Tunisia (Country Guide) (Paperback)

by Abigail Hole (Author), Daniel Robinson (Author), Michael Grosberg (Author) "This is Africa at its most Mediterranean, brimming with olives, dates and oranges..." (more)
Key Phrases: louage station, zone touristique, touristique hotels, Habib Bourguiba, Cap Bon, North Africa (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Lonely Planet guides are a must-pack” --Toronto Star, February 2006


Product Description
Squint in awe at the glinting-gold El-Jem Colosseum and imagine the bloodthirsty roar as Roman gladiators entertain the crowd, p. 208. Float in startlingly clear seas at El-Mansourah Beach, p. 115. Wear your fragrant jasmine flower with confidence you're sending the right message, p. 193. Sway gracefully on camelback through the endless Sahara, willing your steed not to break into a trot, p. 248.

Four authors, 73 days of in-country research, 70 detailed maps, 102 plates of salade mechouia, one rented camel.

New Arts & Architecture chapter.

Top Tunisian chef Rafik Tlatli gives an expert take on the local cuisine.

Content updated daily: visit lonelyplanet.com for up-to-the-minute reviews, updates and traveller suggestions.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 344 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet; 4 edition (April 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1740599209
• ISBN-13: 978-1740599207
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 4.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #222,445 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good, December 22, 2005

By	wanderlust (Istanbul, Turkey, NA Turkey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Tunisia (Paperback)

All in all, I was very happy with this guide. It was the right size (not too thick, not too sparse), was very informative, and had great maps. I even liked the recommended routes (since Tunisia is small, it's very possible to "do" the whole country in a month), if one can "do" a country at all without living there.

Two recommendations I had for them. The first is that I did miss the recommended itineraries if you have 4 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, etc. It would have helped.

The second and more important issue I had was with the authors. Yes, they had a token female author but she reviewed the more women-friendly places such as Sidi Bou Said. The amount of harassment we received wasn't surprising, as I didn't solely rely on Lonely Planet and read up on those issues; but it really wore us down over the three weeks (I was traveling with a female friend and we are both attractive women in our 20s and 30s.)

My friend and I found ourselves in hysterics when the male author
recommended that we sit down with men in a cafe and talk to them about their lives. Yeah right!! I come from Turkey, so I am in no way ignorant about Muslim tradition (although North African culture is obviously different than Turkish), but nearly every single man we talked to hit on us.

That's ok, that's life. But I was infuriated to read that covering our heads would invite ridicule, because finally, in our last week, I started covering my head in Jerba and I felt an IMMEDIATELY positive difference. Yes, if I had been a tall blonde perhaps the reception wouldn't have been the same, but is Lonely Planet only geared towards men and tall blonde women? What about Mediterranean types like myself who can easily pass as native Tunisians? I wish I had known beforehand and would have covered up the whole time (by the way, we dressed EXTREMELY modestly and after seeing how some tourist women acted in Tunisia, we are definitely sympathetic to the stereotypes the men have there towards women like us).

Tunisia is a great place to visit and I still have to admit that this is a good guide but ladies, read up on your own. Or should I write my own guide for women? :)

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nicely Laid Out and Easy to Use. Useful Maps, September 27, 2004

By	M. Sprague (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Lonely Planet Tunisia (Paperback)

It's light and compact and has some useful maps. We used the hotel suggestions but in most cases the ratings were off, if it says 3 stars assume 1.5-2 stars. Take ear plugs. Almost all of the hotels were in noisy areas. Many of the suggested eating places were also off the mark. Extensive menus would be met with three or four options available. The guides to sights and towns to visit were very good. We used the walking tours and maps to navigate through the country quite comfortably. Assume you'll be ripped off by every taxi driver and you'll be ok. It's still very inexpensive to travel in Tunisia. And this book is very handy to have along for the ride.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tunisia Travel Preparations, June 14, 2007

By	Deborah Filcoff (Granite City, IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Not too many detailed travel books for travellers to Tunisia - a hidden gem in North Africa. Have not been there in decades, but am planning a trip with three other girlfriends next year and I was so happy that Lonely Planet had a new 'Bible' on Tunisia. They have done their usual super job with it's Tunisia 2007 Edition. We want to avoid travelling there with a group tour and with LP one can plan their trip completely -- know where your small hotel will be located within the cities or with a view; and, as always, complete coverage of historical sites & the really great beaches. I also love the layout of LP -- it's so easy to read & find information! Most of the other travel books are much heavier and the reading layout is annoying!