Escape to Tunis

Day 2 – The Medina of Tunis

Dive into the Medina and allow yourself to get lost, again and again. The itinerary we suggest was built by wandering without a fixed destination, which, in our opinion, is the best way to experience the magic of the old city.

It is difficult to retrace our exact route: the best way to discover the Medina is to surrender to getting lost. To uncover its more hidden corners, consult our article on Tunis’s secret courtyards, explore our map, or draw inspiration from our photographs: letting our images guide you as you search for your own moments to recreate.

We spent the entire day taking photographs, sipping tea, and enjoying tajine and couscous between the places listed above. You can combine them however you like, or simply follow your intuition. For us, the Medina is perhaps the most beautiful labyrinth in the world. We allowed ourselves to be guided by light, color, scents, and the call of the muezzin. Step into courtyards, enter mosques where permitted, let yourself be amazed, and avoid rigid itineraries: follow what, moment by moment, draws you deeper into the present and into the life of the city.

Day 3 – Oudna, the Bardo Museum & Hammam

Following the advice of our driver (whose contact details we can share upon request by email), we decided to visit the archaeological site of Oudna -also known as Utina- located about half an hour south of Tunis. Truly spectacular, this little-known site is set amid Tunisia’s fertile countryside, surrounded by olive groves and backed by mountains. Oudna feels like a hidden gem, still largely untouched.

Here, archaeologists have uncovered Roman villas with private baths, richly decorated mosaics, an amphitheater dating back to the reign of Emperor Hadrian, a Capitoline Temple dedicated to Jupiter, the remains of the senate beneath it, as well as cisterns and thermal baths that are still partially under excavation. The entrance ticket costs 8 dinars (less than 2 euros), but we strongly recommend hiring a guide—without one, it would be difficult to fully grasp the history of this long-forgotten city, as there is virtually no signage on site. At the end of the visit, we were offered mint tea in the small tower where the site’s guardian lives: a simple yet unforgettable moment.

Afterwards, our driver took us to the Bardo Museum. Many recommend combining Carthage, the Bardo, and Sidi Bou Said in a single day, but we strongly advise against it. It goes against the very spirit of flânerie.

Although we spent over two hours wandering through the magnificent halls of the Bardo, we were only able to glimpse a fraction of the extraordinary treasures housed there: stunning mosaics; displays illustrating the region’s cultural, military, and religious influences: from the Phoenicians to early Christian communities, from Andalusian heritage to the French colonial period. The museum also incorporates an entire dar (traditional house) from the Medina of Tunis, alongside the remains of a Greek shipwreck, ancient jewelry of remarkable craftsmanship, and once again, mosaics of rare beauty and scale.

Admission costs 13 dinars. The museum has been recently renovated, though some sections are still undergoing restoration. Unfortunately, the bookshop does not sell official exhibition catalogues; however, you can consult our curated list of the best bookstores in Tunis, where you’ll find excellent publications on the subject.

In the afternoon, return to Tunis and once again allow yourself to wander through the narrow streets of the old city. To end the day, indulge in a relaxing hammam treatment at the spa of the historic Dar El Jeld Hotel. There are other hammams in the city -more traditional and likely less Western-oriented,- but for ethical reasons, we chose not to intrude upon these deeply intimate local spaces as Western tourists.

The five-star Dar El Jeld offers a beautiful hammam, with services priced very competitively compared to Europe. After your treatment, you can savor traditional delicacies in the spa’s relaxation area, enjoy a refined dinner at the hotel’s tree restaurant set within its stunning mosaic courtyard, or, during the warmer months, dine on the terrace overlooking the Medina.

Day 4 – The Medina, the Medina, and More Medina

It is true that Tunisia is incredibly rich in beautiful places to explore. With the desire to return again and again, and to one day devote more time to other destinations (such as Sousse, Djerba, Kairouan, Hammamet, Bizerte, and many others) we chose to dedicate our final day entirely to the city of Tunis.

Wandering slowly in search of small purchases such as carpets, perfumes, dates, and books, we began to “enter” the houses. 

Not private homes, of course. This is an activity that, should you wish to try it, requires sensitivity, respect, and discretion. Let yourself be guided by instinct and step into open courtyards. Often, behind doors left ajar and opening onto beautiful vestibules lined with intricate tiles, you will find madrasas, former schools, public buildings, or communal spaces where you can quietly observe and absorb the energy of this remarkable city.

This is a journey made of fragments, difficult to reconstruct as a fixed itinerary. Still, we will try to offer you a map, tracing the most evocative corners we encountered during our flâneries. In most cases, these places are not marked in tourist guides. Sometimes a plaque at the entrance indicates the site’s historical importance, while other times there is nothing at all, only a few signs in Arabic, often indecipherable to us. Opening hours are frequently missing as well. Dar Lasram, the only site mentioned in our guidebook, was listed as open on Google but turned out to be closed. Leave room for chance and try your luck.

Before heading back to the airport, indulge in as many sunlit mint teas as possible. Savor the local cuisine, sit without haste, and allow yourself to truly feel the city.

Below, you will find links to the shops or types of shops we recommend, a selection of books on Tunisia that we particularly enjoyed, and some of our candid photographs taken in Tunis.