What to see in Tunis

8 places worth the drive in Tunis, with the time to allow and the best period for each. Every place has its own page: history, customs, food and directions.

1. 1.Carthage

   The city that rivalled Rome

   Founded by Phoenician settlers from Tyre, Carthage became the capital of a Mediterranean trading empire before Rome razed it in 146 BC and rebuilt it as the capital of Africa Proconsularis.

   Time : Half day · Best : Mar to May, Oct to Nov

2. 2.Sidi Bou Saïd

   Blue doors above the Gulf of Tunis

   A clifftop village of whitewashed houses, studded blue doors and bougainvillea, long loved by painters such as Paul Klee and August Macke. Wander the cobbled lanes, then watch the sun set over the bay.

   Time : 2–3 hours · Best : Mar to Jun, Oct to Nov

3. 3.Medina of Tunis

   A living maze of souks and palaces

   Around 700 monuments packed inside the old walls: the Zitouna Mosque, covered souks organised by trade, Ottoman palaces and hidden rooftop cafés. Listed by UNESCO in 1979.

   Time : Half day · Best : Mar to May, Oct to Nov

4. 4.Bardo National Museum

   The world's great mosaic collection

   Housed in a 15th-century Hafsid palace, the Bardo holds one of the largest collections of Roman mosaics anywhere, including the famous portrait of Virgil flanked by two Muses.

   Time : 2–3 hours · Best : All year

5. 5.Marché Central

   The beating stomach of the capital

   Under its colonial-era iron roof, the central market sells fish fresh off the boats, pyramids of spices, olives by the dozen varieties and dates from the south.

   Time : 1–2 hours · Best : All year

6. 6.Souk El Attarine

   The perfumers’ souk beside the Zitouna

   A covered lane of tiny shops next to the Zitouna Mosque, selling essential oils, incense, henna and painted wedding chests. It is one of the oldest souks of the medina.

   Time : 1–2 hours · Best : Mar to May, Oct to Nov

7. 7.Gammarth

   A hill above the Gulf of Tunis

   Gammarth, on a hill above the Gulf of Tunis about 20 km north-east of the capital, is mostly known as a seaside and hotel area next to La Marsa.

   Time : Half a day · Best : May to Sep

8. 8.La Goulette

   Fish, a Spanish fort and Little Sicily

   The port of Tunis sits on a strip of land between the lake and the gulf. Its seafront is lined with fish restaurants, and behind them stand a 16th-century fort and the old Sicilian quarter.

   Time : An evening · Best : Mar to Oct