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Dates : On request between September and June 

Tunisia's capital city, and in particular its historic heart, the Medina, is a perfect illustration of the way cultures converge and mix along the Mediterranean coast. Full of effervescence and allure, but also a certain gentleness compared to places like Cairo or Marrakesh, Tunis is an anthology of different architectural styles and a complex palimpsest of Islamic, French colonial, Italian and Maltese, as well as sub-Saharan African influences. This tour will allow you to soak up the atmosphere of the narrow, colorful streets of the souk, discover the Central Market, and the must-see sites of La Goulette and Sidi Bou Saïd.

The itinerary may vary according to the season and the availability of our partners, as we adapt to the rhythm of local artisans and producers. 

Day 1 - Welcome to Tunisia!

After being met at the airport by Lamia, your host, guide and interpreter for the days ahead, you'll be taken to a charming hotel in a beautifully restored old house in the Medina. For dinner, you'll enjoy traditional Tunisian specialties in a historic restaurant in the old town. 

If you arrive early in the day, you can take time to stroll through the narrow streets and discover the stalls and workshops, or even have lunch in one of our favorite little restaurants.

Day 2 – Fondouk and souks of Tunis

This morning begins with a visit to the Fondouk El Ghala, or “Hotel of Fruit” in literal translation, more commonly known as the Central Market. A colonial construction (dating from 1891) that blends Art Deco and “Moorish” styles, the market houses one of the largest and surely most atmospheric fish markets of the entire Mediterranean. Guided by a chef who has bought fresh produce for his family restaurant at the market daily for over twenty years, the tour is filled with tastings, anecdotes, and insider tips on how to choose the freshest produce.

Having essentially eaten lunch on the move through the market, we take a break for a glass of mint tea in a cafés straight out of the 1,001 nights before wandering some more through the narrow streets of the Medina, in particular the herb and aromatic plant stalls. We reconvene with the chef and his family in their restaurant in the late afternoon for a cooking class using produce bought together that morning at the market. Dinner will consist of your own outstanding culinary creations. 

Day 3 – Sidi Bou Saïd and La Goulette, or cosmopolitan Tunis

On your third day, we head to some of the capital city’s northern neighborhoods, starting with Sidi Bou Saïd. The exceptional charm and magnificent hilltop location of this white-and-blue village, named for the Sufi saint whose Zawiya is located there, has attracted countless European intellectuals and artists since the 19th century, including André Gide, Colette, Michel Foucault, Paul Klee, or the Baron d'Erlanger, an eccentric artist and musicologist, whose strange and magnificient Orientalist palace we will visit. After enjoying a cup of tea accompanied by a Bambalouni—a fried pastry whose name is an Italian loan-word,—we continue the theme of the historic cultural cosmopolitanism of Tunis with a fresh fish lunch in La Goulette. This nostalgic seaside neighborhood where actress Claudia Cardinale grew up was long a place of harmonious coexistence between Italians and Maltese Christians and Jewish and Muslim Tunisians.

In the afternoon, we have planned a wine tasting at Montfleury, one of the first wineries to be built under the French protectorate, which is undergoing a revitalization and opening up to the international market under the influence of a young oenologist.

Day 4 – Departure

Your culinary journey is coming to an end. After breakfast, or lunch, depending on your flight time, you'll be accompanied to the airport for your departure. If your departure is later in the day, we can arrange an additional activity such as a moment of relaxation in a hammam, a course in Arabic calligraphy, or a visit to the workshop of an artisan-musician who makes and plays instruments in the Stambeli tradition, a musical genre with African origins that is associated with religious rituals involving trance and possession. Stambeli, un genre musical et un rite de possession aux origines africaines. 

Participants: 2 people minimum, 8 people maximum

Price (We accept EUR, CAD, USD, and TND)

• 2 people: €1,600 per person
• 4 persons: €1,400 per person
• 6 people: €1,220 per person
• 8 people: €1,120 per person

Included

• Transfers and ground transportation in Tunisia
• Accommodation
• Meals and snacks
• Visits, workshops, classes, tastings and activities 
• All ingredients and equipment for classes and workshops
• Wines at tastings

Not included

• Flights
• Personal travel insurance (cancellation, health, etc.)
• Tips, should you wish to leave any
• Alcoholic beverages you wish to consume during your stay (other than wine tastings)