Tunis

Tunisia·Africa

Currency

TND

Language

Arabic, French

Timezone

Tunis

Continent

Africa

Our guide

Discover Tunis

Tunis reads as two cities side by side. The Medina of Tunis, a World Heritage site, holds seven hundred monuments in a web of covered lanes, with the Zaytuna Mosque at its centre — founded in the 8th century, it was one of the great universities of the Muslim world. Beside it, the European city of the protectorate lines up Haussmann-style blocks along Avenue Bourguiba, with the Cathédrale Saint-Vincent-de-Paul facing the French embassy. The Bardo National Museum, in a beylical palace, holds the world's most important collection of Roman mosaics.

When to go

March to May and September to November: mild and bright. Summer is very hot and dry, and the covered medina becomes stifling in the middle of the day. Winter is cool and wet, around fifteen degrees, with little heating. Ramadan changes the hours and the atmosphere completely, and its dates move each year.

Getting around

The medina is walked and only walked, and getting lost is inevitable — the main arteries, souk el-Attarine and souk el-Trouk, serve as reference points. Light rail covers the modern city. The TGM suburban train links the centre to Carthage and Sidi Bou Saïd in half an hour: the obvious excursion. Yellow taxis run on the meter, which must be insisted on.

Where to eat

Tunisian couscous is made with fish on the coast, and is spicier than Morocco's. Brik, a fried pastry sheet enclosing a runny egg, is a starter and takes technique to eat. Harissa accompanies everything and is not shy. Date and almond pastries close the meal. No halal address is listed, which means nothing in a Muslim country: the label has no purpose there.

Good to know

The Tunisian dinar is the currency and exporting it is prohibited — spend it or change it back before leaving. Cash dominates. Haggling is the rule in the souks. Covered clothing avoids friction, and mosques are generally closed to non-Muslims, some courtyards excepted. The selling is constant in the medina.

Smart Planning