Tunis – the capital
Most holiday seekers are looking for
the sandy beaches and the warm Mediterranean sea but, an advice that
should be well heeded, is to start with a two-day visit to Tunis, the
capital of Tunisia, a city that mixes the old with the new.
There are two well-worth-to-visit
museums, the Bardo museum, which occupies the buildings of an
old biblical palace of the 19th century. It is rich with
its collection of Roman mosaics and statues from Punic, Roman,
Christian and Muslim eras. The other one is the Museum of Arts and
Traditions, a splendid 18th century palace, which
houses costumes and accessories of upper class life in 19th century.
Nejmet El Zahraa that lies in
Sidi Bou Said is a center for Arabic and Mediterranean music. The
museum is housed in the top floor of the palace of Baron Rodolphe
D’erlanger, a French painter and musician, who loved, and lived in,
Tunisia until he died. It has a beautiful display of traditional
music instruments from different eras. The palace itself is a sight
not to be missed, typical Tunisian architecture between the years
1912 and 1922 with lots of Tunisian and Islamic artifacts, a mix of
European and Tunisian furniture and valuable paintings, mostly the
work of the Baron himself.
If you are still in the mood for more
culture, you should head to Carthage, which has a number of
archaeological and architectural sites built by Queen Dido. You can
see the amphitheatre that seats over 12,000 guests and holds some of
the famous Carthage festivals and events in North Africa, as well as
the Antoinine Thermal baths, the inspiration of today’s spas.
Sidi Bou Said is a typical
tourist area, yet the narrow cobbled streets and traditional white
houses with their beautiful turquoise blue doors give this place a
charming atmosphere. Shops are open all day to display the Tunisian
colorful artisana. At the end of an invigorating walk up and down
the streets, you should end up in Sidi Shabaan coffee house
perched on a cliff top. I personally went there three times, first
for the stunning view of the sea, the marina and green mountains of
Tunisia, and second for a refreshing glass of green tea adorned with
pine nuts. If it’s lunch or dinner time, there are two fine
restaurants in Sidi Bou Said to choose from. Ayam Zaman, that
has seen many celebrities dining there including Secretary General
Boutros Ghali, and Zarrouk Restaurant, which has both a casual
seating and a formal one overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. I did
not get the chance to try the food in either restaurant, but I hear
that they are both worth the experience.
The Zitouna (Olive Tree) Mosque
is Tunis's main mosque, and has been around ever since Tunis became
an Islamic city. In fact, most of Tunis has been built around the
Zitouna. The mosque gets its name from its founder, who is known to
have taught the Koran under an olive tree. The mosque is open until
noon every day, except on Fridays.
Also recommended to see on an afternoon
before leaving Tunis, the Capital, is Berge du Lac, a
Saudi/Tunisian project with coffee shops, a promenade by the sea (try
to get there during sunset – a spectacular site), and a theme park.
To end your nights with a good dinner
in Tunis, book a table at Dar El Jeld, located in Al Kasbah
area. I had the pleasure to eat there, where the food and
service were impeccable, and the house is in a great display of
mosaic designs and a long and intriguing history itself. On the other
hand, if you are looking for more casual dining, head to wad
el .. in Al Marsa and you will find numerous fish restaurants,
competing to offer you the best. You can be seated outdoors or like
in Le Mer restaurant, where we ate, overlooking the
Mediterranean.
Hammamet
Hammamet is only a couple of hours away
from Tunis; you can go there to spend the day or stay a few days to
enjoy the best beaches on the Mediterranean and the finest Thalasso
spas in North Africa. One of largest and well-known Thalasso spas in
Yasmine Hammamet is in the beautiful Hasdrubal Hotel, which is
only a few meters away from the beach.
Paying a visit to the spa, I was given
a tour of the impressive facilities. Clients can enjoy numerous
treatments from Hydro to Shiatsu and Thai massages, cartage with hot
stones, regenerating facial care, mandara, treatments with warm
seaweed wrappings, a Moroccan bath, or just a dip in the thermal
seawater pools with the aqua massage. The staff is well trained and
physicians are on the premises at all times.
On the other hand, the Alhambra
hotel, across the street is charming hotel built in the
traditional Moorish-Andalusian style, with a delightful piano bar
where you can relax there after a day at the spa.
In the evening, Hammamet offers you
entertainment in the Medina, where there are coffee shops,
restaurants, folklore dances, snake charmers, an amusement park for
the children and many more. If you opt for a quieter evening, take a
walk down the promenade next to the marina, where there are numerous
restaurants and coffee shops.
Well-recommended is the Bouillabaisse
restaurant next to the Marina, where we had lunch. Try the lamb
meat in the Gorra (clay pot) or the fish baked in a mount of salt.
Hammamet also offers you golf (there
are two large golf courses,) thalasso therapy centers, and all types
of water sports.
Sousse
A lively and bustling city with
beaches, nightclubs and bazaars is Sousse, the third largest city in
Tunisia. Port El Kantaoui is ten minutes away from the
historic city of Sousse. It is a holiday complex around a large
marina. There are several luxury hotels, blocks of holiday
apartments, restaurants, cafes, nightclubs, a shopping center, theme
parks and a wide range of sports facilities.
When in the mood for some sightseeing,
Sousse offers a wide range of sites. The Archeological Museum
has the largest collection of antiquities in the country after the
Bardo Museum, including ruins of the Punic, Roman and early
Christian periods, the Great Mosque and the towering Ribat, a
landmark in the town and one of the examples of Islamic architecture.
Le Roi de la Mer is a well-recommended restaurant in Port El
Kantaoui; the owner received several awards for the food served at
there.
Kairouan
Tunisia is rich with Islamic
architecture and the beautifully mosaic-sculptured walls and ceilings
as well as delicately carved filigree plaster. It would be a pity to
surpass visiting some of the monuments and old Tunisian houses and
therefore, I would recommend that one of the cities you should spend
a night in, is Kairouan. This is a holy city as it has one of the
most ancient mosques in the world, and is counted amongst the most
impressive in North Africa. The mosque is built by General Oqba
Ibn Nafi, one of the companions of the Prophet Mohammed, and is
supported by tens of Roman pillars, each with a different design at
the top.
Another mosque worth visiting is that
of Sidi Saheb, who is buried in the mosque along with three
hairs from the Prophet’s beard. Again the ceramic panels and
stucco sculpture display is a mixture of Andalusian and Turkish
influences.
Break for lunch at the elegant La
Kasbah Hotel, which was originally a fort and prison during the
Ottoman Empire, then head to one of the most exciting bazaars in
Tunisia where the best carpets and kilims are made. It is a large
bazaar, with traditional white buildings and turquoise doors and
windows and winding narrow streets. You can spend hours browsing
around, but before you leave, you should take a look at the old Bir
Barrouta, where the water is still drawn from the well until
today using a bucket waterwheel operated by a camel.
Monastir
Only 160 km from Tunis, it is both a
modern little town and a place of history. Monastir is also the home
of the late president Habib Borguiba where his mausoleum lies
in a beautiful park. There are charming apart-hotels of one and two
bedrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, linen and towels. Apartments
start at $50 a day for a one-bedroom to $100 for a four-bedroom.
Much cheaper and more comfortable for a family, you can order your
meals, stroll down to numerous nearby restaurants in the marina, or
go down to the market, especially on Sundays where you can buy all
the fresh vegetables, meats and fish. Of course, you cannot leave
the market without buying the brique, a salty thin crepe in which you
cook your breakfast eggs.
Off the coast of Monastir are two
little islands, linked with the mainland by a causeway, where you can
spend the day on the sandy beaches.
Monastir is a quiet little town with a
port, numerous restaurants, golf courses and of course the old city.
It is an ideal place for a family vacation.
This is where my trip ended and I was
back to Tunis to catch the flight back to Cairo. Yet, Tunisia does
not end there. Time did not allow me to see Douz with its
maze of sandy roads and painted homes, charming bazaars, overnight
safaris and day treks into the desert. In winter, the town hosts the
International Festival of the Sahara, a four-day celebration that
showcases the traditional nomadic desert culture. Djerba, the
largest island in the Gulf of Gabes, is a very popular tourist
destination of tasting the Bedouin culture and local delicacies.
Djerba also boasts one of the best Thalassos, casino and golf club,
thousands of palm trees and sandy beaches.
Tunis certainly deserves another visit,
whether for a relaxing treatment at one of the numerous spas, a
desert adventure, browsing in the bazaars, active water sports or
lying down on the fine sandy beaches.
Facts about Tunisia
Every town in Tunisia has its old
charming city with bazaars of endless artifacts, where you can
browse there at no end.
A must-try is the sweetened green
tea topped with pine nuts or almonds
Don’t leave Tunis without at
least buying a carpet or Kilim from Kairouan, especially from a shop
recommended by the Ministry of Tourism.
If you don’t have the time for a
relaxing few days of treatment at one of the famous thalasso spas,
book in advance for a one day package at the Radisson in Tunis.
Tunisia is famous for its
festivals. I would recommend the “International Festival of Jazz”
in Hammamet between 29 June and 7 July, the “Sahara Douz Festival”
in Tunis and the “Oasis Festival” in Douz, both in November and
of course the “International Festival of Carthage” held in July
and August.
Fish restaurants are plenty and
this is one country where it is guaranteed to get a good seafood
meal, of calamari, large shrimp and fish. Try the fish baked in
salt or if you prefer meat, the lamb placed in clay pot and sealed.
Once done, the pot is broken to free the meat.
Don’t leave Tunis without trying
some of their sweets, especially the honey doughnuts dipped in sugar
and Makroudhs, little lozenge-shaped date filled pastries.
