Major Tourist Attractions In Tunisia

The capital Tunis is located in the northeast of Tunisia besides Lake Tunis and is a major city in the Islamic and Arab world. The city is blend of traditional architectural styles centered around the old medieval city - the Medina with the Mosque of the Olive Tree, Ez Zitouna - palaces, souks, madarasas and centres of trade and education. The medina is a living museum with it’s many souks and narrow alleys and high walls.  

It is worth spending a day around the medina to see the Dar Ben Abdallah Museum, a splendid old Turkish palace that has a collection of traditional costumes and items from everyday life.

Carthage is just 15 km on the outskirts of Tunis. The legendary Princess Elissa-Dido founded Carthage in the 8th C BC. Carthage and nearby Salammbo are heritage sites and have been declared national monuments. Both sites date back to Punic times and are full of ruins and relics of the Punic and Roman empires with Roman baths, houses, temples, shrines and the remaining traces of the legendary port city of the Carthaginians, an ancient maritime power. Its importance is evident in the magnificence of its new city built on the ruins of Dido’s old capital, a new Carthage resplendent with public buildings, amphitheatres, villas and baths.

 High on a hill at a vantage position is the newly restored Cathedral of Saint Louis – the cathedral is used as a cultural centre. Close to St. Louis is the National Museum of Carthage with its priceless and magnificent collection of Punic statues, steles, urns and other artefacts. When the Romans recaptured Carthage in the 6th century AD, the city became the administrative capital for the Roman province of Africa. 

Ain Draham set among the cork forest of the Kroumirie Mountains at an altitude of around 9000m is Tunisia’s favourite mountain retreat. Though it snows in winter, summer months are delightfully cool in contrast to the heat of the plains. The journey up to Ain Draham is a pleasure trip in itself as the roads pass through some of the prettiest countryside in Tunisia with forests, clear mountain streams and springs.

Bulla Regia lies about 160km west of Tunis and is famous for its underground villas. Dougga is home of the country’s most photographed Roman monument, the Capitol of Dougga which occupies the most prominent position on the edge of the Tebersouk Mountains.  

It is also the place where classical theatre performances play to packed houses.

 Douz is the "gateway to the Sahara" and it is packed with visitors during the Sahara Festival. People come to Douz for organized camel trekking into the desert. Kairouan is the old walled city, historically the most important town in Tunisia as the Arabs established their first base here when they arrived from the east in 670 AD. The city is famous for its carpets and its Great Mosque, which is reputed to have the world’s oldest minaret. 

Mosque of the Three Doors is famous for its rare inscription carved onto its façade; the Zaoula of Sidi Abid el Ghariani and a tourist trap known as the Bir Barouta which features a camel drawing water from a well whose waters are said to be directly sourced from the holy city of Mecca.

Sousse is the country’s third largest city and a major port and has some impressive fortifications. Tourism has become big business here and the area is monopolized by some of the biggest hotel resorts in the country. You must make a visit to the Ribat, the Great Mosque and the Kasbah on the top of the hill that also has a museum.