Where to actually go in Tunis

Café des Nattes

Cafe · Sidi Bou Said

A famous old café at the top of the village steps, for mint tea with pine nuts on straw mats.

Best for: mint tea, the classic Sidi Bou Said stop

Best time: afternoon

Dar El Jeld

Restaurant · Medina

Refined Tunisian cooking in a restored medina palace.

Best for: one special dinner

Booking: Reserve ahead.

Best time: dinner

Medina of Tunis

Area · Medina

A UNESCO-listed old city of covered souks, doorways painted blue and yellow, and the great Zitouna Mosque at its heart.

Best for: wandering the souks, history

Best time: morning

Heads up: Shops close down in the evening; go in the day.

Avenue Habib Bourguiba

Walk · Ville Nouvelle

The tree-lined main boulevard of colonial-era buildings and cafés, from the medina gate toward the lake.

Best for: an evening stroll, a coffee

Best time: evening

Bardo National Museum

Museum · Le Bardo

Home to one of the world's finest collections of Roman mosaics, in a former palace.

Best for: history, mosaics

Price: $ — roughly $4, cash in dinars at the door

Best time: morning

Heads up: Its opening status has changed several times since 2021; check that it is open before planning a day around it.

Sidi Bou Said

Area · north coast (TGM train)

A white-and-blue clifftop village above the sea, all bougainvillea and studded doors.

Best for: photos, sunset, a half-day trip

Best time: afternoon into sunset

Carthage archaeological sites

Sight · Carthage (TGM train)

The scattered ruins of ancient Carthage by the sea, including the huge Antonine Baths.

Best for: history, pairing with Sidi Bou Said

Best time: morning

Heads up: The sites are spread out; plan to walk between TGM stops.

La Marsa

Beach · north coast (end of the TGM line)

A relaxed seaside suburb with a town beach, cafés and a younger, local crowd.

Best for: a beach afternoon, an evening out by the sea

Best time: afternoon

Zitouna Mosque

Sight · Medina

The great mosque at the centre of the medina, over a thousand years old.

Best for: the heart of the old city

Best time: morning

Heads up: Non-Muslim access is limited; dress modestly.

Dougga

Sight · north-west Tunisia

A remarkably complete Roman town on a hillside, with a theatre and temples among olive groves.

Best for: a big history day trip

Best time: full day

Amphitheatre of El Jem

Sight · El Jem

A huge, well-preserved Roman amphitheatre in a small town, reachable by train.

Best for: a Colosseum without the crowds

Best time: full day

Hammamet

Beach · Cap Bon coast

A beach town with a small walled medina by the sea, about an hour south of Tunis.

Best for: a beach day trip

Best time: full day