Tunis new cruise terminal - what an improvement !

[Paul&Kathy]

I undertand that we were one of the first ships to call at the new terminal at La Goulette (for Tunis) and wanted to report how much better it was than our previous visit a couple of years earlier. We like Tunisia but have experienced very high hassle levels at the port in the past and understand why it has obtained such a bad reputation with cruisers.

On arrival now there are 2 terminals - one for tours only, a small building presumably just containing the immigration desks through which tour participants pass on their way to the coach park. The main terminal will have about 50 shops and has been built very atttractively in the style of an old medina.

But the best thing they have done, in my opinion, is organise the taxis. There is a taxi office just as you leave the building, before immigration, and boards advertising fixed prices, see photo below:

These fares have inevitably increased - 2 years ago we paid 20 euros for a taxi to Tunis, wait for 2 hours at the Medina, then take us to a beach near Carthage for an hour then back to the ship. The Medina only return trip is now 40 euros. But at least it is a fixed price, everyone knows what to pay and no more of that stressful bargaining before setting out and the driver asking for more on return. I just hope they stick to the prices, but I think it would be difficult to overcharge people now that the fares are so clearly advertised.

Having visited several times before we did not go to Tunis on this occasion, but a little information for anyone wishing to do so independently (we checked this out in anticipation of our next visit !). There will be an ATM in the terminal, just before going through immigration it will be in a little acove to the left, before the row of shops. As of our visit (12th June 2010) the ATM sits on a pallet wrapped in its packaging, but there is still a lot of work going on so it will hopefully be operational soon. Draw Tunisian Dinars from there as you will need them for the train tickets. Then leaving the terminal turn right and walk past the taxi rank and out of the port gate (towards the top of this picture).

At the roundabout cross the wide main street (statue of horse and rider to your right, train line to your left) and keep walking straight ahead, past the garage, with the train line on your left and city wall to your right. After a few minutes you will see the station - I would say allow 10 minutes to get out of the terminal and another 10-15 minutes to walk to the stataion. There is a ticket window by the street and it loks like you have to cross the lines for trains to Tunis - baording the train that goes back past the port and towards the large bridge going towards the city. Now there seems to be another station right by the port, the trains stop there, but we could not find any way in. The only access at the moment seems to be from the car park on the other side of the lines. However, there is a lot of building work still going on so it might be worth a look, if they make access from the prot to this station it would be even easier.

At that point I regret my information stops, until we visit again for a longer stay (ship left at 2pm this time) and try it for ourselves. On holiday in Tunisia many years ago it was quite a walk from the station to the medina along a tree-lined avenue, but hopefully someone else will post about that part of the journey.

[Paul&Kathy]

Sorry, I have been fiddling all night but my photos just will not upload. The taxi prices are:

 

Tour 1 - Port- Medina - Port

4 seater 40 euros / 6 seater 60 euros / 8 seater 80 euros

 

Tour 2 - Port - Carthage - Sidi Bou Said - Port

4 seater 40 euros / 6 seater 60 euros / 8 seater 80 euros

 

Tour 3 - Port - Medina - Carthage - Sidi Bou Said - Port

4 seater 60 euros / 6 seater 80 euros / 8 seater 100 euros

 

All tours 5 hours max - over that 20 euros per taxi extra.

[raindropsalways]

Thanks for the port and taxi info. Another cruiser was there in May and she experienced the multiple taxi fees. In other words, some drivers were taking advantage of stranded people.

 

Did the ship offer any shuttle service into Tunis? Or was there any info on the train service to the Marina in Tunis? I have written to the train company attempting to find out if it is wheelchair accessible, but no response.

 

Betty

[Paul&Kathy]

Costa did not offer a shuttle, just tours, and there was no information at all about the train in the port, even though you can see it from the ship.

 

The train line is a little above the level of the road and I think there are about 3-4 steps up to the platform - we did not see a slope but there could possibly be one somewhere. My husband has a little scooter but it folds up and I can lift it so it looked OK for us but hopefully somebody can tell you whether you could get a wheelchair up to the train. You would also need to cross the line so I expect there are a couple of steps each side for that.

 

If it is any help, once you get to Tunis the medina itself is OK with a wheelchair (did it a couple of years ago pre-scooter from a taxi) - it's all quite flat, only trouble is some of the side streets are rather narrow so it can be awkward if it gets crowded but the main area is fine.

[raindropsalways]

Wow! What a pleasant surprise, someone that actually understands our problems. Thank you very much for the information. Unfortunately, our scooters are really not collapsible. Since we both travel on our own, we have sort of made work horses out of the scooters with modifications to suit our individual needs.

 

 

I am sort of presuming that since there are taxis with a larger passenger capacity, there would be a slim chance that we could find one that would transport our scooters. Of course, considering the short time there, it might just be more practical to wander around La Goulette.

 

 

Betty

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the update! We will be in Tunis twice on our next cruise in July. I hope the ATM is up and running by than! If not I have heard you can find one in town a little south of the train station.

 

Kirk

[Paul&Kathy]

Hi Betty, I expect you could persuade one of the larger taxis to take your scooters (if they can lift them in for you ?) - the Tunisian people are usually very obliging and I am sure they will help you if they can. La Goulette was DREADFUL with the scooter, not a dropped curb anywhere, I had good muscles by the end of the day from lifting the little scooter it on and off pavements, so I recommend you get into Tunis if you can. The new terminal even has a few tiny steps but big scooters would be fine, it is only because ours is so small it got caught a couple of times.

[raindropsalways]

Thanks for the heads up on the curb situation. We have a home-made curb bumper that works pretty good. Something you might want to consider. When I made it, I did not know how well it would work, or even if it would work. It sure has come in handy. Ruth posted a pretty good description of how I put it together. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=21306563&highlight=#post21306563

 

 

Considering that we have a couple other snags on the cruise, like getting into town in Marseille and getting around Naples, I was hoping for an “easy” port. My logic is that we have been to the souk in Dubai, bazaar in Istanbul and Median in Tangier, just how different can the medina in Tunis be?

 

 

We will also be in Barcelona, Palermo, Palma de Mallorca and Savona. We will take the ho ho bus in Palermo and Palma de Mallorca. I think Savona is going to be fairly easy to wander around in if we can avoid a lot of inclines. And Barcelona is a breeze.

 

 

Then there will be the transatlantic home; Malga, Funchal, Tenerife and La Palma. Do not foresee any problems in any of these ports.

Betty

[Paul&Kathy]

Your ramp sounds like a wonderful idea, you will certainly need to take it for around La Goulette. As you say, the medina is not much different from Turkey etc but a nice day out if you can get there (if you like shopping).

 

We found Naples quite easy with the manual wheelchair, although we have not been there with the scooter yet, but I pushed the wheelchair to the station, boarded the train no problem via the lift (you have to ask an attendant & they will take you to it) and visited Sorrento. Naples itself should be OK for the day if you don't want to travel far.

[raindropsalways]

Our real hopes in Tunis was to tour the mosque area, then I found city map showing the step streets. There is not any way we can get from the L'arc de triomphe to the Mausoleum of Hammouda Pacha or the Al-Zaytuna Mosque. We do enjoy just snooping around the markets anyplace but can survive without. Just wandering around La Goulette would at least give us an idea of how the natives live now.

 

 

I was in Naples in 2001, while I could still hike just about anyplace. I remember the roads being torn up and not much of anything else. The metro lines that would help us are under construction. The best I can determine, they will not be completed by the time we get there. There appears to be a number of sites that should be doable within our radius of the ship.

 

 

We had given some thought to taking the train to Sorrento. Originally, we thought that we would anchor in Sorrento and be tendered in. Then we found out that we are docking in Naples. Unfortunately, we have a short day there (1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.). Considering that most European trains operate on schedule, I think it would be impossible for us to catch the train departing at 13:05. Of course, if we could get on that train, it might be worth the trip.

 

Have you ever cruised into Marseille? Finding accessible transportation into town is a bit of a challenge. None of the taxi companies are willing to take two scooters and no one seems to know anything about the shuttle.

 

Another strange issue: Tenerife. We have found at least two separate tour companies that specialize in handicap accommodations. Is Tenerife considered a health resort type place in Great Britain and Europe?

 

Thanks again for your input. It sure helps.

 

Betty

[Paul&Kathy]

Hi Betty,

 

You would not have time to get to Sorrento in that time, or at least not to be safe with getting back. Sadly you will find the shops in Naples closing just as you arrive, but you might be able to get into the cathedral, which is on a square not far from the ship, I think there is a palace of some sort opposite too (not open when we were there).

 

Sorry we have never been to Marseilles but would be interested in how you get on there. As for Tenerife, it is a popular winter destination for older people from the UK so hopefully it will be accessible for you. We went there once for a week and hated it, my husband is terrified of heights and fet sick every time we went along the clifftop road we had to take to get to and from our hotel and I did not like the black sand beach at all. But we have friends that love the place and go back every year.

[raindropsalways]

Kathy – You should not have any problems in Marseille because of your husband's scooter. We had desperate taxi drivers offering to put one of our scooters on their front seat. We declined because we felt it was not safe. If nothing else pops up this time, we may take one of those taxis.

 

 

Now, maybe I can make your next cruise a bit easier. I have been to some of the ports, however it was some years ago, I was still hiking and not aware of accessibility issues around me. But I do remember Roatan fairly well. This was in Dec. 2003 before the Roatan was really a tourist stop and before the large dock RCL put in. We had booked a jeep or something like that for the day, and it did not show up. So we contracted a taxi for the full day. After seeing the road conditions I was glad someone else was doing the driving.

 

We first went to the Cameo shop. That was very interesting. If you enjoy art, I would recommend a stop at the Cameo shop. Then we went through the main settlement near the docks to cross the island and the taxi driver pointed out various things to us. Unless things have changed, you will see a lot of hungry dogs and cats. Instead of going to the restaurant I had selected on the internet, we went to an seaside out door restaurant recommended by the taxi driver. The terrain there was level and should be accessible. Our main purpose was to taste conch (a dumb decision). To say the least neither Don or I like conch. As a result, one of the little starving kitties had the best meal of her life.

 

 

Heading back toward the ship, we stopped at Carambola Gardens. I was actually quite shocked at the trails, many would be considered wheelchair accessible. We did not take the trail up the mountain. Even then I had my limitations. If you are interested in nature, this is a lovely spot. There were some birds plus I was intrigued with the leafcutter ants; they were busy at work.

 

 

On the way back to the ship, it started raining. Regardless, I decided to stop at the local tourist traps. The rain, well it is not typical, more like someone rapidly pouring buckets of water on you. The vendors were extremely polite... they made their kids hold umbrellas over you.

 

 

Overall, we had a wonderful day and very inexpensive. Most of the tourist had already gone and the taxis were squabbling over business. We got the taxi for the full day for $20 + $5 tip. I would speculate that the price would be someplace between $50 - $100 now, which would probably still be a good deal. Oh, this taxi was outside fenced area.

 

 

Betty

[Paul&Kathy]

That's really helpful, Betty, thanks so much. We are looking forward to that cruise, it's ages since we have been to the Caribbean and that week of Roatan, Belize, Costa Maya etc is completely new to us.

[swalm22]

Paul&Kathy,

 

The shops at the port of La Goulette are they before the customs or after ? With other words, if we get of the ship do we have to passing the customs first before entering the shops ???

[Paul&Kathy]

There is not really a customs as such, yo uare straight off the ships into the shops then there is an immigration desk as you leave the shops before going out to the taxis. You get a landing card on the ship and they stanp it as you leave the terminal. I suppose if you did not leave the terminal you would not have to get your card stamped.

[swalm22]

There is not really a customs as such, yo uare straight off the ships into the shops then there is an immigration desk as you leave the shops before going out to the taxis. You get a landing card on the ship and they stanp it as you leave the terminal. I suppose if you did not leave the terminal you would not have to get your card stamped.

 

Thank's very much for your info, it's just what I want to know.

[YVRCruiser]

Thank you for the detailed information Kathy. I am hoping that you may be able to answer a few more questions.

 

1) Were you on the Concordia?

2) Were the four options that you listed the only available? I am hoping to go to the Souk in town. This leads me to my next query.

3) Have yo been to the other markets, and if so, is it worthwhile heading to the center of town just to go, it the other ones near the taxi stops are acceptable?

 

Thanks again. We will be there in early October, and I was stumped at how to get around. I was almost going to book an excursion as information for Tunis is very limited.

 

Rob

[raindropsalways]

Rob – We are sailing on the Concordia in October. We will be boarding in Barcelona on the 15th. I have noted that people from different countries board in different ports. Before I realized this factor and that apparently not many cruisers on the Concordia are familiar with Cruise Critic, I started a thread for our departure date. Since I cannot change the title, I have just been hoping that anyone sailing on the Concordia would join us. Please stop in.

 

 

I did talk to Judi about her trip in May. They took a taxi to Carthage where they were able to shop. She and her traveling companion got separated thus I did not get any details regarding Carthage.

 

 

Kathy – Ruth and I are going to book a cruise September 2011 that will stop in Roatan and Belize. Ruth had not been to either port. In my current research, I did note that the taxi prices are still pretty cheap. Thus I would not hesitate to try to get an all day deal for $20 - $30.

 

 

Betty

[gam888]

Sorry, I have been fiddling all night but my photos just will not upload. The taxi prices are:

 

Tour 1 - Port- Medina - Port

4 seater 40 euros / 6 seater 60 euros / 8 seater 80 euros

 

Tour 2 - Port - Carthage - Sidi Bou Said - Port

4 seater 40 euros / 6 seater 60 euros / 8 seater 80 euros

 

Tour 3 - Port - Medina - Carthage - Sidi Bou Said - Port

4 seater 60 euros / 6 seater 80 euros / 8 seater 100 euros

 

All tours 5 hours max - over that 20 euros per taxi extra.

 

 

Hi Paul and Kathy,

 

Could you please tell me more about the taxi tours in Tunis? Are they lined up at the port when you get off. There are 5 of us in the family, we would like to fill up a van if possible, was there a group of fellow passengers waiting for cabs to share when you were there? Is there a web site somewhere we can see the cab fare posted? Is it a government set rate so you don't need to negotiate with them? Thanks

[Paul&Kathy]

Sorry, I have not seen the prices posted on any website but if you want to post your email address I will email you the photo I took of the price board. Maybe the port have a website and you could maybe email them for confirmation of current prices ?

 

Our visit was on a very small ship, about 600 passengers and the vast majority seemed to be on tours so the terminal was very quiet. But I am sure on a busier day there would be plenty of people willing to share a taxi. There were about 15-20 taxis in the line when we got off mid-morning and I am pretty sure they were all standard 4 seater cars but the price list showed 6 seater & 8 seater prices so I expect the dispatcher would call a larger vehicle if needed.

[weatherman46]

Paul and Kathy thanks for this info, we will be visiting La Goulette in September on board the Ocean Village.

Please can you tell me if there are any duty free shops (selling drink, cigarettes, perfume etc) in the new terminal.

[Paul&Kathy]

There is one large duty free shop selling very cheap cigarettes (about £15 I think for 200). They had loads of perfumes but I don't use it so did not look at the prices. But no alcohol (being a Muslim country I suppose).

[apr68]

I'm just back from a HAL cruise with Tunis as a port. IMHO the terminal was "nice" but I do not feel the need to go back there at all. I did not enjoy the Medina !!! Perhaps it was a business thing but the many of the merchants were pushy. My 14 and 11 year old daughers were very uncomfortable there. I could not WAIT to get out of there. We did visit Sidi Bou Said which was very nice. I would have been happy to just go there quite frankly. Once we returned to our ship, my father over heard a woman at the front desk screaming about getting her money back for her shore excursion due to the fact that the tour guide tried to buy her daughter and actually stopped the tour bus to allow his friends to get on and take a gander at her...I swear I am NOT making this up. Just thought I 'd put it out there.....

[YVRCruiser]

Thanks for all this great information. We are looking at either Tour 2 or Tour 3. The only reason that we are considering the Medina, is so that we can take a look at the souk there.

 

Can anyone comment on the quality of the markets in Carthage or Sidi Bou Said. There is someone in our group that is particularly interested in knock off handbags. If they are available there, we would probably not consider the Medina.

 

Thanks!

 

Rob

[KirkNC]

I can't recall ever hearing someone say they enjoyed the Medina. We had several folks from our meet and greet go there and not one liked it. We went right to the edge, looked in and opted not to enter. It is very dark and narrow and easy to get lost. Combine that with the aggressive merchants, not our cup of tea.

 

As for the knock offs, I would bet they are in Sidi bu Said. I can't specifically recall seeing them but I saw them everywhere on our cruise. Sidi bu Said is very pretty but try to get there before the tour buses. Once they arrive it is like ants on an anthill. There is not really any shopping in Carthage other than a few places right outside of the Baths.

 

Kirk