Tunis, Tunisia

On sait ça.

In case there’s confusion, I am not Tunisian. But I have gone to school there, and have been visiting for years. You’re getting just about the best advice you can get if your world view is from the west coast of the United States.

It’s Bab al-Bhar (The gate to sea) pictured above. They say the modern city is mostly landfill. Maybe the gate wasn’t quite on the beach in the old days, but it’s tough to tell. It does lead in that direction.

For all of the fancy things, the guidebooks are generally correct. The expensive restaurants in the Medina are good. These pictures are from Hotel Royal Victoria. This used to be the British Consulate. The picture above is from a room, and the video below is the elevator.

This hotel is the best choice for your first visit. There are plenty of other cool places, and be aware you will be in the mix right away. If you’ve never been to North Africa or the Middle East, it might be a lot. The café downstairs is easy to deal with. It will go slow, but it’s ok to flag down the waiter. They try not to bother you.

I will not publish the cool places I go, but I will tell you about them if you use the contact page.