Tunis with small children - advice on 'must see' vs 'doable' please!

[:)DITA]

Hello!

 

We've been reading up on this lovely part of the world and are looking into doing the popular Carthage, Sidi Bou Said, Tunis Medina and Bardo Museum in a crazy day..

 

However, I've noticed that temperatures are already hitting above 40C. We are going in mid-August, which may be hotter. So i am rethinking what would be feasible for us. Our kids are quite used to traveling and sightseeing, but not the heat.

 

Carthage seems to be the attraction to cut out to reduce time outdoors and from what we've read, may be the least interesting for the kids.

 

However, we would really appreciate your input. Is Carthage a site we really shouldn't miss? Is there anything else we should leave out? Or something else we should do instead?

 

Thanks so much!

[cruisemom42]

Cut out Carthage? Oh, stab me in the heart...... That would be the one "do not miss" for me.

 

But if you have little interest in history or literature, I suppose it is "skippable". :(

 

I don't know how old your children are, but I also wouldn't think they would find much to amuse them in the Bardo museum or in Sidi Bou Said which, although pretty is basically a shopping stop.

[Travelcat2]

Is there any way you could do the cruise earlier summer (early June)? The heat in the Med. is almost intolerable in August. Expecting children to do anything in that heat is a bit much (IMHO).

[:)DITA]

cruusemom42 - I've seen your helpful comments on other threads on this, so I am not surprised you find the possibility of omitting Carthage sacrilegious!

 

Of our party of 6, I would be the main person interested in the history - the other two adults would not have much understanding of the history and the kids are too young really. So that is why I am wondering if it is fair and worthwhile for our group in general, to do.

 

However, I guess what I'm trying to get an idea of is, whether the site would speak to them anyway. For example, OH loved Egypt despite initially not keen to go, blistering almost 50C days and with little knowledge of the background. OH was actually resistant to going to Dachau, but was very moved by the experience.

 

Thanks for the caution about the heat. We were in the Eastern Mediterranean at the end of July last year, so am comparing it with that. Unfortunately, it does have to be this timing for us.

[Cornishpastyman1]

Hello!

 

We've been reading up on this lovely part of the world and are looking into doing the popular Carthage, Sidi Bou Said, Tunis Medina and Bardo Museum in a crazy day..

 

However, I've noticed that temperatures are already hitting above 40C. We are going in mid-August, which may be hotter. So i am rethinking what would be feasible for us. Our kids are quite used to traveling and sightseeing, but not the heat.

 

Carthage seems to be the attraction to cut out to reduce time outdoors and from what we've read, may be the least interesting for the kids.

 

However, we would really appreciate your input. Is Carthage a site we really shouldn't miss? Is there anything else we should leave out? Or something else we should do instead?

 

Thanks so much!

Like cruisemom42 I personally wouldn't have missed Carthage for anything but it is an area where you need to bring your imagination and have an interest in its history, as there isn't that much that remains which is visually stunning or fascinating to look at. From what you say I think it's a place for you but not the rest of the party. A day to let the others enjoy an emptyish ship and for to soak up the history at a leisurely pace ?

 

Here is my attempt at recording what I saw there

 

As for Sidi Bou Said

it's just a pretty seaside resort. Pleasant enough but certainly not a 'must-see' and I would not have gone there had it not been tacked onto the Carthage visit. Good luck !

[atlanta99]

I would echo the comments above. If you are interested in history and archaeology, then certainly do not cut out Carthage. You may not ever get back to Tunisia and it would be a shame to miss that when you are there. True, it will be very hot, but if you are organizing your own itinerary, that should just be the first stop in the morning. Even if the kids don't understand the history, they will probably enjoy climbing over the rocks and ruins (I don't recall much in the way of "don't touch this" there). You could do the Bardo Museum, with its beautiful tile mosaics, in the heat of the afternoon. Although I enjoyed our stop at Sidi Bou Said, and it is a very pretty town, it is in fact a glorified shopping stop as Cruisemom said. So, if you are going to cut your day, I would start with Sidi in your circumstances.

[KirkNC]

I think your itinerary is too much. I would do Carthage and Bardo. They tie together as what ever was left of the mosaics in Carthage after the Romans were done is Bardo. I would not go to the Medina with children, it is hot, crowded and filled with aggressive vendors.

[are wehavingfunyet]

The kids will like Carthage a lot, even if they have no interest in the history. They will probably be bored in the Bardo after a few rooms, but I thought that was the highlight of our visit; I guess they'll just have to suck it up. I wish we had had more time at those two sites, instead of spending time in Sidi Bou Said [a lot of blue-and-white buildings and touted as the "Santorini of Tunis," a fairy tale believable only if you've never been to Santorini] and the bazaar [acres of repetitive shops with little of interest to buy and few if any real bargains].

[:)DITA]

Thank you for the helpful suggestions!

 

The thing that captured my interest about the Medina was reading that the Old Town hadn't changed since the 9th Century. So it was to get a glimpse of that rather than shopping that was the motivator (though we love seeing food markets) - is it possible to do that (with a large pushchair) without venturing into the more crowded areas?