Tunisia Travel Guide

A mesmerizing blend of Mediterranean and African cultures set against a backdrop of relentless sunshine, Tunisia is home to vast expanses of desert and beaches to die for. The alluring blend of cuisines – from couscous to the peculiar penchant for blending Coca Cola with distilled figs – and heady mix of the ancient and modern are more than worth writing home about, too.

Tunis – or more specifically the magnificent Tunis Medina – is an intensely bustling centre that’s home to an aging mosque, maze-like streets and the heady smell of spices infusing the sea air. Grab a mint tea at the back of a market stall as a break from the carnage, before delving into the depths of Tunisia’s capital to haggle away for that must-have bargain.

For history of archaeology lovers, Tunisia is a real haven. At Carthage you’ll find the beautiful remains of a crumbling Roman town, overlooking the sea and steeped in enough mythology to fill books. The Bardo Museum, tucked away in an Ottoman Palace, is home to a mammoth collection of Roman relics, while El-Jem coliseum is a serious rival to Rome’s in terms of size and stature. Bulla Regia’s Roman villas are a different experience, being carefully hidden under the dirt.

Head to Ksar Ghilane and you can watch the sun drop over the dunes from your own hot spring, and if you ask nicely, might even be able to do so with a sickly sweet glass of boukha – an intensely flavored spirit - in hand. The whitewashed village of Sidi Bou Said comes with incredible Mediterranean coastal views, while the place to soak up some rays is Sidi Ali el-Mekki, a secluded beachfront that’s within a short walk of a cave where a saint is buried.

There are plenty of undiscovered gems to be dug out in Tunisia, and plenty in the way of seductive luxury and great souvenirs, too. To top it all off, you can take that perfect snap of you crossing the last dune out of town as the sun sets, and ‘disappearing’ into the Sahara. In short, Tunisia is simply sublime.