your holiday in your face, this is the place to get in the thick of stalls and bodies intermingled with traditional mosques. Monastir, the historic home of Bourguiba (Tunisia’s first President) is one of the most popular resorts in the country. If you’re planning to travel on by ferry, you’ll probably end up in Sfax, the massive port city which is one of the few cities devoid of tourists. From here you can head to the islands of Ile Gharbi and Ile Cherguioff the mainland, great places to chill out and see traditional fishing.
Kairouan
The city of Kairouan is one of the holiest places in all of Islam. It’s popular with daily pigrimages by tourists of all kinds and the medina is plagued with Moroccan style touts and hustlers. The main monument here is the Great Mosque, dating originally from the 7th century.
South
Chott el-Jerid
This massive salt lake is dry most of the year, and the surface cracks and shimmers in the heat and light – making this a dazzling spectacle, in a vast site 3 times the size of London! You may even see a mirage, as strange optical effects can be seen in this dreamscape. Only the Oasis towns of Tozeur and Nefta break up the barren salt plains. Tozeur is the place where people pretend to explore the desert, collecting postcards before heading off in their 4 x 4s. However, it’s home to a great museum of traditional crafts and a vast palmed Oasis. Nefta is the town nearest Algeria, the place to explore the religion of Sufism – the whirling Dervishes. Around this part of the desert are some spectacular Oasis’ – spots of green in a vast wilderness.
Douz
Thought of as ‘the gateway to the Sahara’, in Douz, the sleepy life centres around the souq, particularly on Thursday, the day of the livestock market. November and December is the time to visit the Sahara Festival where you can experience amazing events like camel racing and desert dog hunting. It’s also home to an impressive palm oasis – the largest in the Tunisian desert and home of the Great Dune. A camel ride is not only a must – you’ll pretty much be forced into humping it on a visit to Douz. Overnight tours with camels are possible to organise.
Matmata
Matmata is situated in one of the most inhospitable terrains in the whole of Tunisia. In summer the heat can be fierce, and in the winter biting cold. The berbers who live here adapt to the climate in a unique fashion by building their homes underground. In the town you can see many craters and below ground is a two storey family house. The striking white interiors displace the feelings of underground claustrophobia you at first imagine. Matmata was the setting for the Star Wars film, a good one to watch prior to your trip. It is the most visited city in the country and the town can barely cope with the influx of coaches to its tiny boundaries. The surrounding countryside is littered with plastic rocks, abandoned by the original film crew.
Ksour
A ksar is a Berber stronghold of arched structures used for storage and defence and the Ksour region is rich with them. In Medenine they have been resurrected within a tourist market. The village of Metameur near Medenine has one of the oldest arches. Tataouine has some of the most impressive structures, although it’s a bane to get to. Here you’ll also find the Seven Sleepers graves, measuring 16ft long each; legend has it that the inhabitants bodies grew after their death.
Jerba
The island of Jerba is where Ulysses in Homer’s Odyssey stayed with his reluctant crew, drugged by the honeyed fruit (possibly Lotus or Marijuana). It’s well developed for tourists, with a great souq on the site of a camel caravan and a grissly 13th century fort. The towns of Midoun and Houmt Souq are geared towards tourism.
Destination – Tunisia
