Things To Do in Tunis & Tunis Airport Layover Ideas

The ruins of Carthage are the most popular attraction in the area (the airport is officially named after them). Just 15 kilometres (9 miles) north of Tunis, Carthage, famously razed by the Romans, with the few remnants now safely encased in a museum. A city of the Pheonician and Punic periods from the 6th century BC, Carthage was the base of a powerful trading empire spanning the entire south Mediterranean and home to a population of the order of half a million people. Today, Carthage is UNESCO World Heritage site with plenty to see (museums, cathedral, roman baths). Get the TGM train from east of the clock tower, or take a tour.

• Tunis: Full-Day Tour with Tickets to Bardo Museum & Carthage 
• Sousse: Carthage, Sidi Bou Said, and Bardo Museum Day Tour (departs from Sousse)
• 5-Day Tunisia Highlights Package Tour 
• 8-Day Discovery of the South of Tunisia from Tunis

Located just 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of Tunis, located atop of a steep cliff overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, is the town of Sidi Bou Said. The view is absolutely phenomenal, and the entire town is simply beautiful, painted blue and white, with flowers and vines draped from every wall and doorway. Artists who have lived in or spent time in Sidi Bou Said include Paul Klee, Gustave-Henri Jossot, August Macke, Saro Lo Turco and Louis Moillet, as well as Tunisian artists Yahia Turki, Brahim Dhahak and Ammar Farhat. Writer Andre Gide spent time here, as did French philosopher Michel Foucault.Take the TGM train which runs from Tunis to La Marsa, or take a tour.

• Tunis: Full-Day Tour with Tickets to Bardo Museum & Carthage 
• Sousse: Carthage, Sidi Bou Said, and Bardo Museum Day Tour (departs from Sousse)
• 5-Day Tunisia Highlights Package Tour 
• 8-Day Discovery of the South of Tunisia from Tunis

The Bardo National Museum in Tunis contains a major collection of antiquities from Ancient Greece, Tunisia, the Ottoman-era and the Islamic period. Occupying the 13th century palace of the Ottoman-era bey (ruler), the Bardo is renowned for its extensive collection of Roman mosaics. There are also exhibits from Carthage, Mahdia, Sousse, as well as other treasures from the Roman period.

The museum has been  undergoing reconstruction, but travellers report that the majority of the museum is now open, with just a few areas still under construction. Nearest metro station is Le Bardo on line 4. From the station walk toward the fenced compound to the north and then clockwise around it until you find the unmarked gate. Closed Mondays. 

• Tunis: Full-Day Tour with Tickets to Bardo Museum & Carthage 
• Sousse: Carthage, Sidi Bou Said, and Bardo Museum Day Tour (departs from Sousse)

The souq in the medina makes for a fascinating stroll. Here, tiny shops overflowwith stuff, and cats lurk in the shadows. Everywhere people are buying, selling and milling about, and the aromas of spices and essential oils mix with frying food and garbage. The medina's main routes are labeled "touristique", but even a few steps off the beaten track it's a real, working market. Compared to Morocco or even Sousse you will not be hassled here. Bab El Bahr, the large stone-arch "French Gate" at the head of Avenue DeFrance, is a good starting point for the Souk. Haggle if you wish to buy anything.

Zitouna Mosque is the largest mosque in Tunisia. An important landmark, this Aghlabite mosque dates back to the 8th century, although the distinctive square minaret is a much later 19th century addition. Modest dress essential, but non-Muslims can enter a viewing platform on the edge of the courtyard (3 TND), not the mosque itself. It is open every day but Friday, from 08:00-11:00.

Be aware that the very nice and friendly men selling tickets and sitting nearby might try to show you the medersas (Quranic schools) and panoramic views nearby, even implying that it is part of the mosque and thus your ticket. If you are not careful you will end up with an unexpected tour that will cost you some dinar. Otherwise just brush them off and do not follow them.

Many of the large parks in Tunis were installed at the end of the 19th century by the authorities of the French protectorate. The largest and oldest, Belvédère Park, was founded in 1892 and is built in the landscape style common to France. Overlooking Lake Tunis, the park covers an area of more than 100 hectares across roads that can be explored by car or on foot. The park is home yo the Tunis Zoo (which houses African fauna) and the National Centre of Living Art / Belvedere House for the Arts.

Tunis is a centre of Tunisian culture. Here are just two of the most notable venues:

• The Théâtre municipal de Tunis, upon creation on 20 November 1902, showcases opera, ballet, symphonic concerts, drama, etc. On the stage of this theatre, many performances are regularly given by Tunisian, Arabic and international actors. 
• The National Theatre of Tunisia is an important public enterprise in Tunis, and since 1988 been located in the Khaznadar palace (dating from the middle of the 19th century and situated in the Halfaouine quarter), renamed "Theater Palace."