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- Destinations
- Africa
- Tunisia
- The East Coast
- Sousse
Sousse
The captivating holiday resort town of Sousse lies on Tunisia's
east coast, about two hours drive south of the capital, Tunis. From
the 9th century onwards the Phoenicians, Byzantines, Arabs and
Romans discovered the delights of this fertile spot, dubbed 'the
pearl of the Sahel' in ancient times, and today the mild climate,
beautiful Mediterranean shoreline and warm people work their magic
on holidaymakers from Europe.
Sousse is also favoured by Tunisians as a get-away destination,
and the friendly inhabitants enjoy mingling with visitors on the
sandy beaches and busy promenade. The proliferation of modern
resort hotels along the beachfront has not detracted from the
charms of the inner city, and Sousse is still regarded as having
probably the finest (though not the largest) old city, or Medina,
in Tunisia. A warren of narrow covered alleyways nestling below the
Ribat, or fort, hide hundreds of colourful shops selling a myriad
of local goods from carpets and porcelain to leather bags and olive
oil.
Outside the Medina there is also a vast modern shopping complex.
Sousse is not all just shopping and beach bathing, however. The
town's museum, situated in the old castle or kasbah, is renowned
for its collection of mosaics, masks, statues and other relics of
the Roman occupation. There are also several miles of
well-preserved ancient Christian catacombs and marble tombs in the
town. Sousse offers its many package-tour visitors all the
facilities and surroundings of a relaxing seaside holiday, overlaid
with the undeniably foreign and exotic atmosphere of North Africa,
all at extremely affordable prices.
Information & Facts
Activities
Most of the pleasurable and sporting activities offered to
holidaymakers in Sousse are beach-based, including fishing, scuba
diving, windsurfing and water-skiing. There are also numerous
excursions on offer for those keen on exploring more of the
Tunisian coastline. In the town itself, delving into the ancient
Roman history at the excellent museum and shopping are interesting
diversions.
Language
The overwhelming majority of people in Tunisia speak
Arabic and French. English is taught in all schools and is
increasingly spoken especially by younger people. Some German and
Italian is also spoken.
Money
The unit of currency is the Tunisian dinar (TND), divided into
1, 000 millimes. Travellers cheques are widely accepted. Banks and
some hotels provide foreign exchange. ATMs are found in most towns
and at all the tourist resorts; almost all will accept Visa cards
and many will also accept Maestro (Switch) cards. Visa, Diners
Club, American Express and MasterCard are accepted for payment in
souvenir shops, upmarket hotels and restaurants, although Visa
encounters the least problems. All Tunisian currency must be
exchanged before departure.
Negatives
Many visitors have complained that shopkeepers in the medina are
overbearing, and even frightening, in their persistence. There have
also been reports of pickpockets being active in the alleyways.
Night Life
Nightlife in Sousse has its seamier side with several seedy
dives where prostitutes are on offer along with the beer. If in
doubt before entering any club or bar question the doorman or take
a good look. Nightlife generally for tourists is confined to the
apartment resorts and hotels, offering dancing and entertainment.
Young Tunisians tend to gather on the beach promenade after
dark.
Restaurants
Visitors to Sousse are spoilt for choice when it comes to dining
out, with a variety of options available from pizza and tapas to
French cuisine, but most holidaymakers rave in particular about the
popular local staple dish, Couscous (steamed semolina grains),
which comes in various combinations. Most of the better restaurants
are located inside the luxury hotels; others are within walking
distance of wherever you are staying.
Shopping
There are bargains to be had in the alleyways of the Sousse old
city for holidaymakers who practise the time-worn art of haggling
successfully. Carpets and leatherware are favourite buys for
tourists, but there is also a vast stock of cheap souvenirs on
which to fritter away the holiday budget. Some visitors are
intimidated and do not enjoy bargaining with the canny souk
shopkeepers, who usually begin negotiations with a price inflated
up to ten times the value. These visitors would be better advised
to do their shopping in the adjacent modern shopping mall, which is
crammed with shops offering local goods and wares from all over
North Africa, on sale at fixed prices.
Time
Local time in Tunisia is GMT +1 (GMT +2 from the last Sunday
in March to the last Sunday in October).