Tunis Off The Beaten Path

Place 7 Novembre is a busy roundabout connecting the two biggest streets in the Ville Nouvelle, Avenue Bourguiba and Avenue Mohamed V. The Place takes its name from the date when President Ben Ali came to power in 1987.

There is a large clock tower in the middle of the Place which looks very impressive from a distance though not so good up close. Beneath the clock tower lots of people were sitting around in a small grassy area near water fountains. It's probably a lively spot in the summer heat.

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Away from Avenue Bourguiba the Ville Nouvelle becomes very different. The streets are less grand, there are fewer hotels and restaurants and many of the buildings are in a state of disrepair. We walked around the streets north of Bourguiba one evening and the most interesting buildings we came across were the old French colonial houses which look like they were built in the early 20th century.

Said to have inspired the sand crawler in Star Wars, Hotel du Lac certainly stands out and catches the eye. It's located at the eastern end of the Ville Nouvelle near the Lake. We didn't visit the hotel but we walked past a number of times when exploring the Ville Nouvelle.

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On the last morning of our trip we had a few hours left to explore Tunis before flying home so, as we had already seen much of the medina and the Ville Nouvelle, we decided to explore the Halfaouine area, which is in the streets north of the medina. Place Halfaouine is the main square of the district and there is a beautiful mosque, Youssef Sahib et Tabaa, at one end of the square with definite Italian influences in its design. We also walked through a lively market on Rue Halfaouine to get to the square. This market is geared towards locals though we picked up a cheap pack of dates for about 1 Euro. I saw the same packet in Tunis airport later for more than 6 times the price.

known as Bab Sidi Abdessalem or Sabil Sidi Abdessalem; sabil means public fountain. It was built during the Hamouda Pasha era, in 1804, probably at the initiative of Youssef Sahib at-Tabaâ and was used by locals for water supply.
It was mentioned in a poem by Sheikh Ibrahim Riahi.
Location: near the gate of Sidi Abdessalem

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Farhat Hached was a key figure in the Tunisian independence movement assassinated on December, 5th 1952

See the following site http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farhat_Hached (in French) for more information about Farhat Hached.

Location: Place de la Kasbah

Belvedere Park is the largest park in Tunis, covering 110 hectares. It was established in 1892 on a hill of olive trees, but opened only in 1910 in order to allow enough time for the plants to grow. The park is a popular gathering place for both families and young couples. It is known as the "lungs of Tunis" due to the scarcity of green spaces in the city.

At the centre of the park is a koubba (Turkish pavilion) that provides an excellent view of the city of Tunis. According to our guide, the koubba is an excellent example of Tunisian architecture.

Beside Belvedere Park is a zoo. Much to our surprise, we saw a peacock that had escaped from the zoo walking around the park before flying back across the street... into the deer cage.

To reach Belvedere Park from the city centre, take Line 2 of the metro leger (toward Ariana) and get off at Palestine. Once you get off, go back and take a right on Mohammed V and follow the signs to Belvedere Park, which will be to your left.

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It won't be the first thing you'll go to visit during your stay in Tunis, but since the city doesn't have so much activities to do (once you visit the Bardo, the Medina and all the surroundings)...

Why not take a look at the zoo of the City, located in the Belvedere Park, the biggest park of the city, it is huge, located on a hill, great view on the city when climbing by car, but not really green spaces to relax. The Zoo entrance is not so expensive, and it surprises me because I expected something with a bad aspect, etc.... but no, it was charming, and well organised, funny, lot of animals, it was really hot during the summer but you can rest near a lake under the shadow on some trees and take a drink...

There is water, spectacles, you can admire monkeys and elephant... safety rules aren't really respected I think, but I can say it was pretty funny...