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Home » Trip Reports » Sidi Bou Said, The Santorini Of Tunisia
Trip ReportsTunisia

Sidi Bou Said, The Santorini Of Tunisia

Matthew Klint Posted onApril 2, 2022November 14, 2023 26 Comments

You don’t have to go to Santorini to experience beautiful cobblestone streets, bougainvilleas, white buildings, and blue roofs. Instead, you can visit picturesque Sidi Bou Said in Tunisia.

Sidi Bou Said, A Lovely Alternative To Santorini In Tunisia

Located about 12 miles from Tunis, Sidi Bou Said was first settled in the 12th century, but became a hotspot for the bourgeoisie during the Ottoman period, with many Turkish and Tunisian citizens building residences overlooking Tunis. It was not until the 1920’s that the city developed its iconic blue and white theme, with French artist Rodolphe d’Erlanger building a blue and white palace in the area and others mimicking it.

Today, it is a lovely Instagramable city with a fair number souvenir shops, but also lovely restaurants and cafés (I will publish a separate coffee post). The most popular is Café des Delices, a café with outdoor seating and soaring views of the Gulf of Tunis.

a white building with blue doors and a blue gate

a white building with blue doors and a blue wheel

 

a building with a dome and a palm tree on the beach

a view of a beach and a pier from a high point

a white building with blue umbrellas and palm trees by the water

I felt like I was one of the only foreign guests present (and shopkeepers and baristas seemed to confirm this). Thus, unlike Santorini Sidi Bou Said represents a less-trafficked way to immerse yourself in some of the unique and most beautiful blend of architecture and natural beauty in the world.

a tables and chairs outside of a building

a group of people walking down a street with white buildings

a blue door with a white wall and a tree

a white building with blue doors and windows

a stone street with white buildings and blue windows

a stone street with white buildings and trees

a tree with leaves in front of a building a white building with a tree growing on it

a group of people standing on a stone path by a tree

a group of people sitting on a hill overlooking a body of water

a marina with many boats in the water

a view of a beach and a city from a hill

a cactus plants and a body of water

a view of a body of water from a hill with trees and plants

a group of people sitting on a wall

people walking on a cobblestone road with white buildings and trees

a blue window with a blue lattice on the side of a white wall with palm trees

a blue door with black handles

a white building with blue doors and a blue door

a man sitting in front of a store

a mosaic art on a wall

a blue door with a gold arch

a street with cars and buildings

two people walking down a street

a stairs leading to a building

a stone path with a fountain and trees

a man standing next to a stone wall

a boy running under a blue canopy

a white tower with a blue fence

a circular road with cars and buildings in the background

a white building with blue doors and a lamp post

a street with cars parked on it

a blue door on a white building

You’ll notice the streets are lined with orange trees. Don’t neglect to try a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice, one of life’s simple pleasures.

a tree with oranges on the side of a road

a street with trees and buildings

From Sidi Bou Said, you can walk into Carthage, which houses the North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial, my next stop.

CONCLUSION

Frankly, I came to Tunis with the primary goal of visiting the Bardo museum in Tunis, which houses one of the world’s greatest collection of ancient mosaics. But the museum was closed due to the pandemic, which gave me the unexpected opportunity to visit Sidi Bou Said. It turned out to be such a great experience that I look forward to returning to.

If you’re staying at the Four Seasons Hotel Tunis, Sidi Bou Said is only 10 minutes away by taxi.

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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26 Comments

  1. DaninMCI Reply
    April 2, 2022 at 10:00 am

    It is a beautiful place for sure. Some really interesting Roman ruins nearby as well.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      April 2, 2022 at 10:00 am

      I saw those too!

  2. Stuart Reply
    April 2, 2022 at 10:03 am

    Beautiful! Great tip, Matthew. Love this.

  3. Santastico Reply
    April 2, 2022 at 10:10 am

    Glad you were able to visit this beautiful place. Sad the stupidity kept the museum close. I think science says the old mosaics can transmit Covid, right?

    • Aaron Reply
      April 2, 2022 at 5:11 pm

      Dead bodies say people can.

      • Santastico Reply
        April 2, 2022 at 6:01 pm

        Leave your cave. Are you those who drive alone in the car wearing a N95 mask? You need mental help.

        • Aaron Reply
          April 3, 2022 at 2:06 am

          Oh please. That line of dialogue is old and tired. One can leave one’s home and still be aware of the current situation and take actions to not be a selfish uncaring narcissist like yourself. To actually care about others. But hey, who cares how many people you may have killed, right?

        • Nate nate Reply
          April 3, 2022 at 9:03 pm

          Why are you bothered by someone who wants to wear a mask in their car? Does it impact you? Perhaps you don’t believe in freedom.

          • cargocult
            April 4, 2022 at 10:24 am

            The problem is that fearful, irrational people are driving the pandemic response and imposing draconian policies that do nothing to help at best and can actually cause harm. Masks do not work against SARS-CoV-2, not N95s, and certainly not cloth ones. Vaccines that were promised to be 100% safe and effective have not stopped transmission and put an end to the pandemic, and yet millions of people are being forced to get them without a care for the long term ramifications. Folx who drive around alone while masked probably don’t believe others should be free to mitigate the pandemic as they see fit. You are free to swallow the lies from the government, but you are not free to force feed them to your fellow citizens.

  4. bkaloha Reply
    April 2, 2022 at 10:20 am

    Wonderful pics! I would have never thought of going to Tunisia but these reports have made me consider a trip.

  5. Sam Reply
    April 2, 2022 at 10:45 am

    Matthew, this is really excellent. Such a helpful post.
    Thank you!

  6. John Reply
    April 2, 2022 at 1:42 pm

    I did this trip back in December with my partner. Stayed at the Four Seasons, Tunis, in the same corner room where you stayed. lol Your posts are bringing back fun memories of Tunis. Thanks for posting.

  7. Rich Reply
    April 2, 2022 at 2:16 pm

    Thanks for putting this on my radar. Looks beautiful. What was the quality of the beaches and water?

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      April 2, 2022 at 2:40 pm

      I’d say you don’t come for the beaches, though the water is beautiful (cold too, though).

  8. Ahmed Reply
    April 2, 2022 at 5:55 pm

    Beautiful Sidi Bousaid
    Thanks for sharing

  9. Andrew Reply
    April 2, 2022 at 6:07 pm

    Matthew – Is this recent? What month did you visit? (trying to figure out your comment that the water is cold)

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      April 2, 2022 at 6:11 pm

      February.

      • Greg Reply
        April 2, 2022 at 6:24 pm

        Did you get to ancient Carthage? Incredible city & harbor.

      • Andrew Reply
        April 3, 2022 at 2:35 am

        Thanks! Looks gorgeous and is now on my wife and my shared travel ideas doc.

  10. Olav Reply
    April 2, 2022 at 7:14 pm

    You had me until “instragrammable.” Then I threw up a little in my mouth.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      April 3, 2022 at 2:00 am

      If you notice, I didn’t post any pictures, let alone selfies, on Instagram! Just pointing out it is very picturesque!

      • Hichem Reply
        April 4, 2022 at 6:24 am

        Hi Matthew , i’m Tunisian but currently live in the US. Your post brought a lot of memories and reminded me how much i miss Tunisia.

        I’m not sure when you traveled there exactly but Tunisia have some of the best beaches out there and summer time would be the best period to experience it

  11. Ruperto Reply
    April 3, 2022 at 1:59 am

    I proposed to my now wife in Cafe des Delices.

    Sidi Bou Said is very beautiful, indeed!

  12. Max Reply
    April 3, 2022 at 5:51 am

    Ahh, Sidi Bou Saïd…My favourite place in Tunisia! You should’ve visited “Au Bon Vieux Temps,” a restaurant somewhat hidden off the main street (rue hedi zarrouk) but with very good food, a fantastic view and service. They have this huge gallery when you walk up the stairs with all the prominent people that have visited over the years, including a few US secretaries of state and presidents.

  13. Walid Reply
    April 3, 2022 at 6:25 am

    I live there and it’s my home town. If anyone is interested or want to know anything about it I will be happy to serve!

  14. Sandra Reply
    July 15, 2022 at 3:40 pm

    Beautiful pictures. I lived in Sidi Bou Said for a year and loved it.

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