Sidi Bou Said in Tunisia - the blue and white city

Sidi Bou Said in Tunisia is a small Mediterranean town known for its charming white houses, decorated with blue carvings and shutters. The town is also famous for being a centre of art, and today attracts tourists with its cosy alleys, galleries, cafés and boutique hotels.

Sidi Bou Said in Tunisia

Sidi Bou Said is a truly charming little town that you won't want to miss if you spend some time in Tunis. This town became famous in the early 20th century, when a number of international artists found their way here. The city eventually became a centre for both foreign and domestic artists and still today you can find a lot of art galleries here.

Sidi Bou Said is located on the Gulf of Tunis in northern Tunisia, about two miles north of the capital Tunis.

Charming alleys in Sidi Bou Said

It is almost impossible not to fall in love with the charming alleys of Sidi Bou Said. The narrow cobbled streets wind in what feels like a labyrinth, and everywhere you look you'll see these beautiful white staircases with their blue details, such as doors, shutters, fences and bay windows. Flowers spill over the walls, and small shops, art galleries and cafés are everywhere.

Beautiful doors

One of the most fascinating things about Sidi Bou Said (and many other places in Tunisia) are the beautiful doors. Although the houses sometimes seem simple, the doors are almost always both colourful and imaginatively decorated. It's hard not to take pictures of doors when walking around the small town, so here's a little picture bomb focusing on doors...

Shopping in Sidi Bou Said

One of the things to do in Sidi Bou Said is shopping. There are countless small shops selling handicrafts such as carpets, ceramics and leather products. You'll also find clothes, hats, scarves, jewellery, paintings, trinkets and souvenirs. You can find many great bargains here. Just don't forget to bargain, it's included!

Boutique hotels in Sidi Bou said

If you like cosy boutique hotels, you will certainly find what you are looking for in Sidi Bou Said. There are no large hotel complexes here, but a number of small, cosy accommodation options, in the form of some 15 boutique hotels.

Dar Said Hotel

Among other things, we looked at Dar Said Hotel. So fantastically cosy and charming. We didn't live here, but we immediately felt that this was a place where we could enjoy ourselves!

The hotel's patio has lots of flowers, a lovely pool and tables overlooking the Gulf of Tunis and the Mediterranean Sea.

La Villa Bleue

Another charming boutique hotel in Sidi Bou Said is the one called La Villa Bleue. There are fantastic rooms with lovely balconies. There is also a small pool and a very nice restaurant.

View of the Mediterranean Sea

Speaking of the view of the Gulf of Tunis and the Mediterranean Sea, let's show some more photos. The city is located on a hill above the water, and many places offer great views of the sandy beach, the marina and the bay. There are also several restaurants and cafés. Perhaps the best view is from Cafe des Delices, which has a lovely multi-storey outdoor terrace.

Restaurants in Sidi Bou Said

There is a fairly wide range of restaurants and cafes in Sidi Bou Said, and we have had dinner in two of them, both of which are nice.

The Pirate

We ended our first visit to Sidi Bou Said with dinner at the restaurant Le Pirate, which is located right next to the sea. Here we had a really good dinner that started with some snacks and continued with fish soup and then the traditional dish "brick". This is a kind of fried dough dumpling that can be filled with tuna and eggs, for example. Really good!

Only after these introductory dishes was it time for the main course. We had a cheese grilled fish served with grilled vegetables and rice with raisins. Very, very good! Some light sorbet was nice as a dessert.

La Villa Bleue

On a later visit to the blue and white city, we ate at La Villa Bleue, which is also a fine boutique hotel. Here you can sit either indoors, in very cosy and beautiful rooms, or in a building with glass walls and fantastic views.

Again, we started with "brick" and for the main course we chose veal fillet. The dinner ended with crème brûlée. Very good and well prepared, from the first bite to the last.

Something to eat on the way?

A little hungry, but not quite ready to sit down in a restaurant? Then there are plenty of nice little cafes, or you can stop for a snack in the form of bambaloni, which can be described as a sweet fried doughnut.

More to see and do in the neighbourhood

If you want to experience more in the vicinity of Sidi Bou Said, look no further than Tunis. In the capital, you can discover Tunis medina, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here you can also enjoy shopping in the countless bazaars and markets.

It is also not far from the ruins of the the ancient city of Carthagewhich is exciting to discover. For those who want to experience sun and bathing, there are of course also places like Hammamet, Sousse and Monastir.

Have you visited Sidi Bou Said in Tunisia?

Have you visited this little blue and white town in Tunisia? Do you like these kinds of places? Tell us about it!

Facts about Sidi Bou Said

• Country: Tunisia
• Location: Gulf of Tunis, about two kilometres north of the capital Tunis.
• Population: Almost 6000 (2014)
• Name: The city is named after the religious figure Abu Said al-Baji, and was previously known as Jabal el-Menar.
• Known for: Its blue and white architecture and as a centre of artistic activity. The city became famous after the artists August Mackes, Paul Klees and Louis Moilliets visited it during their trip to Tunisia in 1914. The city then attracted both European and Tunisian artists and the art school that emerged was named École de Tunis.