In the heart of the Medina is the Great Mosque or Mosque of the Olive Tree, the most holy sanctuary in Tunis. Founded in the eighth century, it has been adapted over the centuries and features 184 Roman columns, probably taken from the ruins at Carthage. Non-Muslims may only enter a viewing platform in the courtyard. Modest dress must be worn.

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Opening hours:

Sat-Thur, 8am-2pm; Fri 8am-noon

Address:

Rue Jemaa ez Zitouna, Medina

Tunisia is fast becoming a world destination for spa resorts and centres of wellbeing. The Residence is a five-star spa hotel featuring a luxury Thalassotherapy health centre. Hot sea water treatments are recommended for rheumatism, arthritis and stress. Book a therapeutic treatment or just visit the spa for the afternoon to relax in the sea water baths and hammam steam room.

Phone:

+216 71 910 101

Opening hours:

By appointment

Address:

La Marsa, Bay of Tunis

This traditional village, latterly the haunt of Bohemian writers and artists (Andre Gide, Simone de Beauvoir, Paul Klee), has been charmingly preserved, and every house is painted white with blue shutters amidst flowering bougainvillea. Browse cobbled streets, craft shops, sip mint tea at Café Sid Chabanne with its superb sea views, or visit exotic Café des Nattes to experience café turc (Turkish coffee) and a chichi ‘hubble bubble’ pipe with the locals.

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Outskirts of Tunis on Carthage coast

The Carthage coast around Tunis stretches for some 15 miles, offering the visitor a host of attractions around the seaside resorts of La Marsa, Sidi Bou Said and Gammarth. Reminiscent of the French Riviera, this outdoor adventure playground offers superb sandy beaches, boating marinas, cafés and restaurants, water sports, tennis courts and horse riding. For cultural entertainment, you’ll find music, dancing, cinemas and theatres, including arts festivals at the Roman amphitheatre.

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Housed in a 19th-century white-washed Moorish palace, on the west side of the city, the Bardo Museum is home to one of the finest collections of Roman mosaics to be seen anywhere in the world. The vast collection also covers Islamic and Arabian art and artefacts from the prehistoric era to the Ottoman Empire. It is seen as the most important museum in North African outside Cairo.

Phone:

+216 71 513 650

Opening hours:

Tue-Sun, 9am-5pm, closed Mon & feast days

Address:

Rue Mongi Slim

The National Museum of Carthage, beside the Cathedral of St Louis on Byrsa Hill, is the best place to start to get an all-round historical context before exploring the archeological sites of ancient Carthage. The museum exhibits include Roman and Punic treasures, marble sarcophagi, household items, weapons and death masks. The remaining landmarks are testimony to the size of the place – the trek between the sites (Amphitheatre, Tophet sanctuary, Antonine Baths and Punic ports) is best attempted by TGM light railway or by taxi,. A copy of Flaubert's Salammbo, a romanticised account of the fall of Carthage, may help you envisage life in the third largest city in the Roman Empire.

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Opening hours:

8.30am-6.45pm (summer), 8.30am-4.45pm (winter)

Address:

Byrsa Hill, Carthage

If you want to immerse yourself in local culture, this is the avant-garde hangout for the young and trendy. A lively café at the front leads into a hangar space with a performance stage for ad hoc theatre, music and poetry. Experience Arabic and Berber music featuring the rabab fiddle, bendir drum, qanoun, Arabic zither and flute which create a richly coloured, spiritual acoustic sound.

Phone:

+216 71 254 006

Opening hours:

Performances Fri, Sat & Sun 6pm (in Ancient Greek theatre tradition)

Address:

41 Avenue Farhat Hached

International celebrity French chef, Alain Ducasse, is the inspirational creator of this new chic, sleek Le Rest’o @ Villa Didon. Old and new – this cool, minimalist designed spa hotel is adjacent to the Roman ruins of Carthage. Relax with an ice cold mojito in the bar before dinner when you can expect modern Mediterranean/North African cuisine and (unique to this restaurant) international wines. Panoramic views from picture windows and open terraces overlooking Carthage coastline and Bay of Tunis.

Phone:

+216 71 733 433

Opening hours:

Noon-3pm, 8.30pm-midnight

Address:

Rue Mondes France, Carthage Byrsa

This is a converted 18th-century Ottoman bourgeois residence featuring tiled courtyard and ornate Moorish furnishings. Experience traditional Tunisian food such as a rich lamb stew, prawn kebabs and speciality fish. The candlelit dinners provide a romantic ambience.

Phone:

+216 71 560 916

Opening hours:

Lunch and dinner; closed Sun, for lunch in July, Aug & during Ramadan

Address:

5-10 Rue Dar El Jeld

The compact 18-hole Carthage Golf Course, just ten minutes from Tunis city centre, is one of the oldest courses in Africa dating from 1927. Attractive shaded fairways meander around 100-year-old eucalyptus trees and a lake. Golf de Carthage offers excellent facilities too – club house, changing rooms, driving range, bar, restaurant and two tennis courts. No membership is necessary.

Phone:

+ 216 71 765 700

Opening hours:

Contact the club for reservation

Address:

2036 La Soukra, Tunis

 

 

 

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Source: Expedia