La
Marsa is the most northern of the sea side
suburbs of Tunisia, and is frequented mainly by Tunisians and by diplomats and
expatriates living in Tunisia. La Marsa is the number one place for the higher
upper middle class when they go for a chic summer address. The reason for this is
easy to understand when you’re down on the beach looking
up at all the nice white houses that lie among the green trees of the soft
ridge running parallel to the wide beach. The small centre of La Marsa
(*) is packed with young Tunisians on
the weekends and it is quite charming. The lively white and blue
facades of small family houses ,enriched by finely inlaid
wooden balconies is the charm envied by sprawling suburbs of
European or American cities. The most famous
city is
neighbouring Sidi Bou Said, crowded by hundreds of buses loaded by
hit & run orgnaized tours,
but in La Marsa you can
relax and enjoy the hospitality of unspoilt neighbours who might even invite
you in local festivities like marriages and circumcisions.
You can experience the visit of gentle street vendors with
donkey driven carts offering
prickly pears or fresh fish or
the sadness of older men collecting hardened bread
leftovers from house to house to feed the cattle in the country side.
All this in great security and respect for your privacy.
RESTAURANTS AND ALTERNATIVES
NIGHTLIFE MONEY
CHANGE
TRANSPORT
(*)
Marsa Ville:
Marsa
Plage:
Marsa Corniche:
Marsa Cube: one
of the most popular beaches with more nice villas
There are many first class restaurants and some cheap ones too. A nice but expensive one is
“Le Golfe” on the street to Gammarth
(around 50 Tunisian dinars). Our favorite is "Dar Tej" on the left hand side of Zephyr shopping centre, around 40 dinars, but for only
12 dinars, at lunch time, in Marsa Ville ask for “Ya Bon” and you get spaghetti
or rice Tunisian style and the most delicious fish (daurade or loup)
grilled
in front of you.
The best
place for sandwiches is "Baguette" and for hefty but less sohisticated one, at half price, is "Salem"
(beware of hot “harissa” sauce) , almost in front of theTGM
station.
The most colourful
pastime is watching people stroll the "Belvedere"
till late
at night,
especially during
the summer months.
There is a
posh discotheque in Marsa Corniche at Plaza Hotel and many more
discos and nightclubs
for the
young crowd in Gammarth.
Airport, Banks, ATMs, Post Office and
(less convenient)at
the receptions
desks
in hotels.
The best way of getting to Sidi Bou Said, Carthage, Salambo, La Goulette , is by the local train, called TGM.
It runs every 15 minutes at
peak hours. The good thing about La Marsa
is that it is the
first station on the linee, so
you have a good chance of
getting a seat.
After Sidi Bou Said, the train often gets crowded. For Tunis center it is better to travel by "Bus vert" for 1,300 Dinars and now also by sharing a taxi van for some fixed itinerary for one dinar.
the commercial centre with banks, shops and cafés -
Next to the TGM station with nice Belvedere overlooking the beach and
the gulf
the residential part, next to Marsa Plage with posh villas