Things to Do in Tunis
Tunis surprised me by being ancient and completely modern all in the same afternoon. One minute I was lost in a lane of the old medina and the next I was standing in a grand museum looking at Roman mosaics older than most countries on the map. Here is what I would tell anyone planning a first visit.
Get Lost in the Medina
The Medina of Tunis is a walled warren of narrow alleys that has been the commercial heart of the city for more than a thousand years. You should absolutely get lost in it, with one simple rule in mind: keep your bearings well enough to find your way back out, and enjoy the wandering while you are in there.
Start near the main gates at the edge of the old town and let the lanes pull you inward. They squeeze past stalls of fabric, copper, leather, and perfume, and the smell of spices, mint, and tanned leather mixes into something that is pure Tunisia. Give yourself permission to take wrong turns, because the best corners are always the ones you did not plan.
Find the Zitouna Mosque at the centre. It is the oldest and most important mosque in Tunis, and while non Muslims cannot enter the prayer hall, the surrounding courtyard life and the teeming souks are all open to you. Watching the rhythm of daily prayer and commerce from the adjoining lanes is an experience in itself.
Shop the Souks
The souks of Tunis are the working markets inside the medina, and each one is specialised. There is a souk for wool, a souk for cobblers, a souk for perfume, and so on, and I wandered through them just to watch the craft on display.
Souk el Attarine, the perfume and spice souk, was my personal favourite for its scents alone. Be prepared to be invited into almost every shop and offered a glass of tea, which is simply the local way of doing business. Haggle with good humour and a smile, and have a sense of a fair price before you start so you walk away happy either way.
See the Bardo Museum
A short trip from the medina stands one of the great mosaic collections in the world. The Bardo Museum fills a former palace with floors and walls covered in Roman and early Christian mosaics pulled from the grand villas of North Africa, and the building only adds to the drama.
The scenes range from gods and heroes to fishermen, musicians, and sea creatures, and they are dizzying in their detail and colour. I spent hours here and still felt I had rushed. Give it at least a couple of hours, more if you love history, and consider a guide or audio commentary to read the stories behind the stone.
Visit Carthage Nearby
The ancient ruins of Carthage sit about twenty minutes north of central Tunis, and they make an easy half day. The sprawling Punic and Roman remains spread across gentle green hills with the Mediterranean glittering in the distance below.
Wander the Antonine Baths, the Byrsa Hill, and the ancient ports, and let a guide explain the scattered stones that do not read clearly on their own. Pair Carthage with the nearby hillside village of Sidi Bou Said, whose white houses, blue doors, and sweeping sea views are famously photogenic and the perfect stop after so much history.
Walk the Ville Nouvelle
The new city, built mostly during the colonial period, spreads west of the medina around the grand Avenue Habib Bourguiba. It is a different Tunis altogether: wide avenues, terraced cafes, and the National Theatre, proof that this capital is also fully modern.
Walk the avenue to the clock tower and the ornamental gates, then dip into the side streets for a coffee or a pastry. The contrast between the old city and this broad, confident boulevard is one of the most striking things about Tunis, and it is best appreciated on foot.
Eat Well and Stay Late
Tunisian food deserves your full appetite. Start with a breakfast of good bread, olive oil, and harissa, the hot paste that puts a glow on nearly everything. For lunch share a couscous or a brik, the crisp fried pastry filled with egg and tuna, and finish with mint tea.
For the best of it, eat where the locals eat. Small family run places and food stalls around the medina serve honest, generous food at fair prices. And save room for a dessert from a patisserie on the avenue, because the pastries here are seriously good.
Pace Yourself
Tunis is layered and large enough that you should not try to take it all in one breath. I split my days between the ancient and the modern, the indoor museums and the open markets, and the combination kept each afternoon feeling fresh.
Carry water, wear shoes with grip for the old cobblestones, and keep your evenings light on the first day so you can settle into the rhythm. Give Tunis at least two full days and you will leave with both a head full of history and a belly full of good food, which feels exactly right.
