Tunisia – Tunis

Tunis, Tunisia

If you want to see a well organised, busy , locals filled old Medina and souk area then Tunis has one of the best I’ve ever encountered. Artisan work that excels, with safe  and commercial alleyways and small streets in a labyrinth with historical and religious buildings galore …. well impressed and very few tourists too ! A city the still shows its French colonial past in its architecture although many buildings have seen better days. It has the great Bardo Museum, a defo must see, as you will never see ancient mosaics like these anywhere else.

Flights to Tunis from London

I started my trip to Tunis with a little trepidation ! I had looked up online flights London to Tunis and there was only one direct flight.

It was with Tunis Air and they wanted twice the price – around £200more – than a flight with Air France via Paris with a 2-7 hour transfer depending on flight. The other alternative was Eurowings via Cologne with a 5 hour transfer.

My budget was tight this time round. I worked out that I should take the cheapest Air France to Paris early morning flight with a 2 hour wait in Paris, then the savings compared to Tunis Air would effectively pay for my 3 days in Tunis. There would be about 6 more flights Paris -Tunis after mine arrived in Paris , just in case mine was delayed and they would have to put me on a later flight for the second part of my journey.

What’s a few hours in Paris going to be like with my constant fear of delays? – and I still get into Tunis before the afternoon. I booked it.

Turns out it was great. Air France London to Paris and onto Tunis were both full flights and the legroom was a bit tight, (ok, I’m 6 feet tall so most short haul flights can be tight legroom for me !). The flight left on time, food on board was great, (wasn’t expecting free food!), with pleasant service and the cabin crew very helpful and efficient.

My recommendations on London to Tunis flight

I would recommend this as a cheaper alternative to direct flights from London but ensure you give yourself at least 2 hours for transfer and ensure there are several more flights to Tunis later in the day from Paris with AF in case you have a problem getting to Paris.

I would not advise doing London to Paris late in the day as if you have a flight delay there will be no more connecting flights to Tunis that day, so go early morning.  Paris to Tunis has quite a few flights daily but most are in the morning with Air France. Also, if you take a later flight you will miss a day in Tunis, (bad if your time is tight), and then there is the issue of overnighting it in Paris for another flight next day if your late one is cancelled.

Tunisia also has “tourist” airports near the coast so check out these options with charter flights. They are cheap and great if you want to spend some time at the beach before hitting Tunis. Getting straight to Tunis from these “tourist/beach” airports can be awkward as public transport and Tunis connections are not good – these airports are there primarily to ship tourist to the beach en masse!

I flew back with Tunis Air, as luckily that one day of the month that I was flying back they had a cheaper fare and it was only £20 more than the connecting flight back via Paris. However ….. Tunis Air ……. mmmm …… is not my favourite airline after this one experience with them.

Their hub is Tunis, but we were over an hour late departing and during the wait at our gate there was no announcement, or explanation why. The staff were pretty laid back and more interested in social media on their phones than informing us. Boarding was a chaotic scrum affair with no control too. People shoved their way past those who had politely queued and were not stopped.  Others ignored lines and went to the front and pushed through, again no control by the checker- awful. Cabin crew and food were good though.

Culture and language

Tunisia is an Arabic country but after recent political turmoil is gradually transforming. I noticed the traditional headscarf and hijab worn in many neighbouring Islamic countries was very much less in evidence. There was an almost total lack of Arabic in street signs, store signs, public areas and roman letters were the norm.

French was definitely the second language, and it was fun for me to practice my …. dare I say it myself …. fairly decent spoken French.  …. At least they understood me when I spoke it but English was often used if they understood you spoke English. Tunisia was once a protectorate of France and the effect still lingers with café food and many words still keeping its French origin or influence.

Where to stay in Tunis

This is a good question. In the centre of town there are several 5 star hotels that are quite expensive for what they are – high price for nice but dated rooms and often next to a 3/4 star hotel that are more modern with similar views. Further out of town are great 3/4star places that are even cheaper but make sure you are near a Metro tram stop – they are efficient. Certain tram lines run the modern carriage version, others still have the dilapidated decades old version. They can be busy and you are often crushed against your neighbour in an overcrowded carriage,  so beware of the usual personal property measures. They are however incredibly cheap.

Taxis are not easy to pick up on streets and the drivers see you as an opportunity to severely rip you off as taxis are unmetered. Buses exist but are a locals thing as most don’t have numbers on them and stops are not often obvious.

I stayed at the 3 star Tiba Hotel and for one of the few times in my travels I chose a central city location- I hate traffic and street noise and will always chose to stay more in the suburbs near a Metro/bus link for the peace, (and it is often much cheaper too).

Here however, I found Tunis to be a very quiet city even on weekends so I did not get any noise disturbance. I asked for and got a quieter room at the back rather than face the street it is on, just in case, and whilst the room’s view was of an alleyway, it was quiet!.

Really nice hotel, great price, refurbished, lovely boutique-feel reception area, superb breakfast area and the room was modern, clean and a decent size for one person. I would recommend it. It is 3 star but actually felt more boutique 4 stars.

Best thing – it is 2 mins from the Cathedral, 5 mins from the entrance to the Medina/Souk, 10 mins walk to the train if you are going to Carthage, 5 mins walk to a direct tram for the Bardo Museum and just off the main Tunis Avenue for restaurants and shopping.

Transport from Tunis Airport

A word of warning. Arrange for a taxi from the hotel to pick you up. At the airport it is chaos…. no proper taxi rank outside, private cars drop-off and pick-up randomly at the main entrance and often cause jams and disruption. The taxis you see dropping off do not pick up at the same time. There is a seperate taxi pick-up area in the distance.

There apparently is a bus to the city but even after asking at Tourist Info – who were not helpful – the directions they gave me were so bad. I eventually found the area where they said it picks up but there is no sign saying were the bus stops or a timetable etc. Amid the mayhem outside of cars dropping off, people shouting, car horns tooting and bustle of the area I gave up waiting after 20 mins. they said it ran every 10 mins but nothing arrived.

I went back into the terminal to find out from the Tourist office where to get a taxi, who again gave me confusing instructions. Having found out  from them how much a taxi should be to the centre,10 dinar, I went back outside to the mayhem again. There were a lot of taxis together (no signage) and they seemed to be in the rough area I was told to look.

Approaching the group of taxis waiting, I was pounced upon, being asked if I wanted a taxi. I said yes and they started off at 50 dinar! No, too much I said and walked to another who said 40 dinar (bartering is done here, no meters). He laughed at me when I said 10 dinar, so I dropped him quickly. Another taxi driver overheard and said he would do it for 30 dinar. No, too much I said and I again said 10, he came down to 20 dinar (£5). Still not the official price but I agreed, as by now I was all out of bartering. Just goes to show how the system works, and I felt I had achieved something in getting them from 50 to 20 dinar !

BTW, I asked my hotel to arrange a taxi back when I got there and they did it for 15 dinar, and the car was a normal taxi but much newer and nicer than the wrecks I often saw in the street and the driver pleasant too. I guess the hotel has a reputation to keep and I was very pleased with their choice !

So, visiting Tunis? Trams are an easy way around town. There is no Metro as in Underground and they call the trams Metro, just so you don’t get confused in the terminology. !

How to use trams in Tunis

So, visiting Tunis? Trams are an easy way around town. There is no Metro as in Underground and they call the trams Metro, just so you don’t get confused in the terminology!

You are supposed to pay at the nearby (but not always in the station) ticket office but no-one ever seems to, as getting on/off is unrestricted and unsupervised and no-one ever checked tickets. I seemed to be the only one ever paying at the ticket office despite hundreds of people around me and at one stop the ticket booth was actually open but unmanned, so …..judge for yourself how you do it ….

Being me I felt I had to pay as it is wrong to freeload but it seems to be the accepted practice. Trams get crowded and are usually a bit grim and old but fast and convenient – I would not use taxis as they are unmetered and always try to rip tourists off.

If you want to go to the Bardo Museum, use Tram line 4 and the nearest stop to the Museum is funnily enough called Bardo across the road from it. Here’s a tip – count from your map/GPS how many stations along the line it is, as not all the stations have easy to see signage of its name from the carriage, so you may miss your stop.

I use phone GPS and download maps from MAPS.ME. Remember to download the app and select your maps before you arrive in the country or you may get a data usage fee – I use them all around the world. They are great as they even show walkways and steps between street levels so can be really useful, especially in places with no street signs or public info.

There is not a lot to see in Tunis – it is a working capital city with a lot of French influenced architecture and many buildings that have clearly seen better days. Many buildings are a Euro-Arab design and just think back to the 1930-40s and you have a style often seen. However just a short train/tram ride away is the world renown UNESCO World Heritage Site of Carthage. I visited Carthage (click here for info), in another post so do look it up and get over to that unmissable site.

My first visit was to the Cathedral here, just round the corner from my hotel.

Cathedral of St Vincent de Paul

A fairly new building as it was opened in 1897 and a very French Provence town style in my view, although it is apparently a mixture of Moorish, Gothic and Byzantine! The Catholic Cathedral stands out as it is on the main street in Tunis – Habib Bourguiba Avenue and you cant miss it decorated in its custard and white colours with twin bell towers.

It was the first time I had seen a Cathedral protected by security barriers and guards on the outside and due to this it was not apparent at first how you get in, as the front seemed blocked off. To the left side of the front entrance is a small opening in the barrier and you walk in to be visually assessed by a guard before being allowed to enter. Another guard inside the door checks who is coming in also so I guess they feel security is needed here.

I found out later that opening times are restricted but I couldn’t find them published anywhere so I guess I was just lucky with my timings on the Saturday. It is known for the two colourful stained glass windows and painted altar ceiling fresco. There was an ornate bronze statue of two angels(?), stood on a large casket, holding up a model of a Chapel (looked like Notre Dame in Paris?) with lots of artefacts around it.

It was getting a lot of attention from people and many taking photos of it. I had not read anything about this object in my pre-visit read so took a pic and decided to find out what it is later. Despite the many web sites I have been to, I cannot find anything on it …..maybe someone reading here can contact me and tell me.

Avenue Habib Bourguiba

The main Avenue of Tunis is Avenue Habib Bourguiba and runs from the Cathedral up to the Tunis Marine train station (where you can catch the train to Carthage – see my post on Carthage) and is paved through the middle with a walkway. It has clipped trees on either side and provides a great walk just to see and soak up the city centre feel.

Outside the Cathedral on the Avenue is the Place de L’Independance, with the” I Love Tunis” sign. Opposite in a small garden is the statue of Ibn Khaldoun. He is considered a forerunner of the modern disciplines of the study of history sociology, economics, and demography.

Nearby on the opposite side of the road you will find the Municipal Theatre. It’s a glorious cream and beige building from 1902, where Opera, Ballet, Classical music concerts and the occasional play are preformed.

Beside it is the Theatre Café, another high end Café to see and be seen in!

Shops, banks, hotels etc lined either side and the heavily barricaded Interior Ministry is also here. Near the Marine station, the Avenue has a major interchange roundabout and in its centre is the Habib Bourguiba Clock Tower.

Medina/ Souk

The Medina/Souk/Bazaar area, to give it its many name variations, is located at the end of L’Avenue de France (continuation of the main Tunis Avenue) at the Place de la Victoire. Here the old gateway of Bab Bhar sits. It is now separated from buildings and is more of a triumphal arch with ground level water jets squirting into the air.

The hotel that sits in this square is a beautiful spectrum of whites, blues and golds with its Moorish influence. It has a huge Café on the ground floor and is one of the most popular open air meeting/coffee taking places in Tunis.

The entrance to the Medina is inconspicuously now between two buildings and actually looks like a wide ally, next to a white and blue shuttered building. Venture forth, as this is the way in and its an amazing place!

Initially the walkways are very narrow and you almost touch the merchandise on sale as you negotiate what can be very crowded and full alleyways. The colours of the cloths, bags, garments for sale are surprising in the sunlight and later under the covered alleyways the silver items of tableware, coffee pots, trinkets etc glitter temptingly.

I noticed that of the thousands walking the alleys and streets I appeared to be one of the few non locals. Good, because it meant locals were here buying and gave a more authentic feel to the area, but bad because with my pale skin and lighter hair I stood out glaringly as a tourist and thus prone to the constant invites in and tourist approaches.

Anyhow, I was used to the attention now, so happily browsed and wandered. Just wander this big area but be careful as it is huge and has loads of streets and alleys with no signage so it is possible to get lost.

I kept my GPS on my phone handy to guide me, as no map will guide you through this labyrinth of walkways. I loved my wander and the traders were less overtly pushy and aggressive than I had experienced in many other Arab souks.

A word of warning, I was approached several times by different people and often the same person, in different parts of the souk, telling me how there is a place where you can go to get pics over the rooftop of the souk. I ignored them/thanked them and said no, as I knew where I was going and nowhere mentioned this ….. and why were so many telling me …… it is a scam. The place is a carpet shop where they invite you upstairs to look out but the idea is to get you in for a photo and then you feel obliged to buy something.

I worked this out after happening to go by the place on my wanderings. I saw the guys that had approached me previously, standing outside the shop.. They were trying to get someone to go inside to go upstairs, “to see over the rooftops for some photos”.

There are several Moorish style cafes in the souk and they were actually quite busy with locals – always a good sign. So if you want a want a pit stop, choose well and enjoy the rest and people-watching, whilst seated on embroided cushions or wooden decorated stools. A couple of cafes were filled with plastic chairs and TVs being watched by large groups of men and that seemed a bit intimating for women, so take heed and chose your café wisely.

Zitouna Mosque

The main street (alley) Rue Jama Ez Zitouna through the Medina runs from the entrance off Place de la Victoire where I came in, up to the famous Zitouna (Olive) Mosque. Follow this and you eventually come out into a long rectangular square with steps going up to the mosque. The steps are not the actual entrance and are used as a resting spot for many. I had heard there is a constant battle to get access into the Mosque for non Muslims, some succeed, most are turned away from the door. Apparently only men are allowed into this one, its entrance is to the left and up some stairs as you look at it from the square.

I tried, and a guy at a nearby store told me, “no entry”. Another nearby, who I had spoken to previously when looking at his shop, seemed to argue with him and beckoned me on as if overruling him, they had a heated debate and I got to the top of the stairs. I decided to photo the vaulted entrance area, but declined to go in as this seemed to be causing a problem between the two arguing guys and didn’t want to start an incident.

I have never been refused entry to any of the dozens of Mosques I have visited in many other countries so maybe the timing was wrong as prayers seemed to be going on, though not busy. I later found out that most Mosques in Morocco do not allow non-Muslim to enter.

It is supposed to be lovely inside, so good luck on trying to get in. It is the oldest Mosque in Tunis and originally housed the oldest and finest University in the Islamic world. The interior columns are from the ruins of Carthage and the Minaret of 1894, in the interior courtyard, can be seen from the outside streets.

I left the Mosque and walked up the right hand street facing and followed its winding path past small shops that began to become more spaced out. I passed another entrance in to Zitouna Mosque but decided against causing another incident by attempting to enter. It had and interesting light topped entrance.

Leaving the Mosque behind I eventually came to the minaret tower of the Sidi Youssef Dey Mosque. The environment now took on the feel of an old Arabic town, as the area was perfectly restored with colonnaded, white-washed and imposing buildings.

Past a few more old buildings that were well restored and atmospheric – it was surprisingly quiet in this area after the hustle and bustle of the nearby commercial alleys.

I carried on up and turned the right hand corner and eventually walked into a modernish square that had a sweeping panorama of nearby buildings. Here there are Government buildings, ministries, Tunis Town Hall, a school , a mausaleum and the Kasbah Mosque, all centred around this big open space.

Lots of photo opportunities here and they were preparing for a big music festival the next few days, hence the bunting and sectioned off areas. I wasn’t expecting such a large open space next to the cramped Medina but it was a welcome relief to get out of the somewhat enchanting but very cramped and busy bazaar area. I returned back into the medina to simply explore a different path back on my way to the hotel, eventfully emerging out at the entrance I came in.

Next day arrived, and I wanted to concentrate on one main visit as this place would involve a tram trip out of the centre and would take time to see everything in this museum.

How to get to the Bardo Museum

To get to the Bardo Museum is easy. Catch the tram line number 4 and get off at Bardo station. A tram stop was 5 mins away up a nearby street so walked to it easily. I asked the guy at the ticket station outside how much and it was about 20p. You can’t get return tickets so have to buy another on the way back. There seemed to be no-one at all buying tickets, despite the crowds getting on and off. Also there  was no-one was to verify you had a ticket, or a gate entry barrier. It seems to be a general excuse for a free ride.

I got off at Bardo and the Museum, from the station, is across a busy intersecting road system. As ever, take you life in your hands and stroll into the road at a quiet opportunity, hoping cars will let you cross – they usually do. Crazy that there is no crossing here from the station to the Museum. You cant actually see the Museum as ahead of you is a big building with armed guards, barbed wire on the pavement and concrete security blocks ….. It’s the Parliament Building …… and how unfriendly it feels surrounded by what feels like military fortifications!

Walk to the left, round the grounds of the building and turn right eventually up Mongi Slim street. You will come to a big iron gate with military anti-car crosses and barbed wire and you think you are looking into the car park area of a military place. This is the entrance …. no signage and the guard at the gate even puts you off with a stare ! Walk in and up to the Modern entrance of the building ahead of you.

It is actually a 15th Century old Palace building, beautiful in itself and worthy of the pics I took of its interior housing the works of art. Beside and attached to the Palace is the present-day modern extension.

Bardo Museum

The Bardo Museum is recognised as the second most important museum in all of Africa (after the Cairo Egyptian Museum – see info on this museum in my Cairo post), due to the sheer number of exhibits and their importance. It has one of the biggest collection of historic mosaics in the world, some 3000 years old …… and the best collection of Roman Mosaics in the world ……. That built up my expectations and appealed to the culture-vulture in me!

There are several famous pieces here to see among the hundreds. I have to say that I have never seen so many mosaics in one place in my life and they were either huge and impressive or small and intricate.

Sorry if I now bore you with tons of pics but I want the pics to speak for themselves and show their glory. If you want to skip this section then I have put them in a scroll through presentation so you can move on to the next part, if not stay here and enjoy the scroll through. I am no expert on mosaics but I thoroughly enjoyed them all. ….. roll photos!

The old Palace in itself was a work of art, coloured tilled walls, carved vaulted ceilings, Moorish styled windows. The hall ceilings were so decorative, embossed and delicately coloured that at times I was wondering if I should be admiring the displays or the architecture of the building ….. or both.

At the end of the visit I was definitely all mosaiced out but so glad to have seen it all. Now, I saw a lovely café in part of the old Palace on the way round, so I thought a coffee and cake is due before I set off for the hotel. The café here was set in gardens with a sun veiled archway seating area…..just what I needed. There are open air benches if you want to catch the sun amid fragrant bushes and just relax in the peace of the gardens.

March 2019.