Tunis, the capital of Tunisia is set back from the Mediterranean coast on the Lake of Tunis in the extreme north of the country. It's by far the country's biggest city, with a population, including the suburbs, of about 4 million.
  Tunis has had a continuous existence at least since the building of Carthage by the Phoenicians (7th century BC), and probably predated it as a Berber settlement by some centuries. In 146BC, the Romans destroyed ancient Carthage and rebuilt it as a Roman city.
  In the 7th century, Arab invaders destroyed Roman Carthage and created the Muslim city of Tunis. It became a more or less autonomous part of the Ottoman Empire from the 16th century onwards. Its modern history is clear from the architectural divide. Tunis was taken by the French in 1881 and remained a French colonial city until 1956.
  The first president was Habib Bourguiba, whose pro-Western autocratic rule continued until 1987, when he was displaced in a coup by Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.

In January 2011, Tunisia led the way for the Arab Spring, with a huge popular revolt that overthrew the dictatorship of Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. In its aftermath, the people of Egypt and other Arab countries were inspired to rise up against corrupt autocratic rulers.
  Calm and order were restored to Tunisia within a few weeks, and democratic elections held in October were won by the 'moderate Islamist' party Ennahda.  However, the uprising damaged tourism, with operators cancelling their programmes and a 35% fall in visitor numbers in 2011.

The city's main tourist office (ONTT) is at 1 Avenue Mohammed V, on the junction with Avenue Habib Bourguiba at Place 7 Novembre.
www.cometotunisia.co.uk

The centre of Tunis is the western end of Avenue Habib Bourguiba, the broad main street of Tunis’ European-style colonial Ville Nouvelle or French City. Bab El Bhar is the main gateway into the Medina, the evocative, older central Arab district. Rue Jamaâ Ezzitouna, leads to the Medina's focal point, the historic Ez Zitouna mosque.

The Medina, the historic Arabic district at the heart of the city, is an evocative warren of arcaded passages, alleys, crowded souks and tranquil courtyards, with mosques, mansions, open-fronted stores and traditional cafés.
  At the same time, Tunis is largely a modern administrative city, with embassies, government offices, French restaurants and smart boutiques in the streets of the Ville Nouvelle. Together with the large number of diplomatic staff and foreign officials and their families who reside in Tunis, this gives the city centre a cosmopolitan feel, with a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere.
  Despite this, there's no doubting the strongly Islamic base, with few unaccompanied women in the streets or cafés, and muezzin calls to prayer five times a day.

Tunis nightlife is dominated by bars intended for a male clientele, some with strippers and similar entertainment. More respectable bars and cafés along Avenue Habib Bourguiba are lively until midnight, but many do not serve alcohol. The relaxed, comfortable rooftop bar of the El-Hana International Hotel attracts a mixed crowd of well-to-do locals, as well as foreigners, and has great views. Café de Paris is a popular central bar on the corner of the Avenue Habib Bourguiba and the Avenue de Carthage.
  Tunis has a small but vibrant choice of European-style clubs and dance venues, like Calypso - the best way to find them is to ask locals.
  Take a taxi to nearby Sidi Bou Saïd to relax at a café with a nargilah (or hookah, or waterpipe), or to the popular seaside resort of La Marsa for a relaxed late-evening cafés and a waterside stroll, or to visit one of the hotel nightclubs.  

Eating and drinking in Tunis
In the Medina, pick up sugary or salty snacks as preferred from numerous stalls in the souks, or take a seat in the traditional inexpensive Arab eating places serving tasty local dishes like savoury fried fish, brik (a triangular pastry filled with egg, onion and herbs), and other filled filo pastries.
  Dar Belhadj, in a fine traditional house in Rue des Tamis between El Attarine et El Balgagia souks, is a beautiful place to sample good-quality traditional cooking.
  In the Ville Nouvelle there is French, Arab and international cooking in brasseries and restaurants, and in the hotel dining rooms, with plenty of salads and cous-cous (the North African speciality dish of meat with tender wheatgrains). Le Capitole is a popular spot with classic dishes on an inexpensive menu and good views of Avenue Habib Bourguiba.
  Alcohol is forbidden in Islam, so many places do not serve it. Nevertheless, good wines and beer are available, including the Tunisian beer Celtia, Tunisian wines like Magon (red ) or Thibar (white), as well as fiery Boukha, a local spirit distilled from figs. But locals are more likely to be sipping soft drinks or traditional mint tea.

Hotels in Tunis
The best places to stay in Tunis are in the city centre or on the nearby seashore resorts which are almost suburbs of Tunis: there are 3, 4 and 5 star resort hotels at Gammarth and La Marsa. In the appealing seafront village of Sidi Bou Saïd, the calm and beautiful blue-and-white Hotel Dar Said (www.darsaid.com.tn) is a traditional mansion with  patios, trees, comfortable rooms and its own hammam (Turkish bath).
  Good hotels in Tunis city centre are mainly in the northern part of the Ville Nouvelle, but among more centrally located Tunis hotels, with easy access to the Medina, are El Hana International and the handsome old-style 4-star Tunisia Palace (www.goldenyasmin.com), with classic grandeur.

 Medina 
Enter the Medina at the western end of Avenue Bourguiba. The crowded souks each have their speciality, best-known of them being the exotic and fascinating El Attarine Souk, the perfume market where scent fills the air. The heart of the Arab quarter is the 8th-century Ez Zitouna Mosque. Non-Moslems may only enter certain parts of the building. Visit its calm marble courtyard, enclosed  by arcades. 

 Carthage  
Its ruins surviving in a magnificent  and evocative archaeological site on the edge of Tunis, the city of Carthage was founded by Phoenicians in the 9th century BC during the rule of Queen Dido or Elissa. It remained for centuries the most powerful city on the Mediterranean, especially under Hannibal (248-182 BC). There were frequent wars with Rome.
  In 146BC, the Romans finally conquered Carthage. They destroyed all the Phoenician buildings, rebuilding Carthage as a Roman city. In its final years the city became an outpost of Byzantium.
  Carthage was reduced to ruins by the Arabs in the Muslim Conquest of 698AD. The site's most impressive ancient structures date from the Roman period, notably vestiges of the oval amphitheatre and the basement area of the once-huge Antonine Baths.
  Among more recent buildings are the 19th-century St Louis Basilica, beside which the Carthage Museum displays a large collection of finds made on the site.

 Sidi Bou Saïd  
The pretty waterside town has a fresh, pristine feel - all its buildings are white with blue paintwork - and lovely views onto the Gulf of Tunis. It's close to the site of ancient Carthage, and has also become something of a leisure district for Tunis, with appealing cafés and restaurants. Classiest dining venue is Au Bon Vieux Temps, housed in a romantic and elegant mansion with masses of charm and superb views, offering excellent French and Tunisian cooking. Former customers include numerous presidents, tycoons and celebrities from around the world.

 Bardo Museum  
The Bardo has astonishing, extensive collections of beautiful Phoenician and Roman sculpture and artworks of Tunisia’s Christian period, including what is said to be the world's largest collection of Roman mosaics, displayed in an imposing former palace in western Tunis.

 Further out of town 
Impressed by Carthage? Wait till you see Dougga, in a rural setting about 2hrs drive from Tunis. Its exceptionally well-preserved Phoenician, Roman and Byzantine ruins make it the most rewarding excursion from Tunis. It is described by UNESCO as "the best-preserved Roman small town in North Africa.”
  Just beyond the eastern edge of Tunis are the beaches of La Marsa and Gamarth, while a short drive south brings you to popular resorts on the sandy coast of Hammamet Bay. Tunisia also has top-quality golf courses, including two within easy reach of the capital, Carthage Golf Course and The Residence Golf Course.

Festival of the Medina
During Ramadan (20 July-18 August 2012)
A wide variety of Arabic and Western entertainment from classical music to cinema to such diversions as jugglers. Main venue is Tunis Municipal Theatre, but with several other venues around the medina.

Carthage International Festival
July - August (to be confirmed for 2012)
Film, dance, jazz, world music and spectacular stage performances in the Roman amphitheatre.
www.festival-carthage.com.tn

- Where is Tunis?
In NE Tunisia, just inland from the Mediterranean coast. It is 155km (105 miles) from the island of Sicily, part of Italy.
- International phone dialling code:
+ 216 71 (+ drop initial 0 from local number)
- Time zone:
GMT + 1 hour. There is no Daylight Savings Time.
- Money:
Tunisian Dinar (TD).