Anyone had a good experience of Tunisia

[Gazwag]

We stayed in Port El Kantaoui, can't say it was the best holiday but it wasn't the worst. Enjoyed a trip to the Amphitheatre of El Jem where some of Gladiator was filmed and then further south to where part of Star Wars was filmed (had a meal where Luke Skywlakers home was) and finished with a camal ride on the edge of the saraha.

Daughter hated the Souks

 

[rrruss]

If you come to Tunisia expecting something akin to the Spanish costas, you are going to be sorely disappointed! Tunisia is a great country viewed through the right lens, but you need to come here with the understanding that it is a developing country, it is far from European, and it's not as cheap as you might imagine. If you are looking for a great beach holiday, go elsewhere, but if you are looking for some unique culture and amazing sights (although not within easy reach of the coastal resorts) then please come. Since the revolution travel around the country has been a bit more difficult but it is gradually getting easier.

Tabarka in the North, close to the Algerian border, is a lovely little town with sweeping beaches, cheap hotels and hardly any Libyans, who a bit of a thorn in the side at the moment. From there you can go up into the "mountains" of Ain Draham which are really nice and not many people visit.

Sidi Bou Said, close to where I live, is a fabulous village bedecked tastefully in blue and white. Maybe that's why I like it! If a cruise ship has docked, it will be swamped with tourists and prices will go up accordingly! The nearby Roman ruins of Carthage are good but there are much better ones in the country's interior. Dougga and Bulla Regia are amazing. I'm not into Roman ruins but these sites blew me away. Hire a car and go there as organised trips are expensive.

Hammamet is not much to write home about in my opinion, but it's a great starting point for exploring Cap Bon. Again a hire car is a must. Nearby is Nabeul where you can buy pottery and ceramics for half the price of the touristy shops in the resorts. Kelibia has a nice looking castle on top of a hill overlooking the port but as a town it is disappointing.

Heading further South are Sousse and Monastir. From Sousse you can find rugged charm in Hergla but it's just a morning out, see the luxury yachts in Port El Kantaoui, wander along the beach getting hassled by Tunisians, Algerians and Libyans alike, or meander through the streets of the medina. Once you get past the first few hundred yards the hassle dies down. There are also some catacombs but I'm not sure if they have re-opened after the revolution. Monastir has it's ribat, famously used for The Life of Brian, and the amazing mausoleum of Habib Bourgiba, founder of modern Tunisia.

El Jem, an hour and a half South of Sousse, is the most complete Roman amphitheatre you are likely to be able to wander around anywhere in the world. It is atmospheric and easy to imagine what life there was like. The little known village museum has the best collection of mosaics I have seen, especially as the Bardot Museum in Tunis is currently having major refurbishments, not that they tell you that when you pay to go in!

Sfax has a working medina which was nice to see but there's nothing much more there. The best olives in Tunisia though!! The ferry to the Kerkenna Islands goes from there and if you want to get away from it all, they are fabulous. Hopefully the Libyans haven't discovered them!

Further South the island of Djerba is nice but nothing special. I fear at the moment that there are just too many Libyans there.

The far South towards the Libyan border is probably best avoided at the moment as Tunisia struggles to cope with the overspill of refugees from Libya. Even Tataouine may not be as nice as it was, which is a shame because it's the starting point of Star Wars country! The old grain storage "ouleds" are brilliant and the abandoned hilltop villages are a must see. Matmata is also a must see if you are a Star Wars fan. There you can stay in a troglodyte hotel, but don't stay in the one which was actually the set for Uncle Owen's house in the films, it's expensive, tacky and nowhere near as friendly.

Also in the South are Douz, the gateway to the Sahara, and Tozeur. From Tozeur you can take a 4x4 trip into the desert to see various film sets from Star Wars or just enjoy the desert/Berber culture. Nearby Metlaoui has recently been under heavy curfew due to some rioting but I think it has settled down again. I fear it's the end for the "Lizard Rouge" railway which I haven't managed to travel on but friends tell me it is worth all the hassle of getting there.

So that's my mini-tour of Tunisia for you. I've left out Tunis as I really don't like it as a city! Worth a wander around though if you like seeing the army on the streets with lots of razor wire and tanks along major streets.

My advice - don't use Tunisia's resorts for a two week sun and sand holiday. You'll be disappointed and feel hassled. But travel around the country and you'll soon find it's an amazing place with friendly, helpful people. Schoolboy French is enough to get by with!!

You can always go to my Blog to see the numerous reports and photos pre- and post-revolution!

Russ

 

[Surrey_Albion]

I went as a boy in about 1986, realy liked the place, it was a while back though lol

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

Saw a great advert for Tunisia on a bus in London yday

Caption was (something like) " I went to Tunisia and received some hard treatment"

Picture was of a woman lying in a spa receiving a massage

 

[rrruss]

Those new adverts have proved a bit controversial in Tunisia because they don't understand the British sense of humour!

 

[stevedx]

we went about 18/19 yrs ago and had a great time!

 

[Gritt23]

Been there twice, best part of 30 years apart, and loved it both times.

Went there as a kid with my parents, it was my first foreign holiday, and thought it was brilliant. The hotel was big, LOADS to do, right on the beach, what's not to like.

Then we went back in October, as a family man with kids in tow, again it was excellent. Hotel was superb, very well catered for in terms of food, hygene, activities, kids club etc. Again, slap bang on the beach, which was gorgeous. Again, nothing not to like.

I guess it depends on what sort of holiday you're looking for. I have been there on family holidays, as a kid and as a parent. I haven't been there as a single 18-25 year old looking for happening local nightlife. IF that's what you're after, Tunisia probably isn't for you. Family holiday though, I can only speak as I find, and for my money, it was excellent.

 

[Dave the OAP]

had a really bad experience with the Souxs.

Been there, ticked it off..never again

 

[MaggieT83]

I went 2 years ago with my girlfriend to Hammamet and had similar experiances to others.
Positives- Great 2 day site seeing trip, great weather, cheap and decent hotel, Enjoyed bartering (they say 200 you say 10 then go from there)
Negatives- Bit of a dump, Harassed by locals perving over girlfriend, blocking you in streets to sell to you, some nasty food.

My dad also went to Morocco with the family a few weeks ago with young kids and said he never felt safe outside the hotel. So overall I would say not suitable for families but for me when I was 19 it was great as long as you completely blank any locals you don't want to talk to