Hidden Tips

Another fun way of soaking up the local culture is to take your chance at polite haggling in the shops. This is expected and traditional in Tunisia. A good tip is to begin by offering about half of what they ask at first and then meet somewhere in the middle. Always do this with a smile and good humor; this isn’t supposed to be a fight. For items like food and drink, prices are set.

To get off the beaten tourist trail and see authentic Tunisia, you have to put a visit to the ancient Medina of Hammamet on your list. It is about a five to ten-minute taxi ride from the hotel and the driver charges almost nothing for that. You can have a most delightful time wandering through the narrow, white-washed alleyways, taking in great sea views from the historic Kasbah (fortress), and shopping for real crafts in the souk. It has a kind of magical atmosphere and is far more ‘real’ than the modern tourist zone around the hotel.

For a short, great day trip, there’s the possible visit to the nearby town of Nabeul which is quite renowned for pottery and ceramics. It’s the craft capital of the region and, for the short journey, you can take a local bus or take an inexpensive taxi. The Friday Market in Nabeul is a huge, vibrant event; there you can buy really beautiful hand-painted bowls, plates, and tagines for a fraction of what you’d pay in the shops aimed at tourists.

Finally, while the hotel buffet is convenient, make sure to have at least one meal at a local restaurant so that you can actually test what Tunisian food is all about. Point to a place that locals frequent and sample a traditional brik (croquante et farci), ou un tagine aux fruits de mer, ou un harissa piquant. A very good trick would be to visit the Marina in the new Yasmine Hammamet resort, where there is an arm’s length’s distance with wonderful high quality restaurants.