I've never been to Tunisia, but I have spent a lot of time in other countries in the Middle East, and I imagine there is a fair amount of sexual harassment, rather than mere "pushiness", as Mr. Modak deems it, in Tunis. I could be wrong, given that it's a liberal place by MENA standards, but the harassment in Morocco and Egypt, especially of foreign women, is unceasing, often brutal, and would be a major factor in a decision to spend my vacation time in any particular place. While Mr. Modak is male and may often blend in, I hope that NYT and Mr. Modak are mindful that others' experiences in some of the places that he essentially endorses may be very different and sometimes more dangerous than Mr. Modak's.
8
@Suzy Tunisia is de facto more liberal than any other Arab country. I was born and raised in Tunis, lived there until 18, went to university and worked in France, then recently came back to Tunis, and I can assure you that it is far more liberal and secure than it was ever before. As a 30-year-old single woman, I have no problems wandering the streets of Tunis (not only the touristy Medina) dressed with mini skirts or sleeveless tops.
It is true that some vendors are a bit pushy because they struggle trying to sell their merchandise , but it does not only concern tourists, they do it also with locals because it is part of the country's long and rooted tradition of trade. But generally speaking there is no sexual harassement involved in any way. Actually tourists have become such a scarce resource, that they are respected and protected by locals. And unlike some other Arab countries (even the liberal Jordan) where tourists need to dress in a conservative way (long sleeves, long pants, etc.) , tourists in Tunisia can dress in any way they like it and are not harassed for doing so.
Anyway if you ever decide to spend some time in Tunisia feel free to contact me and I'll be more than happy to give you some tips :)
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@Suzy II am an American who travels to Tunisia often, returning next week. I am often with female colleagues who tell me that they feel safe there. Indeed, Tunisia has relatively low crime rates and is far safer than most American states. In touristy beach areas, young men will flirt with foreign women but violent crime is low by global standards, and considerably lower than the US thanks to the lack of guns. Tunisia has a historically higher regard for women than Egypt or Morocco (I have also lived in both) and in Tunis and the cities women are largely unmolested. Tunisia has a long history of respecting women's rights and is a standout in the Arab and Muslim world. Or for anywhere. The Tunisian parliament is 36% female, a higher proportion than the US with less than a quarter (forget the Republican Party). The majority of Tunisia’s elected officials are female, thanks to quotas that enforce a minimum number of female candidates. Tunisia has a constitution that stipulates women’s rights like no other in the region, including Israel, enshrining Bourguiba’s then radical 1959 Penal Code, which forbade polygamy (and the veil) and gave women equal divorce rights. You may regrettably find times where as a woman you will be harassed, especially if alone or in a beach area, but generally, and statistically, you will be safer from physical violence than anywhere in Latin America or most of the United States.
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I returned a week ago from four wonderful days exploring Tunis, El Djem, and Kairouan. This article only scratches the surface of how welcoming, electric, and dynamic the people and country are. Most citizens pay you no mind but are more than happy to help or engage if approached. Ignore any travel warnings and be ready to embrace a safe and insanely affordable city and country and a beautiful people that were friendly and happy to see someone visiting and appreciating the country’s history, architecture, culture, and food. Get lost in the Medina. Wander the busy streets. Drink lots of tea. Eat too many Makrouds. Count the cats. Marvel at the colorful doors. And soak in a city that is highly underrated. Just come.
12
My family visited Tunisia in 2008, when my son was 14. We were dazzled. The entire country welcomed us. We stayed in a hotel on Tunisia's main drag, across from the Hotel Africa, the only place to get a drink. The Bardo and Carthage and Sidi bou Said are unmissable and unforgettable, but also consider visiting Djerba (it's an island with some tacky resorts but also one of the world's oldest synagogues, magnificently tiled. It was bombed by the PLO some years ago but was restored by the citizens of Tunisia, Jewish and Muslim together.) Consider renting a car (we did) and heading south to see all of the Star Wars relics. Did you know Tatouine is a city in Tunisia? It is! Check out the strange cave dwellings carved into the sides of mountains that look more like pizza ovens than the homes they are. Also, El Jem has a coliseum exactly like that in Rome, but smaller and carved with remnants of the American troops who waited inside during WWII. Jerry from Brooklyn was there! There are perfectly preserved Roman ruins at Dougga and other sites, and a crusader castle in Le Kef (or El Kef) which is quite close to the Algerian border. Although we missed the opportunity to photograph the road sign that pointed right to Tripoli and left to Algiers and straight up to Tunis, we tried not to miss too much else.
6
It is disheartening that so many readers seem afraid of travelling to places where their physical appearance might easily identify them as foreigners, or where not knowing a majority language might be disconcerting. A certain degree of disorientation is an unavoidable part of travel, and perhaps that disorientation is plays an essential part in our understanding of what it is to discover.
11
Yes, the collapse of Thomas Cook undoubtedly hurt Tunisia's travel business, but a few Islamist massacres (the author mentioned one, but omitted the other at a resort hotel near Sousse that killed 38 tourists in 2015) also have a tendency to keep the folks away. Everything appears just fine in Tunisia until suddenly it doesn't. I won't be going there anytime soon.
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@Lotzapappa
Most of the world could say the same of the US with our 40,000 gun deaths per year. We've just numbed ourselves to the reality and think it's normal when it's not.
33
Thank you, Sebastian, for your intimate description of a Tunis that I knew back in the nineteen-sixties when I worked there for two years with WSO (Voluntary Service Overseas, the British equivalent to the US Peace Corps). I am very well aware of all the changes that are taking place in North Africa and the Middle East. It is comforting to know that the hope and aspirations that I felt among my students back then are now living in their children and grandchildren.
1
My neighbors just returned from visiting Tunis and Carthage a week ago. The photos they shared piqued my interest in visiting too. They found the food delicious, the people friendly and more than enough to see and do. They did have a longtime friend who now lives there as a tour guide and driver and spent 3 days touring the country, riding camels and staying one night in a glamping style tent at the edge of the Sahara. That and 3 days in Sicily rounded out a beautiful trip. They had nothing but positive comments about their experience.
7
I am planning a trip to Tunisia and Algeria in late Feb. and have engaged Mosaic North Africa Tours operating out of Canada to provide hotels, itinerary and guides. It will be just me, an 80+ year old woman, but I did this once before in Borneo and Brunei and it worked out well. I have always been a sucker for Greek and Roman ruins, and these appear to have a unique history.
15
They should make the 52 Places part of the Climate Change issue of the magazine.
2
@Zaldid Sorn
What in the world are you trying to express here?
10
Thanks for a great travel article. I am definitely visiting Tunisia next year!
8
The Roman ruins at Dougga and Bella Regia are stunning and, in the off season, you can pretty much have the place to yourself. Great places to watch moonrise, and not all the great mosaics are in the Bardo. Many remain in situ.
16
My wife and I stayed a week at a hotel in the Media last year. Most of your pictures are familiar and we agree that Tunis is interesting and full of very nice people and beauty.
Watch out for the many carpet sellers!
I’m happy that you are bringing it to the attention of your readers. Visit and help support this beautiful democracy.
12
Loved Tunisia when I spent two weeks there in the 70's. The middle and south of the country are even more fascinating. You have Matmata, the hole-in-the-ground houses where the first Star Wars was filmed (where Luke Skywalker grew up). And the southern oases! Very beautiful. The Mediterranean island of Djerba is a favorite seaside spot with Italians, who live right across the way.
So there is much more to recommend than just Tunis.
11
Tunisia is a wonderful country. All of these photos brought back fun memories of our trip there.
7
I adore reading of these places and dream to visit. But with a male reporter, I wonder how accessible or safe these locations are for the female traveler, especially solo. There's a privilege here that comes with being male, of indeterminate heritage, especially in the Middle East, India and Africa. I'd ask that future stops include a bit of a wider perspective for the 1/2 of the population that's not XY.
18
@dortress , I've visited Tunisia at least 10 times over a 15 year period, as a woman traveling alone after my first visit as part of a small group tour.
I dressed modestly using my own clothing, just not short tight shorts and the like.
9
@dortress I second your comment. As a female who will never be able to blend in to the Middle East, I would appreciate insights onto safety and how accepting of tourists they are (despite how hard I try a fair blonde woman sticks out). Travelled to Marrakesh a few years ago, while a lovely place, the stress of being hassled and followed throughout the city has almost turned me off to the whole region.
6
@dortress
Like you, I truly enjoy Sebastian Modak's reporting. It feels immediate, insightful and complete.
I can empathize only up to a point with the hope that future NYT travel reporting include destinations where women - particularly solo travellers - might feel more comfortable. My suspicion is that not all women feel threatened by the idea of travelling in the Middle East, India, and Africa (and perhaps Latin America and Asia also). Who will decide which countries are deemed 'safe' for women travelling alone?
Many persons of colour (including persons of indeterminate heritage) think long and hard about how they will be received in their travels to Hungary, in Russia or even parts of the southern USA - and make their travel plans accordingly.
My hope is that these articles encourage readers to stretch beyond their initial trepidation to do their own research into destinations that might have given pause in the past.
13
My wife and I stayed 5 nights in Tunis earlier this year and found it well worth the visit. Roman and Punic ruins abound, along with great food. We also visited the interior of Tunisia to see the coliseum at El Jem and the ancient mosque at Kairouan, both a long day trip from the city.
Tunisians seem pretty open to change and anxious to get a fair shake from their government and the global community.
Very few tourists, sadly, but great sites all over the city. Tunis has been basically blacklisted since the 2015 attacks at the Bardo, which is incredibly disproportionate when you consider the US has terrorist attacks again and again, and foreign visitors just keep coming here. Give Tunis a look, and 'pay it forward'.
17
Tunis is high on my list of places to visit in 2020 (along with Djerba, Hammamet, and Carthage, obviously). Unlike the author, I'll stand out like a sore thumb as a white woman with long blonde hair--I'll have to read up to see if that will be a problem. Loved the evocative description of the souks--can't wait to experience the Medina. I think many Americans forget that North African cities and towns are very close to Western Europe--a short flight away that can transport you to a different world.
4
@e w Don't hesitate to go! It is a magical country. I lived there (with long blond hair) for two years and, while careful about where I ventured, I felt completely safe - armed with a few well-chosen Arabic expletives which were usually enough to deter unwanted advances!
5
Traveling to Tunisia calls for health concerns for many adults and young children. Speak to your doctor first before planning your trip.
4
@Bruce Savin , such as? Frequent visitor when I lived in Spain and later in France can't think of any Tunisian travel health concerns. I traveled by local intercity planes and buses, hot air balloon, camel, rental car, back of a motor scooter, and walking.
13
@Bruce Savin LOL. What health concerns are you talking about? I am from Singapore and have been living here for 5 years. I have also received about 20 visitors from Singapore during the span of these 5 years and have not encountered what you mentioned here. Pls enlighten me so that I can learn more.
15
@Melanie, Hope he replies to us!
LOL too.
2
This is a nice article with one glaring omission. While Carthage is home to some world-class antiquities, it is also home to the North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial where 2,841 American service members are buried and 3,727 MIA service members are memorialized, most from service in World War II. No American should visit Tunis or Carthage without taking a few minutes out of their busy itinerary to visit the cemetery and pay their respects to these brave men and women who gave so much so we could travel so freely to places like Tunis.
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@Jere Morris We lived in Carthage for 3 years and often rode our bikes to the American Cemetery. My wife took this outstanding photo:
http://internationalschoolphotos.com/Tunisia-01.jpg
5
Very good article, well written. Mr. Modak obviously was taken (impressed) by Tunis. Not a complaint, but I would like to have seen one or two photos of the blue/white contrasts of buildings and sea/sky.
I wonder if there are current travel warnings?
3
@Houston Houlaw Hello, as a Junior student living in Tunis and studying in Tunis Business School, i can tell you the travel warnings are too exaggerated(i guarantee it), there are so many Americans that moved to leave here in the past few years. By the way, I recommend you to visit a good coffee shop here called 'Family Place' owned by an americain guy. If you want, I can be your guide during your journey here :D , it would be a pleasure!
13
I guess I just have to get over my fear of going to places that are in the news for uprisings and war. Else I'll never see Sri Lanka, Socotra Island, Goeblelki Tepe or Ethiopia. Maybe tourism follows a well-worn path and are more or less left alone.
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@K Barrett
I really wish I'd visited Socotra before the Yemeni crisis. While fighting itself hasn't ravaged it, the island was overrun by the Emirati military and irreversible change has already occurred.
1
@K Barrett
Run, don't walk to Sri Lanka! Stay as long as you can!
2
@K Barrett I went to Pakistan in 2015 and it was an amazing experience. Be safe, do your research, etc... but don't be afraid!
2
Not a particularly attractive city. The architecture has little to offer. Even the mosques look like they were built in the 60's. I know that the Times has a diverse readership but the travel writers need to remember that the vast majority of their readers don't speak Castillian Spanish, let alone Arabic and to tell us if we will ever penetrate these places as total outsiders. Watching rap in Tunis may be entertaining for a few minutes but if you don't understand the words and the natives don't include you well..."everybody hates a tourist."
Looks like a good place to shop.
5
@Sean , Yes they should have mentioned that French is the most common language of business and travel in Tunisia! I got along fine with my picked-up taxicab French and I found people very friendly and willing to help. I was mounting photographs and wanted "Foamcore" board. one, two, then three old guys in the Paper Souk tried to understand, and then "Carton Mous!" THAT's what he wants... Up a ladder to the top shelf and then I was set. Three years in Carthage was a favorite time of my life.
7
@Sean It helps to speak French, although more and more young people are learning English. I find your commend quite reductive.
6
@Terry King exactly! I went to Tunis for a brief trip in 2007 and absolutely loved it. At the time I did not speak any Arabic, and I've never been able to speak French. But I do know a decent amount of Italian, and did not have a problem using Italian to communicate with most of the people I met.
5
and what about La Goulette?
For shame!!
If you havent eaten at Cafe Victorria or the Green Cafe.....you havent eaten!
5
@Emil And don't miss "Mama's" the little Jewish restaurant on a side street. You have to ask the locals...
1