Tunisia

My Tunisia travel summary:

Visited: April 2012

Duration of visit: 7 days

Capital city: Tunis

Population: 10.85 million (2012)

Tunisia travel blog reading time: 3 minutes

• Family trip with 10-month-old son and 2 years old daughter.
• Exploring the historic medina quarter in the capital Tunis.
• Relaxing in Hammamet – one of the primary tourist destinations in Tunisia.
• Staying in an all-inclusive hotel in the low season.

Located in North Africa on the Mediterranean Sea, Tunisia has been inhabited for around 200,000 years and it was once an influential regional power. The Sahara Desert, Mediterranean Sea with beautiful beaches, scenes from the Star Wars movies and several historic sights, are the main reason, why Tunisia is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the region.

In 2010, protesters in Tunisia launched the Jasmine Revolution. It later sparked a wave of protests across the Arab world, known as the Arab Spring.

It also toppled the governments of Egypt, Libya and Yemen.

We took a comfortable train from Hammamet to the capital city, enjoying scenic views and a relaxing journey along the way. Wandering around the old town with two small kids and a stroller turned out to be quite an adventure. I tried to balance the kids’ interest with exciting landmarks, historic places to visit and busy streets.

The capital city, Tunis, was once one of the greatest and wealthiest cities in the Islamic world. In 1979, UNESCO designated the city center (Medina) as a World Heritage site.

I enjoyed exploring the medina, filled with palaces, mosques, mausoleums, madrasas, fountains, and markets dating back to the 7^th century. The best way to discover it was getting lost in narrow streets lined with splendid Fatimid and Ottoman architecture. One remarkable area is Souk des Chéchias, where artisans have crafted Tunisia’s traditional woolen hats for centuries.

Artisans make Tunisia’s national headgear (the chechia) through a long and complicated traditional process. The hats are knitted by women from combed wool, then soaked with hot water and soap by men during fulling. Next, the hat is carded with thistle or a wire brush, transforming the felt into velvet and adding vermilion red dye.

The general impression of the city and people were good; we perceived safety and hospitality.

Hammamet is one of the primary tourist destinations in Tunisia, famous for sandy beaches, all-inclusive hotels, watersport activities,  and jasmine.

Visiting it in the off season doesn’t bring the same experience as during the summer. I found the sea too cold to swim, but the crowd was much more manageable and the atmosphere calmer.

In general, Hammamet doesn’t offer many exciting things to do or interesting places to visit.

The main activities at al-inclusive hotels include eating, drinking, resting, and more eating, followed by nightlife. The biggest advantage for the parents was not having to clean the table after the kids finished the meal. The hotel served average food with few options for non-meat eaters.

It is not easy to travel around with really small kids. The main goal of our Tunisia travel journey was to enjoy a relaxed and easygoing holiday. The furthest I managed to travel outside Hammamet was the capital city, Tunis.

To get a broader picture of the country, I should have visited the El Djem Amphitheater and the ruins of ancient Carthage. I also missed exploring the Andalusian-style seaside town of Sidi Bou Said and the Great Mosque of Kairouan.

I am convinced that there will be an opportunity to come back one day and combine deeper travelling around Tunisia with the neighboring Algeria and Libya.