In this series we are going to travel around Tunisia and say what we found to be most enjoyable and worthwhile. In Part 1 we started with the little beach resort of Hammamet. Now we continue by going to Sidi Bou Said.
SIDI BOU SAID
In our opinion Sidi Bou Said is the prettiest village in Tunisia and that´s why we wanted to spend time in it. As far as accessibility to sights we could easily have stayed longer in Hammamet. Indeed most of the tours to interesting places in the region leave from Hammamet and often include Sidi Bou Said on their itinerary, so it you want to take tours it will be more convenient for you to stay in Hammamet. However, in our case, we just love the charm and atmosphere of Sidi Bou Said and had to stay there to soak it up. The whole village has a blue theme with doors, windows, shutters, and awnings all painted blue.
There is a hotel there with a beautiful garden and nice beautiful looking rooms called the Hotel Dar Said. It is on a steep hill however so may not be good for people who find it a struggle to keep walking uphill. In case you want to book, here´s the link: https://tripadvisor.tpk.mx/zIC0I5yj We were going to stay there but they wouldn´t allow our dog so we were thrilled to find a lovely little boutique hotel that welcomed our dog in the neighbouring village, El Marsa. Its called Dar Souad and has a charming patio and the rooms are all in a typical Tunisian style. Here´s the link to book: https://tripadvisor.tpk.mx/e89wYYtv
Flowers are all over the place in Sidi Bou Said, these above being some of them.
A typical blue door in Sidi Bou Said.
Just a few minutes away from Sidi Bou Said are the ruins of Carthage. This was the capital of the Punic empire in the 9th century led by Hannibal. We recommend a tour where a guide takes you around Carthage, explaining the history and how the place was destroyed by the Romans. The tour also includes Tunis where you visit the leading museum in the country, the Bardo, the fascinating medina and a typical Tunisian lunch in a nice restaurant. Here´s the link to book: https://getyourguide.tpk.mx/GkAnbXj8 This tour often sells out so its well worth booking in advance to avoid disappointment. It actually leaves from Tunis so you can either take local transport into Tunis which is only a short drive away from Sidi Bou Said or try and arrange for them to pick you up at your hotel. Part of the tour will include a visit to Sidi Bou Said.
A view of Carthage.
One of the gates into the old part of the city of Tunis.
There are two more sets of ruins that are worth visiting from Sidi Bou Said. Utica is the oldest Phoenician settlement dating all the way back to the 8th century BC. Dougga is a UNESCO world heritage site being the best preserved small Roman town in North Africa. We suggest hiring a private car and driver for the day to give you a tour of all these sites. We recommend Discount Tours who provide this professional service for a reasonable price. - here´s the link to book: https://getyourguide.tpk.mx/qk94AoN3 In addition to the ruins, you could have your driver give you time at the Ichkeul lake where, depending on the time of year, you have a chance of seeing storks, flamingos, hoopoes and eagles. Aswell as the birds it is a beautiful spot to walk and relax.
We hope you have enjoyed this blog. The links in it recommending places can benefit us financially - we humbly ask you to make your bookings through these links as that helps us to keep this site up and running - and it won´t cost you any more than if you were to book directly on the provider`s own website. Also, in the event of a problem, it makes it easier for us to resolve it. Happy Travels! And we would very much appreciate it if you could forward this to those of your friends who love seeing places and travelling. Thank you, and may God bless you, Lean and Anthony, the travelling donkeys.
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