Monastir: The Best Self-Guided Walking Tour, Monastir, Tunisia

Monastir is mostly known to foreign visitors as a resort destination, with many large commercial hotel complexes along the coastline catering mainly to package holiday tourists. Outside of that, however, Monastir is a pleasant, liberal seafront city with some interesting sights that can easily be explored on foot. Monastir is the birthplace of Tunisia’s first president, as well as boasting the largest and grandest fortress in the region. Explore central Monastir with this quick and easy self-guided walking tour.

Start at the louage station – from here you can get easy, cheap and convenient transport to Sousse, Tunis, Sfax and many other places in Tunisia. If you are unfamiliar with louages in Tunisia, check out my blog post here!

From the louage station, you will be able to see the walls surrounding the medina, enter the medina via Rue de Tunis.

The word ‘medina’ in Tunisia refers to a historic walled city. Medinas vary in their size and nature throughout Tunisia. Some, like the famous Tunis medina, are mainly commercial with a maze of narrow, sprawling alleyways. Others, like the medinas in Tozeur or Bizerte, are mainly residential. The medina in Monastir has a mixture of both commercial and residential uses. This medina is unlike many others in Tunisia as it is not pedestrianised. It is almost more like a Western-style town centre than a stereotypical medina such as the one in Tunis. Take a walk through the medina and experience everyday life in action in Monastir. When you’re done, head out of the Eastern gate to the Bourguiba Mosque. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).