Sidi Bou Said

Entrance to the top

A door in Sidi Bou Said

Sidi Bou Said is a village in Tunisia.

The best time to visit is early autumn or spring (March-early April/late October-November), before the assault of package tourists begins, when you can still walk alone on the narrow streets, around white-blue traditional houses, enjoying the views. If you are there during the summer months, it is advisable to visit not just the jam-packed tourist main street but also the emptier inner parts of the neighbourhood. Empty in the day during Ramadan.

Get in

It is on the Tunis - Carthage TGM light rail line (1 station Sidi Bou Said).

You may drive by car. Traffic is OK. There is free parking (uphill, to the right), which may be overbooked on weekends.

Get around

The village is quite small, and you can visit every street of the village in no more than two-three hours. On the top of the hill there is a beautiful view of the surrounding bay.

See

Roofs

• The white houses with blue roofs and windows, unique to this village, perched on a hill, with an amazing view of the Mediterranean Sea and the Bay of Tunis.
• 1 Ennejma Ezzahra. Tu-Su July&August 9:00 - 15:00, rest of the year 9:00 - 13:00, 14:00 - 17:00. former palatial home of Baron Rodolphe d'Erlanger, now a museum. 10 DT. (updated Nov 2018)
• 2 Family House. An old house turned into a museum, showing the traditional life of an 18th century Tunisian lawyer. Privately owned and maintained by his descendants, it's well worth the visit. It's to your left as you enter the village. 5 DT. (updated Dec 2018)

Do

Sidi Bou Said has stunning whites and blues all over the village - take plenty of photos.

On the street along café des nattes, a small path on the right with many steps leads you down the hill to the seaside (3 Port Plaisance), frequented by locals and seemingly unknown to tourists. A small beach, where swimming is possible, and a port with yachts that you can see from the top of the hill, with a small store and a telephone for taxis. When facing the sea, you can follow the road to your left back up to the top of the hill - a pleasant walk with a great view on the sea if it's not too hot, if you don't want to climb the stairs. Or take a taxi, they seem to stop by rather often by the beach!

• Center for Arab and Mediterranean Music, 8, rue du 2 mars (in the Ennejma Ezzahra palace), ☏ +216 71 746 051. Organises concerts and events taking place at the Ennejma Ezzahra palace. (updated Nov 2018)

Buy

Like many other Arab settlements around the world, Sidi Bou Said has a small souk year round, selling basic commodities for the locals. In addition, during tourist seasons, souvenir stalls litter the lower part of the main street of the village. A traditional product manufactured in Sidi Bou Said are bird cages, coloured in white and blue, like the roofs of the village. Don't forget to haggle.

Eat

Be sure to eat the locally grown dates.

Mid-range

• 1 Au Bon Vieux Temps, 56 rue Hedi Zarrouk, ☏ +216 71744733. Romantic, with great view from the terrace, but too often offering listless, bland food. Tastier food is on offer at the fresh doughnut stand nearby, on the same road. Mains are 20-45 DT. (updated Nov 2018)
• 2 Coste cafe, Avenue 14 Janvier. 9:00-23:00. Coffee shop with a large outside terrace. (updated Nov 2018)

Splurge

• 3 Dar Zarrouk, Rue Hedi Zarrouk. 12:30–23:00. The most upscale restaurant in town. Descent portions, tasty food, with a bit too formal atmosphere. Salads 25 DT, mains 45 DT. (updated Nov 2018)

• Taste : Sweet donuts: a kind of flour dough shaped into a ring, fried and sprinkled with sugar.

Drink

• 1 Café des délices. Best view in Sidi Bou Said. Shisha for 4 DT, but be careful, if you don't know the price the waiters will attempt to scam you for more money. Drinks are very expensive here (5 DT per bottle of water!), essentially you are paying for the view. 
• 2 Cafe De Nattes. Famous cafe where artist Paul Klee worked often. Located at the top of the hill from the TGM (train). Much cheaper than cafe delices and more traditional as well. Shisha for 7 DT, mint tea for 3 dinars. 

Sleep

There are a couple of places to stay in Sidi Bou Said. You can also easily find hotel rooms in nearby Tunis or Carthage. If really lucky, you might rent a room for a night or two in a house, from a village resident. However, this is rare, since the locals are quite rich and rarely have any interest in sharing their home with total strangers.

• 1 Hotel Sidi Bou Fares, 15 rue Sidi Bou Fares. Right in the centre of town. All rooms are based around a pretty central courtyard. They are rather small, but are en-suite. Double room rate 245 DT, but it can be haggled lower. (updated Nov 2018)
• 2 La Villa Bleue, 68 rue Kennedy, ☏ +216 71 742 000. Hotel by the seaside. From 600 TN. (updated Nov 2018)

Go next

• Carthage — Phoenician colony, biggest trade metropolis of the antique world; famously razed by the Romans; remnants now encased in a museum; site easily reached by train from Tunis
• La Goulette
• La Marsa
• Quamart - a resort on Tunisia’s Mediterranean coast
• Tunis — the laid-back capital of Tunisia with a very authentic souk