Tunisia (Anyone been)?

Has anyone been to tunisia & wat did u think of it & the ppl there

I'm an American who moved to Tunisia almost 6 years ago. I first visited in 2000.

The country is so full of history (has been under the rule of Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Berbers, Ottomans, Beys, and French; played a significant part in WWII, was the center of the ancient world with Carthage as the capitol, etc) and it has so many beautiful places to visit! It is unlike any other Arab country in that is has a lot of greenery. There are also many historical ruins in just about every part of the country you go to.

The mountain region is breathtaking! There are fantastic views and an the atmosphere is reminiscent of an old town in Switzerland. Absolutely gorgeous! The coast is marvelous. The Sea is clear and picturesque. The midland and south are terrific because they offer you the chance to peek into a forgotten society - one that holds fast to tradition. I have been all over Tunisia and have visited most cities and have loved everyone because they each have their own special charm.

The people are so warm and hospitable. They instantly welcome you as one of their own and treat you like family.

Tunisia is also a very safe place. There are not many places in this world where a women can walk the streets alone in the middle of the night without fear. Yet I often take late night walks (around 11pm or so when I can't sleep) and have never had any problems and have never felt fearful. Tunisia on a whole is a very safe country. I have lived in Tunis and Monastir and have visited other parts of the country without any problems. There is a joke here too the between a police officer and a police officer, you find a police officer. Believe me, it's safe. We also let our children run around the marina or the caf茅s and don't worry about someone kidnapping them because that just doesn't happen here. It is a terrific place to raise a family - amongst safety, security, love, kindness, etc.

Family is very important here - there are no homeless, although there are poor people. Everyone helps everyone else -neighbors bring food to each other, the poor can always count on someone giving them food and clothes, children are not expected to leave home as soon as they turn 18, etc.

Health care and education are also very big. The first president, Habib Bourguiba, made them top priorities when he was president. Every child MUST attend school or else their father gets in trouble with the law. You will not see cases of children being made to work to help support the family and letting their education fall to the wayside. Health care is also very affordable. 10TDN (it equals 3.89GBP, 5.73EUR, or 7.65USD) is all it takes to go to the hospital. The national health care is also set up to absorb most of the cost for those who can't afford to pay it.

Women's rights is another thing that was implemented as soon as Bourguiba became president. Tunisia was one of the first countries in the world to give women equality to men, and grant them the right to vote. It was one of the first Arab countries to allow women to seek a divorce from a man on her own accord, to work outside the home, and give them education on family planning.

You can find anything here that you could in other countries - discos, bars, shopping, movies, theater, parks, zoos - anything.

Some popular places to visit are:
*the multiple Star Wars filming locations
*Toezer -famous for it's use of yellow bricks and a filming location for The English Patient
*Matmata -a UNESCO world heritage site preserved for it's underground houses
*the Sahara
*Carthage -the former capital of the ancient world
*El Jem -houses the largest in tact Romen Coliseum outside of Italy


There are many lovely cities here in Tunisia to stay in. Here are some of the main tourist destinations:

The Isle of Djerba is popular because of it's seclusion from the mainland, it's quiet and calm atmosphere, and the fact that one of the Star Wars set is on the island. Definitely a favorite for those who want to escape the hustle and bustle of busy life and enjoy peace, quiet, great beaches, and nature.

Hammamet & Yassmine Hammamet (same city, but divided into two parts) is popular because it is calm, quiet, yet has a great nightlife and wonderful beaches.

Sousse (a lot of people think of Port el Kantaoui) is great because it offers lovely beaches but is still very much a bustling city with lots of shopping, food, and fun.

Monastir is another popular destination because the city is very calm and quiet with gorgeous beaches, a few good restaurants, and is only 30mins from Sousse. It is particularly nice for those who want peace and quiet during the day but want to be close to good nightlife.

From any of these popular destinations, most hotels will offer you a chance to take an excursion to see other cities and sights. You will be able to choose from going to see the Sahara, some Star Wars sets, the Roman Coliseum in El Jem, etc.


You can also look at my 360 blog for information on Tunisia, and look a my pictures of Tunisia. Hopefully if you look at my pictures, you can get a glimpse of what real life is like in Tunisia (it's not anywhere near as conservative as most people think!).

My blog: http://360.yahoo.com/jamie_hassen
Pictures: http://flickr.com/photos/jamie_hassen/se...


Feel free to contact me if you have any more questions, or if I can be of any more help or assistance.

yes!!
its nice i had a good time but the people are a bit well...different over there and you have to cover up more but i had a great holiday!

they have lots of wild cats around which is kinda gross!

Its really lovely i been loads of times. U can get great deals on designer bags and clothes which is great. the trips organised at the hotel are awesome. go on the sahara dessert one it is the best trip ever. beware when u go shopping they can be a bit pushy. they have great beaches and lovely weather. enjoy your trip.

Yes it was great.

I would forewarn you though dont visit places like Souks or anywhere local with exposed flesh if you are woman, I had a great time but was careful I dressed down and did not attract attention to being female - its better in terms of sun protection too.

I found people friendly warm polite and were fun pushy not the terrible Egyptian types shouting 'baksheeh' all the time!!!

Came back from Sousse nearly 3 weeks ago. We really enjoyed it. Lots to see and do for us and the kids. The beaches were lovely and transport everywhere really cheap, albeit a bit like a death ride in the town!
The one thing that annoyed me though was the shop owners constantly trying to get you to buy their goods. They can spot a tourist a mile away and they really do have the gift of the gab. If you want to buy something barter with them but if you don't just ignore them and carry on walking even when they're chasing you up the street! It's a shame because I like to do a bit of window shopping and this is impossible!

been 3 times and enjoyed every minute we were in port El Kant at the royal kenz hotel and we were treated like royalty, Tunisian people Are very friendly( apart from having to haggle) otherwise great.and cheap.

had my honeymoon in Tunisia, stayed in the souse area. We loved it. the people were friendly, but you do get hustled to look in their shops and if they tell you it's free do not believe them! we visited a lot of the sights and they were beautiful. such as the roman coliseum at El djem, nabul, and a safari park, the beaches are beautiful. Oh and there are also fixed price shops you can go to have a look around in and not have to barter over the price

Yes, been twice to Tunis. It was warm, busy, friendly and very laid back. The people where lovely and helpful and i will have lovely memories for all my life. I have to say though i was not enamored with the food everything seemed to be topped of with either boiled egg or tuna. But apart from that 10/10 :)

unfortunately i have a different view then your other posters.

we went in May this year, and stayed in Sousse.

maybe it was because myself and my daughter are blonde, and fair, but we got quite a bit of hassle from the moment we left the hotel - (the front way - taxi drivers, the beach way, sellers with rugs, cigarette's, etc) - we found it hard as we could not relax.


with the sellers, the 'true' Tunisians are great people, but i came to the conclusion that the people who tried the 'hard sell' are not from there originally.

i have not wrote this to put you off in any way, this was our experience, i hope you have a great time.

yes i have just returned about 2 weeks ago and been a few times before, i hav only ever been to Port El Kantaoui every time Ive been but i absolutely love the place and i really hope i can go back again sometime this year. the people there are lovely and so friendly, as someone posted above you do get approached a lot by the locals, i go with my friend and i think this is part of the fun have made many friends and keep in touch with many of them when I'm back home. i suppose it depends what sort of person you are, if you just go with the flow you'll be fine, the shop keepers can be annoying sometimes but if you just ignore them or be stern it will be fine, but you cant blame them for wanting to make money, after all we all have to make a living some how.
if your planning to go i hope you love this country as much as i do and have a great time!!! :)

hello, i have been and am in Tunisia! the people are the same as you would find every where, good, bad, friendly, unfriendly. i think with Tunisia and any place you find what you expect! that said: for the most part i have had wonderful time. i have been treated very nicely by everyone i have met! even with a language barrier. i have met maybe two people who where out right rude! but two to thousands, well those are pretty good numbers! it is a great place to have a lazy vacation, even shopping in the souk can be lazy, i just wonder through and mostly stay to my own. it can get very crowded though! the beach is great, the sand in Sousse is soft and the water clear. Tunisia is its own adventure!

Not the place to go if you are a woman