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Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Original poster

Has anyone been to tunisia with children?

20 replies

merrymum · 14/02/2006 20:20

we are going to tunisia at the end of august with some friends and their dd and our dds who will then be nearly 6 and 21 months. was just wondering wether anyone else had been there and what it is like ? is there much to do with kids other than beach,pool etc kind of got chosen for us so didnt get much chance to ask travel agent at the time!!!

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Original poster
merrymum · 14/02/2006 20:50

anyone???

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zazas · 15/02/2006 14:16

Hi, We went with 22month old DD a few years ago to Sousse - where are you going? It was a winter sun break and we found enough to do to keep us all happy for the week! Apart from the beaches and pool, we went up to El-Kantaoui which has a marina to wander around and small animal park for young children as well as one of those small trains that go through the resort! We enjoyed wandering around Sousse too - through the markets and around a very impressive fort - all OK for young kids. We also did a day trip by train to ElJem which has a brilliant Colisseum and mossaic museum to check out - really recommend this!

Original poster
merrymum · 15/02/2006 20:21

hi thankyou we are going to hammamet(spelling?) i will keep the museum in mind it sounds good as i dont just want sun and sea. it would be great to see some culture and history too. the marina sounds good to keep dh amused too! thankyou!!

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sammac · 15/02/2006 20:31

Hammamet has a medina which is worth an exploration, and has a museum in it too. There are lots of trips available like camel rides, 4x4 trips( not done so don't know) Local markets, touristy things- there is a pirate ship which sails out in the bay which is meant to be good fun for kids. Friends went to el Jem as previously mentioned and raved about it, though they were staying in El Kantaoui and ddon't know how far away that is.

sansouci · 15/02/2006 20:34

Hi merrymum. I lived in Tunisia as a child for 3 years & have wonderful memories. No-one could love children more than the Tunisians. But August?! MUCH too hot! count on 40 - 45°C, not to mention the stench. Everything has certainly changed since the '70s, except the heat. And the friendliness (I hope). It is a beautiful country. I used to complain about all the sightseeing we did but now I'm glad I saw & experienced as much as I did. Maybe Lonely Planet would help you or the Tunisian tourist office? Good luck, enjoy & oh, how I envy you!

cori · 15/02/2006 20:36

we went when DS was about 2.5. TBH it was mostly sun and sea, but we went on an overnight excursion to the sahara desert, went on camel ride at sunset, drove to the border of algeria, saw salt lakes, and visited some of the areas where Stars Wars was filmed. It was the highlight of the trip, and even though there was a lot of time on the bus with a very young DS it was well worth it.

Original poster
merrymum · 15/02/2006 20:37

thankyou ! i am really looking forward to the local markets although i have never bartered before it should be fun. the pirate ship sounds great too as dd1 recently read treasure island in school so she should love that. i'm not too keen on camels but i'll probably give it a go!

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sammac · 15/02/2006 20:48

In the markets there are normally men who will engrave bracelets with names in Arabic for less than £1. DD loves her and has worn it constantly.

Original poster
merrymum · 15/02/2006 20:57

sansouci-i did worry about the heat but like i say it was pretty much decided for me! also what with school holidays and the prices ...we got a good deal from thomas cook (sil works for them) for the 4 of us all inclusive-£1100 thanks for everyones suggestions reaaly looking forward to it now

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sansouci · 15/02/2006 20:57

don't forget to bargain in the souks (market)! they'll be terribly upset if you don't. also be sure to try mint tea. divine!

Original poster
merrymum · 15/02/2006 20:59

ooo sansouci can you tell me a bit about the lingo? it would be great to be able to say please and thankyou etc

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sansouci · 15/02/2006 21:00

Lots of fascinating Roman ruins to see, too. I remember being very amused by the Roman loos. Le Bardo museum & Carthage (near Tunis) & Sidi Bou Saïd (old town of Tunis) are musts!

sansouci · 15/02/2006 21:03

I only remember Hamdula (sp?) - God be with you - choukran, filamen (please & thank you) plus all the swear words the neighbor boys taught me. Not recommended. Oh, I'm homesick! Remember to look up at the sky at night. You'll know why when you see it.

Original poster
merrymum · 15/02/2006 21:04

i'll have to print off this thread and take it with me! it al sounds great cant wait now!!

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Original poster
merrymum · 15/02/2006 21:06

i promise to take some photos and post them on here for you to see sansouci it sounds like you realy miss it. how come you lived over there? sorry im nosey

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sansouci · 15/02/2006 21:07

And the mosques! It sounds so strange yet so beautiful. Don't wear shorts or mini skirts - not even the children.

sansouci · 15/02/2006 21:10

My stepfather was posted there. He worked with the UN for most of his career. Iceland was our 1st posting, then Tunisia. We didn't like Iceland that much (cold, dark, barren but the Icelanders are wonderful). I've never met anyone who didn't like Tunisia.

sansouci · 15/02/2006 21:11

I meant that girls shouldn't show too much leg. Not boys!

Original poster
merrymum · 15/02/2006 21:16

you sound as though you have travelled alot my brother is in the army and him and his family have been to gibraltar and germany they are currently back in the uk not far away so we can see them more now. was tunisia your favourite place?

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1980cat · 20/02/2006 10:54

We're just back from Hamamet this morning.
There seems to be two parts a new purpose built holiday side and the older original hotels.
It does get a bit annoyng getting hasseled to buy stuff all the time but once you learn to say no they leave you alone. It was actually quite cold for a couple of days but we did a couple of tours so we got to see some of the country. We did the overnight tour to the desert although the tour guide did say that during the summer it can get too hot especially as we vitited the star Wars location in the early afternoon. He said that during the summer you can't stand outside and enjoy the views and just want to get inside the underground houses out of the sun. Did enjoy the sunset over the sahara(you could get camel rides or horse and cart rides, horses were a bit flea bitten).
We went with Thomas Cook as well, what hotel is it your staying at? We were at the older end which seems to be more popular with the French (nearly everyone speaks some French and the country is almost bilinguel (sp))and the kids club was run by a French woman but there were quite a few Engilsh kids in it. They seemed to be enjoying it. Most hotel have inside and out door pools and ours was right on the beach and would have been great for a week lazing in the sun if there had been any.

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