The old Phoenician trading village, later the centre of operations of pirates from the Mediterranean Sea. Nowadays, Tunis is one of the most popular touristic destination of Tunisia. And not only due to lovely beaches, but also many monuments, that till today store some secrets. Next to Arabic buildings, you will see there architecture looking like straight from… Paris.
The whole district Ville Nouvelle used to be inhabited by French, who at some point were ruling the country. The main Avenue Bourguiba looks a lot like the Champs-Elyse. There is one difference – instead of trees alongside the boardwalk grow palm trees. If you have too much money on you, step by one of the local eateries and sip a coffee while admiring the neighbourhood.
The heart of the city, both historical and spiritual, is the peculiar labyrinth of narrow streets, in whose the Arabic vibe is dominant. There are plenty of markets there, where the life of medina is pulsating. The district is dated back to the beginnings of the 7th century, and the oldest mosque there
Obeid’a Allah’a Ibn-al-Habhab has around 100 years less. The trading districts is on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1979.
Beautiful, richly decorated houses, in whose used to live local rich men, nowadays are available for normal people. In Dar Jeld and Dar Bel Hadj there are restaurants, and in Palais d’Orient you can get yourself a fancy carpet, whereas Dar Ben Abdallah, Palais Khereddine or Dar Hussein serve as premises for museums.
You have to know, that Tunis is not only the city of historic architecture, full of romantic stories about Arabic merchants. It is also the modern capital with offices and traffic jams. Just behind the Porte de France (also known as Bab el Bahr), the Sea Gate, starts the avenue Habib Bourguiba, alongside which are situated many modern office buildings with cafes and restaurants, banks, hotels and cars rentals. In that district life goes by much faster.
