Tunis Things to Do

The Bardo is the most important attraction in Tunis. We had to go through it quite quickly, as it was an unexpected stop our driver made while driving us to the hotel, but it was still nice to see. So we spent about an hour there, but you can and should undoubtedly take longer to see everything. I think it has the biggest collection of mosaics in the world. Those are actually very impressive.

Recommended as one of the Worlds must-see museums!! So I was all pumped up ready to be excited - as I love mosaics - and this place is full of them - and full of well regarded ones from various sites around Tunisia so the historical value and preservation value of them is high on the list.

I paid 10 Dinar for a guide to make the most of my time in the museum - only guided for about an hour but it was well worth it. Then I walked back around the mosaics I wanted to see again and mosaics I wasnt shown.

Gratefully photos were allowed in this museum - without flash I cant be quite certain but I would imagine that would be best.

I bought the DVD as a record of the top pieces in the museum and it was not particularly expensive - I wanted to buy a mosaic kit but they didnt take credit or debit cards and I unfortunately hadnt taken enough cash with me.

In the souvenir shop which did take credit cards though, I bought a necklace that I really was taken with and the salesman was adamant it was silver - Ive bought a lot of silver pieces in Morocco and dont usually buy jewellery unless its the real thing - and when I took it out to my friend waiting outside he had a fit and was adamant it was not silver so in we had to go for him to tell the salesman off and get my money recredited - shame! And a shame that even at a shop at the prestigious Bardo you have to take care not to get ripped off.

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If you're visiting northern Tunisia then you simply can't miss Carthage as it was here that the Romans ruled their north African empire. Carthage lies about 15km (9 miles) east of Tunis which makes it an ideal place to visit for a day out (see one of my travelogues about a walking tour). Carthage was a great ancient city and port where the military genius Hannibal lived and where Virgil wrote his Aeneid about the tragic romance between Dido, (who founded the city), and Roman Aeneas. The city was founded by the Phoenicians in 814 BC before falling to the Romans after the third Punic war in 146 BC. It then became a mighty city over a century later with walls that stretched for 34km and houses and villas that ran down from Byrsa Hill to the waterfront. It became the third largest imperial city behind Rome and Alexandria with 300,000 residents, three forums, a circus holding 70,000, mammoth baths and an amphitheatre, all of which can still be seen today. The multiple-entry ticket allows you to visit each sight during its one day validity so if, like me, you like visiting Roman ruins, you simply cannot miss visiting Carthage. Visit my Carthage page below:

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The Bardo Museum is a must visit whilst in Tunis. Located a few kilometres west of the Medina and city centre, the museum is dominated by a vast collection of wonderful Roman mosaics that once adorned Roman Africa's grandest villas. In fact, there is no other museum in the world, even in Italy, where you get the chance to see countless huge mosaics, statues, figurines and other remains. The exhibits come from all over Tunisia from such places as nearby Carthage, Dougga, Sousse, El-Jem, Bulla Regia, Thuburbo Majus and Oudhna. Not only does it house Roman remains but it also houses Punic and early Christian finds.

The museum is housed in a wonderful palace that was the former official residence of the Husseinite beys that was built in the 13th century. It was later rebuilt in the 17th century and enlarged by a succession of Husseinites before becoming a museum in 1888. When you're visiting look at the building as well as the exhibits! Visit my Bardo Museum page below.

Open: 9.30am-4.30pm Tue-Sun. Admission: TD6 plus TD1 for camera.

Located about half way along Avenue Habib Bourguiba stands this Clock Tower and fountains in the middle of a busy roundabout known as Place du 7 Novembre 1987. The "place" is named after President Zine el-Abidine ben Ali seized power in a bloodless coup from the elderly president and Tunisia's first ruler Habib Bourguiba.

This large garden is located just to the west of the Republique tram station to the north of Ville Nouvelle. The garden was built in 1957 and bears the name of Habib Thameur, a hero of the independence of Tunisia and politician. The garden was built on the site of an old Jewish cemetery which was moved to the Borgel neighbourhood.

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This mosque, located a few hundred metres north of the Medina, was built in 1812 using imported Italian building materials like marble, columns and wrought iron railings. The end result was a building which does not look much different from a stylish palazzo. The minaret atop the mosque however, was not finished until 1970.

This building houses the tomb of Tunis' patron saint who saved the city after it was captured by Abu Yazd in AD 944. There were several women and children within the building when I visited and it looked as though I shouldn't have been there and indeed one woman sort of gestered that it could be women only to me so I walked out. Opposite is a mosque dedicated to the saint which was built in 1692.