Question 1

La Goulette on Your Own

Accepted Answer

The TGM suburban train makes an independent day straightforward: one direction takes you into Tunis for the medina, the other out to Carthage and Sidi Bou Saïd. Taxis wait at the terminal for anything farther. Into Tunis: The line ends at Tunis Marine. From there, Avenue Habib Bourguiba leads to the Porte de France, a free-standing gate that makes a good starting point for the medina. Carthage and Sidi Bou Saïd: Several stations serve the ruins of Carthage, and Sidi Bou Saïd has its own stop. In the village, Ennejma Ezzahra, the former home of Baron Rodolphe d'Erlanger, is now a museum of musical instruments. Tickets: Buy your TGM ticket at the station before you board, and check the fare there. Taxis: In town, insist on the meter. A red light on the taxi means it is free and a green light that it is taken. Carry ID: Foreign visitors must carry ID, such as a copy of the photo page of their passport, and security officials may ask for it at any time. Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own. Tunisia keeps the same time all year and does not change its clocks in summer, so check whether your ship's time matches the local clocks.

Question 2

Food and Drink

Accepted Answer

Tunisian food builds on North African cooking, with couscous and slow-cooked stews at its heart and fiery harissa on the table at almost every meal. Mint tea is the drink to try. Harissa, a hot chili paste, is served with bread and olive oil before almost any meal. Brik is a very thin, crisp pastry, often filled with a whole egg, parsley and onion. Shorba frik is a lamb soup, and coucha is lamb shoulder cooked with turmeric and cayenne. Tunisian tajine is not a stew but a baked dish of eggs, cheese and a meat or vegetable ragout, closer to a frittata. In Sidi Bou Saïd, the Café des Nattes is known for mint tea served with pine nuts.

Question 3

Tipping and Money

Accepted Answer

In Tunisia a tip of around 10 percent is generally expected in restaurants, and drivers and guides are usually tipped too. Leave a restaurant tip in cash rather than adding it to a card payment. The currency is the Tunisian dinar, divided into 1,000 millimes. Visa and Mastercard cash machines are common in the city, and each cruise terminal has a currency exchange.

Question 4

Culture and Local Customs

Accepted Answer

Arabic is the official language of Tunisia and French is widely used, while English is less common outside tourist areas. Tunisia is a Muslim-majority country, and a little care with dress and timing goes a long way. Away from beaches and resorts, dress modestly, and especially at religious sites. Non-Muslims may not enter mosques and other Islamic monuments. During Ramadan, eating, drinking or smoking in public in daytime can cause offense. Supermarkets do not sell alcohol on Fridays, though hotels and bars still serve it. Do not photograph government buildings or military sites.

Question 5

History

Accepted Answer

The shore around La Goulette has seen Phoenician traders, Roman builders, Spanish and Ottoman garrisons and French administrators. The ruins, the medina and the fort each tell part of that story. Carthage: Founded, by legend, by the Phoenician queen Dido, Carthage grew into the capital of a Punic empire that dominated much of the southwestern Mediterranean. Destruction and rebirth: Rome destroyed Carthage in 146 BC after a siege of nearly three years, and a century later rebuilt it as the main city of its province of Africa. The medina of Tunis, 698: The medina was founded in 698 around the Zitouna Mosque and holds some 700 monuments, including palaces, mosques, mausoleums and fountains. Spain and the Ottomans: Charles I of Spain built the fort at La Goulette in 1535, and the Ottomans captured it in 1574. Little Sicily: In the 1800s La Goulette was a summer resort, and its Sicilian quarter, home to a large Italian community, was known as la Petite Sicile. The railway, 1872: The line from Tunis through La Goulette, the first railway in Tunisia, opened in 1872. The French protectorate, 1881: France imposed a protectorate in 1881, and Tunis spread rapidly beyond its walls. Independence, 1956: Tunis became the capital of independent Tunisia in 1956, and the medina was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1979. To learn more ashore: The Bardo National Museum in Le Bardo, on the western side of Tunis, has been housed in a former palace of the beys since 1888 and traces the country's history across several civilizations.

Question 6

La Goulette with Children

Accepted Answer

With children, the train is half the fun: a short ride to Carthage or Sidi Bou Saïd breaks the day into easy pieces. Keep the medina for older children who can cope with crowds. Younger children: The TGM runs on to the beaches at La Marsa, and the shops and cafés of the terminal village are a gentle first stop. School age: Several TGM stations carry the name Carthage, so you can see one part of the ruins and move on by train, and Sidi Bou Saïd's blue-and-white streets make a good afternoon walk. Teenagers: The medina of Tunis, with its souks and narrow lanes, suits teenagers who can stay close in a crowd.

Question 7

Accessibility

Accepted Answer

Inside the port, the terminals are wheelchair-friendly, with accessible restrooms and wheelchairs on hand. Beyond the port, plan on crowds. If you need a wheelchair or other help at the port, ask the security staff when you arrive. The souks of the medina are busy, and you will be on foot. Ask your ship about the gangway and whether a taxi with room for a folding chair can be arranged.

Question 8

Shopping

Accepted Answer

The souks of the Tunis medina are the classic place to shop, and haggling is expected if you want to buy. The terminal village has duty-free and local shops for anyone staying near the ship. The goldsmiths' stalls are close to Bab Bnet, one of the medina gates. The terminal has duty-free shops. You need permission from the Tunisian authorities to take antiquities out of the country.

La Goulette

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