TUNISIA 213 © Lonely Planet Publications Film Sets Are Crammed with Tourist Groups
TUNISIA 213 © Lonely Planet Publications film sets are crammed with tourist groups. crammed with tourist groups. film sets are Star Wars 216; international access 216; international % 9.8 million Arabic, French Country code 00 Cool (November to April), warm (May October) Cool (November Algeria, Libya US$30 per day Tunis Tunis Tunisian dinar US$1 = TD1.3 Tunisian In all large towns In all large % GTM/UTC + 1 GTM/UTC 164,000 sq km US$8 for Australians and South Africans, available at airport; and South Africans, US$8 for Australians code Area ATMs Borders Budget Capital Languages Money Population Seasons Telephone Time Visa US$6.50 for others, need to apply in advance; unnecessary and Japanese citizens American, Canadian Europeans, Western
FAST FACTS FACTS FAST
Tunisia also has some fascinating places to stay: a luxury, air-conditioned camp site in the camp site also has some fascinating places to stay: a luxury, air-conditioned Tunisia Tunisia tourists almost outnumber the easiest destinations, a place where is one of Africa’s Tunisia for the golden sandy beaches, non-stop sunshine, and locals in high summer, and flock here sand dunes peak like brushstrokes in the Saharaexoticism on tap. It’s a country where desert; the beautiful sun-bleached round houses of Jerba hide a multitude ethnic groups, and of with the sparkling water the parched southern landscapes of Sahara contrasted are quiet beaches The northern shores. and eastern sea that frames Tunisia’s the Mediterranean from packageof the northern a secret tourists sizzling on the heaving sandy coast are of Hammamet and Monastir. stretches The country’s capital, Tunis, is a gritty yet lively urban centre, where the walls of medina where urban centre, is a gritty yet lively country’s capital, Tunis, The get clogged by day visitors and shopkeepers keen to make a buck. middle of the desert, stylish rural dwelling on Jerba island, or old merchants’ a revamped, inns with kaleidoscopic package tiles and sunny courtyards. Though tourism has brought prosperity to parts still of the country, much traditional local culture jobs and relative uncomfortably lightly and enjoy this diverse, grates against modern influences, so tread fascinating country. TUNISIA
ITINERARIES desert. begin, sothistimeisperfect forvisitingthe just finished andsomeof themusicfestivals autumn. November have iswhendate harvests theSaharandunesisinlate you wanttosee summer, andthebesttimetovisitTunisiaif ismuchthe beaches. too hotin Thedesert Europeans onpackage holidaystotake over expect pricestogoupandcrowdsof northern so season, frolics, butthisisTunisia’shigh the countryside. Summers are great forbeach ing) temperatures andwildflowers covering and mid-May, withwarm(butnotscorch- mid-Marchis bestinspringtime,between hot, drysummers andmildwinters. Visiting Tunisia hasaMediterranean climate, with CLIMATE &WHENTOGO 214
HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS
Islamic art andRomanremains.Islamic art of of yourmindinthisfascinatingcollection back toTunis( p218 ). row streets of Kef Le ( p224 ) before going outthecastleandnar-for theday.Check northern coasttowardsTabarka ( p223 ) Sidi BouSaïd( p218 ) andgoalong the the dayinbeautifulTunissuburb of Days Three drive down to Kairouan ( p228 ) from ing with the northas described above, of the northandalot of thesouth. Start- Two Weeks mirage-inducing saltlake. mirage-inducing in themiddleofChottel-Jerid, an endless, sighs fromdreamy dunes,postcard-style. Best journey Bardo Museum Oriental Grand Erg Jerba Mediterranean towncovered inbougainvillea. Sidi BouSaid fascinating architecture andgreat beaches. can organise atripinto thedesert. go uptowardsDouz ( p234 ), where you around Tataouine ( p237 ) fora day,and incredible great of visiting the expanse thedesert, nisia, get notliterally) lost(though inthe days here. Head backontomainland Tu- threeplace inTunisia, sospendatleast One Week UII • Hglgt TUNISIA ••Highlights ( p235 ) Experienceethnicdiversity amid Jerba ( p235 ) isthemostamazing Perfect forincorporating abit Ifyou’re inthenorth,spend ksour ( p232 ) Travel theroadrunning ( p223 ) Explore thisgorgeous ( p220 ) Exercise theotherside ( p234 ) Meltinsunsetsand (fortified Berber village) (fortified Berber tury was followed bythe rampaging Vandals, Jem colosseum. decked cityof andtheextravagant Dougga El Roman Tunisia boomed,creating thetemple- then re-created itasaRomancityin44BC. sold itspopulationforslavesCarthage, and buttheRomansfinally won,razed in 216BC, quered the Romansafter hisinvasionof Italy general of Hannibal, Carthage, nearlycon- years of PunicWars ensued.The legendary and128 events, was nothappywith these the 6thcentury.Theemerging Roman Empire main powerinthewestern Mediterranean by (justnorthofCarthage today’sTunis),asthe theircapital, establishing around 1100BC, marchedThe Phoenicians intoTunisia Back Strike Empires viable hand. long ensured itwasdealtaneconomically of theeconomy, anditsstrategic positionhas Rome –stillaccountforareasonable portion cultivated areas –oncethebreadbasket of successivetween great Itslush civilisations. Tunisia having thesubjectof be- been fights have producedacalm,safe country,despite Nature, luckandcannypoliticalstewardship HISTORY beaches. Head backnorthalongtheeastcoast enormous palmeraieatTozeur( p232 ). fromDouz( desert p234 the ) andsee Tataouine ( p237 ), rideacamelintothe The Roman decline and fallin the5thcen- Then go to the Sahara, see the Then gototheSahara,see chitecture and relaxing onthebeaches. to five daysinJerba, exploring its ar- lovely forfour beaches ontheway.Stay ( p227 ), stoppingforaswimalongthe Drive downtoJerba ( p235 ), viaSousse ( p230 ) andenjoyitsgorgeous harbour. towns.Fromhere,tant headtoMahdia oneof Islam’smostimpor-Tunis andsee
MUCH? HOW
Hammam withmassage Museum admission Bowl ofcouscous Newspaper Cup oftea US$1 US$1.50 US$2.50 US$5 US$4 lonelyplanet.com ksour at ὄὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄὄ lonelyplanet.com TUNISIA El Oued Constantine ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ ὄὄ A LGERI Guelma Skikda Hazoua A LGERI Grand Erg Aïn-Beida Oriental Annaba Nefta Souq Ahras el-Gharsa Tamerza TUNISIA Chott Midès Tozeur Tébessa Chebika M EDITRANS Metlaoui el-Jerid Chott Kroumirie Bulla Regia Jendouba (1544m) Chambi Rebaa Gafsa Jebel Tabarka Khasba Kalaa
Le Kef Tebersouk Kasserine Ain Draham Mountains Oued Zaafrane Ghadhames Dougga Borj el-Khadra Cap Serrat Kebili Grand Erg
Mountains Chott el-Fejej Oriental Sbeitla Douz
D o r s a l e Tebersouk Meknassy Makthar Beja Jebel Biada (1163m) Mateur Matmata
El-Fahs
Kairouan Ghomrassen Jebel Medjerda Cap Blanc
Raqqada
Chenini Dahar TUNIS Bizerte ὄ Douiret Zaghouan Medenine Gabès Farina Gulf ofTunis Cap Carthage Gulf of Gabès El-Jem Remada Tataouine Hammam Jorf Ksar Ouled Ajim Hammamet Soltane Hammamet Lif Sousse Gulf of Sfax Nabeul Souq Houmt Bon Cap Monastir M EDITRAN Nalut Guerdane 60miles 100km 0 0 Mahdia El-Haouaria Kelibia Jerba Zarzis Ben Kerkennah Islands S EA L IBYA Ras Ajdir Zuara
215 TUNISIA TUNISIA TUNISIA tions affirmed hisstrangleholdonpresidency,tions affirmed whelming results atthe1989and1994elec- handing over leadership. Thedubiouslyover- to Bourguiba, especiallywhenitcomesto andcontinues downsimilarroads ing wheel rule withabloodlesscoupin1987. up power,andreports of endedhis senility Tunisia. hewasn’ttookeen However, togive structureand economicallysavvy of today’s and laidoutthegroundworkfor tolerant free educationandtheabolitionof polygamy, women’srights, established state, a secular women’. He introducedliberallaws,instituted religion, allthewrongsdoneto while‘righting eradicate poverty, politicsfrom andseparate the country’smajor reformist. He swore to Habib Bourguiba asthefirst president and Tunisia becamearepublic in1957,with &Ben Bourguiba style nation. ing totransformTunisiaintoaEuropean- tospendthenext50yearsproceeded attempt- theirrulein1881,theFrenchEstablishing ground intheregion duringthe19thcentury. of theOttomansuntilFrancebegantogain Ottoman empire, Tunisiabecameanoutpost andthepowerful the SpanishReconquistas of allof Tunisia’s invaders. Stuckbetween behind thestrongest ongoingculturalimpact ruled Tunisiauntilthe16thcentury,leaving belligerence,continuous Berber theArabs the east,bringingIslamwiththem.Despite tines in533. Vandals ousted bytheapproaching Byzan- but bothgroupswere conquered, andthe tion formedsmallkingdomsandrebelled, rule of theVandals, the local popula- Berber in439.Unhappywiththenihilistic Carthage theiropportunityandcapturedwho saw 216 by the government, isdampened by thefact sion of opposition andfreedom of speech election results, andalarmat thesuppres- democracy’. country’s political system ‘amasquerade of protest twodaysbefore thevote, callingits Democratic Progressive Party, pulled outin two terms. Themainopposition group,the torunforanother tion andallowed himself retire Alitweaked theconstitu- in2004,Ben and 2004elections. Having expected been to peaking witha99.44%majority inthe1999 International criticism over suspicious Zine el-Abidine Alitookover Ben thesteer- In the7thcenturyArabsarrived from UII • Clue TUNISIA ••Culture the religiously on theother. fervent opportunity-lacking educated, the poor,and on theonehand, cluster ofdle classes the government battling with theaspiring mid- rich andpoor. achallenge Thisposes tothe communities iscreating the agapbetween theincomesearnedin urbanandrural tween ent Tunisiansisemerging. Thedisparity be- and anewclassof individualistic,independ- foreducationandcareersset-up in thecities, Many villagers have, left their rural however, family members are of utmost importance. family, themosqueand relaxed. Rurallife centred hasbeen on the the predominant Islam,which isrelatively blanketed socialease, lows foracertain by Tunisia’s ethnicandreligious uniformityal- CULTURE subject inEurope. echo of fussover themonumental thesame –an paign againstthewearingof headscarves 2006, whentheauthoritieslaunched acam- ism wasreasserted onceagain in October against anyformof religious fundamental- Its strong stand down onpoliticaldissent. groupsforclamping byhumanrights cised terms of criti- economyandtrade,hasbeen nisian government, flourishingin though tourists keep comingbackhere. TheTu- religion meansthatmillionsof European bours, anditsrelatively modernoutlookon make itmore prosperousthanitsneigh- Tunisia’s strongtradelinkswithEurope Tunisia Today country. to thiswelcomingandtolerantNorthAfrican rity wasstepped up,andthetouristsreturned responsibility). Butthingsimproved assecu- in which 21touristsdied(Al-Qaidaclaimed synagogue suffered asuicidebomber’s attack sort, particularlywhen,in2002,Jerba’s oldest fected Tunisia’spopularityasaholidayre- af- euros.Globalevents in themuch-needed thronging toTunisianbeaches andbringing ofeconomic force,withthousands Europeans manufacturing. Tourismisanotherdriving mainly onagriculture, mining,energy and adiversefully developed economyresting supply thebulkof itsforeign aid,andcare- which ties withboththeUSAandGermany, moderate close Ithasdeveloped Arabstates. that Tunisiaisoneof and themoststable house) for centuries, and strong ties between forcenturies, andstrongtiesbetween house) hammam lonelyplanet.com (bath- Jews make uptheremaining 2%. heritage.claim apurely Europeansand Berber country, alongthefringe of theSaharadesert, for 14centuries,peoplelivinginthesouthof the Berber. have Arabs andBerbers Although mixed Almost 98%of Tunisia’spopulationisArab- PEOPLE whelming. male presence inthestreets isstillover- couples intermingle andholdhands,though Things are more relaxed inTunis,where about townare particularlywomen-free. women visiteach otherathome. Evenings where mensitandchat inthecafés,and and you’llget intolocallife. auniqueinsight osity: foodwillbeshared, forthcoming talk and shownthetypicalArabic–Africangener- will sometimesbeinvited intopeople’shomes mainly inthecountryside,where strangers lonelyplanet.com decoration and calligraphy. explore the Islamic traditions of geometric as Hédi Turki andNjaMahdaoui began to of dailylife. After independence, artists such nisian figurative painting,and depicted scenes they saw. and producedmany worksinspired bywhat andAuguste Macke,Klee who visited in1914 most famousto be inspired here were Paul architectureexotic light, andlifestyle. The ists were drawn toTunisia,attracted byits crisis. Jewish–North Africanimmigrants’identity ten acclaimedworksinFrench aboutthe Albert Memmi lives inParis andhaswrit- ism onaremote village. Tunisian bybirth, addresses theimpactof progress andtour- Tlili isone,andhisnovel Chabbi; hispoem isAbuTunisia’s nationalpoet el-Kacem el- ARTS dominant. of religion, traditionalvaluesare though still remaining 2%of thepopulation. Muslims. Jews andChristiansmake upthe and over 98%of thepopulationare Sunni been translated been intoEnglish, butMustapha schoolevery child. Notmanyauthors have Traditional Tunisian customs survive Traditional Tunisiancustomssurvive Yahia Turkiisconsidered thefather of Tu- Tunisian societyisquite liberalinitsviews Islam istheofficialreligion inTunisia, Gender segregation isstronginTunisia, Gender During thecolonialperiod,European art- TUNISIA••People Will toLive Lion Mountain is taught to istaught
bread. smokey aubergine paste, delicious withfresh and olive oildressing; and mix of tomato,onions,cucumberandlemon ily. Themostpopularare fresh producehere, feature andsalads heav- There’sto snacks,stews andsalads. lotsof thing with Tunisians love spicy food, zingingevery- FOOD &DRINK to mostplaces. tion inthenorthhasensured asteady supply damconstruc- and driedupsprings,though industry have depleted artesian water levels the huge water requirements of thetourist degradation intheGulfof Gabès.Inthesouth, of overfishingaccused serious and seabed andlitter.posal hasbeen Itstrawlerfleet pollution: industrialpollution,sewagedis- regional andvariousformsof desertification lakes)(salt andthesilent offalls awaytoaseries huge, glittering around Sfax. Southof plain theDorsale, ahigh jerda. Olives cover particularly coast, theeast country’s onlypermanentriver, OuedMed- Valley, oncetheRomanlarder,watered bythe ranges liesthelushMedjerda these Between west andpeters Bonintheeast. outintoCap tral Dorsale, which runsfromKasserine inthe rangemain mountain istherugged, drycen- plain.Furthersouth,thecountry’s ern coastal Their foothillsdive downtothelavish, north- wild boars, andgenets. jackals,mongooses forests where there’s achance of glimpsing covered AtlasMountains, High withdense in thenorthare theeasternmost extent of the south. lakes salt andsilkydunesinthe crystallised its thicklyforested to northernmountains of landscapesworthy of acontinent,from It maybesmall,butTunisiapacksinarange ENVIRONMENT Berber bread. Berber and in someplaces unheard of Morocco. in, say, theirs with fishtoo,athing that they serve fromtheirArabnisians differ neighbours in withlambandvegetables, butTu- is served couscous aswellsavoury. Generally sweet are more than300waysof preparing thestuff, Tunisia’s environmental headaches include Tunisia’s environmental You’ll find fresh French loaves everywhere, Couscous isubiquitous. Apparently there The KroumirieandTebersouk Mountains harissa, afierychilli paste added tabouna, erg salade tunisienne, salade mechuoia, (sand sea). sea). (sand traditional flat chotts 217
a a
TUNISIA TUNISIA TUNISIA fare, which Tunis runseast–west fromLake Habib Bourguiba, thecity’s mainthorough- 6.30amto5.30pm)headsAvehalf-hourly costsaroundUS$8, orbus35(US$1, a taxi The airportis8kmnortheast of thecentre: ORIENTATION and better things. day, after which youcanmove ontosmaller fun.Tunisisbestenjoyedina night-time Mediterranean suburbof SidiBouSaïd and thehipperheadoutto gorgeous families andshy couples,whiletheyounger hubbubisallstrolling Theevening sights. and fascinatingarchaeological andartistic areCarthage Tunisia’smostcomprehensive andmysterious ruinsofseum theancient outside of Mu- town:thewonderfulBardo dot thesidewalks.Tunis’bestattractionsare amidcafésthat locals strollintheevenings Bourguiba, awide,tree-lined street where of theVilleNouvelle, centred onAve Habib lines na’s mazeiscontrasted bythestraight café, savouring yourpurchase. Themedi- keeper, before floppingontoapavement bargaining tothelastdinarwithashop- Its chaos isinfectious andyoumayendup enveloped inthescentof spicesandsweat. buyingandcartinggoodsaround, ple selling, streets of themedinaare crammedwithpeo- country’s mostinteresting city.Thetangled it’sbynomeansthe ern influences,though ing character of Tunisia’sWestern andEast- Tunis isagood introductiontotheoppos- % TUNIS and egg or excellentwithshrimp, ways includingegg), pocket thatcomeswitharange of fillings(al- variations of 218 train station onits southern side.train station hub of theMétro Léger network, andwith the Ave runseasttoPlace Barcelone, deCarthage Bourguiba andasAve deParis to thenorth. as Ave tothesouthof deCarthage Ave Habib fare of theVilleNouvelle isthestreet known Themain north–souththorough- evenings. a favourite stretch tostrutupanddown inthe cafés, banks,cinemas andrestaurants, andis to Placedel’Indépendance. Itislinedwith Tunisians love snackstoo,andtuckinto chappati, 71 /pop702,000 UI • Oinain TUNIS ••Orientation harissa abread envelope filledwithtuna, briq, . adeep-fried, thinpastry
for where andnumerousho- thetrainstation inthecitycentre,north toPlaceBarcelone from/arrive nearhere. It’sa10-minute walk p220); delnasser andAvedelnasser deParis (Map p220 ). of themost convenient are onRue Jamel Ab- open daily andhasaposte-restante service. The Post &Telephone of along Ave Habib Bourguiba. There’s abranch There are lotsof banks withATMs, mostly Money Publinet Access Internet the ownerwillbuyandexchange books. d’Angleterre) There’s a Bookshops INFORMATION Routière Sud. stoptoGare is the closest Place Barcelone, Alioua,onestop southof Bab Barcelone. Arous viaPlace from TunisMarine toBen tels are situated. MétroLéger line1runs el-Alleoua).Bab the south(Map p219 , Gare Routière Sudde and isforinternationalother station buses north alsoarrive andleave fromhere. The Bourguiba. oryoucantake bus3toAvestation), Habib by MétroLégerSaadoun lines3and4(Bab Routière Saadoun)isserved NorddeBab northern destinations(Map p219 , Gare Marsa. SidiBouSaïdandLa Carthage, north alongthecoasttorich suburbsof Goulette, aport,andthen fic acrosstoLa traf- carriesroadandlight-rail a causeway At theeastern endof Ave Habib Bourguiba, which leadstotheZitounamosqueatitsheart. side of themedina;andRueJemaa Zitouna, leads toPlaceduGouvernement attheother side of thesquare: RuedelaKasbah, which dina’s twomainstreets leadoff thewestern arch, beyondwhich isthemedina. Theme- front of Bhar Bab (Porte deFrance),ahuge guiba isAve deFrance,which terminates in la Liberté) The western extension of Ave Habib Bour- Taxiphone dot the citycentre. offices Two Theonefor Tunis hastwobusstations. Amex main post office Ave deMadrid . (perhrUS$1);
Mp p220; (Map with an English selection, where withanEnglish selection, second-hand bookshop Louages Mp p219) (Map Louages %
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Port 219 TUNISIA TUNISIA TUNISIA ing, before are upandpeople thestalls set atmospheric timetoexplore istheearlymorn- geous, ancientdoorwaysandtiledcafés.An to anythingfromshoes and tinyshopsselling of tinystreets, alleyways,tunnel-like coves The ants’nest-like &ACTIVITIES SIGHTS find someonewhospeaksEnglish. hours.tion, openthesame You’llbeableto free. There’s anotherbranch atthetrainsta- brochures andthemedina,all onCarthage map of Tunis,aroadmapof Tunisiaand The Offices Tourist 220 l’Afrique; l’Afrique; Rue des 4 1 3 2 Rue Jamaa Ez Zitouna CENTRAL TUNIS M edina
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sites US$5,cameraUS$1; The baths, cisterns, basilicasandstreets. houses, a widearea; theyincludeimpressive Roman tion, astheruinsare scantandscattered over walls.You’llhavehigh abitof touse imagina- 400,000 peopleandwassurroundedby13m- fine viewacross thesite. Oncethecityheld and wanderuptothetopof Hannibal offatCarthage tion. Get station suburban trainfromTunisMarine sta- reached byTunis–Gouette–Marsa (TGM) lie northeastof thecitycentre andare easily costsUS$4. stop. Ataxi by MétroLéger line4(US$0.50)totheBardo of thecitycentre. Thebestwaytoget there is are someof Africa’soldest.It’s3kmnorthwest gods feasting andfarming,are stunning,and with theirimages mosaics, of well-preserved in agloriouspalace. Themany,incredibly Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com friendly workers. air-conditioningstand-alone, unitsand here,the highlights combined withclumsy, walls, blue shutters andlittlebalconies are room US$16/23, withshared bathroom US$13/21) bath- [email protected]; 6 Rue deGrèce;s/dwithprivate 7.30pmand9am. can behadbetween 2pm, there’s a10pmcurfew andnoshowers from10amto it’sclosed may findirritating: therethough are afew regulations thatyou sical instruments. Thewelcomeisfriendly, a pretty, communalarea withArabicmu- basic: white wallsandbunkbeds,there’s Ajoula palace. Theroomshere are fairly the18th-centuryDarSaida you get tosee building inthemidstof themedina,where Es SaidaAjoula;dminclbreakfast US$5) more youget aleapupinquality. in andaroundthemedina,butifyou payabit There are lotsof rock-bottom budget places SLEEPING the museum. quarter of thePuniccity,ingroundsof Apr–mid-Sep) admission US$1.50; 8am-7pm Apr–mid-Sep) neo-Gothic monster of a It’s nexttothe19th-century,deconsecrated, such asrazors stuff everyday andkohl pots. andextraordinary mosaics statuary, mental former glories,withsuch wonders asmonu- The remains of PunicandRoman Hôtel Salammbô Hôtel Auberge deJeunesse Auberge Carthage Museum Carthage andthe h 8.30am-5pm mid-Sep–Mar, 8am-7pm 8.30am-5pm mid-Sep–Mar,
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TUNISIA TUNISIA TUNISIA co-operative qualityhandicraftsat thatsells de Marseilles; dishesUS$4-13) de Marseilles; 100; www.tunisair.com; 48Ave HabibBourguiba) Tuninter, the internal airlineof Air THERE&AWAY GETTING local wine. (Ave CharlesdeGaulle)where youcanbuy cheeses. There’s also aMonoprixsupermarket date varieties, succulentolives, selling delicatessens differing Grand Hôtel deFrance. There are alluring Marché (Map Centrale p220 ) andnearthe tirely fresh) foodcan befoundatandaround the medina. not alwaysen- Delicious(though the ruralcommunitiesthatmake them. fixed prices;theprofits are backinto ploughed deFemmes Mains SHOPPING and olives), onoffer. kabkabou delicious traditionalTunisiandishes, such as the mixed hors the d’oeuvres, thensample yourmealwith bles aroundtheedge. Begin central courtyard,withintimate, alcove ta- magnificent maindiningroominacovered mansion,youwillfinda tiled andstuccoed maculately restored, elaborate 18th-century mainsUS$14-20) Dar ElJed; alcohol. It serves with occasional,retro-looking live musicians. flowers, anddishessuch asbarbecuedoctopus, (US$2). mention goingtothechocolate mousse singing. Thefoodisexcellent,withspecial Paris ifitweren’t forthedrunken Tunisians 222 Carthage Tours Carthage cost more thanUS$5. the port to Ave Habib Bourguiba shouldn’t is byTGM suburbantrain. Aprivatefrom taxi The cheapest waytoreach the cityfromhere the endof across Tunis. Lake thecauseway Ferries Goulette, at fromEuropearrive atLa Boat are sometimes available. costs aroundUS$80,butcheaperflight deals Tunis to/fromJerba, Sfax andTozeur; each accessories andtonsof headto glorioustat, Tirrenia agent Navagazione, is whose For perfume,tiles, LaMamma Restaurant Dar ElJeld UI • Sopn TUNIS ••Shopping (fishwithfresh capers tomatoes,
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(Map (Map p220 ; 47Ave HabibBourguiba) Mp p219; (Map Uponentering thisim- chechias, (spicychilli paste) and Ared interior, plastic Mp p220; (Map % % 344 066; www.carthage 560916; 5-10Rue cheap clothes, Tunis Air % , fliesfrom 241 256;Rue
( % 330 A as Bastia (Corsica;as Bastia US$170/370). to/from Marseilles forsimilarpricesaswell p220; five routes running to various parts of the The modern (Métro Léger) tramsystem has Tram Marsa (US$1, 5amtomidnight). Goulette, Sidi BouSaidandLa Carthage, with thenorthern beachside suburbsof La The TGMrailsystem connects centralTunis Train around US$4. Museum, the Bardo less thanUS$3,andalonger one,such asto fare of more thanUS$15.Ashorthopwillcost Private are taxis cheap. It’shardtorunupa Taxi AROUND GETTING (US$5). (US$7),Sfaxto Sousse (US$9)andJendouba The mostpopularroute isthelinefromTunis Train corner of themedina. from PlaceSidiBouMendil atthesoutheast el-Jazira andtoTripoliUS$25,10hours) Louages Kef (US$8,3½hours, hourly)viaTebersouk. douba (US$7,three hours, sixdaily)andLe Draham (US$8,4½hours, fourdaily),Jen- Tabarka (US$8,three hours, hourly),Ain goto/from services the northernbusstation, (except Tripoli)leave regularly nearby.At station; areeral weekly) foundatthesouthernbus and Tripoli(Libya;US$25,11½hours, sev- (US$7,2½hours, hourly) hourly), Sousse hours, three daily),Sfax (US$10,fourhours, hours,eight onedaily),Jerba (US$17,eight hours, three daily),Matamata (US$14, hours, five daily),Tataouine (US$19,8½ to/fromTozeur (US$16,seven Services Local Transport CorseMéditerranée Nationale Maritime and Marseilles (France;US$180/380). US$150/250) (Italy; to/fromGenoa services % Compagnie Tunisienne deNavigation Speziain Italy. Sunday), andsometimesLa US$50/100, Monday),Naples(US$100/170, from TunisandTrapani(passenger/car tween tours.com.tn; 59Ave HabibBourguiba) 322 802; www.ctn.com.tn; 122RuedeYougoslavie) 322 802;www.ctn.com.tn; % 338 222;www.sncm.fr;47Farhat Hached) foreastern Algeria leave fromRue louages to the same destinations tothesame , runsboatsbe- lonelyplanet.com
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(SNCM; Map (SNCM; Map Société runs runs of ‘Mediterranean Harmony’ sea- –fantastic prawns followedbyamaincourse consisting perched high on a cliff overlooking perched onacliff high thesea, rich youngsters fromTunis.Thelittlevillage, architecture), it’snowmainlyenjoyedbythe gees (whoare responsible forthegorgeous Oncethehaventhe sea. forAndalusianrefu- drowned inbougainvilleaandperfumedby doors, andturquoise gleaming white houses Here, thenarrowcobbled streets are linedwith of Tunis isitsproximity totheenchanting village thatthebestthingabout It’s notunfairtosay AROUND TUNIS US$1. République. Tramfares are usuallyaround tions are andPlacedela PlaceBarcelone Themainsta- Museum. a stopfortheBardo bus and linesarecity. Theuseful 1forthesouthern Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com worth visiting. and Bulla Regia,this isan areaDougga well Roman citiesof and wonderfully preserved endless views of hazyvalleys fromitshills region, little explored byforeign visitors. With 1970s –arolling, green, magnificently lush Northern Tunisia islike fromthe ruralItaly TUNISIA NORTHERN but discreet. isfriendly in colonial-styleandtheservice rooms here are anddecorated comfortable as ( world’s top50placestostay. relaxed vibe. Thevillage alsohides one of the ortwoinSidiBou Saïd,enjoyingits a night be madnottotake uptheopportunitytostay inadvance. tookatable It’s advisable You’d a fresh andfrostywhite wine. fruitselection aromatic rice–are perfectly complemented by food accompaniedbyabowlof wild andwhite the breeze. Astarter of traditional andcandlesflicker in out towardsthesea cious andromanticdinner,whileyougaze Zarrouk; mainsfromUS$12) restaurant. has lovely hotels andatleastoneexcellent shady, flower-scented garden andpool.The andbayfromits viewsofsweeping thesea ern busand Ave delaLiberté,and34forthenorth- % Sidi BouSaïd 729 666;www.darsaid.com.tn;RueToumi;rfrom US$160; ) , housed inaconverted, housed villa,features louage Au Bon Vieux Temps BonVieux Au louage , afew stopsuptheTGMline. stations, 2forconsulates stations, on stations. Line4alsohas stations. serves upan ultradeli- serves
( % Hôtel DarSaïd Hôtel 774733; RueHedi NORTHERN TUNISIA••Tabarka NORTHERN briq with
however. the pool.Theair-con worktoowell, doesn’t drinksaround to bethetopspot forevening the summerheat.Helpfully, italsohappens theresea, isagoodpoolthatcansave lives in Sitting onahilloverlooking Tabarka andthe shutters.arched doorwaysandbright-yellow villa withanArabic twistof coloured glass, stillfullofthough charm. It’sanoldFrench as from themanagement. there aren’t toomanysmilesbouncingaround man andhisfamily,Mamia iscleanthough aroundatiledcourtyardandrun byanold Set grubby, andthere’s nohotwater. thebathrooms arebalconies. However, abit Old-fashioned ceilingsand roomswithhigh dation, save foroneoption. Tabarka hascheap, unremarkable accommo- Sleeping &Eating charges US$1perhour. Chaker) Bourguiba inthecentre, a There are banksandATMs alongAve Habib by themainstreet, Ave Habib Bourguiba. go by. men suckon old-fashioned feel, andpavement caféswhere ers. It’stherefore withan littledeveloped, Tunisians’ resort, rarely visited byforeign- gets downanddancesallday.Tabarka isa beats, wheneveryone orLatin sounds of Raï go fromthesophisticated jazzfestival tothe take placehere. Injustafew months youcan town’, thankstoallthemusicfestivals that stretches below,islocallyknownas‘music of alluringwhite that sand ing alongcurve old Genoese Tabarka, townwithatough aquietcoastal % TABARKA pavement, smoke billowing over the worried coffeehouse, withchairs allover andtables the shaded by vine-covered trees. best thing about itis thelovely outside, seating such as the standards menuofferingdecent food,especially theset menu US$8) Hôtel Les Mimosas Les Mimosas Hôtel Mamia Hôtel deCorail Hôtel Café Andalous Café Novelty Hôtel The small town has a grid layout, bisected The smalltownhasagridlayout,bisected 78 /pop13,600 and ) An eleganthotel, run-down slightly Friendly staff andmanagement, and Friendly staff Publinet fort
( shishas % ( (Ave HeidiChaker)
% ( % (closed tothepublic)back- (closed 671 058;3RuedeTunis; s/d US$9/15) 670176; 68Ave HabibBourguiba;set 673 789;RueTazarka; s/dUS$8/13)
(Route Touristique) ( briq andwatch theworld % 673 018;s/dUS$25/45; andcouscous.The post office The classic male , which
(Ave Hedi 223
TUNISIA TUNISIA TUNISIA 5.30pm Oct-Mar) some pool, as well as sweeping views from some pool,aswellsweeping rooms, afriendlyownerandplace toshoot 200; s/dUS$25/30) veranda isadelight. underthe shady figtreecoffee orbeer on the are inanadjacentbuilding.Sippinga housed not-quite valueformoney,pretty basicrooms 3-course menuUS$12) the opening up. huge hillsthick withtrees, withvastviews herebetween andTabarka snakes through usually hassnowduringwinter. Theroad at analtitudeof around900m,AinDraham hunting trophiesready fortheoven. Situated butchers’ andother heads shopsdisplaystags’ past youwiththeirtomato-filled bags,and sit bythepavements, veiled womenswish Here, gnarledmen among thealpinehouses, alpine temperatures duringthesummerheat. and thewelcomerespite offered bythecooler, hunting andhikingopportunitiesitaffords primaryappealliesinthe Draham, whose you’llfindthevillagemirie Mountains of Ain In themiddleof thecorkforest of theKrou- AIN DRAHAM (US$3) andTunis(US$7). guiba forAinDraham(US$2),Jendouba daily). Kef11 daily)andLe (US$5,three hours, two five daily),AinDraham(US$2,45minutes, hours, sixdaily),Jendouba (US$3,1½hours, to/fromTunis(US$7,three and hasservices isonRueduPeupleThe SNTRIbusstation &Away There Getting such asspikyantlers. interior isdeliberately sprinkledwithoddities uers orbackgammon.Theelaborately tiled faces contemplating theirnextmove atcheq- 224 mission US$2,camera US$1; This remarkably well-preserved REGIA BULLA sionally Tunis. to/from Tabarka andJendouba, and occa- 4½ hours, fourdaily).Regular three hours, ninedaily)andTunis (US$7, Kef(US$2, 45minutes, 11daily), Le (US$3, daily)and Tabarka(US$2, onehour, seven the roof terrace. There are regular toJendouba buses Paragliding wildboarwelcomeyouinto Hôtel Beauséjour Hôtel OTENTNSA • i rhm TUNISIA••AinDraham NORTHERN Louages isfamous for itsextraordinary offers Granny’shouse-type leave fromAve Habib Bour- huntinglodge, where the
( % h Résidence LePins 655 363;rperpersonUS$19; 7am-7pm Apr-Sep, 8.30am- 7am-7pm Apr-Sep, Roman city louages
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go (ad- 656 hour. l’Indépendance) For internet access headto office out Place del’Indépendance, andabusy taxi. louage a 10-minute walk uphillfromthebusand centre, aroundPlacedel’Indépendance, is turbed bythepackage tourgroups. Thecity in thelazycoffee drinking withoutbeingdis- savour thefriendlyatmosphere, andpartake come outthisway,soyoushould beable to around ascoopof park.Notmanytravellers and blue-shuttered buildings,andiscentred characterised bynarrow,hilly,cobbledstreets thecityis in woollyhatsandheadscarves, kasbah. Skirted byfieldsdotted withfigures ‘rock’) istoppedbyastorybook Byzantine inthehills, High KefLe (el Kef, Arabicfor % LE KEF(ELKEF) US$0.30. US$2, orshared to/from thesite cost taxis Tabarka. fromJendouba Ataxi costsaround regular and buses travelling to/fromTunis,andthere are also the ticket office. somewhere, youcanleave yourluggage at KefLe or Tabarka. Ifyouvisitenroute to be easilyvisited onadaytripfromTunis, of Tunis,9kmnorthof Jendouba, andmay cherubs. phitrite: Venus andcentaurs, withattendant ofmost strikingisfoundintheHouse Am- Martha Stewart, ifshewere tovisit.The ever give might to think whatideasthemosaics in place. Used asflooringhere, youcan’tbut inTunis,butlotsremain Museum the Bardo of thestunningworkshave moved been to impressive of istheHouse theHunt.Some become increasingly more elaborate: most dates fromthe2nd-century.Thenewervillas plest structure, of theHouse Fishing,which sim- attheoldestthough ples canbeseen subjects,andespeciallylovelymosaic exam- areThe ‘houses’ themedaccordingtotheir egant homesfortheirmoneyedinhabitants. below thesurfaceandcreated extensive, el- heat, theever-inventive Romansretreated underground villas.Toescapethesummer There are banksscattered several through- Trains toJendouba are yourbestbetwhen Bulla Regiaisapproximately 160kmwest 78 /pop46,000 islocated nearbyon Rue Hedi Chaker. station, oraUS$0.50rideinshared station, which charges US$1.50 per louages to/from Le Kef to/fromLe and lonelyplanet.com Publinet
(Place de post you’ll findanenchanting stepped area, shad- brilliantly tiledinterior. Outsidethemosque Sidi Boumakhlouf bah sitsthebeautiful17th-century thekas- tents. Below exhibits includeBerber culture of nomads,and theregion’s Berber concentrates onthe1666. Themuseum rounding thetombof datingfrom asaint) 1pm &4-7pmApr–mid-Sep) US$1, cameraUS$1; etTraditionsPopulaires desArts Musée flanks thekasbahleadstowell-laid-out from Placedel’Indépendance. Theroadthat steps theold leadinguphillthrough Toget tothekasbah,followstone BC. have occupiedthesite sincethe5thcentury the latest inalongstringof fortresses that can trees. Thestructure todayis thatstands rolling blue-green landscape dotted withTus- there are great viewslookingoutacrossthe Jebelfrom aspurrunningoff Dyr. Fromhere, asafilmlocation,dominates thecity used The Sights Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com fice, with awelcoming atmosphere and good around US$2) breakfast. rooms comewithheating andagood fortable small, family-run pensionwhere the com- beneath thewalls of theoldkasbah;it’s a bathroom. an elaborately tiledplacewithanattached Ask inthebestroom: it’s theowner tostay bathrooms are notalwayssqueakyclean). attractive the roomswithbalconies(though place offers eccentricmanagement andsome l’Indépendance. All thehotels are onoraroundPlacede Sleeping &Eating tip him. ics. Thecaretaker willletyouin;should of newspapers andoldmanuscripts,like rel- as therestored interior, there are fragments of localculture that’sdisappeared. As well chairs. owed byasingletree anddotted withcafé the restored synagogue paystribute toapart curiosity –there are noJews here now,and high-ceilinged, former s/d inclbreakfast US$18/25) Restaurant BouMaklouf Restaurant LeSource Hôtel Résidence Venus The kasbah Synagogue AlGhriba Diagonally opposite thepost of-
(admission free; h , withitswhite cupolasanda
( 9.30am-4.30pm mid-Sep–May, 9am- 9.30am-4.30pm mid-Sep–May, ( % % Asmartplace,nestled , situated inabeautiful, 204 397;s/dUS$14/22) 204 695; Rue Mouldi Khamessi; 204 695;RueMouldiKhamessi; h zaouia
(Rue Hedi Chaker; mains (Rue HediChaker; (Rue Farhat Hached) 8am-5pm) (complexsur- NORTHERN TUNISIA••Dougga NORTHERN ,
frequently Mosque of
(admission medina This isa
are the off columnssupportingtheportico. Nearby show- wallsand sixmighty, with 10m-high imposing, hilltop and August.Thetownisdominated bythe soup). Tunis; Tebersouk town.It’s istheclosest Tunis and Le KefTunis andLe allcallatTebersouk. At business. Frequent or buses the two;youcan leave yourpackatalocal Keffrom TunisorLe –orenroute between tovisitthesiteeasy enough onadaytrip maintained. is areminder of howallthisgoodlife was for theslaves, whokept thebaths operating, indication of thetown’sprosperity.Atunnel duringthe good effect to the audiencebeautifulviews,and isused more than3500spectators. Today,itallows the theatre, builtinAD188,accommodated of sweep Thesemi-circular istically tangled. explains whythestreets are souncharacter- which aNumidiansettlement, cient Thugga, here). Thecitywasbuiltonthesite of an- theatre andtemples (21have identified been around which life wascentred: thebaths, the site, withthe Roman comfortsandculture 5.30pm Oct-Mar) mission US$2,cameraUS$1; liestheRomancityofMountains landscape of theKalled Valley andTebersouk Perched above therolling, DOUGGA (US$3, onehour). turnoffdropped off attheNewDougga Kef–Tunistake the Le busandasktobe (US$7, 3½hours, hourly).TovisitDougga, There are travelling buses to/fromTunis &Away There Getting mains aroundUS$8) for US$5. offer totake you there and pick youup later 3km walk totheruins,but, again,localswill turn-off on themainroad. Fromhere it’sa you can get off thebus attheNewDougga Alternatively, ifyou’re Kef, comingfrom Le site andpickyouupatatime of yourchoice. to transportyou the remaining 7kmtothe the busstopyou’ll findlocalsaskingUS$5 chicken and andpotatoes, rant, and it serves alcohol. rant, anditserves The site islocated 110kmsouthwestof Venus Restaurant Licinian Baths . It’sawonderfullycomplete This isthetown’sbestrestau- Capitol ofDougga Capitol
( % –theirsizeisafurther h Dougga Festival 200355; RueFarhat Hached; 8am-7pm Apr-Sep, 8.30am- 8am-7pm Apr-Sep, lablabi louages Sound of Music (AD166), (chickpea Dougga between between inJuly 225
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TUNISIA TUNISIA TUNISIA visitor of afortress, withbeaten stonepillars The medina’s prideandjoyisthe Sights Maarouf) Bourguiba. There’s a is nearby.There are banksalongAve Habib is spoken. The &Sat) 8.30am-1.30pm Fri Place Farhat Hached; side of themedina. The square, PlaceFarhat Hached, onthe northeast Everything tothemain of isclose importance &Information Orientation to get itoutof crevice every later. its softness, take youawhile itmight though and perfect you’llenjoyjustrollingaroundin most attractive beaches, sosmooth withsand cake.sandcastle alsohasoneof Sousse the fortificationsthatlook like medieval a high, centre, cordonedoff fromtherest of townby inthe but mostlyhappy.Themedinastands hours later sweatyandladenwithshopping, medina drawspeoplein,spittingthemout who fillthestreets alldaylong.Thehuge daily bustleof visitors, studentsandlocals isTunisia’sliveliestSousse town,fullof the % SOUSSE chitecture of thebeach-fringed Jerba island. atEl-Jem,colosseum andthefascinatingar- sparkling harbouratMehdia, theincredible with alovely beach medina, the andatangled the vibrancyof aMediterranean Sousse, city of Tunisiaisamongthemostfascinating,with comes unobstructed andparched. Thispart the greenery dissipates andthelandscapebe- As youmove fromthenorthintosouth, CENTRAL TUNISIA 226 and presented inbuildings around courtyards, credible beautifully restored Roman mosaics, inTunis,and it displayssome in- Museum onlytothe Bardo This collection issecond US$1; deSource Musée Farhat Hached. Both are in thenortheastcorner,nearPlace wide, sunnycourtyard of the and great viewsfromthe tower. Nearbyisthe US$2, cameraUS$1) The 73 /pop155,900 h SOUSSE anda kasbah 9am-noon & 2-6pmTue-Thu, 9am-6pm Fri-Sun). ontopof the thehillcontains Taxiphone ( amonastery thatreminds the % h post office 7322 7256;admissionUS$3, camera 8.30am-1pm &3-5.45pmSun-Thu, is efficient and English isefficient Publinet
tourist office tourist office
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you into this bright placejustinsidetheme- you intothisbright seafood, and it serves booze. andit serves seafood, US$3.50-7) kling clean. Youcanbring yourownwine. isspar-welcoming andfriendly; everything menu isexcellent value;theowner,Walid,is under theglass top. Thefive-course table set kins andhangthem uponwallsorpress them who write their appreciative commentson nap- Nord; setmenuUS$4) on aquietmorning. the pavement terrace, andpeople-watching coffee andhuge glassof fresh orange juice on forabreakfastExcellent of fresh croissants, the medina,particularlyalongRue deParis. andAvethe trainstation Habib Bourguiba, or For quicksnacksgotoRueRemada, between Eating pool, nowalldustyandforgotten. roomsandanempty banister, bright staircase African designs,aseaside-inspired copper have rocked whenitfirst Sousse opened. s/d fromUS$18/26) phere andafriendlysmile. good cleanrooms,balconies,afamilyatmos- r perpersonUS$15; a roof terrace andawidepatio. dina’s northwall,withsparklingcleanrooms, US$10/15) ment’s notice. dina, soyoucanget yoursouvenirs atamo- in alcove Itisatthecore settings. of theme- US$6/15) standing. noneareside mediumcomfort,though out- The hotels varyfrommedinafleapitstosea- Sleeping amidallthelivelyis asurprise antiquities. trict medina walls. medina; accessisfromanentranceoutsidethe There’s noaccesstothekasbahfrominside eyed Neptune,musculargodsandlotsof fish. life. Subjectsincludeaswirling-haired, sad- providing of aglimpse thegloryof Roman Restaurant-Bar de Tunisie Restaurant-Bar duPeuple Restaurant TeatroCafé Monia Residence Hôtel deParis Hôtel Ezzouhour Hôtel The oddandcreepy, walled-off Hôtel Hadrumete Hôtel in thenorthwestern cornerof themedina Dirt cheap, tiledrooms butwithclean, A jolly, house-proud manwelcomes Ajolly,house-proud Smart andpopular, specialising in (Rue Braunschweig;breakfast US$2.50) Thisfading’60sprincessmust
( % a Super-popular withtravellers,
( 220 564; 15 Rue du Rempart Nord;s/d 220 564;15RueduRempart ) ( % Best valueintownwith Best % ( 228 729;48RuedeParis; s/d 226 291;PlaceFarhat Hached; %
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(Rue AliBelhaouane; dishes 226 182; Rue du Rempart 226 182;RueduRempart 210 469; Rue Remada; 210 469;RueRemada; lonelyplanet.com red-light dis- red-light Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com
To Tunis(140km) (500m) To Catacombs 4 Aout 3 Ave 6 1 3 2 5 SOUSSE
Ave du Commandant Bjaoui Buses toMahdia,Monastir C3 Tourist Office...... &Portel-Kantaoui...... Restaurant-Bar deTunisie...... Restaurant duPeuple...... (see8) Cafe Teatre...... Hôtel ResidenceMonia...... Hotel Hadrumete...... Hôtel Ezzouhour...... Hôtel deParis...... Ribat...... Musée deSource...... (see6) Kasbah...... Grande Mosquée...... Taxiphone Office...... Publinet...... Post Office...... TRANSPORT EATING SLEEPING SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION
To LouageStation (800m); Kairouan (57km); 1957 Juillet 25 Ave
Sfax (127km) Ave Tahar Sfar Tahar Ave Ave Victor Hugo AC Bab el-Finga
ὈὈ ὈὈ Rue Abou Nawas Abou Rue
Ave du Marechal Tito Marechal du Ave Steps 14 13 12 11 10
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 9 8 Rue
Bab el-Gharbi Saida C3 C2 C2 C2 D3 C4 C3 C3 B6 C3 C3 B3 C3
Nejma
Rue
Rue Sidi Rue
Rue Maarouf Mohamed Ave
Said Ibn Rue el-Aghlaba Sfar Bechir Rue CENTRALTUNISIA••Sousse
Dar Rachik Steps B Station Jardin Rue Public Train
6 Steps
Ὀ Ὀ
Ave de la République la de Ave Rue 22 Janvier 1952 Janvier 22 Rue
Blvd Yahia ben Omar Place Sbat Dalma Rue Teyes Sultan Rue de la
Nadjar 2
Rue Souq Ave Hasouna Ayachi Hasouna Ave
Rue du Rempart Nord Tazerka Rue de
Bouraoui Rue Rue Palestine Rue Sidi Rue Kasbah d'Algerie Rue Rue
Rue Sidi Baaziz el-Caid Dar
de Malte
Rue Abid Rue Remada Rue
Rue du Rempart Sud Laroussi 7 11
1 Bourguiba Habib Ave
Souq er-Ribaa
Z
a r uk o r
Rue d'Angleterre Rue ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ
14
Rue el-Hajira Rue Rue de Sakka el-Maar Bab el-Kebli
9 8 Rue Rue Rajah Ibrahim Rue Massicault
Rue de Paris Othene Osmane 4
Rue Rue Pasteur Place des
Braunschweig
Rue Martyrs el-Araoui
13 Rue Koqbar
Ave du 18 Janvier 1952 5
12
Rue Ali Belhaouane Ali Rue
Ave Soudan de Rue el-Ghourba France de Rue Rèpublique Place dela Hached Farhat Place Jebenet
3 Rue Cairo Place
Rue Laroussi Haddad Laroussi Rue
Ave
M
oha Rue Salem Rue mmed
I'Indépendance
Bab el-Jedid
Ali Hmida ben
10 Ave Habib Thameur Habib Ave M EDITRAN 200m 0.1miles 0 0 To Monastir(24km); du Port
Place Ave Mohammed V Mohammed Ave S EA D Mahdia (68km) Rue Aviceune Port
Station Train
227 TUNISIA TUNISIA TUNISIA tiny placeequalonevisittoMecca. visits tothis the Islamichierarchy thatseven 670, andKairouan in becamesoimportant whentheyarrivedbase fromtheeast inAD It washere thatArabs theirfirst established hand of Fatima, are hauntingandbeautiful. some hungwithbirdcages ormarked bythe white-washed, blue-andgreen-edged houses, are sure toconfoundyou.Thecrumbling, nisia’s othermedinas,thestreets of Kairouan pations. Ifyouhaven’t lostinanyof been Tu- carpetsareselling themostrevered of occu- most holycities,where praisingGodand The walledcityof Kairouan isoneof Islam’s % KAIROUAN three hours) andSfax (US$6,2½hours). to Kairouan (US$3,1½hours), Gabès(US$10, fares,tinations foraroundthesame aswell and Friday).There are Tripoli (Libya;US$23,oneMonday,Tuesday (US$13, sixhours,daily), Nefta onedaily)and hours, onedaily),Tunis(US$6,2½hours, 10 hours, onedaily),Douz(US$14,seven seven (US$11, 5½hours, onedaily),Jerba (US$14, (US$15, 6½hours, onedaily),Matmata Jem (US$3,onehour,three daily),Tataouine road toKairouan. There are to/fromEl buses el-Ahad, 1kmsouthwestof themedinaon have reported stolenhere. having stuff Watch outforpickpockets travellers – several tion atthesouthernendof Ave Mohammed V. airport (20minutes), leave Jedid fromBab sta- viathe Mahdia (US$2,1½hours, half-hourly), Farhat Hached, whereas trainstoMonastirand for Sfax andTunisisjustnorthwestof Place making trainthebestwaytotravel. Thestation areThe trainstations conveniently central, &Away There Getting 228 of Placedes Martyrs, and there’s a into most of the town’sattractions (US$3.50). combined tickets thatsell thatallowyou Basins 8am-5.30pmNov-Mar) 6pm Apr-Sep, noon Sun) 452, 230452;PlacedesMartyrs; There’s an Information festival ‘which will finish very soon’. telling youofas wellthose a one-daycarpet people offering ‘professional guideservices’, All the major banksare on thestreets south Watch outfortiresome carpettoutsand The busand 77 /pop110,000 ETA UII • Kioa CENTRAL TUNISIA••Kairouan anda ONTT tourist office tourist ONTT tourist office tourist louage louages h stations are stations atSouq
(Ave Ibnel-Aghlab; 8am-5.30pm Mon-Sat,8am-
( nearthe Aghlabite % to the same des- tothesame 231 897,797,221 post office h 8am-
travel toTunis (US$6, three hours, hourly), connections with the rest of Tunisia. Buses Kairouan hasgoodtransport el-Belaoui. Zama of themedina on theroadtoSbeitla, off Ave The bus and &Away There Getting briqs airy restaurant egg-dripping withjuicysalads, Hassan; setmealUS$5) for goodfoodinfriendly surroundings. menu andamadbirdincage, thisistheplace away fromthedustyworldoutside. US$45/67; overlook the medina. a scrubatthehotel’s ing yourpennies,andyoucanget yourself ifyou’regood placetospendthenight count- Sabra Hôtel Sleeping &Eating three hairs fromtheProphet’sbeard. tocarryaround whoused el-Belaoui, Zama of oneof theprophet’scompanions,Abu themausoleum itcontains mosque’, because luminescent colours andknownasthe‘barber tury be connected toMecca. in acircle,drawingwater to fromawellsaid Bir Barouta fine stuccoandwoodwork;depressing 14th-century 9th century,withrare inscriptionsinitsfaçade; Doors of theThree poursnoon, wheneveryone outafter prayer. look atthecrowdedcourtyardinafter- in thispart.Ifyou’re here onaFriday,take a southern side–non-Muslimsare notallowed 400 pillars, isacoolshadowyspaceonthe medina. Theprayerhall,supported byaround large area of the northeastern cornerof the with itsenormouscourtyardandfillsupa Nafâa; The 9th-century Sights It’s open24hours. at (Ave delaRépublique). set menuUS$3) Publinet Restaurant Karawan Restaurant laKasbah Hôtel Other sites inthemedinainclude Restaurant Sabra Restaurant Northwest of themedinais17th-cen- and fluffy couscous. andfluffy Zaouia SidiSahab h as 8am-noon Tue-Sun, 8am-2pmMon)
where ablindfolded camelwalks (Ave Zamael-Belaoui) ( % Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com A popular local eatery with a set A popularlocaleatery withaset ) 230263; Place des Martyrs; s/dUS$9/14) 230263; PlacedesMartyrs; louage Zaouia SidiAbidel-Ghariani Theelegantinterior isgalaxies (closed tonon-Muslims),also (closed Alternatively, trythisspotless,
Travellers cancheck email
( Grande Mosquée % ( %
( stations are stations northwest
% 237 301;Ave Ibnel-Jazzar; s/d ( 235 095;Ave delaRépublique; h hammam 232 556; Rue Soukina Bintel- 232 556;RueSoukina 7.30am-6pm) forUS$1perhour.
. Windows (Rue Okbaibn surprises surprises , tiledin Mosque with A lonelyplanet.com 4 6 1 9 3 2 5 KAIROUAN
ὈὈ Rue Hannibal Rue
Cemetery Sbeitla (107km) Bus Station(500m); To LouageStation(400m); Ave Zama el- Zama Ave Sbeitla (107km);Makthar(114km) To Bus&LouageStations(300m);
Some MinorRoads
3 Belaoui Not Depicted
Cemetery Rue Ibn Aria Rue
AC
Abou Nawas
Ave Zomâa Ave Ave
Ave Ibn el-Aghlab CENTRALTUNISIA••Kairouan
Ahmed Rue Ennahassine Rue
Aghlabid
Ave el-Moez ibn Badis
Basins
Rue Bab Essalam Bab Rue Tlili
Rue de la Liberté la de Rue
Rue Ibn Zoubeir Ibn Rue Rue Essaadila
Rue de Zeroud de Rue
Ave Tarek ibn Zayed Zayed ibn Tarek Ave Sidi Gaid Sidi
Hammamet (97km);
To Sousse(57km); Rue Tunis (155km) Rue Ziryeb Neji 7 Novembre Place B 4
Rue Mohammed Fayez
Ave Ibn el-Jazzar Ibn Ave Mosque oftheThreeDoors...... Grande Mosquée...... Bir Barouta...... Tourist Office...... Publinet...... ONTT TouristOffice...... otOfc...... C6 Post Office...... SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION Bab Tunis Ave Ali Zouaoui Ali Ave Rue el-Bakri Rue
Rue de la Victoire la de Rue Ave Ali Belhouane To Raqqada (9km); de Tunis de
Sfax (136km) Rue Bab Jedid Place Market
Rue Ali el-Barrak
Rue Sidi Novembre 7 Ave 10
Rue Oum el- Ave Ali Zouaoui Ali Ave Rue Ali Abdel Rue Salah Ben Ammar M oumen Soussi
Rue des Tailleurs Place des Dar Rue Mouminin Aïcha Martyrs 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 5
Ave du 20 Souqs 11 D4 D3 C4 B1 A4 C5
Rue SoukinaAve Bint de el-Hassan la République Souq el-
Blaghija
Avril Rue de la Kasbah
Rue Habib Thameur el-Bey Rue 9 Rue Rue de Jerba Mars Hamda Ave
2 Rue auaSd aa...... A3 Zaouia SidiSahab...... Restaurant Sabra...... Restaurant Karawan...... Hôtel Sabra...... Hôtel laKasbah...... Zaouia SidiAbidel-Ghariani...... EATING SLEEPING
Rue de 400m 0.2miles 0 0 1 13
To El-Jem (69km) la Mosquée Rue el-Khadra 12
8 Zarrouk
Ave de M de Ave Sidi Place Lâaouani ouine Cemetery Bab echChouhada
Ὀ Ὀ el- des
Nouvelle Ghariani Rue Rue 2 Mars 1934 ahdia 7 Trois el-
Ville Zoukbar Rue
Rue Eddabaghine Rue Kad Rue Sidi Abdelkader
Portes Rue Sidi
raoui ibn Okba Rue Ave Assad ibn Fourat ibn Assad Ave Rue Mohammed Rue Bou
el-Kedidi
el-Khoukha
Hilloui Rue
Omrani 6
Bab Jedid Rue Oum Yadh Oum Rue
Bab Nafâa
Hassan en-Nooman Hassan
D Bab el-Monkas Sahnoun el-Imam Ave Ave de Kortoba Essayouri Bab Rue Essay To Sousse
ouri 13 12 11 10 9 8 (68km)
C6 C6 C5 C3 C5 229 TUNISIA TUNISIA TUNISIA You can sit outside,andsip wineorbeer. fortifications thatprotected ancientMahdia. of atunnel),which isallthatremains of the two in at Benghazi Borj el-Kebir built bytheFatimids inthe10th century.The times) Noamine; The unadorned themassivethrough prayer times).Accesstotheoldmedinais (non-Muslims allowedincourtyardoutside the 18th-century cafés, shaded bytrees andvines,borders Tunisie Farhat Hached) Aly Bey) ing, andtheotherhalfmakingsilkscarves. fish- of spend halftheweek theburlyartisans shops hiddenawayinthebackstreets. Some famous forsilk-weaving, andthere are work- ting ready forworkonthemarina. Mahdia is fishermenget-of tourists,andyoucansee 909 to1171.The medina iswonderfully free Mahdi, which dominated NorthAfricafrom oftal theFatimids, aMuslimdynastyruledby back tothe10thcentury,whenitwascapi- hasn’t changed fordecades.Thetowndates town, withanold-fashioned medinaarea that Mahdia isasparklingMediterranean port % MAHDIA (US$11, 4½hours, three timesdaily). hours,(US$14, seven oncedaily)andTozeur Jerba (US$12,five hours, twicedaily),Douz 230 centre, beyond the port.There are regular US$3-15) taurant Le Lido at fresh andhearty portionsare salads, available tinguished owner. Chicken andfishcouscous, offers afamilyfeel withcleanrooms andadis- sea. has atoplocation withroomsoverlooking the el-Jazira Hôtel but theviewsare worthpayingfor. a large fortress; there’s notmuch lefttosee, midnight, women2-7pm) The train station is 500mwest ofThe train station thetown There are twohotels insidethe medina. Mahdia’s The lovely central There isasmall Restaurant el-Moez Restaurant 73 /pop44,600 Hôtel Médina Hôtel bain maures is a20th-centuryreplica of themosque ETA UII • Mhi CENTRAL TUNISIA••Mahdia justinsidethemedina.
(off RuedesFatimides) isaleap upmarket, withtablecloths. h non-Muslims allowed in courtyard outsideprayer allowedincourtyard non-Muslims changes money, asdoes
(admission US$1;
( docks %
( The English %
(hammams; ( 681 629;36RueIbnFourat; s/dUS$7/18) % Grande Mosquée were used as the seafront were astheseafront used 681 339;Ave Farhat Hached; dishes Mosque of Mustapha Hamza Mosque ofMustapha inthecentre tourist office tourist 694 664; Rue el Kaem; s/dUS$7/18) 694 664;RueelKaem;
Place duCaire (mains US$1.50) Skifa el-Kahla gate el-Kahla Skifa . h h
Patient 9am-noon &2-6pm) men 4am-2pm&7pm- Banque deSud
(
% . isfilledwith (Place Khadi en- (Place Khadi , while . There are 681 098;Rue Banque de (more Res-
(Ave is
ers gladi- withmoneytoburn,itshowcased Built nearly2000years agobyolive-oil trad- rest of thealready-tiny townlookminuscule. of hours, enroute toJerba, ifonly tohave a largest cityisworth stopping in foracouple and carry ondowntoJerba, butthis second- youtoskip Most Tunisians willadvise Sfax % SFAX forUS$1.50. at thetrainstation utes, three daily).Youcanleave yourluggage hour, three (US$3, 30min- daily)viaSousse There are trainsto/fromSfax (US$3,one 1½ hours) andMahdia (US$2,30minutes). Sfax (US$3, (US$3,onehour),Sousse serves and 306; dishesUS$3-6) but youcaneatat El-Jem wouldprove adepressing experience, the coy-looking complete includingsuch mosaics, subjectsas some excavated villasof theformerlocals,and ontheroadtoSfax. Ithouses the trainstation into the souvenir touts. cafés andantiqueshops, plustheinevitable is notmore thanafew streets interlinked by inTunis.Today,thetown Museum the Bardo 20 El-Jem onDionysianthemesin mosaics thebloodletting.Therebetween are more than Vegas, withlotsof feasting andmerry-making floor. Thetownwasonceakindof RomanLas features includingamovablestate-of-the-art andithad popular Romanentertainments, atorial combat,executions andothersuch Sep–Mar) US$1; coloured El-Jem’s onlyclaimtofameisthehuge honey- % EL-JEM 1½ hours, hourly). Sfax (US$4,2½hours) (US$2, andSousse El-Jem to (US$2,30minutes), andbuses hour), Sfax (US$4),Karaouan (US$4)and louages further westontheroadtoSfax. There are The busand one dailytoTunis(US$9/6,fourhours). (1st/2ndclassUS$3/2)and trains toSousse pretty yummy. The Admission to the colosseum alsogets you Admission tothecolosseum 74 /pop249,000 73 /pop19,500 salade tunisienne h louage to Tunis (US$7), Sousse (US$2,one toTunis(US$7),Sousse , a mighty monumentthatmakes, amighty the museum 7am-7pm Apr–mid-Sep, 7.30am-5.30pmmid- 7am-7pm Apr–mid-Sep, Roman Colosseum station is near the museum and isnearthe museum station louage where theubiquitouscouscous , which isabout500m southof Genius of the Year Restaurant LeBonheur Restaurant station are station about800m or salademechouia
(admission US$4,camera lonelyplanet.com . Staying in . Staying
( % are 630 ὈὈὈὈ ὈὈὈὈ ὈὈὈὈ lonelyplanet.com (136km) To Gabès 4 6 1 3 2
5 Ave des Martyrs SFAX Station (200m) To Louage
Rue Commandant Bejaoui
Blvd Farhat Hached Ave du 18 Janvier 18 du Ave Gardens To Kairouan(136km) 12
10
Rue Irribat Rue Rue Ave de L'Algérie el-Ksar 13 AC Bab el-Chergui
Rue To El-Jem(64km); Sousse (127km)
CENTRALTUNISIA••Sfax
Rue Abdelkader
Cheikh Rue Imam Boukhari Imam Rue Souq el-Omrane Souq desParfums
Rue Amilcar Covered Tijani
Street Bab Jebli
Souq desEtoffes Notaires
Rue des Rue Rue el Arbi Zarrouk Arbi el Rue el-Kasbah Rue Rue Sidi Ali Karrai Ave Ali Bach Hamba Bab Bijoutiers Souq des
de
Rue de la Aghlabites
Rue Bab Jedid Rue
Rue des
la des Rue Haffouz Rue
Mecque To Mahdia
(105km)
Rue Mongi Slim Mongi Rue
Rue Marché Marché Rue
Central Gardens
Rue el- Rue
Kasbah Okba Teinturiers
11
Rue de Kairouan de Rue 4
Ave Mohammed Hedi Khefecha Hedi Mohammed Ave B Market Central Rue Dag Rue
ὈὈ ὈὈ ὈὈ ὈὈ
Rue
Hammarskjold Rue des Forgerons
de la de Rue Grande Rue
2 Ahmed
Jomaa Souq el- Mosquée Kheireddine Rue 3 Marburg République Ave Habib Bourguiba Place dela Bey
Place Sidi Ave Hedi Chaker Hedi Ave Diwan Rue Khalifa Bab
7 Khelil Rue Rue la Rue
Driba de Remparts des
Borj Rue de Haffouz de Rue
Ὀ
Ave Ali Belhouane Rue
Port Dar
Rue Patrice Lumumba Patrice Rue Ennar Essebai
Rue Habib Maazoun Habib Rue Rue Mohammed Ali Mohammed Rue 9 el-Gharbi
Bab du Mars I'Armee de Ave
Ave Ali Bach Hamba Place 2
6 Ave Hedi Chaker Hedi Ave 200m 0.1miles 0 0
SNTRI BusStation...... Northern BusStation...... Local Buses...... Ferries toKerkennahIslands...... Salon deThéChezElle...... Restaurant Tunisienne...... Restaurant auBecFin...... Hôtel delaPaix...... (see5) Hôtel Alexander...... Grande Mosquée...... Traditions...... Tourist Office...... Publinet...... Dar JellouliMuseumofPopular TRANSPORT DRINKING EATING SLEEPING SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION otenBsSain...... A5 Southern BusStation......
Rue Salem Harzallah Salem Rue
Rue Aboulkacem ech Chabbi ech Aboulkacem Rue Rue Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Rue
Station
Train
Rue Mongi Bali Mongi Rue Rue Cheikh Megdich Cheikh Rue
Rue Habib Thameur 1
Rue de Remada 5 Rue de Tazarka de Rue D 8 Islands (25km) To Kerkennah Rue Tahar Sfar 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
A5 B1 A2 C6 D3 C3 C3 D4 B2 B2 B6 D4 231 TUNISIA TUNISIA TUNISIA the downstairs room). Itfeatures dustytinsel with ATMs. banks aroundAve Habib Bourguiba, several au BecFin orabowlofspaghetti, couscous. medina andget some‘traditional’ yourself for floppingdownafter traipsingaroundthe Tunisienne shutteredwith comfortable, rooms. Dumas; s/dUS$17/20) s/d US$13/16) painted glass. stucco, displayingjewellery,costumes and woodenpanellingandornate with carved inabeautiful17th-centurymansion housed mission US$1,cameraUS$1; the de laGrandeMosquée; north of the9th-century clude theatmosphericoldcovered in- themajorcontains attractions.Highlights represent inthefilm Cairo Hedi Khefecha) foreign women. here, aslocalmenare toseeing notsoused find theatmosphere somewhatoppressive a child’s toycastle. Female travellers might lated wallsthatcouldhave filched from been the 7thcenturyandissurroundedbycrenu- butchers asithasforcenturies.Itdates from tors, blacksmith workshopsand butcontains The prettifiedmedina hasn’tbeen forvisi- bringthemmuch popularity. nisia, doesn’t hardworking business people,which, inTu- tourism. Sfaxiens have thereputation of being out thetownmedina,aspaceuntouched by aSfaxian speciality,andcheckand tomatoes), lunch of delicious 232 (US$7/6); and westto Metlaoui (US$10/8). hourly) andTunis (US$11/9); southto Gabès to El-Jem, (1st/2ndclass US$7/5,half- Sousse Ave Habib Bourguiba. There are trainsnorth travel. is at theeastern endof Thetrainstation ing furiously. decorations, goldfish andlocalwomensmok- Unusual –it’sdivine. sauce in spicytomatoand egg place totrytheshrimp coffee US$0.50) US$1.50 perhour. to Theoldmedina,used while looking rooms,buttheydohave balconies, Trains are themostconvenient wayto delaPaix Hôtel The Dar Jellouli Museum ofPopularTraditions Museum Dar Jellouli OTENTNSA • oer SOUTHERN TUNISIA••Tozeur Hôtel Alexander Hôtel tourist office tourist Salon de Thé ChezElle Salon deThé
(Rue BorjEnnar;mainsaroundUS$2) (Place 2 du Mars; mainsUS$5) (Place 2duMars; , intheVilleNouvelle, hastired- isbytheport.There are lotsof is anall-women café (atleastin Publinet
( provides aclassier option, % h ojja
296 437;10RueAlexandre Dumas;
( (Ave AliBachHamba) ( % closed to non-M closed tonon-M uslims) % h (prawnstew witheggs ojja, 497 041;Ave Mohammed 221 911;16RueAlexandre 9.30am-4.30pm Tue-Sun) The English Patient, Grande Mosquée seafood bathed seafood (Ave AliBachHamba; isthetop souqs Restaurant Restaurant Restaurant Restaurant is perfect charges , and , just
(Rue (ad- ,
Bourguiba. are banks withATMs several onAve Habib d’Initiative isthe Anothertourist office Chebbi. h and walls. archesing andintricate brickworkhouses, town’s oldquarter isasmallmaze of fascinat- Tozeur nottobe missed. extraordinary sight, runningoverand hasacauseway it–it’san lakessalt isdryfor10months of theyear underneath. Thislargestbe seen of Tunisia’s and the lake’sto yourshoes, water canstill step sticks onthecracklingsurface,salt stretchingsnowy-white sheet, formiles.Ifyou eraie thatshields Tozeur. lake Thesalt isa getting of theglimpse theenormouspalm- scape of lake thesalt Once you’ve themesmerisingland- passed % TOZEUR This isTunisia’sbest. The isleof Jerba isafascinating placetobe. camp site gives ‘oasis’awholenewmeaning. towns,and aluxury,desert indesert deep scrubland. Hotspringsoffer pamperingdips towns stare frombarren hilltopsover scarred shimmer inthesunlike mirages. Fortified of dates. sweet Salt lakes autumnharvests ise grow like tuftsof andprom- hairmid-desert ness. Life-giving palmeraies(palmgroves) for mileswithwonderful(orawful)nothing- dust of withlandscapesthatstretch thedesert, In thesouthyou’llfindblindingheatand SOUTHERN TUNISIA hammed Hedi Khefecha. daily)leaveseven fromthedocksonAve Mo- hours). seven well astoEl-Jem (US$3) andTripoli(US$22, price,as destinations foraroundthesame toallthese andhasservices the busstation, daily). The daily) andTataouine (US$11,fourhours, two (one daily),Jerba (US$10,fourhours, three also travels toDouz(twodaily),Matmata (US$6,twohours, ninedaily), and Sousse Tunis (US$10,fourhours, ninedaily)via SNTRI hasregular to buses dant Bejaoui. isonRueComman- The SNTRIbusstation There’s an Ferries totheKerkennah Islands(US$1, 8am-noon & 3-6pm) 76 /pop33,500
( % louage 462 034;Place Babel-Hawa). ONTT located onAve Abdulkacem station is300mwestof station
tourist office tourist Chott el-Jerid lonelyplanet.com
( , you start , youstart % Syndicat There 450 088; dulkacem Chebbi,bothcharging US$1.50 Hached (open24hours) andatAve Ab- Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com with fantasy. that dealabit withhistory and alot tableaux traditions, aswellsome gloriouslytacky US$8; Chebbi; admissionUS$2.50,cameraUS$1,video dulkacem should costaround US$8forhalfanhour. eraie –theywaitoutside RésidenceWarda. It take a Warda onAve Abdulkacem Chebbi.Youcan (US$5 perhour) fromwestof Résidence best explored bybicycle,which canbehired at thistimeislovely. quarter comeoutsideatdusk,andstrolling green shades.Allthefamilieslivingin of patterned anddark- brickworkinsandy Ouled el-Hadef The town’ssmall,labyrinthineold quarter, Sights &Activities per hourforinternet access. centre, hasdisplays onartsand popular 1 3 2 TOZEUR The The enormous There are twoPublinets atAve Farhat Algeria (59km) To Nefta(23km); Dar Charait(1km) Rêves (100m);Museum To CampingLesBeaux h
ôe otnna...... C3 Hôtel Continental...... Résidence Warda...... Hôtel ResidenceKarim...... Hammam...... Calèche Hire...... Bicycle Hire...... Syndicat d'Initiative...... Publinet...... Publinet...... ONTT TouristOffice...... BNA Bank(ATM)...... Banque duSud(ATM)...... SLEEPING SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION
calèche
Ave Museum DarCharait Museum Novembre 7 Ave
8am-midnight) Abdulkacem
AC Route de Nefta de Route , hasunique,strikingarchitecture (carriage) ridearoundthepalm- 4 3 Market Chebbi palmeraie , 1kmfrom thetown 18 12 11 10
11 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ( 8 % (palm grove) is C3 B3 C1 B3 C3 C1 C1 A3 A3 C1 C1 17 452 100;Ave Ab- Bus Station...... Restaurant LePetitPrince...... Restaurant duParadis...... Restaurant Diamanta...... Restaurant delaRépublique...... oaeSain...... B1 Louage Station...... TRANSPORT EATING SOUTHERNTUNISIA••Tozeur B
Ave Farhat Hached To Midés,Chebika, Tamerza &Ong
Jmel (30km) 10 US$1) Chebbi; campsitesper person US$4,dmUS$5,hotshowers LesBeaux Rêves Camping Sleeping &Eating charges everyone because thesame. tohaveseem madeanagreement aboutprices, US$25 –allhotels arrange tours andthey and Tamerza. tripcostsabout half-day Each villages ofbeautiful Berber Midés,Chebika Ten and Chebbi; s/dwithbathroom US$14/23, with shared b athroom can sithere anddrink beer. that hasgreat viewsacrossthe palmeraie. You area, tiledrooms andaroof withbright terrace Chebbi; s/dUS$12/20,air-conU$3; dulkacem in three-bed, thatched-hut bungalows. include a half-day tripvia4WDto include ahalf-day Ave HabibBourguiba; traditional placeopposite the a dramatic location used inboth a dramaticlocationused 14 7 Résidence Warda Karim Residence Hôtel There’s afriendly Excursions thatcanbemadefromTozeur Arch Atthislovely site, you cancamp,orsleep 18 17 16 15 14 13 Star Wars Place Bab The English Patient, el-Hawa 5 B1 D3 C2 C3 C1 2 To Palmeraie 15 12 200m 0.1miles 0 0 Locationsbox, p238 ), orthe 1 h 13 6
Ave Abdulkacem Chebbi
( men noon-6pm,women7-11pm). % 9
hammam To Kebili(108km); Ave Habib Bourguiba Habib Ave Gafsa (135km)
( 452 597; 29Ave Abdulkacem % 16
( % Arch 453 331;Ave Abdulkacem Nefta (see Top (see Nefta Market 454 574;150Ave Ab-
Place Ibn Chabbat calèche (admission US$1;off (Old Quarter)(50m) D To Ouledel-Hadef a Star Wars Ong Jmel ) To Palmeraie waiting Agood 233
,
TUNISIA TUNISIA TUNISIA (breakfast isincluded),lookingintoacourt- off themainstreet, thisisagoodplacefor the same prices, and to/fromKebilithe same (US$4, TunisandGabés for elling to/fromNefta, 3½ hours, twodaily).There are (US$6, 1½hours, onedaily)andGabès(US$9, (US$2,30minutes, fiveNefta daily),Douz three hours) (US$4,1½hours), andGafsa hours, fiveseven daily),viaKairouan (US$11, travellingbuses dailyto/fromTunis(US$16, other justnorthof theroad toNefta. There are The busand &Away There Getting of booze. Tunisian andFrench specialitiesandplenty of courtyard, andfoodisastylish serving on themenuinrestaurant’s palm-shaded Chebbi;mains aroundUS$8) dulkacem summer. a sliceof juicy,fresh watermelon inhigh followed by a simplecouscousandsalad, couscous. larly the very good meals,particu- the waiter, serving US$1-5) and couscous. is runbytwoelderlycharmers, serving US$0.50-1.50) and comfortable. shaded bypalmtrees. Theroomsare large top-end options,withalovely swimmingpool Chebbi; s/dUS$35/55; ticularly good. yard. Theroomsfacingthestreet are par- US$10/17) 234 slice into the fierce sunlight. Asslice intothe fiercesunlight. soon asyou palmeraie, where more than400,000 trees carpets on sale. Atitsedge isanenormous with abusy centralsquare, andfruit and isnottoo exciting, space. Thetown itself offantasies themysterious andsilent desert The dunesare andsmooth, fulfillingall tall isbestforitstours Oriental, intothedesert. Douz, anoasisattheedge of theGrand Erg % DOUZ 1½ hours). guiba; dishesUS$1-5) Restaurant Diamanta Restaurant duParadis Restaurant Continental Hôtel Restaurant LePetit Prince Restaurant delaRépublique Restaurant 75 /pop27,400 OTENTNSA • oz SOUTHERN TUNISIA••Douz A husbandandwife employtheir sonas Friendly,neatandgood-value place salade mechouia A tiny,quaintplace,thisrestaurant louage as Under anarched entrance
( stations are stations neareach % (Ave Chebbi;dishes Abdulkacem (off Ave HabibBourguiba;dishes ) 461 411;Ave Abdylkacem The cheapest of the
andthevegetable ( % Romance is high Romanceishigh (off Ave Habib Bour- 452 518;offAve Ab- louages chorba trav-
charges US$1perhourforinternet access. and othergoodsare andwhere onsale, the of small courtyards and friendly service. The of smallcourtyards andfriendly service. Sunny rooms witharched brickceilings, lots water, laundry,arestaurant andbar. hot the palmeraie, withprofessional service, person US$3) Club Desert Sleeping &Eating and music. sports,colourfulparades traditional desert as wellforeign tourists,andhasdisplaysof vember. Thisisvery popularwithTunisians to trade. last of Tunisia’snomadiccamel-herders come market ist office. advicefromthe tour-or yourhotel, ortoseek t rekking anagency guide,butit’ssafer touse overnight trip. price isUS$180perdayorUS$220 foran driver and4WDforthewholeday,guide tohirefor thefirstIfyouchoose section. a totake a4WD,atleast dunes, youwillneed further south.Ifyouwanttoreach thehuge the camels andsimilarprices.Thegiantdunesof 14km southwestof Douz,aswelllotsof more interesting countryaroundZaafrane, crowded andnotvery interesting. You’llfind US$30 perday. to take anovernight trip,which costsfrom trekking Most peoplecometoDouzorganise Sights &Activities and travellers cheques. Banque deSud ciété Tunisienne deBanque h The Information are unreliable. from thetouristoffice, asunofficialguides touts. Make sure youget aprofessional guide enter, you’llbeaccosted bydesert-expedition a wonderful,coolplaceforstroll. Hôtel 20Mars Hôtel The Everyone intownclaimstobeacamel- The Try tovisitintimeforthefamous immediately southofThe desert Douzis 8.30am-1pm &3-6pm) Grand Erg Oriental Oriental Grand Erg ONTT tourist office tourist ONTT , where livestock, leather,potsn’pans Sahara Festival Sahara palmeraie . Toappreciate it’sbest thedesert, Anexcellent,shady campsite inside
( Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com %
(Ave du7Novembre 1987)
470 575;Ave 7 Novembre; campsitesper ( % ,
the largest inthecountry, 470 269; Rue 20 Mars; s/dUS$18/23) 470 269;Rue 20Mars; are situated somedistance usuallytakes placeinNo- isnearthepalmeraie.
( %
Publinet (STB; Ave Taieb Mehiri) 470351; Ave MohammedV;
(Rue el-Hounine) change cash Thursday Thursday camel and So-
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Matmata’s yourplace. It’snotoften youget .com/ksar.html; KsarGhilane;s/dUS$90/120; kebabs. with deliciousvegetable couscousandjuicy 1987; dishesUS$3-4) on ahookahafter adinnerof couscous. tent inthelittlegardenforpuffing a Bedouin 1987; mainsaroundUS$3) village, 138kmsouthof Douz. classy restaurant. Ghilane Itislocated inKsar and heating,acentralswimmingpool with theirownbathrooms,air-conditioning linen tents inthemiddleof oasis, adesert why.Luxurious this placeandyoucansee travelHigh-style magazinesare crazyabout trips. hotel alsohasanagency thatorganises desert Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com Though it’s amajorThough tour-group lunch date, Wars, family homestead in ting for the Lars Driss perimeter. and roundedrooms thatare the tunnelled off usually circular,dug outof thesoft sandstone, and generally feature alarge centralcourtyard, homes, which are lines allbuilt alongthesame colour of sawdust. homes are amongsculpted hills,the sand set creating cave-houses. Theirodd,otherworldly summer heatbyburrowingunderground and bers of Matmata tried toescapetheincessant Wars ofhaving the set George been Lucas’first but thislittlevillage brimswithsuch delights, the localsoffering toshow you theouter space, If youwanttoget tothe‘heartof % MATMATA via GabèsandSfax. nine hours, twodaily),eitherviaTozeur or air-c toTunis(US$17, onditioned services (US$5, three hours, twodaily).SNTRIhas ices toTozeur (US$6,1½hours) andGabès (US$0.50,five daily),anddaily serv- Zaafrane running toKebili (US$2,30minutes) and There are regular and localbuses &Away There Getting an experiencetobecherished. Matmata boastsdozens of troglodyte pit Restaurant LaRosa Restaurant The most famous place to stay is The most famousplaceto stay Restaurant AliBaba Restaurant 75 Hotel Pansea Hotel
( film and never livingitdown.The Ber- filmandnever % also used for also used 240 005;s/d inclbreakfast US$12/24) A good,air-conditioned place
Popular andfriendly,with
( ( ( % % % Attack of the Clones 471 660;Ave du7Novembre 472 498;Ave du7Novembre 621 870;www.pansea
Staying hereStaying is SOUTHERNTUNISIA••Matmata Star Wars , theset- Hotel Sidi Hotel louages as Star Star Star Star ’, ) .
town andan & Sat) % ATMs anda 3-6pm Mon-Thu, &Sat) 9am-1pmFri ( into charming hotels. There’s a in lazy, café-linedsquares. is staying Ahighlight ofa narrowtangle souvenir small townwithalovely centralarea, where ing inthemiddleof thenorth coast.It’sa prising hiscrew away. hadalotofhoneyed fruit’–Ulysses trouble where peoplelived ‘drugged bythelegendary Lotus Eaters describedinHomer’s and Jorf. Jerba of the claims tobetheLand Ten Obi-Wan Kenobi theTop see hadhishouse; ient 24-hourcarferries Ajim between (where builtinRomantimes,andconven-causeway resources. preciouscious employmentandtaking water waves,the islandinseasonal bringingpre- of themonpackage holidays,splash around emigration toIsrael.Andthetourists,most the islandinsmallnumbers, despite mass the island’sethnicmake-up, stillremains on hats. AJewish community,onceintegral to cream-striped textiles, toppedwithstraw nant here andlocalwomenare wrappedin island’s ethnicmix: culture isdomi- Berber domed-hut architecture. Thisextends tothe andpeculiar,beautiful, whitewashed etation, heatandlackofbeaches, strongdesert veg- ture of Mediterranean andsandy brightness Jerba isanislandwithaharmoniousmix- % SOUQ JERBA &HOUMT hours).to Tunis(US$16,eight Gabès (US$3,45minutes) andoneSNTRIbus l’Environment) The old fort, Sights & Activities office hour forinternet access.There’s a net to stopforlunch andcarryonyourway. since theroomsare like prisoncells.It’sbest herestaying isaratherdepressing prospect, % There are regular and buses Houmt Souq is the island’s ‘capital’, stand- Houmt Souqistheisland’s‘capital’, The islandislinked tothemainlandbya funduqs,
650 016; 75 (off Ave Abdelhamidel-Kadhi) 650 915;offAve HabibBourguiba; nearthefort.There are alsobankswith Star Wars
(Ave Abdelhamid el-Kadhi) h , onthe beach, 500m north of town, theoldmerchant innsconverted post office ONTT 9am-1pm &3-6pmMon-Thu, 9am-1pmFri Locationsboxed text, p238 ) Borj Ghazi Mustapha (Office National du Tourisme Tunisien; Nationaldu Tourisme (Office
(Ave HabibBourguiba) charges US$1.50 per . inthemiddleof souqs louages h tourist office tourist openonto
9am-1pm & (off Blvd de Taxiphone Odyssey, to/from . Publi- 235
TUNISIA TUNISIA ὈὈ ὈὈ
TUNISIA
236 Ave Ibn Khaldoun Ibn Ave To FishingPort
Rue Mongli Slim 4 6 1 3 2 5 To Tunis(584km)
HOUMT SOUQ (8km) To Airport Rue de la Municipalité la de Rue (300m) OTENTNSA • om oq SOUTHERN TUNISIA••HoumtSouq
Rue Jamaa Echeik Ave Boumessouer Ave ὈὈ
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Place Ave Habib Bourguiba Bali El-Ghriba Synagogue (7km); Aghir (28km); Zarzis(52km) 1 13 To DarDhiafa(7km);
Rue Ibn Charaf 17 9
ben Attia Mokhtar l'Environment de Blvd 18 Rue Saoud Bechir Place Place Ghazi Must Rue Hached Rue de Bizerte Rue Habib apha Farhat
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Place 7 el- Rue Taieb Mehiri Kadhi S EA
Ave Habib Thameur
Rue 2 Mars 2 Rue Rue 20 Mars 20 Rue 7 5 4 200m 0.1miles 0 0 Tunis Air...... Taxi Rank...... Louage Station...... Bus Station...... Restaurant LesPalmiers...... Restaurant duSportif...... Hôtel Erriadh...... Hôtel desSablesd’Or...... Hôtel Arischa...... Museum...... Borj GhaziMustapha...... Tourist Office...... Taxiphone Office...... Publinet...... Post Office...... ONTT...... ATM...... TRANSPORT EATING SLEEPING SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION âisreMhriL inos.. C5 Pâtisserie M'hirsiLaViennoise....
Ave Abdelhamid el-Kadhi
8 2 l' de Blvd
lonelyplanet.com Envir D Zone Touristique Zone Touristique
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nnement To Beaches& To Beaches& (10km) 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 (10km) 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 B6 B5 B6 B6 B4 B5 B4 B4 B4 D3 C1 A5 C4 C4 A4 D2 B5 US$1; the service isfriendly. the service duq, the security checksthe security outside. adh, 7kmsouthof HoumtSouq.BringIDfor North Africa,the along Ave Habib Bourguiba. place forawalk,about 500mnorthof town communities. Thebusy andJewishIt hasmementosfromtheBerber wood painted ceilingandsmallcourtyards. marabout –withwhitewashed domes,acedar- a formerreligious arounda fraternity based of SidiZitouni– simpleZaouia in abeautiful, forabout 300years.standing just westof it,leaving themenacingwarning stacked theskullsof theirSpanishvictims when theOttomanscaptured thefortand 16th. Amassacre tookplacehere in1560, the 13thcentury,butwasextended in the Itdates fromfairytales. from looks like stuff Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com A set menuhas theusual A set you at thissimple place withtraditional food. US$3-5) into anegg watching HoumtSouqgoby whileyoubite US$1-4) traditional décor and scrumptiousrooms. tional Jerba withcourtyards, pools, houses, loveliest inacollectionof hotels, set tradi- adh village;rfromUS$150; ing bougainvillea. swimming poolinacourtyardfull of bloom- soft lilacrooms,stylish tiledshowers, anda r perpersonUS$22; courtyard. charming, tiledroomsaroundalovely inner Ferjani; s/dUS$10/18) below. top floorwhiletheiranimalswere housed Ottoman times;themerchants onthe stayed for thecamelcaravans thatstoppedhere in convertedstay, from Houmt Souqhassomewonderfulplacesto Sleeping &Eating s/d US$18/23; Outside town,visittheoldestsynagoguein Restaurant LesPalmiers Restaurant duSportif Restaurant Dar Dhiafa Arischa Hôtel desSables d’Or Hôtel The Hôtel Erriadh Hôtel where roomslookontoacourtyardand h Underalong,arched arcade, perfect for Waiters with tilted straw hats serve Waiters with tilted strawhats serve museum 7.30am-6pm Sun-Fri) a
briq ( % as )
Popular,attractive, tiled
( (Ave Abdelhamidel-Kadhi) % ( . 671 166;www.hoteldardhiafa.com; Erri- % A pretty with townhouse El-Ghriba Synagogue El-Ghriba 650756; 10RueMohammedFerjani; 650384; 36 Rue Ghazi Mustapha; 650384; 36RueGhaziMustapha; ) funduqs as
A gorgeous
(147 Ave HabibBourguiba;dishes ( % inthevillage of Erri- fishing port briq 650423; RueMohammed (Place d’Algérie; dishes (Place d’Algérie; ) Oneof Tunisia’s – lodging houses –lodginghouses and couscous, funduq SOUTHERNTUNISIA•• Tataouine is housed ishoused isanice
(admission with fun- Kadhi) the airportistonorthwestof theisland. height, onlytodiewhentheyawokeheight, 400 here grew and, sleeping, toanenormous apparently ChristianshidfromtheRomans 5m-longgravesground mosque contains – of Tataouine. Chenini’s mysterious under- merge withtherockyochre slopes,southwest Chenini pressive are theancienthilltopvillages of and overlook hills.Equallyim- desert-scrub reached byprecarious staircases, fairy-tale where the Ouled Soltane bit of timing.Don’tmiss thebeautiful or localtransportwithluck,patience anda excursion costsabout US$16), (half-day taxi reachedbut canbeeasily bychartering a thevillagesthey used asfilmsets. Wars expecting ahobbit tohobble outside. is surreal andorganic andyouwalkaround row barrel-vaulted rooms,theirarchitecture golden hills.Made upof stacked villages) inthesurroundingdry tified Berber visiting theextraordinary for This isagentle town,aslow-pacedbase % TATAOUINE (US$6, twohours). prices,aswelltoTataouinearound thesame Louages hours) andMatmata hours). (US$6,seven hours), (US$14,seven (US$17, eight Sousse two hours), Sfax (US$10,fourhours), Tunis There are frequent toGabès(US$5, buses end of themain street, Ave Habib Bourguiba. The busand There’s a &Away There Getting good. iswhisker-licking spaghetti but theseafood walled compound, 3km southwest of town, is s/dUS$12/13) Hedi Chaker; years later. spartan rooms and friendly owners.spartan Inside a coffee onasunnysquare. dance and otherfestivities. thecourtyardsformusic, April, which uses Tiny The bestsites are quite awayfromtown, LaViennoise M’Hirsi Pâtisserie There’s a 75 /pop57,800 Goodforbreakfast andearly-morning locationscoutsloved thelookso much and Hôtel Résidence Hamza Hôtel head to the same destinationsfor headtothesame Tunis Airoffice ghorfas louage festival Douiret , 24kmsoutheastof Tataouine, rise adizzyingfourstoreys, rise stations are stations at the southern at Ksar Ouled Soltane in OuledSoltane atKsar , which spillacrossand hasjust four very clean,
(Ave Habib Bourguiba) ksour
(Ave Abdelhamidel- ( % villages (for- ghorfas, 863 506;Ave
nar-
and Star Star 237 Ksar TUNISIA TUNISIA TUNISIA 238 dina chorba onsite, ortry and bric-a-brac. There’s also agoodrestaurant decked outinatraditionalstylewith antiques de Chenini;s/dUS$60/80; stylish dishes US$0.50-2) same reasonable prices. want towalkinthesteps ofR2-D2, tryahotel oragencytourinTozeur, where mostcharge the The notonlyleftbitsofsetsbehind,butalsoalegacyguided makers architecture and wild desertscapes thatgavearchitecture the andwilddesertscapes
drop to hosted curves Talk tomatchanyinternational aboutacountrywithCV filmstar’s:Tunisia’s sensuousdesert TEN TOP
SidiBouhlel(east ofTozeur ontheedgeofChottel-Jerid) –Nicknamed ofTozeur) MosEspa(30kmnorth inthe –NearOngJemel,MosEspavillageisaconstruct ofTozeur) OngJemel(30kmnorth Maul’s lookoutin –This was Darth SidiDrissHotel (Matmata) –The famousSidiDrisswasusedforinterior shotsoftheLarsfam- Ajim (Jerba) Ajim(Jerba) houseexterior isabout3kmoutoftown, while thefreak- –Obi-WanKenobi’s Skywalker’s Anakin – Tataouine) (near Medenine Chottel-Jerid (east ofNefta) –Here, inthefirstfilm,Luke contemplated twosunswhile LaGrandeDune(nearNefta) –This stoodinfor the KsarOuledSoultane(near Tataouine) –Here are more slave –theseare quarters perhapsthe KsarHaddada(nearTataouine) –AlocationfortheMosEspa slave KsarHaddadahas quarters, (Rue 1 Juin1955;mains around US$2) OTENTNSA • aaun SOUTHERN TUNISIA••Tataouine stuff inthearea. ace by Tusken andBenLuke Raiders, overlooking MosEisley.Scenesfrom theirsand-crawlers,R2-D2trundlingplaintively along,Lukehas seenjawasparking attacked architecture. usedfortheprequel films;itsbatteredmiddle ofthedesert setsechoing localBerber was builtby and thelocationforhisQui-Gon’stussle,aswelllotsofpod-racescenes. The roadhere Menace ily homestead in filled people. scape arounditsfringesdoubledasJunland Wastes populated byKraytdragonsandsand standing soulfullyattheedgeofacrater, peeringover thesevast,drysaltflats. The land- buildings.finest exampleofthecuriousmoulded courtyard-centred painted doorsfromtheset. entage in stunningly weirdarchitecture, par- andiswhere Qui-Gonlearnedthetruthabout Anakin’s bustling Ave 7Novembre. bones. gered andifyou’re pastaKraytdragonskeleton, lucky,youmightpickupsomefibre-glass shake andwentheadtoovershake withhisUncleOwen. theharvest dining roomisspangledwithceilingpaintings–thiswhere Luke intobluemilk- tucked and Arabicflat bread. Hôtel SanghoTataouineHôtel and Star Wars Monty Python’sThe LifeofBrian, and STAR WARS Attack oftheClones forawholesome lunch of spicy Restaurant Essendabad Restaurant The Phantom Menace The EnglishPatient, Attack oftheClones The Cantina scene wasfilmedinthecentre (not,asmanythink,attheSidi Driss). as
English Patient Star Wars
LOCATIONS ) where rooms are
( % Restaurant LaMe- Restaurant . Bitsofsetare stillinplacehere (itwasusedagain in were filmedhere too. serves simple serves 860 124;offRoute . Though thehotel isfallingintoruin, itretains somebrightly crew, whoindulgedinalotofbillowingsand-blownromantic its impressive fortifications served as a Middle Eastern back- as aMiddle itsimpressive served fortifications ), complete with writing in black marker pen on the back. A ), complete penontheback. withwritinginblackmarker
(Rue 2 Mars; (Rue 2Mars; but itsmostfamousrolewasproviding thefascinating Star Wars eight hours)eight and Gabès(US$5, two hours). hours). Regular (US$15,6½ (US$11, four hours) and Sousse 8½ hours) viaGabès(US$6, twohours), Sfax of gotoTunis (US$19, town.SNTRI buses for hungrypeople-watchers. Tunisian foodand hasalfresco perfect seating, Phantom Menace Buses and Buses Star Wars canon such a powerful visualidentity. canonsuchapowerful Dune Sea,where C-3PO stag- louages louages slave-quarters homeisoff slave-quarters The Phantom Menace leave fromthecentre Star Wars Star Wars run to Tunis (US$16, The Phantom Men- lonelyplanet.com The Phantom Canyon, this tours. Ifyou of major andlessens touristdevelopments is thatitleaves Tunisia’shistoriccentres free age operators. Theadvantage of zones these bylargetend tobeblandplaces,used pack- areaseparate withlotsof larger hotels. These Tunisian towns,there isa have thelandowner’spermission.Inmany ties, butyoucanpitch atent anywhere ifyou Tunisia hasfew campsites withgoodfacili- ACCOMMODATION TUNISIA DIRECTORY stuck there. outearlyyoucouldgetso unlessyoustart thedestinations onlyinthemornings, serve duSudonRue2Mars;Banque these however, leave(pick-up; US$2).These fromnearthe via OuledSoltane times Ksar lonelyplanet.com Egypt Canada 1002 Tunis) Belgium Algeria fortheAustraliangovernment.sular affairs embassy handlescon- Tunis. TheCanadian The following embassies andconsulates are in EMBASSIES &CONSULATES crowded medinas. tokeep aneyeonyourbagin well advised Travellers, p240 ) andcarpettouts,you’re Women harassment(see plain aboutsexual sort isextremely rare. Mosttravellers com- (see bomber attack p216 ), violenceof this around, andasidefromthe2002 suicide Tunisia isa generally safe placeto travel DANGERS &ANNOYANCES standards. but are andcheap goodenough byWestern compare tofourorfive Western star hotels, swimming pools.Topendhotels don’tusually ally decent,withair-conditioning, somewith are usuallybetter. Midrange optionsare usu- alone, andcheap hotels outsidethemedina are excellentandfineforwomentravelling mosphere. Tunisia’sAuberges deJeunesse mainly bymenandtend tohave at- aseedy in bottom-endbudget places,which are used passing through. the impactof thelarge numbers of tourists You canreach Chenini,Douiret and some- Women are likely tofeel uncomfortable (Map (Map p219 ;
(Map (Map p219 ; (Map (Map p219 ; 18RueduNiger,1002 Tunis) ( % 781 655;fax 792797;47Ruedu1Juin, % TUNISIA DIRECTORY ••Accommodation TUNISIADIRECTORY % 791 181; Ave Mohammed V) 104 000; 3 Senegal St) 104 000; 3Senegal zone touristique camionnette –a
Mohrajene-Tunis) Abdelnaceur) ful paradesandmusic. sian youngstersgettogetheranddancealfresco. Conseil, 1002Tunis) Meycen, 1002Tunis)Meycen, times withinternationalstars. Nord, Hilton, 1002Tunis)Nord, Hilton, 1 May 9 April 21 March 20 March 1 January public holidaysinTunisiaare asfollows: rica Directory chapter ( p1106 ) theprincipal As wellasreligious holidays listed inthe Af- HOLIDAYS Festival Douz Sahara Film Festival International Carthage Dougga Festival Festival International Carthage JazzFestivalTabarka Festival Raï Tabarka Ksar OuledSoltaneFestival FESTIVALS &EVENTS and Morocco. Tunisia hasembassiesinLibya,Algeria, Egypt USA UK Spain South Africa Netherlands Morocco Japan Italy Germany France Publinet, which operates inallthe offices Public access tothe internet is handled by ACCESS INTERNET 7 November 15 October 13 August 3 August 25 July Eastern and African films. Eastern andAfrican Faso) yearsinBurkina years only,even ShowsMiddle- Music, danceandtheatre. Music, other festivities. Tunis) Ave HabibBourguiba) (Map (Map p220 ; ( (Map (Map p220 ; % ( ( LabourDay (Map (Map p220 ; % Republic Day Republic % Martyrs’ Day Martyrs’ ( 962 115;ZoneNord-EstdeBergesduLac) Public Holiday ( YouthDay IndependenceDay % NewYear’s Day Women’sDay % 782 217;fax786267;22-24RueDrErnest 791 251;fax786625;9RueApolloXI,1082 EvacuationDay Anniversary ofBenAli’sAccession ( ( 782 775;fax787103;Ruedu1Juin,1002 % % % 786 455;1RueelHamra) % (July &August)Classicaldrama. (July 340239; 5PlacedelaVictoire) 798 449; fax 791 742; 7 Rue Achtart 798 449;fax791742;7RueAchtart 799 442;fax785557;8Ruede % 321811; fax324155;37RueJamel (May & June) Algerian andTuni- &June)Algerian (May (November)Camelracing,colour- 245 700;Placedel’Indépendance, (July) Outdoor concerts, some- Outdoorconcerts, (July) (April) Music, danceand Music, (April) (July &August) (July (October, odd (October,
239 TUNISIA TUNISIA TUNISIA zled out. introduce cardphonesappears tohave fiz- 500-mill andone-dinarcoins.An attempt to known asTaxiphones. Theyaccept100-mill, home, sothere are lotsof publictelephones – easy tooperate. Few peoplehave aphoneat North America,Asia andOceania. toEurope and10daysto able: allowaweek isslowbutreli- service The Tunisianpostal POST &TELEPHONE local currency only. and resort areas. advancesare Cash given in and banks.ATMs are foundinmajor towns at bigshops,touristhotels, car-rental agencies Express andMasterCard are widelyaccepted place. prove youchanged themoneyinfirst limit of bankreceipts TD100.Youneed to amount youchanged intodinar,uptoa shops atTunisAirport. and theyare notaccepted intheduty-free (mills). It’sillegaltoimportorexportdinars (TD), which isdividedinto1000millimes The unitof currency istheTunisiandinar MONEY and theinternet. restrictions onthemedia– print,broadcasting Constitution, butthegovernment placesstrict Freedom of speech isguaranteed underthe MEDIA around this. cansometimessuggest waysto get net staff on toHotmailandYahoo, Publi- though per hour. toget finditdifficult Youmight main towns.Mostcharge aroundUS$1.50 240 National du Tourisme Tunisien National du Tourisme thegovernment-runhome, contact To get touristinformationbefore youleave TOURIST INFORMATION and one-dinarcoins. means isthatthe meters acceptonly500-mill themselves asInternational Taxiphones; allit national direct dialling.Someplaces advertise basic localinformation. friendly and will offer glossy brochures and theyare though generallynot tooefficient, .com) All public telephones can be used forinter-All publictelephones canbeused The telephone system isfairlymodernand You canre-exchange upto30%of the Major credit cards such American asVisa, . InsideTunisia, mosttourist offices are UII IETR • Mda ••Media TUNISIA DIRECTORY
(www.tourismintunisia Office Office reduce the first yourhassle quota: isbymod- as in Egypt. Youcan tryafew strategies to this isnothalfas likelyassment – though strategies andvery occasional physical har- being stared at,subjected toslimy chat-up dating. Harassment usually takes theformof counter insomeplacescanbe quite intimi- the tidalwaves of testosterone that youen- and harassment isparforthecourse, Sexual as anentirely andenticingspecies. separate outside thesocial structure, andare seen delayed stillfurther. Foreign women exist for many,thismixingof thesexes isbeing ofthe expense getting marriedmeansthat, opportunity tohangoutwithwomen, and Prior tomarriage, Tunisianmenhave little WOMEN TRAVELLERS your homecountry. in youshouldapplyforvisas Libya (difficult) (check travel warningsbefore you doso)or If you’re planningon travelling toAlgeria forOnwardTravel Visas three-month stint. leave thecountryandreturn toget another from yourhotel, forstarters. It’dbeeasierto bankreceiptsmay need anda 10 daystoissue. twophotos,and You’llneed bres fiscales, They costUS$2toUS$8(payable onlyin Ministry onAve Habib Bourguiba inTunis. Applications canbemadeonlyattheInterior isaprocesstobeavoided. avisa Extending Extensions Visa from Israel. country, apartfromongrouptripsorganised the embassy. viapost,andthelengthof isupto weeks stay and takes three inperson tofourweeks orsix to applybefore theyarrive; costsUS$7 thevisa the airportforUS$8.Othernationalitiesneed independently canget athree-month at visa travel. nationalities have before toapplyforavisa Japanese uptofourmonths. canstay Other and Germans port. Americans,Canadians, inyourpass- or airportandcollectastamp –youjustrollupattheport without avisa inTunisiaforuptothreetries canstay months Nationals of mostWestern Europeancoun- VISAS Israeli nationalsare notallowedintothe Australians andSouthAfricanstravelling revenue andtake upto stamps) facture lonelyplanet.com (receipt) tim- .com; 17Ave HabibBourgiba,Tunis) Hub:London Thameur, Tunis) Hub:Rome on you’) is a useful phrase. on you’)isauseful Americas, Asia orOceania. all over Europe,butnodirect tothe flights and chartered, fromTunisiatodestinations There are regular bothscheduled flights, Air THERE&AWAY GETTING INTUNISIA TRANSPORT touch you,‘ ing incheap medinahotels. Ifsomeonedoes of andavoid taxis, sit inthebackseat stay- and next tootherwomenonbuses of tosit avoiding It’sadvisable eyecontact. are –sunglasses sound effects agoodway best policyistoignore remarks sexist and toindicate modesty.Probablybe useful the est dressing. Inremote areas, aheadscarfcan lonelyplanet.com finish atthe border, where the touropera- an organised tour, sotransport options will Visiting Libya isonlyan optionaspartof LIBYA take abusor You reach and Tozeur,and fromGafsa Nefta current situation before headingfor Algeria. and El-Ouedisthe bestbet,butcheck the Nefta the southernborder crossingbetween ous townsineastern Algeria. Fortravellers, and There are numerous border-crossing points, ALGERIA Land Tunis ( p222 ) formore details. There Getting andAwayunder (Corsica). See Marseilles (France)andBastia They alsoserve inItaly. Spezia,andGenoa sometimes La Boats runfromTunistoTrapani, Naples, Boat .com; Ave OuledHaffouz,Tunis) Hub:Frankfurt Airlines Lufthansa Airways British Alitalia Air France to mostEuropeandestinations. 100; www.tunisair.com; 48Ave HabibBourgiba,Tunis) d’Athénes, Tunis) Hub:Paris post atHazoua. Other airlinesflyingtoandfromTunisia: louages ( % ( % 71-331 377;www.alitalia.com; 17Ave Habib travel Tunis andvari- between Harem alek louage 71-355 422; www.airfrance.com; 1Rue 71-355 422;www.airfrance.com; ( % TRANSPORT IN TUNISIA •• Getting There &Away INTUNISIA••Getting TRANSPORT ( % 71-330 046;www.british-airways from Nefta totheborder fromNefta 71-941 344;www.lufthansa ’ (Arabicfor‘Shame Tunis Air
( % louages, 71-330 flies necessarily safer.necessarily sle thanitcould possibly beworth,andnot inpairsand even itwillbemuch more has- transport. Womenshould hitch never alone, mind thatitisnotanentirely safe meansof beexpected topay. seldom away fromthemaintouristareas, andyou’ll fare equivalent.Hitching inthenorthiseasier youmaybeexpectedalthough topay thebus Libyan borderandasfarsouth Tozeur, Hitching ispossible downthecoastto Hitching not manyreasons togothere. ries fromSfax totheKerkennah Islands,but (15 minutes, 800millspercar).There are fer- the mainland,andAjim ontheislandof Jerba There isa24-hourcarferry Jorf,on between Boat 717) Tunis) ( fromitsparentets canbebought to/from Jerba, Sfax andTozeur. Tuninter tick- Tuninter operates internal from Tunis flights Air AROUND GETTING (US$25, 11½hours). toTripoli from thesouthernTunisbusstation 10 hours), andthere buses are weekly several andTunistoTripoli(US$25, Sfax, Sousse make thejourneyfromGabès,Medenine, Ajdir.via thebordercrossingatRas fromGabèstoTripoliruns The coastroad tors travellers meet bypriorarrangement. to US$20). (US$6) and Jerbainclude Sousse (fromUS$18 holidays. Sampleone-way fares fromTunis especially insummerand aroundimportant most towns. Advancebooking isadvisable, air-conditioned Tunis and between buses du TransportInterurban (SNTRI), hasdaily The nationalbus company, SociétéNationale Local Transport % Although manypeopledohitch,Although bearin price ofyourticket. leaving Tunisia. The taxisincludedinthe There taxtobepaidwhen isnodeparture DEPARTURE TAX also has a special reservations service. alsohasaspecialreservations 71-330 100;www.tunisair.com; 48Ave HabibBourgiba, , orfromanytravel agent. Tuninter Louages Tunis Air
( % 241 701
TUNISIA TUNISIA TUNISIA are alwayswhite withared stripeacrossthe and gotoallbutthemostremote villages. room respectively). lackinginheadandleg in thefront(seriously andthemiddleseat and avoid thebackseat for departure. Prepare to becrampedinside leave whenfull–yourarely have towaitlong and faster andare thanbuses quite safe. They Theyareroutes asthebuses. usuallycheaper front andalongtheside,theyplysame 242 © LonelyPlanetPublications the above - ‘Do the right thing withour content.’ the above -‘Do theright the termsandconditions onoursitefor alongerwayof saying youknow, orresell it.See everyone site,massemailit to only. Inother words,please don’t uploadthischapter toapeer-to-peer Inreturn, wethink it’sfairtoask you touseitforpersonal, non-commercial purposes restricted. © LonelyPlanetPublications. iteasier foryoutouse,accessthischapter isnotdigitally Tomake Louages areLocal buses runbyregional companies RNPR NTNSA • etn rud Around INTUNISIA••Getting TRANSPORT are large They cars orminibuses. and Sfax (US$8). (US$5) route isthelinefromTunistoSousse way toget places.Thebest-serviced tocertain The railnetworkisn’thuge, butit’sthebest Train cheaper. you take ashared yourfare taxi, willbemuch four passengers fordifferent destinations.If operate onacollective basis–theycollect caneitherbehiredThese privately orthey All townshave metered private yellowtaxis. lonelyplanet.com