TUNISIA Travel Vlog | Food, Prices, Travel Tips!

Hi, I'm so excited to share my trip to Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. It's an underrated country in North Africa that has so much to offer from stunning coastline, distinct cultures, food, and landscape. I'll be sharing my entire itinerary with tons of food and travel tips. Let's jump right in. We flew from London to Tunis on TunisAir and they even gave us a meal on this 3-hour flight. There was only one option and they offered chicken with vegetables, which also came with a tuna salad and cake. After arriving at Tunis Carthage International Airport, we went to exchange some cash as taxis were only accepting cash. Also, just keep in mind that it's illegal to take any Tunisian currency out of the country so you'll most likely have to exchange it after arrival. After haggling with multiple drivers who were offering prices that were way too high, we settled on a driver who offered to go to our hotel near the city center for 20 Tunisian diner which is about $6. After getting out of the cab, we went to check into our hotel. The hotel was located right in the medina, a perfect location to explore the historic part of the city and the decor and architecture were beautiful both outside and inside. Hi, checking in? Yes. And I was blown away by the hospitality of the staff. The staff at the front desk went above and beyond to ensure our stay was comfortable. The room was very clean, elegantly decorated, pretty compact in size but enough for two of us. Then we headed out to get some more cash from the ATM as most places were only accepting cash. Euros, UK pounds and US dollars are easy to exchange. Then we went to get a SIM card for our phone. We got a 5GB SIM card for 18 Tunisian dirham which is little less than $6. I sometimes use Airllow to get an eSIM ahead of time but I noticed it's $17 for 5GB so I decided to get a SIM card when I get to Tunisia. Now that we've got some cash and data for our phone, we went to get our first meal in Tunisia. There weren't a lot of restaurants with reviews on Google Maps but I found a place that had a decent amount of great reviews so we headed there. The official languages in Tunisia are Arabic and French so the menu was written in two languages. We ordered Maghlouba Shawarma and Grilled Chicken. They first served rice and loads of bread. As we were eating the rice, they asked us what we wanted inside the sandwich and we just said everything. The Maghlouba Shawarma came out which is a folded flatbread sandwich filled with meat, cheese, harissa, mayo and vegetables. I loved how they put plenty of vegetables inside and the slight spiciness of harissa which is a hot chili pepper paste. Then the Grilled Chicken came out which was served with little side salad and fries. It was slightly crispy on the outside, juicy, it was perfectly grilled. The fries were a bit soggy but overall it was a great place to try some Tunisian food with great prices and a local atmosphere. After a filling meal, we went to a grocery store to pick up some drinks and snacks and walk back to our hotel. And we ended the day by eating some Lotus Biscoff Biscuits. We're usually not breakfast eaters but breakfast was included so we went downstairs to have some. They have fruit, yogurt and a cold bar and also a hot section where they make eggs for you. I especially loved the watermelon. It was perfectly ripe and sweet. Then we got on the cab to head to Sidi Bou Said. We used the Bolt app to call taxis which was convenient as you can enter your destination and it tells you the exact price. But you can only pick cash as the payment method so make sure to have some cash with you. Sidi Bou Said is approximately 12 miles north of Tunis. The town's cobbled streets were lined with art shops, souvenir stalls and cafes. The blue and white color scheme were so charming and stunning. I loved wandering around the streets. When we walked towards the end, there was a breathtaking view of the turquoise seas. There was a famous Tunisian donut place I really wanted to try so we headed there. Thank you. Thank you very much. I got the original sugar bambaloonie and it was freshly prepared when you order. It's basically a donut but it was a bit lighter and fluffier. Great value for money and I loved how chewy it is. It's definitely a perfect place to get a little snack while strolling through the charming village of Sidi Bou Said. With the weather being 38 degrees Celsius which is 100 degrees Fahrenheit, I was in search of a restaurant with air conditioning and luckily found one. We ordered a cheese omelette and a mixed grilled plate and waited for our food. They first served bread with harissa which seemed to be very common here in Tunisia. Then the mixed grill with rice and omelette with fries were served. The mixed grill plate had chicken, beef and lamb and my husband who's a meat lover really enjoyed it. The cheese omelette was fluffy and it was a pretty standard type of omelette I used to have in the US. This place also had seats with nice views outside but it was too hot for me to sit outside. It was a quiet air-conditioned restaurant to enjoy some food while relaxing. After lunch, we strolled around the beautiful peaceful coastal town with vacation vibes a bit more before calling a cab to head back to the Medina of Tunis. We were a bit tired from walking around the heat so we got some rest at the hotel and went to explore the souks in the medieval Medina, the old part of the city. They were selling everything from clothes, shoes, leather and artwork. I only brought a backpack on this trip so I didn't purchase anything but it was a fun experience wandering around these narrow streets without a sense of direction. Then we walked over to dinner. This Avenue Habib Bourguiba in Tunis was inspired by Champs Elysees Avenue in Paris which shows French influence. We arrived at the restaurant around 6.45pm and it said it's open from 11am to 11pm in Google Maps but the doors were locked. Luckily, a neighbor walking by told us that it's open at 7pm. So just keep in mind some info on Google Maps in Tunisia isn't accurate. This is a seafood restaurant so we ordered some seafood dishes and first got bread with harissa, tuna and olives. None of the restaurants charged us for bread and harissa in my experience but we did pay for water. Grilled squid and brick were served. Brick is a deep fried pastry with tuna, egg and onion filling. It was crispy and hot so delicious. It's a common appetizer in Tunisia so I highly recommend trying if you're visiting. Then we got our main dish, buttered triggerfish which also came with fries and a side that had green pepper and tomatoes. This place was a bit pricier than other restaurants we went to in Tunis but all the seafood tasted very fresh and I loved the cozy ambience of the restaurant. We started our third day in Tunis by eating breakfast at the hotel. Again, we loved the watermelon and peaches as they were so juicy. The weather was 100 degrees Fahrenheit and we didn't want to deal with the heat so we took a cab to a shopping mall called Tunisia Mall. The mall wasn't too big but it was clean and had a decent amount of various international and local brands and also a supermarket. The souks in Medina I went to yesterday is the place to go for a more local experience but I thought this mall is a good place to stop by if you want to go somewhere air-conditioned. There was a food court on the top floor and my husband wanted KFC so we got one Mighty Zinger box to share which came with Zinger burger, one piece of chicken, fries and a drink. The burger had two thick chicken fillets and it was delicious. Then we took a cab back to the old city of Tunis where our hotel is. This is Bob Al Bark which is one of the famous gates in Tunis that separates the old city from the new city. It has a lively atmosphere with a water fountain and cafes nearby. After getting some rest at the hotel, we headed to a Tunisian restaurant for dinner. I got roasted chicken which came with fries and a side salad and they gave us spaghetti, harissa, couscous and bread. I liked how the main dish came with a lot of sides. Harissa I had in other restaurants were a bit spicy but the one I had here was very mild. Then the sautéed seafood that my husband ordered came out. Not the best food I've had in Tunis as I felt like the food was a bit dry and bland but it was alright. Then later at night, my husband got hungry again so we went to grab a sandwich. We got a shawarma sandwich to go to eat in our hotel. It had fries and meat cut into thin slices inside a round shaped flatbread. It was a mix of smoky, savory and tangy, very delicious. Got a good night's sleep and went downstairs to get the breakfast buffet again. It was nice how breakfast is included and I was in awe of this unique and antique interior of the hotel my entire stay. I loved these Tunisian sweet pastries filled with dates and also these mini donuts. We also ate a bunch of fruit and an omelette. Then we headed out to check out a local market. It was a bit unclean with strong smells but it was definitely an authentic local experience. I recommend going earlier in the morning for a wider selection. We were looking for some dessert but didn't find any at this local market so we went to a supermarket nearby to get some cookies. And also got a sandwich to go for lunch. Most of the restaurants here didn't have air conditioning so we just decided to eat it in the hotel room. We got maklouba shawarma that we had on our first day in Tunis. Loved the complex flavors of spices, meat and sauce. So satisfying. We also tried the various cookies we got. They tasted like biscuit cookies I used to have in the US except some of them had sesame sprinkled on top. I like anything sweet so I enjoyed them. Today is Sunday and I wanted to check out the souks again but the ones near the hotel in the medina were all closed. So just something to keep in mind when planning your trip. I didn't mind having a relaxing day so we just took a nap in the beautiful hotel room before heading out to dinner. We found several places on google maps that said they were open but they were all closed when we got there so don't always trust the hours listed on google maps. We finally came across a place that was open which was a fast food chain in Tunisia. Their menu offered various sandwiches, burgers and tacos. I ordered a beef taco set and my husband got a chicken taco set. There were a decent amount of pieces of beef and it was more like a quesadilla than a taco. Wasn't traditional Mexican tacos but I thought it was still delicious. Today is our last day in Tunis. We had the breakfast buffet in the hotel for the one last time. Hope you're not too sick of seeing this breakfast. We did really enjoy it every morning while staying at this hotel. Then I got a bambalouni, the sweet Tunisian donut before heading to the airport. They weren't freshly prepared like the one I had in Sidi Bouzid but I still enjoyed it. I got the original flavor covered in sugar but they also had other flavors like chocolate and caramel. Then it was time to head to the airport. There was no public transportation that connects between the city center and Tunis airport so taxi was our only option. The cab ride to the airport only took about 15 minutes. After arriving at the airport, we got a burger with fries and a coke to spend rest of the cash. Tunisian diner is a closed currency meaning it's prohibited to take Tunisian diners out of the country so just make sure to spend it all or exchange it to a different currency before flying out of Tunisia. Thanks so much for watching and stay tuned for my next travel vlog to Prague, Czech Republic. Bye!