Why this ride
A 42 km round trip from Tunis - roughly 46 min in the saddle. On the way it passes Land of the Roman houses of Amilcar, Basilica of Saint Cyprien, Village of Sidi Bou Saïd and Village de Sidi Bou Saïd.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Tunis afternoon · Village de Sidi Bou Saïd
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 42 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 46 min
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Tunis
Tunis does not hurry to impress you. It sits between a salt lagoon and the Gulf of Tunis, with a wide boulevard, Avenue Habib Bourguiba, running through the French-built part of the city and the old medina rising behind it. The medina's maze of covered souks climbs to the Zitouna Mosque, which dates from the eighth century and anchors the whole quarter. Cafes spill onto the pavements, men play cards and drink coffee, and the smell of grilled meat, jasmine and spices rolls out of the alleys. About seven hundred thousand people live in the city proper, with several million more in the larger area.
Read the complete Tunis write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Tunis is where the day begins. Next is Land of the Roman houses of Amilcar.
2. Land of the Roman houses of Amilcar
The ground around Carthage is one huge archaeological layer cake. Phoenician traders arrived about the ninth century BC, a Punic city grew up and dominated the western Mediterranean, and in 146 BC the Romans finished it off after a long series of wars. A century later they decided to build a new city on the same hill, and it grew into one of the richest in the Roman world, the capital of the province of Africa. The Amilcar district, a residential area on the coast just north of the main ruins, is where some of the wealthy Romans built their villas, with views of the sea and gardens running down to the shore.
Read the complete Land of the Roman houses of Amilcar write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Land of the Roman houses of Amilcar comes up about 18 km into the recorded legs. Next is Basilica of Saint Cyprien.
3. Basilica of Saint Cyprien
Cyprian was bishop of Carthage in the middle of the third century, a former orator who converted late in life and became one of the great voices of the early African church. He argued about how to treat Christians who had given way under persecution, he stayed with his flock during a plague, and in 258 the Roman authorities beheaded him for refusing to sacrifice to the gods. The Christians of Carthage never forgot him. Over the centuries churches were built in his honour around the city, and the basilica of Saint Cyprien is associated with that memory, though what remains on the ground is modest, mostly traces of walls and columns that you need a guide or a good map to interpret.
Read the complete Basilica of Saint Cyprien write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
At least about 19 km into the recorded legs you reach Basilica of Saint Cyprien. Next is Village of Sidi Bou Saïd.
4. Village of Sidi Bou Saïd
Sidi Bou Saïd is a village painted in two colours, white and a deep Mediterranean blue, and rising above the Gulf of Tunis on a cliff that falls to the sea. The whitewashed houses, blue doors and window grilles, studded iron nails and bougainvillea spilling over walls are known the world over, though it was a conscious choice: in the early twentieth century a French baron and musicologist, Rodolphe d'Erlanger, who built a palace here, helped to promote a local style and then the authorities protected it by rule. The village is named after a Sufi saint, Abu Said al-Baji, who lived and taught here in the thirteenth century and whose tomb draws pilgrims.
Read the complete Village of Sidi Bou Saïd write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Village of Sidi Bou Saïd, about halfway. Next is Village de Sidi Bou Saïd.
5. Village de Sidi Bou Saïd
Planning note
Village de Sidi Bou Saïd sits at 23 km, about halfway. Next is back through Village of Sidi Bou Saïd.
6. back through Village of Sidi Bou Saïd
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Village of Sidi Bou Saïd write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Village of Sidi Bou Saïd comes up about 23 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Basilica of Saint Cyprien.
7. back through Basilica of Saint Cyprien
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Basilica of Saint Cyprien write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 25 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Basilica of Saint Cyprien. Next is back through Land of the Roman houses of Amilcar.
8. back through Land of the Roman houses of Amilcar
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Land of the Roman houses of Amilcar write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Land of the Roman houses of Amilcar, late in the day. Next is Tunis.
9. Tunis
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Tunis write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 42 km.
Leg by leg
Tunis to Land of the Roman houses of Amilcar
Tunis → Land of the Roman houses of Amilcar is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Land of the Roman houses of Amilcar to Tunis
back through Land of the Roman houses of Amilcar → Tunis is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.