Tunis and its superb UNESCO-listed medina

A modest town in the shadow of Carthage, Kairouan and then Mahdia, Tunis was finally designated the capital of Tunisia in 1159. It subsequently gave its name to the entire country. The city is built on several hills that slope gently down to Lake Tunis. In 1270, Louis IX (Saint-Louis) died on the ramparts of Tunis during the Eighth Crusade.

Until the 16th century, the city was regularly pillaged, successively taken by the Ottomans (notably the pirate Barbarossa) and the Spanish (notably Charles V). In 1574, the Ottomans finally took the city. The French protectorate was established in 1881 until independence in 1956. The capital hosted the headquarters of the Arab League from 1979 to 1990, before relinquishing it to Cairo in Egypt. At the same time, Yasser Arafat went into exile there, setting up the headquarters of the PLO from 1982 to 1994 and his return to Palestinian territory.

What a delight it is to stroll through the medina of Tunis, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. It offers an extremely picturesque setting. You can lose yourself in its vaulted passageways and labyrinthine alleyways, while magnificent palaces and prestigious residences hide behind massive doors. Dar Lasram springs to mind, a sumptuous building inaugurated in 1820, distinguished by its rich stucco, ceramic and marble decoration inspired by Andalusian, Ottoman and Italian styles. Its founder, Hammouda Lasram, was commander of the infantry corps.

As you turn a corner, you come across a mausoleum opening onto a patio decorated with stone marquetry and coloured ceramics. The city is home to many places worth discovering, including the emblematic Grande Mosquée Zitouna (Olive Tree Mosque) and the Youssef Dey Mosque, the first Ottoman mosque built in 1616.

The souks, with their narrow, colourful lanes, are a great place to shop: el-Attarine (perfumers' market), el-Berka (for jewellery), Essakajine (leather goods), El Blat (known for its medicinal plants), not forgetting the El Leffa souk, where you can find a wide selection of carpets and traditional clothes.

Overlooking the medina, the Kasbah of Tunis houses the main ministries and places of power (with the exception of the presidential palace in Carthage), as well as the Kasbah mosque, built in 1235.

But there's more to Tunis than the medina and the kasbah: after the Grande Mosquée de l'olivier in the medina, there's a change of scenery at the imposing cathedral of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul and Sainte-Olive, in the new town. This Romanesque-Byzantine religious edifice dates back to the French colonial era, and was built between 1893 and 1897. It stands on the Place de l'Indépendance in the Ville Nouvelle district of Tunis, opposite the French embassy, between Avenue de France and Avenue Habib-Bourguiba. This superb and immense thoroughfare is made up of colonial buildings, cafés, grand hotels and cultural venues, and is lined with palm trees and eucalyptus trees, making for a wonderful stroll along these veritable local Champs-Élysées!

Looking for some greenery? Head for the Parc du Belvédère, in the north of the city. The largest park in Tunis is home to a large artificial lake and a zoo. At the entrance to this oasis of greenery, don't miss the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MACAM).

Of course, you can't afford to miss the Bardo Museum!

Located 18 kilometres north-east of Tunis, La Marsa is considered to be the most chic district in the capital's northern suburbs. This upmarket seaside resort, with its many villas, has retained its character of a wealthy suburb. Lazy days and swimming on the beach are the order of the day ! La Marsa stretches between the hill of Sidi Bou Saïd and the cliffs of Cap Gammarth, where you'll find luxury hotels like the Four Seasons, thalassotherapy centres and golf courses around the palace of The Résidence Tunis. It is also home to several ambassadors' residences, including the Dar El Kamila palace, the residence of the French ambassador, the Byrsa hill and the Carthage archaeological park, a UNESCO World Heritage site.