Tunisia: Meeting the desert and the sea in the land of jasmine

✈️ Flight

Tunis and Monastir are a 2h40-minute flight from Paris. For Djerba, you need to add another ten minutes: 2h50. In short, Tunisia really isn't far away - a complete change of scenery at less than 3 hours from Paris! These three airports are served by Transavia, an Air France subsidiary, from Orly, and by Tunisian airlines Tunisair and Nouvel Air, the latter from Roissy CDG.

Health

Since December 2022, travellers no longer need to show Covid 19 vaccination status.

🍴 Must-try specialities

Tunisian cuisine is rich and spicy, so it's best to be aware of this when it's stiflingly hot outside. Salads such as méchouia are perfect for lunch. For dinner, don't miss out on the traditional tajine (a mutton stew prepared in a variety of ways) or couscous, of which the inhabitants of Djerba are true specialists. Brick, a flaky pancake coated with anchovies, dried lamb or chicken, can be eaten at any time of day. The country's pastries are delicious: loukoums, honey bricks, assida with honey or cream and pistachio balls. In Tunisia, no day goes by without drinking mint tea. It's the national drink, served hot and very sweet.

⛱️ Tunisian beaches

The good news is that in Tunisia, unlike European destinations in the Mediterranean basin, facilities such as showers, deckchairs and parasols are included for those staying in hotels. And don't forget that you can't swim all year round in Tunisia! Beaches are at their best from mid-March to mid-November and the water sports centres are open from April to October.

⚠️ Beware of jellyfish

Beware of seaweed and jellyfish. Seaweed is washed up on the beach by sea currents when the sea is rough. They are most common in spring and autumn. They are harmless, but unsightly. Hoteliers remove them sparingly, as they play an active part in the beach ecosystem. Jellyfish, on the other hand, 'bloom' in summer, as soon as the water temperature rises above 26°C. Depending on the weather, these conditions occur in July and August, sometimes as early as the end of June and as late as September.

❄️ Tunisia in winter

The many tourists who come to the island in winter generally go for a thalasso or balneotherapy treatment, splash around in the indoor pools, and play golf (in Tunis, Yasmine Hammamet, Port El Kantaoui, Djerba, Tozeur and Tabarka, the most technical of all). Of course, winter is the best time to explore the Sahara in southern Tunisia, as temperatures are more reasonable. Finally, prices are even cheaper in winter!

🛍️ What should you take back with you?

In the old souks, you'll find plenty of trinkets to haggle over: Arab-Berber-style leather masks, terracotta or ceramic ashtrays, chiselled iron mini trays, babouches, Tunisian doors concealing a small mirror, dates, stuffed camels, Tunisian pastries, woven-mat shopping bags.... You can also take home a fouta, a large cotton towel typical of Tunisia. In Tunis, you'll find all the country's handicrafts: wrought iron, Berber pottery, ceramics, lamps, vases and decorative objects in blown glass, rugs, mosaic table tops, carpets (to hang on the wall or lay on the floor).