Raques

I agree with the people who recommend staying in either Virginia or Maryland for hotels and I agree with the cities suggested already. Old Town Alexandria may have pretty decent hotels which are also in a scenic and historic area near the river. It is very family friendly. You could even get a hotel close to a metro stop and then ride the metro into DC. As far as DC goes, stick to the tourist areas and you will be pretty safe. Georgetown and Dupont Circle are also nice areas and less touristic. Georgetown is pretty busy though and has pricy shopping. Dupont Circle is very nice too, but it is also a place where you might see lots of same gender couples. However, this is true almost anywhere you go, but more so in Dupont. If you are open-minded about that, it is a really great place, filled with restaurants, coffee shops and shopping. My husband and I go there a lot. I hope this helps!

You may be right about the bad areas meaning the poor areas, but that doesn’t mean they are safe. My girlfriend and I just went to a concert in SE DC. We walked blocks at night because we were lost. We are also pretty familiar with the District and don’t scare easily. However, a black female, who was a resident there, told us not to be walking there at night and to move our car closer to the club. After that I worried. The KFC we went to across the street from the club had a thick fiberglass contraption to take our money and give us our food. I assume that for the protection the empolyees and not just for decoration. When people are extremely poor and desperate, some of whom may be addicted to drugs, there are all kinds of crimes they will commit to get what they need. People aren’t just being paranoid when they feel like they need to be more cautious in those areas or even completely avoid them all together if possible.

Hello,

I thought I would answer this one as well. My husband’s family is Tunisian, so although I was a tourist there, I spent most of my time away from the tourist areas. I always felt perfectly safe there. HOWEVER, I was with my husband at all times. I never walked out alone. The one time that we had an argument and I stormed out, he was quick to follow after me to bring me back. Also, when I did walk with my husband, he wanted me to be where he could see me at all times. He didn’t want me to walk behind him at all. He didn’t feel it was safe for me. He didn’t trust the people around us. He said, “You never know.”

I would have to agree with the people who commented here before me. Try to stick to the beach and tourist areas. If you do go out sightseeing, make sure you go with a guide. It is possible that you could go out alone and nothing would happen, but I wouldn’t advise it. It is better to be safe than sorry later.

Many men there think that Western women are easy, and don’t really understand that independence that we enjoy so freely. They think that women who wear shorts and show a little more of their bodies want sex, and that’s why they think the woman dress that way. It doesn’t seem to occur to them that it is unbearably hot at times, and fewer clothes feel cooler.

Anyway, I have been to Tunisia twice. Both times I spent three weeks there. When I do go, I make sure to dress more conservatively than I might at home. I buy light clothes that cover more, before I leave. At the beaches, I wear my swimsuit like everyone else.

Also, the women who wrote before said it had been several years since they had been to Tunisia. I was there in 2003 and 2006 and I noticed big changes. The biggest change I noticed was that in 2003 I hardly saw any women covering their heads with hijabs. The only women who wore them were older women or house servants. Last summer, the first thing I noticed was that many, many women both young and old were covering their heads. I asked my husband about it. He said that he noticed the same thing. He said that because of the war in Iraq and extreme anger towards Bush, the Muslim countries are turning more towards Islam and becoming more conservative. I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing. It might be a good thing for Tunisia, but might not be as good for tourists.

I know this is getting long, but I just want to say, that despite everything, I love Tunisia. It is a beautiful, exotic place which is very sensual with its jasmine scented nights and spiced foods. It is also a place of beauty. However, there is a reason why so many of the Tunisian homes have ironwork around the windows, and the tall walls around their homes have shards of glass sticking straight up out of the tops of them.

By the way, if you are interested, click on my photo to see many, many more pictures of Tunisia. I have some from both my 2003 and my 2006 trips. The picture you see of me to the left was also taken in Tunisia. Have fun and be safe!

I just wanted to comment a little more. I know I’ve probably already said enough, but I wanted to add that although Tunisia is a Muslim country, Muslim fundamentalism is discouraged. I won’t go into details about this, but as one small example we were discouraged from hiring religious singers to sing at a couple of parties we had there. We had both of our son’s circumcised in Tunisia. Before the circumcisions we always have very big family parties and my husband wanted to hire religious singers to come and sing at the parties. Also, very recently women in Tunisia were being stopped on the streets for wearing the head covering. They were asked to remove it and told that it is not permitted in public places. They were even asked to sign a paper saying that they would not wear them in public again. This was in a news article I read. I know that many Tunisians drink alcohol as well. Although Tunisia is a predominately Muslim country, I don’t think they are completely governed by the laws of Islam like other Muslim countries. If so, why would women be asked to remove their hijabs? I agree that it is a more modern Muslim country. In fact, my husband’s mother is the equivalent to a senator in Tunisia.

I agree with people that Tunisians are friendly. In fact, I found them to be a lot friendlier than the European tourists that I encountered at our hotel and in the tourist areas. I didn’t understand why they were so cold while we were there. I thought maybe it was because my husband and I are a mixed couple. Maybe it was the anti-American sentiment that is being felt worldwide. I just know that I personally felt much more comfortable outside of the tourist areas because people just weren’t very friendly. And on that note, there are many more people in Tunisia who speak German, French, Italian and Spanish than there are people who speak English. When I went to the hotels for dinner, the foods were translated into several languages, but English wasn’t one of them. I am sure that is because they don’t get as many tourists from Great Britain or the U.S. as they do from those other countries.

By the way, I have been to many cities in Tunisia, so if you have any questions about any of them, I would be happy to answer them. I have been to Sousse, Hammamet, Nabeul, Sidi Bou Said, Dougga, Sbeitla, Kassrine, Carthage, Tunis, El Kef, Tabarka, and the island of Djerba. We drove through Kairouan, but I didn’t get out of the car. I was too hot and tired from traveling. Also, my husband immigrated to the U.S. in 2000, so he hasn’t been out of the country too long.

Anyway, I know I have written tons. I hope you find it helpful. Good luck and have a wonderful time in Tunisia!

I can’t honestly say that I have ever traveled straight from Sousse to Tunis (or vice versa), but it is about 143 Kilometers or almost 90 miles. On the map I looked at, there is a motorway or major highway that runs between Sousse and Tunis. In fact, it looks like the biggest highway in Tunisia. I think it would be feasable for a day trip.

Thank you! Your advice is very helpful. I think we will be leaving most of our baggage except for my handbag and my camera of course. Thanks again!

Thank for your suggestions! I really appreciate your help. I am going to do some more research and then decide. I am glad that you responded!

Thank you! I am going to research the places your suggested and look at some of the pictures on the web. You made me really look forward to this trip even more than I already did. Imagine just spending enough time in Rome to have a gelato, panini, or expresso! Then off to Cairo! It is exciting for me since I have only been outside of the US three times. Usually we go to Tunisia to visit family. Anyway, thanks again!

Thanks for the plugs! I am going to check them out. I definitely want to see the fountain! We shouldn’t have too much luggage. I imagine that it will stay at the airport and be put onto our connecting flight to Cairo. We will only have our carry-ons. Since we are leaving the kids, that means just my purse (maybe) and my camera. Thanks so much for responding!