Sitting on the North West coast of Africa, Tunisia is a fast growing holiday destination attracting thousands of visitors every year. Package holiday makers throng the beaches throughout the summer months and the tourist economy is booming. But there are a few facts that the regular visitor gets to find out about that don’t appear in the glossy brochures, and probably won’t feature in the traditional welcome meeting.
The Culture
This is a Muslim country. Albeit the most liberal and easy going one. But it is still a Muslim country that observes the tradition of Ramadan and the bi annual holidays of Eid.
For independent travellers to Tunisia it is a wise move the check the Islamic calendar for the potential dates of these holidays. Some travel services may be affected, as will the hours of opening for the local banks. Many places close during the fasting hours of Ramadan. Women travellers should bear in mind that this is a culture where women still, in the main, cover up and many still wear headscarves.
Bare shoulders and shorts are tolerated in the tourist resorts but if you are going in land then dress respectfully and wear long loose clothing. Also beach wear is fine for the beach and the pool but walking across the main round and into the supermarket in a sarong is not really the thing to do here and may cause some unwanted attention.
How to Get Around
The Tunisian rail system is cheap and reliable, as are the smaller metro trains. Visitors can travel the length of the country by train. Be warned these are not luxury modes of transport and are not air conditioned, so travel in the height of the summer can be a pretty sticky experience. Taxi drivers seem to have two prices, tourist and local. The visitor should check out the charge to their destination before they enter one; if the price seems too high then it probably is.
Taxis in Tunisia are plentiful in the tourist resorts so there is no need to be afraid of taking part in one of Tunisa’s national pastimes, haggling. Taxi drivers in the capitol city of Tunis don’t often speak as much English as their resort based counterparts and any traveller to Tunisshould know exactly where they need to go, and preferably get the receptionist in their hotel to write the destination out in Arabic before they leave. Tuks Tuks are a fun and entertaining way to get around the local resort and are usually cheap. Just double check where they are likely to stop as it may be nowhere near the hotel! Louages are like shared taxis and all Tunisian towns have a Louage station. These are very economical if a bit stifling in summer, a visit to the local Louage station will tell the traveller where they can get to
The Currency
Officially the Tunisian currency (the Dinar) is not allowed out of the country, which doesn’t explain why the only restaurant in Monastir airport is priced in Dinars. Most hardened visitors to Tunisia keep a few dinars in their pocket in case of card machines being down so that they can get a coffee while waiting for the flight. If the traveller intends to change all their currency then they are advised change to Euros rather than Sterling or their local currency as all the gift shops in both Monastir and Tunis- Carthage are priced in Euros only.
Tipping – Why and How
Leaving a couple of millimes as a tip is about as big an insult as a Tunisian visitor can give. Bearing in mind that the Dinar is about the equivalent of fifty English pence leaving millimes as a tip means that the visitor is only actually leaving a few pence. Tunisian wages are very poor, and many live on the tips left for them as their salary has to go to accommodation and keeping the family. Also tips are collected and shared between staff, which may seem fair, but often the boss and then the manager have a percentage before it reaches the staff, so the tip is best given directly to the person it is intended for.
Eating and Drinking
There are places in Tunisia where you can buy alcohol, local beers and wines are the best value. In Port El Kantaoui there is a restaurant called the Golf Brau which brews its own very tasty ale. The visitor will soon find out which places in their resort sell alcohol as these will be the busiest! All hotels will have a bar area. Guests are allowed in any hotel in Tunisia to order a drink or coffee; there will be a “paying” bar for non guests. Travellers to inland areas of Tunisia will find that it is very difficult to get alcohol.
Tunisia is a lovely country full of history and has some magnificent ruins to visit. Tunisian visitors should remember that this is not Spain; they won’t find a McDonalds or a cooked English breakfast here. But what will await them in Tunisia is a lively, vibrant, culture with warm friendly people who want to welcome people into their country.
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