Handy hints
Currency: the dinar. Officially, you can’t buy it outside the country. You can change money on arrival at the airport or in your hotel. The exchange rate is around 1.8 dinars for £1. Keep your exchange receipts in case you need to change money back on departure.
Clothes: bikinis and shorts are acceptable on the beach and in the hotel complex, but not in the street or in the market.
Language: English is spoken in the northern resorts of Hammamet, Port El Kantaoui, Monastir, Sousse. School French is handy for the southern island resort of Djerba.
Taxis: cheap and easy to hail. Expect to pay around £10 for a two-hour round-trip.
Tipping: it is not normal to tip taxi drivers. In restaurants and cafes, it is usual to tip 10%.
Food: local speciality is couscous, the national equivalent of pasta or rice, accompanied by lamb or vegetable stew. Also Brik, an egg deep fried in filo pastry, with tuna and onion or minced meat stuffing. For dessert, Baklava – honeyed pastries. Tunisian drinks include sweet mint tea and excellent coffee.
Water: it is advisable to avoid tap water and drink bottled mineral water.
Alcohol: only served in restaurants and hotels.
Temperature: ranges from an average 60F in January to 90F in August. Obviously, temperatures in the sun during the summer are much higher and visitors can burn quickly. It is warm enough to swim in the sea from May-October.
Souvenirs: carpets, pottery, lamps, spices, jewellery.