Sidi Bou Said walking tour & city guide

The blue and white village

The village grew around the shrine of a 13th-century Sufi holy man, Abu Said al-Baji, who gave it its name. In the early 20th century, the painter and musicologist Baron Rodolphe d'Erlanger championed the blue-and-white look, and building rules have protected it ever since. Paul Klee and other artists came here to paint the light.

Palace and views

Ennejma Ezzahra, d'Erlanger's palace, mixes Arab and Andalusian styles and is now the Centre for Arab and Mediterranean Music, with collections of instruments and concerts. Lookouts at the top of the village face the gulf and the hills of Cap Bon, and steps lead down to the marina.

A walk through Sidi Bou Said

Get off the TGM at Sidi Bou Said station and climb the main street, lined with craft shops selling birdcages, ceramics and jasmine. Keep going to the top of the village for the view over the gulf, then turn into the quieter residential lanes, where the most photographed doors are found.

Visit Ennejma Ezzahra, then walk down the cliff steps to the marina. In the late afternoon, take the TGM one stop to La Marsa for its seafront promenade, or a few stops back to Carthage.

Good to know

Sidi Bou Said gets busy on weekends and when cruise ships call, so come early in the morning or stay for sunset. The main street is steep and cobbled, so wear good shoes.

It is easy to combine with Carthage on the same day, since both are on the TGM line from central Tunis.