Things to do in Tunis
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Grand Souq des Chechias
One of the biggest souqs is the Grand Souq des Chechias, where dusty shopfronts are brimful with blood-red hats, and you can see them being shaped and hammered. In the 17th century, this was one of Tunisia's biggest industries. A million red-felt skullcaps, used originally as the basis for building a turban, were made annually by 15,000 craftsmen, and exported worldwide.
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Sahib El-Tabía Mosque
Sahib El-Tabía Mosque dates from the 19th century, when Halfouine was an emerging fashionable quarter. It forms part of Tunis' only külliye - a medersa, souq, hammam (public bathhouse) and tomb complex. It's almost Venetian looking; the railings and black marble were imported from the continent. The minaret was only added in 1970.
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Théâtre de l'Etoile du Nord
This is a fringe theatre housed in an ex-garage. There are regular plays (in French and Arabic) and concerts (from reggae to heavy metal) - check the website for forthcoming events.
As boho as Tunis gets, this vibrant theatre has a unique artsy café (no alcohol) catering to a mixed crowd of men and women. Lone women will feel completely comfortable here.
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Bab Bhar
Bab Bhar, also called the Porte de France or French Gate, is a huge freestanding arch that was the medina's eastern gateway until the surrounding walls were demolished by the French to create place de la Victoire. Note rue des Glaciéres, leading off to the north - this is where huge blocks of Alpine ice for sale were stored in the 18th and 19th centuries.
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Tontonville
This buzzing place has plain, no-nonsense décor, heavily curtained from the street, so punters can tuck into the alcohol on offer with impunity. It also has lots of good fish. The salade mechouia (grilled peppers and tomatoes with olive oil and garlic, served garnished with olives or tuna) that accompanies the dishes comes with a kick.
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Al-Mazar
As befits a bar cunningly disguised as a restaurant, this is buzzing and convivial; lone women might find it intimidating. With paintings on the walls and big globe lampshades, you might think yourself in Paris. The food is excellent, with special mention going to the harissa (spicy chilli paste) and to the chocolate mousse.
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Dar Lasram
Dar Lasram is a magnificent mansion. From the 18th century, the Lasram family provided the beys (provincial governors) with scribes. Today it's home to the Association de Sauvegarde de la Medina, who oversee medina conservation. The interior has magnificent intensely tiled rooms and courtyards, and medina maps, plans and photographs.
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Central Market
This market dates from the 19th century and is a hugely colourful place to wander and stock up on food, with a mouth-watering selection of cheeses, fresh bread, harissa (spicy chilli paste), olives and pickles (surrounding shops sell tempting piles of the same) as well as fruit and veg and a wide range of basketware.
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Le Colisée
There are plenty of cinemas, mainly showing Egyptian films, Bollywood-style action movies or soft porn, but you'll also find recent Hollywood offerings, dubbed into French. The local press has listings. Admission costs around TD3 at plush places such as Le Colisée, though older films are often cheaper.
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La Parnasse
There are plenty of cinemas, mainly showing Egyptian films, Bollywood-style action movies or soft porn, but you'll also find recent Hollywood offerings, dubbed into French. The local press has listings. Admission costs around TD3 at plush places such as La Parnasse, though older films are often cheaper.
reviewed
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Hamuda Pasha Mosque
There are mosques all over the medina; interiors are off-limits to non-Muslims. The finest include Hamuda Pasha Mosque, a 17th-century, harmonious, richly decorated building that reflects the prosperity of the times. Its witch's-hat minaret is octagonal - typical of the Turkish Hanefite strand of Islam.
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Restaurante Les 3 Étoiles
This is a great little basic place with cheap-as-chips food - fill-you-up couscous or blow-your-top salade mechouia (grilled peppers and tomatoes with olive oil and garlic, served garnished with olives or tuna) - whirring fans, plastic tablecloths, and satisfied customers.
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Le Malouf
If you fancy some pasta, this Italian-owned place is where to head. It's smart, with big artworks decorating the interior and courtyard tables out the front - a charming find in central Tunis. A guitar duo cranks up the atmosphere on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
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Le Diwan
The immaculately restored Le Diwan is an 18th-century mansion that's now an upmarket craft shop and banqueting hall. This corner of the medina is particularly kempt, with whitewashed façades, trailing flowers and big studded doors indicating wealthy houses.
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Mahdaoui
Central and cheap, here the tables fill a narrow alley by the Zaytouna Mosque. The simple daily menu offers couscous, fish, chicken, lamb (sometimes half a head - yikes) and so on - greasy but pretty good. If you get here late there won't be much choice left.
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La Croisette
The burgeoning lakeside Berges du Lac development is trendy and prices reflect this, but this popular salon de thé-restaurant has a lovely waterside setting, sells anything from ice cream and cakes to pizzas, and is surrounded by fairy lights.
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Bolero
Tucked down a seedy alley, this cosy corner with red tablecloths and low lighting is favoured by Tunis businessmen, who retreat here for long lunches to peruse the long wine list. It specialises in grilled meats and seafood and prides itself on its paella.
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Le Boeuf sur le Toit
Out in the up-and-coming suburb of La Soukra 'the beef on the roof' is named after a surrealist ballet; it's a restaurant with a dance floor and terrace, and regular DJs, live gigs and Sunday jazz evenings, attracting Tunisia's most cosmopolitan crowd.
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Ville Nouvelle
The Ville Nouvelle is an entirely different city from the medina, with tall shuttered windows, wrought-iron balconies, cafés and pâtisseries. There are some fine examples of colonial architecture, ranging from the exuberant to the bizarre.
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Palais Khereddine
Palais Khereddine is on a pretty, palm-shaded square. This 19th-century palace, later split to house two schools - one for Jews, one for Muslims - is somewhat grandly named the Museum of Tunis, and hosts some excellent, free, art exhibitions.
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Delma
Impress your date with dates. This upmarket shop sells Tamerza dates stuffed with pistachio paste or dried apricots, or covered in sesame seeds. They're pricier than you'll find in the supermarket but the boxes make good gifts.
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National Theatre
Fabulously ornate façades dot the city. Supreme examples include the Art Nouveau National Theatre, built by the French in 1902, which has a meringue-sculpted frontage that looks as if you could crack it off and eat it.
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Bar Jamaica
Zip up to El-Hana's 10th floor for fabulous views. This small bar is lit with funky blue neon, plays a mix of lounge and pop music, has tables outside, and attracts a mixed crowd of men and women, both Tunisian and foreign.
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Oscars
The vaguely cine-themed (perhaps the name refers to the award ceremony) bar-restaurant upstairs is fun, though not for single women (the women here are generally prostitutes). There's live music and dancers at the weekend.
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Clock Tower
Resembling a much younger cousin of London's Big Ben, a burnished metal clock tower forms a glimmering landmark towards the western end of ave Habib Bourguiba. It was erected to commemorate Independence Day (7 November).
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