In short
Tunis layers three cities. The medina, World Heritage listed, is a dense Arab-Muslim ensemble organised around the Zitouna Mosque. The European city, laid out under the French protectorate, lines its balconied buildings along Avenue Habib Bourguiba. The northern suburbs — Carthage, Sidi Bou Said, La Marsa — are seaside and residential.
The passage from one to the next is through the Porte de France, and the contrast is immediate.
Arriving and getting around
Tunis-Carthage airport is eight kilometres from the centre.
The TGM is the key to the city. This light rail line links Tunis Marine to La Goulette, Carthage, Sidi Bou Said and La Marsa. It serves the archaeological sites of Carthage, scattered across several stops, and the blue-and-white village of Sidi Bou Said. It is the simple, cheap way to do the classic day.
The light metro covers the city. Yellow taxis are metered.
What it really costs
Tunis is one of the cheapest Mediterranean capitals, eating out included.
The Carthage site is visited on a single ticket covering several sectors spread along the TGM; keep the ticket from one site to the next.
When to come
April–June and September–October. Summer is hot and the city empties towards the beaches; winter is mild and wet.
What nobody tells you
The Bardo Museum holds one of the world's most important collections of Roman mosaics, in a former beylical palace. It was the target of an attack in March 2015 and has since reopened; check its opening hours before going, they have varied.
Carthage is not a single site but a dozen zones separated by inhabited streets: without a map you miss half. The Baths of Antoninus and the Byrsa hill are the two main ensembles.
Sidi Bou Said is saturated in the middle of the day. Going early in the morning or late in the afternoon completely changes the experience of the village.