Things to do

While Tunisia has a justified deserved reputation for beautiful beaches and sparkling clean seas, with the mild year round climate,this blessed land is also a heaven for the sports minded. Sea sports enjoyed during the summer can well be practiced for most of the year in southern resort areas.
Sports such as golf, tennis, diving, hunting, riding, surfing, sailing, hiking and discovering the numerous sites, cities and museums are year round recreations. Where some sports are not available at your hotel, clubs with small entry fees furnish additional facilities. For the amateur, these clubs can provide lessons at a very reasonable cost and some will rent the necessary equipment.



Most hotels have tennis courts available for their guests at no charge. Visitors may be charged a token fee for use of the facilities and instructors and sparring partners should be requested beforehand.
Some "tennis hotels" specialize in providing top quality courts and onhand instructors for tennis players and amateurs alike. Tennis Clubs in most cities will permit temporary entrance with lessons. It's better to bring your own racket.

Tunisia is the ideal destination for the golfer with 6 courses open all year round. Still comparatively undiscovered, the usual hours of waiting for your turn on the fairway are a thing of the past ! Pack your bathing suit with your clubs...or vice versa !

Carthage Golf Course - La Soukra. 10 km from Tunis - 18 holes par 66, fairways run amidst magnificent stands of eucalyptus, pine, palm and olives trees. Length 4432 meters.

Hammamet Golf Course - Jasmine: Just outside Hammamet resort area. 18 holes par 72, water hazards, practice ground and 9 hole school for beginners.

Hammamet Golf Course - Citrus. Designed around 6 lakes on 300 acres of olive groves and forest near Hammamet beaches . There are 2 courses, "La Foret" 18 holes, par 72 . 617 5 meters and "Les Oliviers" 18 holes, par 72 .6178 meters plus a 9 hole school.

El Kantaoui Golf Course - El Kantaoui Sousse Resort Area. 27 holes, par 108. Championship competitions over 9576 meters as well as standard 8433 meters. 18 hole putting green and practice ground . This high level course runs across an olive grove and ends alongside the beach.



Monastir Golf Course - Sousse/Monastir Resort Area. A very technical course overlooking the sea. 18 holes par 72 length 6140 meters. 5 starting areas and 3 hole school.

Tabarka Golf Course - Tabarka Resort Area. Top quality greens 18 par course (can extend to 27) similar to Cypress Point California. 6306 meters and a 9 hole school .



Thanks to a vigorous national conservation program Tunisia's waters remain a high quality environment. The undersea world is abundant and rich for the variety of its flora and fauna and offer to the diver a field for research and discovery. The International Diving Center at Port El Kantaoui, open all year, teaches underwater diving. Offshore nearby Hergla, the sea vibrates with life - shrimp, crabs, mullet and hake.

A source of wonder and delight. Northwest ,the Tabarka region has long held the laurels for the diversity of the sea life, the rocky sea bed rich in coral and the clear clean water providing ideal conditions for the flora and fauna of the Mediterranean. Amateur and professional divers may explore this region. The Tabarka Yachting Club organizes dives and can provide amateur and professional divers with the necessary equipment. Both Tabarka Yachting Club and the International Diving Center are affiliated with the C.M.A.S (Confederation Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques) and their diplomas recognized by this World Confederation.

The islands of Zembra and La Galite are natural reserves and permission must be obtained to dive in these areas. La Galite is the home of colonies of seals and walrus.



This most popular summer sport may be enjoyed throughout the year though a wet suit is desirable during the months of December through April.
Outside the hotel circuit and local events, Tunisia is the departure/arrival point for many trans- Mediterranean and Mediterranean competitions. The port of Sidi Bou Said with its school of wind surfing and sailing is a focal point for these international activities.





On your way to the Oases of Tozeur and Nefta lies the Chott El Jerid a 6600 km salt lake. Outside of the rainy season these salt flats present unrivaled opportunities for the fans of "land sailing "....



Hunting of the wild boar in the regions of Tabarka and Ain Draham is organized during the autumn and winter months. The mountains of Kroumirie abound in game and attract hunters from all over Europe. Hunting licenses must be obtained.


This hospitable country with over 1200 km of coast affords innumerable bays and coves, an average yearly temperature of 18°C, a clement sea and a chain of 26 ports and anchorages as well as 4 modern marinas. Conveniently located within or adjoining main resorts complexes they offer modern conveniences and share the facilities of the resort area.





Sidi Bou Said is a picturesque port at the foot of the hilltop.
This Moorish village, 12 km from the capital is adjoining the resort area of Marsa-Gammarth. A 360 berth marina with all necessary services, fine restaurants and modern hotels a few yards away.




Port El Kantaoui known as the "garden port", an enchanting and well protected harbour, this modern 320 berth marina is at the heart of the resort complex El Kantaoui/Sousse. Hotels, restaurants, all the comforts are located at the marina with sand beaches and golf courses close by.



Cap Monastir's marina enjoys a superb position at the heart of the Medina of Monastir, with its towering walls and great fortress. Integrated into the residential hotel complex the marina provides all modern installations with 386 berths and excellent wintering facilities.



Usually the first landfall for seafarers coming from the north, classified as a C yachting harbour, the 50 berth marina is fully equipped and borders the Montazah/Tabarka resort area. Affords excellent fishing and deep sea diving as well as fine hotels and restaurants.



Pleasure crafts arriving from a foreign point of departure may only berth in a harbor with customs and police controls, except in a case of force majeure. Passports are necessary as well as the usual documents, customary controls and safety equipment.
Upon completion of entry formalities a certificate of free circulation in Tunisian waters and ports is granted stating the period of validity. An informative brochure "Yachting in Tunisia" may be obtained from Tunisian National Tourist Offices.

Hotels

Shopping

Outside of the official, quality and price, controlled Artisanat (handicraft) shops, where everything from carpets to birdcages bears a price tag, and carpets a stamp of origin and caliber, shopping in Tunisia is definitely an art. Located in the old city (the Medina), the Souks offer a selection of objects of unsurpassed beauty and distinction , excellent arts and craft and traditional work. A sharp eye, nerves of steel, a show of disinterest and a good sense of humor will make shopping a real pleasure.
Inflated prices give both parties the pleasure of bargaining and a golden opportunity to exhibit your talent as an actor. Start by cutting the offer in half, then work up to a compromise if you are really interested. The choice is yours:
Handcarved olive wood: Salad bowls, kitchen articles, vases, lamps, bracelets...beautiful , solid wood , each is distinctively different. This hard and durable wood needs only an occasional slight rubbing with oil to bring out the richness of its patterns. A natural gift from this Mediterranean land.


Authentic Berber bracelets and necklaces can still be found in the souks.
Bracelets are inclined to be heavy - some ornate some exquisitely modern in their primitive designs. The price is usually by weight depending on the silver content and the workmanship. Necklaces are often restrung with the original silver pieces and glass beads, coins or coral, the latter adding to the price. A reputable shop will show you the silver stamp , although on very old pieces this has sometimes been worn away. Copies of original jewelry are more plentiful and often just as beautiful, lighter weight and easier to wear. The fish, hands of Fatma , triangles, arches and other designs are charms to ward off the evil eye or insure fertility. The same symbols are often woven into carpets. Many fine books on Tunisia explain in detail the ancient significance of these signs.



While Nabeul (Cap Bon) offers a dizzying selection of pottery and ceramics, many of these creations can be found in the souks. Ceramic tiles, platters, and bowls are displayed in every color, hue and design. A careful look will ensure that the hand painting is well done and the piece intact. The use and the region dictate the colors as the yellow/green of Jerba, the earth tones and primitive designs of Sedjane, and the popular blue and white of Nabeul. Guellela (Jerba) holds the prize for the lovely natural color of its clay used to create more "practical" pottery, oil and water jars, bowls and jugs in classical Mediterranean style.



Embossed, engraved or chased, copper and brass trays, coffeepots, vases and ashtrays are found throughout. The intricacy of the calligraphy and design on the trays set the price, as well as the weight and the size. Ashtrays that can be engraved on the spot with your name in Arabic are a popular, inexpensive souvenir. Both traditional and modern designs are used by the smiths, the choice is yours. The artisanat shops feature items from large fruit bowls to small ash trays of enameled red copper in a beautiful variety of colors and hues.







Hats, pocketbooks, carryalls and hassocks are popular items, in particular the hassocks in natural leather embossed or painted with traditional patterns or the ever popular camel. Book covers are beautifully decorated with gilt and the skill of the traditional leatherworker has in part been reconverted into making quality leather jackets and coats.



Whether you prefer natural wool or camel hair alloucha of Kairouan, brightly colored klim , margoums, or elegant silk, award Tunisia's carpets the prize for quality and price. The selections in every category are infinite and rare is the visitor who can resist such marvels at such reasonable rates. Most carpets are classified by the number of knots per square meter with silk at the top of the list with 250,000 and over! Shopowners will unroll one splendor after another until you find YOUR carpet. The Offices of the artisanat in most cities sell only quality stamped and inspected carpets and while there is no bargaining, prices are reasonable and they can package and send your carpet by plane.



Embroidered or plain , natural shades or intricately patterned, the same skill and art that is used in carpet making is used in the hand weaving of these articles. Pure undyed wool blankets are greatly appreciated in this day of synthetics and fine shawls embroidered with traditional designs make unusual and colorful wall hangings. The colorful ,figurative carpets of Gafsa are often hung on walls of banks, offices and homes and offer a great variety in size and price and color.



While it is possible to unearth a real treasure at the souks in many towns, certified antiques can be purchased at only a few stores in Tunisia. There are fine imitations of ancient coins, stone lamps and statueson sale in many stores and in the museum gift. Browsing through the shops in the souk you will find coins, statues, fossils, authentic traditional women's costumes, art deco, bric a brac, and old versus antique pottery, furniture and art work.




The souk is also a treasure chest of inexpensive and interesting items for collections, ornaments and fun. You can find inexpensive, sequined and gilded harem outfits, jebbas and embroidered vests, scorpions, fossils, seashells, African beads, minerals- the rose of the sands, slippers with turned up toes and Bedouin scarves and headbands, Tunisian stamps, which are truly beautiful (collectors ,visit at the Post Office Museum in Tunis), tiny pottery tea sets, little pill boxes - some in silver, oil lamps, flutes, Tunisian "bagpipes", exquisite perfume bottles, tamborines, essences of perfume, incense, and on and on. Something for everyone !



A collection of traditionally dressed dolls may be found at the official Office of the artisanat shops. Well made and authentic replicas of the costumes and dress of Tunisian women make these dolls wonderful gifts and souvenirs.
"Sidi Bou Said" birdcages in white or olive wood are world famous and can be used as planters, for decoration and ..... for birds. Check the workmanship as this, as well as the size influences the price.

Market's days
Besides shopping in the souks of the medinas of Tunisia's cities , the weekly market in most country towns and villages offers an astounding variety of products and miscellaneous items along with the fun of sharing in the hustle and bustle of this weekly " event". Country market days are considered a perfect occasion to sell your prize goat.... interested ? plastic bottles, Berber jewelry, wooden kitchen utensils, souvenirs, just about anything that can be traded, sold or bartered.
Villagers arrive at dawn to jostle for a choice place to display their
wares and the market is usually over by noon. The country market is a truly enjoyable experience that should not be missed. Below is a short list of the market days for various towns. Your hotel can also inform you of the day and place, usually the main square.

• Monday: Ain Draham, Houmt Souk (Djerba) Kairouan, Maktar, Tataouine Miscellaneous items
• Tuesday: Béja, Kasserine, Sedouikech (Djerba) Miscellaneous items
• Wednesday: Adjum (Djerba) Jendouba, Sbeitla, Nefta. Nefta's market is famous among those of the oasis region
• Thursday: Gafsa, Hammamet, Houmt Souk (Djerba) Siliana and Douz. There is a camel market in Douz
• Friday: Djemmel, Mateur, Midoun (Djerba) Sfax, Tabarka, Zarzis, Monastir, Nabeul. Djemmal-camels, Nabeul - livestock, fruits, souvenirs and spices
• Saturday: Monastir, Ben Gardane, El Mai (Djerba). Monastir- carpets and rugs which are government stamped upon purchase
• Sunday: El Jem, Korba, Ksar Hellal, Enfidha and Sfax. Miscellaneous items