Musée du Bardo
Built in the 13th-century, this splendid palace is now not only an outstanding example of Arab-Muslim architecture, but it also houses Tunisia's national museum, with the largest and finest collection of Roman mosaics in the world from the 2nd century BC to the 7th century AD.

Route de Bizerte, Quartier Le Bardo
Tel: (071) 513 842.

Avenue Habib Bourguiba
The city's main thoroughfare is the elegant and tree-lined avenue Habib Bourguiba, which runs from the TGM train station to the main entrance to the medina. Lined with banks, shops, restaurants and café-terraces where Tunisians converge in the late afternoon, it also boasts the grand art nouveau Municipal Theatre and the 19th-century Cathédrale de St Vincent de Paul.

Medina
A UNESCO World Heritage site, the medieval town of Tunis remained the commercial heart of the city until the French Protectorate in 1881. The narrow alleys are home to several souks devoted to a single trade, but the streets are quieter away from the shops, hiding stunning mosques, mausoleums and Koranic schools.

Zeytouna Mosque
The medina grew around Tunis' largest mosque, the mosque of the Olive Tree, covering over 5,000sq metres (53,820sq ft) and the only one open to non-Muslims. It was built in 732AD, often using stones from nearby Roman Carthage, but it flourished from the 13th century onwards as an important Islamic university.

Rue Jemaa ez-Zeytouna, Medina

Museum of Popular Arts
The impressive late 18th-century palace of Dar Ben Abdallah, has a rich collection of furniture, textiles and crafts, giving a fascinating glimpse into what 19th-century life was like in this medina.

Impasse Ben Abdallah, off Rue Sidi Kacem, Medina
Tel: (071) 256 195.