General in sousse. Why didn't we like Tunisia? What do they sell at the Soula Shopping Center?

Sousse famous in Tunisia, as the most youthful resort town, its popularity is confirmed by the name “pearl of the coast” assigned to it in these places. This refers to the southern resort coast of Tunisia, washed by the warm and gentle Mediterranean Sea. It is to these shores that lively tourist flows lead.

Sousse successfully combines the charm of untouched Arabian antiquity with all the advantages of a modern city, such as many cafes, restaurants, hotels and shops. Moreover, as a rule, all these establishments are equipped with air conditioning, which makes the local heat bearable for Europeans.

Sousse actually consists of three components. This is, first of all, the historical part of the city, represented by the medieval Medina. The name "Medina" means "holy city", and every major Arab city has its own Medina. This is the ancient heart of the city, around which it was formed, and therefore the Medina is always in the depths, in the middle of the city. Then, we can highlight the central part of the city, where local residents live, and finally, the tourist, resort area begins, located to the north and smoothly flows into the resort suburb of Port el Kantaoui.

If we talk specifically about Sousse, then its Medina belonged to the Arab Aghlabid dynasty in the 9th century. Since then, it has remained the same externally, but has radically changed its internal content. From a bird's eye view we see a rectangle, closely built up, with narrow confusing streets. There are still mosques there - the Great and Bow Ftata, the Kasbah Fortress, whose age has exceeded 1000 years. But there, on the territory of the Medina, there is a noisy tourist center with a lot of shops. There, inside, there is also a city market; such markets are traditionally located in the Medina. Crowds of people, rows of stalls, stalls, eccentric sellers and energetic buyers. Noise, din, heat, in a word - an oriental bazaar.

The tourism industry unifies all the cities it penetrates. The same processes can be observed in Tunisia, especially in resort towns, which is Sousse. Here is a living example for you. Muslim country with strict rules. On Fridays, not only do they not drink alcoholic beverages, but they don’t even sell them. All stores and departments selling alcohol are closed on Fridays. And what do we see in Sousse, a cheerful youth city with a full range of entertainment? Yes, buying alcohol here is not a problem on any day, at any time, including Friday. This is the practice in any hotel store. Business is above all, even religion retreats before its pressure. That is life.

In Sousse, tourists do not ask philosophical questions; they come here to relax and have fun. This is precisely why resort towns around the world were created, and the rules are the same everywhere. Thus, an indispensable part of the tourist infrastructure are shops, markets and shopping centers, that is, places where visiting tourists are provided with maximum amenities so that they spend as much money as possible. Therefore, in addition to disc clubs and entertainment centers, golf courses and various attractions, Sousse has a significant number of modern shopping centers, shops and markets. Let's take a closer look at them.

The city market is located within the Medina, and it is there that, as a rule, the flow of tourists first flows. This is justified, because this is where you can buy inexpensive but interesting souvenirs and gifts for friends, family and colleagues. Here they sell famous Tunisian carpets, which are in no way inferior to Persian ones, ready-made clothes made of linen and silk, jewelry and various cute things like silk slippers or handbags. There are also Russian-speaking sellers here, and while bargaining with them, you may hear some Russian word, which he can apply according to his own understanding.

Away from the city center, 5 kilometers to the northwest, you will find the Sousse food market, where you will find a great variety of products and even local dishes and sweets. It has a specific working time schedule: Friday - evening and Saturday morning every week.

There is another city market not far from the city itself, and this market is called “Souk al-Ahad”. A regular bus stops near it, and it is easy to get there. This market sells both food products and all other products, including livestock. Tourists will be interested in visiting there, especially since souvenir products are widely represented in this market.

Sousse Shopping Center “Soula Shopping Center”

This shopping center is well located, just in front of the entrance to the Medina, right at the gate. It was successful mainly for the tourists themselves, who had endured the heat and noise in the market inside the Medina. And here there is grace: air conditioning, 4 floors of spacious halls and sales departments, the absence of human hubbub and crowds. Prices, however, are a little higher than on the market, but there is no flavor of oriental bazaars.

Moreover, when purchasing goods at the Soula Shopping Center, you can pay with your bank card, which you are deprived of at the markets. In addition, you can get into some kind of sale and make a good purchase, while saving money.

What do they sell at the Soula Shopping Center?

1. Products in Arabic traditions, such as local jewelry, hookahs, embossing, oriental lamps and carpets. On the third floor of the building you will have the opportunity to see with your own eyes the carpet making process. There they weave them right in front of the general public. As for prices, keep in mind that, for example, the hookah that you buy in a shopping center for 45 dinars, in the market in Medina could get you for 25 dinars - this is the specificity of trade in Tunisia.
2. Ceramics with a Carthage theme, things like Carthage columns, figurines of warriors and generals, busts of Hannibal and more. By the way, the material for these things can be not only clay, but also metal.
3. African masks in all their diversity, with human faces, images of animals, as well as spears, warrior outfits and other paraphernalia of ancient Africa.
4. Very modern products for replenishing your wardrobe, including clothes and shoes from both local production and world brands, especially those companies that have moved their production here to Tunisia.
5. Products made of genuine leather, such as bags and suitcases of different sizes and styles. All of them are of high quality and at the same time are sold at incredibly low prices, compared to those to which Europeans are accustomed at home. Therefore, tourists from Europe buy genuine leather products in huge quantities, and the leather goods departments of the Soula Shopping Center are always crowded. We advise you to take a closer look at the assortment. Practical Europeans will not row just anything, which means you should think about such a purchase. But don’t fall into the “herd mentality” effect, as often happens. Let us note that it is better to buy leather goods in a shopping center, where it is possible to provide the buyer with a choice by laying out and hanging samples of the goods in large quantities in front of him. But on the market, the trading space is limited, and only a small fraction of the goods are displayed, which, perhaps, will not attract your attention. After all, your tastes and those of the seller may not coincide, and what he likes will leave you indifferent

The shopping center employs manager-consultants and has a whole customer service department. So you can always contact an employee of such a service with a question or for assistance.

In addition, you are given the opportunity, without leaving the walls of the shopping center, to exchange money if you need cash dinars. The Soula Shopping Center is open, as expected, seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Rail Europe and by bus. If necessary (for example, to organize a shopping tour), we buy package tours on.

Other shopping centers in Sousse in Tunisia

— Tej Marhaba, it is located very close to the “Soula Shopping Center”, not far from the Riadh Palms and Tej Marhaba hotels;

— Ahla shopping center, located at the intersection of the Sousse embankment and Habib Bourguiba Avenue;

— “Slimcenter”, located on Avenue TahaHoussein;
— “LuxeDecors”, on RoutedeTunis street;

— “EscapadeShoppingCenter”, on the same street RoutedeTunis;

- “Soukhebdomadaire”, on the same street RoutedeTunis;
— “Champion Khézama Sousse”, on the same street RoutedeTunis;
— “BoutiqueZennKhzemaSousse”, on the same street RoutedeTunis;
- “MedinaCityCenter”, located on Boulevarddu 14 Janvier;

Rail Europe and by bus. If necessary (for example, to organize a shopping tour), we buy package tours on.

— “Marché duSamedi”, located on Rue Soeur Joséphine;
— “Trigamstore”, from RuedeI’Independance street;

— “Perle Shopping Center”, located on Rue de L’église;

— “Monoprix”, Boulevard Tahar Sfar;

- "Librairie Raies", on Rue Hachelfa.

Other Sousse stores in Tunisia

Sousse is rich in shops; there is plenty for curious shopaholics to wander around. These are, first of all, shoe stores; there are quite a lot of them in the city. Moreover, all shoes are made of genuine leather, and the range is very wide. There are not only summer shoes on store shelves, all those slippers, sandals and moccasins, but also boots, ankle boots and shoes. Tunisian shoemakers do a lot for Europe, and different products end up on store shelves. Prices are very low, from 15-20 dinars per pair. The only trouble is that when constructing shoes, local craftsmen are guided by a different last than that adopted by Europeans, so few tourists find local shoes that fit well on their feet. But if it suits you, you can shop in abundance. And you won’t regret it, because the quality is high, and you won’t be able to wear the sandals or boots you bought.

The main shoe stores in Sousse are MissEllenShoes, located on the square on PlaceduMaghrebArabe, and YosrShoes on Boulevarddela Corniche.

On the central streets of Sousse you will come across lingerie shops where you will see the usual Triumpf, in a wide variety and at surprisingly reasonable prices. Don’t be surprised, it’s just that the production facilities of this brand have been moved to Tunisia and they use cheap labor. Locally produced Triumpf linen has the same excellent quality as it should have, and differs only in its oriental-style decor. It's even interesting, so buy it with confidence.

The owners of the Benetton Group brand did exactly the same thing - they sew here, so they pamper the residents and guests of Tunisia with all sorts of new items. And also at good, that is, low, prices.

The very popular French brand Celio presents casual-style clothing collections in stores, and this can be another pleasant reason to replenish your wardrobe. In addition, when you look around, you can see boutiques of the French brand “NO!”. As we see, France never left Tunisia.

There is also a store of ready-made clothes for household needs, this is “General”. It also has food products, but, most importantly, excellent robes, towels and linen at low prices.

You should look for knitwear in the Barsous and Makni brand stores.

In addition to clothing, electronics are seriously represented in Sousse, for example, the iTechStore store on AvenueImamBoukhari, or BenJannet on PlaceFarhatHached, or the SCOOPinformatiqueSahloul salon on AvenuedeYasserArafat.

There is also an interesting store selling jewelry located on Rue Othmen Osmen. This is TrésOr, and on its shelves you can see an excellent collection of gold items.
As you can understand from this incomplete list, shopping is very good in Sousse. The main thing here is variety. Here you will find hot oriental markets with a special flavor, and cool trading floors of modern shopping centers. And local industry, representing both artisans and high-tech products from European and global manufacturers. And everything is for the benefit of the tourist!

Rail Europe and by bus. If necessary (for example, to organize a shopping tour), we buy package tours on.

Although Tunisia and is not one of the countries where people go for shopping, but you still can’t do without shopping here.

Indeed, in addition to traditional souvenirs, in Tunisia you can buy many local goods that will delight you with their quality.

Where can you shop in Tunisia?

Retail outlets can be divided into several groups:

• markets(“souk” or “marche”), which are found in any Medina;
• hotel shops– prices here are fixed, but not the most humane (about 30-40% higher than street stores), however, this is the situation in any country in the world;
• Fix Price stores– mostly small in area, found in large quantities in hotel areas, goods are always accompanied by price tags;
• Network shops- This General(General), Carrefour(Carrefour) and Monoprix(Monoprix), they are available in almost every resort in Tunisia; by the way, alcohol can only be purchased there.

Markets in Tunisia

This is where you can lose the most money. Many people, especially when visiting the country for the first time, go shopping in Medina.

Shopping in the Medina only makes sense if you can and like to bargain. Otherwise, you will overpay for the product several times over.

You can and should visit the Medina (in addition to the market, there are almost always small museums here, and it’s interesting to stroll along the colorful streets), but shopping is a dubious pleasure.

If you decide to walk through the shopping arcades of the Medina, try to adhere to simple rules:

• it is necessary to bargain - this is a ritual, the longer you bargain, the more respect you will be treated with;
• do not be interested in the cost of the goods out of idle curiosity– if you asked “how much does it cost?” and moved on, thereby you insulted the seller (take into account the local mentality and traditions of the country);
• you should not go to Medina in the first days of your holiday– seeing that you haven’t had time to tan, they understand that you are new to the country and immediately quote an exorbitant price;
• try not to get out of balance– Tunisians are very friendly and smiling people, but in Medina the sellers seem to be cut from a different cloth, this is where they will push the product on you, and too forcefully.

Here is, perhaps, one of the best “instructions” on how to behave in the market in Tunisia (despite the humorous nature, the essence of what is happening is captured correctly!):

In addition to the markets in the medina, there are also weekly fairs. You can actually buy them cheaply, of course, provided that you can bargain.

Main weekly fairs

• Monday – Kairouan, Houmt Souk (Djerba)
• Wednesday - Ajoum (Djerba)
• Thursday – Hammamet, Houmt Souk (Djerba)
• Friday - Midoun (Djerba), Nabeul, Mahdia, Monastir, Zarzis
• Saturday – Monastir
• Sunday – El Jem, Sousse

Fair times are usually from 7:00 to 13:00.

Such fairs are a good opportunity to see non-tourist Tunisia; they are designed for the local population. Some of them are known far beyond their regions, for example, the Friday market in Nabeul is known as "Camel Market". Here you can really watch how camels are sold.

Fix Price Stores

The vast majority of tourists prefer shops with fixed price tags; bargaining is not accepted here. These stores are found everywhere and are usually small in size. They sell absolutely everything here except alcohol. At the same time, you can find both Chinese consumer goods and quite interesting things.

Along with Fix Price stores, there are stores without price tags - here you need to bargain, the same market, only in more civilized conditions.

Chain stores in Tunisia

In almost any Tunisian resort you can find chain stores General(General), Carrefour(Carrefour) and Monoprix(Monoprix), and these can be both large and very tiny.

General stores

This chain is one of the largest in Tunisia, stores General available at any resort. You can buy everything here: groceries, household chemicals, industrial goods. The biggest store General is located in the capital near the Medina on Habib Bugriba Boulevard.

• This is where it is best to buy olive oil, olive soap, and halva.
• The shops General most often two-story: 1st floor - food products, 2nd floor - non-food products. Departments with alcoholic beverages have a separate entrance.

In summer, stores are open from 08:00 to 20:00

Carrefour stores (Carrefour)

Net Carrefour(Carrefour) is perhaps the largest in Tunisia. There are 2 types of stores in this chain: Market and Express. They differ in area and, accordingly, in assortment.

All popular resorts have at least one supermarket Carrefour(Carrefour), there are 2 of them in Djerba (in Houmt Souk and Midoun), in Sousse there are 8 stores (4 Market stores and 4 Express stores), in Zarzis there is only Express.

• Here you can buy any products, things, shoes, cosmetics, leather goods and much more.
• There are no souvenirs or alcohol for sale, including beer (only in rare special departments). For alcohol you need to go to General

Monoprix stores

Net Monoprix(Monoprix) is the third largest in Tunisia. There are shops in all resort areas. Just like in the two previous ones, all goods are sold here: fruits, vegetables, canned food (you should pay attention to fig and cactus jam!), coffee and so on.

The prices are fixed, not the lowest, but sales are held here quite often.

You don’t have to remember the addresses of the stores; any taxi driver just needs to name the store (given the quite humane tariffs, this will be your main form of transport in Tunisia).

Shopping centers in Tunisian resorts

In addition to chain stores, each of the resorts has more or less large shopping centers that are eagerly visited by tourists.

In Hammamet, the following are popular among tourists:

• shopping mall Joy's– located in Yasmina, a store with a good assortment, reasonable prices,
• Costa Mall– located in Yasmina, prices are fixed, not the lowest, but there are sales, a lot of souvenirs, clothes, olive oil, which you can try before buying, a lot of nuts, sweets;
• Center Commercial– located in the center of Hammamet, next to the old Medina, in fact it is a collection of small shops

The most popular shopping centers in Sousse and Port El Kantaoui are:

• Soula Shopping Center– located in Sousse, next to the entrance to the Medina, 4 floors are occupied by all kinds of souvenirs, decorations, jewelry, carpets, clothes and much more, on the roof of the store there is a nice cafe with excellent views of the surrounding area;
• Ahla Shopping Center- located in the center of Sousse near the embankment, a large selection of almost all goods in demand by tourists, a lot of souvenirs, shoes, bags, clothes;
• Hawaii Shopping Center- located in Port El Kantaoui, on the ground floor there is a supermarket, above there are various souvenirs, including a good selection of products made from olive wood and leather.

The most popular shopping centers in Monastir are:

• Yasmina Shopping Center– a three-story store is located in the center of Monastir next to the Medina, here you can buy souvenirs, cosmetics, dishes, clothes, ceramics;
• Folla Shopping Center– a small center, located in the tourist area of ​​Monastir

A popular shopping center in Mahdia:

Jasmine Shopping Center– located on the outskirts of the city, closer to the tourist area, small in area, but the selection of souvenirs and traditional gifts is quite sufficient, prices are fixed.

Shopping center is too big a name for this store, but what a store it is. Much more shopping can be done at a more attractive price in small shops in the old part of the city.

The most popular shopping centers in Djerba and Zarzis are:

Al Jazira– the only place where you can buy not only souvenirs, sweets, but also alcohol.

COUNTRY OF ONE-TIME VISIT

The meeting party is “Aquasun”.

Family holiday, 4 persons, 2 standard takes. From 02.07.09 to 12.07.09 (10 days/11 days) per room 37,000 rub.

Flight.

We selected the trip, including the departure time (flight UN 623/624). There at 9.30 (no delays), from there at 18.25 (minor flight delay of 40 minutes), so neither the first nor the last day was “wasted” for us. Tour operator "CapitalTour" sends to Tunisia without fuel surcharges.

One of the most inexpensive and oldest city hotels in Sousse. Located on the embankment, which is difficult to get through the crowds of locals in the evening. It was built in 1975, reconstruction took place in 1998. But, nevertheless, comparing it visually and not only with other hotels in the same price category (Justinia, El Hana Residence, Kaiser, Nour Justina, Residence Boujaafar) we came to the conclusion that we had chosen the best hotel. There are no complaints about the hotel area: everything is clean and well maintained. Food for 3* is not bad: breakfast is standard (concentrates, tea, coffee with milk, cocoa; croissants, cinnamon rolls, muffins, jams; cereal, tomatoes, 2 types of cheeses, sausage, boiled eggs, omelet and delicious cottage cheese). For dinner, 3-5 meat dishes (delicious beef, chicken, seafood, stuffed eggplants, etc.: you definitely won’t go hungry. You will definitely be assigned a table where you will have breakfast and dinner every time. You can have lunch in their cafes It's full there. We sometimes took pizza to our room.
The hotel is located across the road from the sea, and this road is quite busy at any time of the day. According to the guide, there are no fines for not allowing pedestrians to pass in Tunisia, so be prepared in advance for the fact that when you start crossing the road at the zebra crossing, they will start honking at you, waving their arms, or even press the gas. Well, we’re not scared, we ran fast)). But for pensioners and families with very restless small children, I would not recommend El Han for this reason: we actually ran across the road, and did not cross.
There is a swimming pool on site, but we only swam in it until lunchtime, because... after 14.00-15.00 local guys (on average 20 people every day, from 13 to 25 years old, help clean up the sunbeds at night) came to “visit”. It was impossible to swim with them in the pool: they ran around the pool, pushing each other, and 5-6 people at a run dived into it. Believe me: for that pool, an extra 20 people (and such behavior) are simply impossible, so after lunch we spent time exclusively at sea. And the pool itself is not bad: every morning its bottom was “vacuumed” and the water remained quite clean until lunch (there is also an indoor pool, but it smells very much of chlorine).
The beach and sea are really very dirty: algae, a lot of cigarette butts, food and household waste (melon and watermelon peels and bags). And we can talk a lot about the fact that all this is left by the tourists themselves, only later I did not find a single trash can or a single toilet on our beach!!! And there were plenty of local people on the beach... Some lived for 4-5 days in tents (photo attached). It’s easier for us tourists: we can run to our room if something happens, but the local population has no other way but the sea... On the fourth day of rest, about 40m from the shore nearby (sorry for the details, I have to say this: the one who knows - he is armed) feces floated past, which then, naturally, washed ashore. I wanted to go to the airport that very minute. The smell of urine throughout Sousse. Brrrrr...
Theft is rampant in Tunisia, so under no circumstances leave valuables unattended on the beach or near the pool. Having read reviews about thefts from rooms and even safes at the reception, we did not trust anyone and “carried everything we had with us” (this is no less risky, because bags are snatched from your hands and carried away on a motorcycle, and you are left with she only had her hands as a keepsake. But her husband was categorically against all other options, so he took on the role of a security guard. When they went swimming, one of the 4 always stayed on the shore with a bag.) A sun lounger and a mattress on the beach cost 2 dinars, by the pool. – 2.5 dinars.
There are few Russians in the hotel, mostly French, Germans, English, Poles. Animation is in French: aerobics, water polo. Good live music in the evenings. The State General store (something like a supermarket) is a 3-minute walk (turn left when exiting the hotel), on the same side of the street as the hotel. The prices are lower and it is worth buying water, olive oil, dates, alcohol (it is sold only in this store), try the local face mask and shampoo based on clay and algae au tfal (I liked it, gray-brown).
On the penultimate day there was “free animation”: a Tunisian wedding! El Hana's courtyard was rented out for the celebration. It was interesting to observe their customs from the balcony: the bride was seated on the sofa, and she sat on it almost until the end of the evening, and the guests ate, ate, ate... And the bride resembled a wedding doll on the hood, and not a crumb was brought to her ( probably fed in advance)))))

I’ll say right away that you shouldn’t regret paying an extra $10-20 (depending on the mood of the person at the reception) for a room with a sea view. You definitely won't regret it! We heard from Russian tourists that they do not sleep sweetly in rooms overlooking the road and residential buildings. Rooms overlooking the sea are odd, and rooms facing the road are therefore even. I heard different versions about the “cost” of a room with a sea view: I read on the Internet that this pleasure costs $10 per room, a foreigner inquired on the spot and was told 3 dinars (1 dinar = 25 rubles) per person per day. At first we gave $20, for this money they offered 1 room with a sea view, the other opposite, with a view of the road. An additional 10 euros made a difference and we were given 2 rooms next to the sea view. I repeat: I strongly recommend paying extra even for those “who are not going to sit in the room.” The combination of sea and sky at different times of the day is amazing, and waking up every morning and seeing the sun and sea outside the window is wonderful...))
Toiletries included only 2 small pieces of soap. The bed linen is white, but the towels... Besides the fact that they are far from new and not white, the children in the room also had them torn! You cannot take them out of your room, so take beach towels with you from home (or buy them locally). The service at the hotel is extremely poor, to put it mildly. It was stated that linen was changed 2 times a week, cleaning and towels were changed daily. In general, it doesn’t matter to me - I can easily sleep 10 nights without changing my linen (since I bathed 4 times a day and, in principle, it was clean), and I can survive permanent towels. But for what reason was I deprived of these small amenities if I paid for them?! In our room, the towels were changed once, but not once for the children (judging by the holes, because it’s impossible to tell by color). At the same time, all instructions strongly recommended leaving tips everywhere in Tunisia. FOR WHAT?! A tip is a kind of gratitude for a quality service provided. It turns out that I still had to “pay an advance” in order for my towels to be changed? Moreover, I read in the reviews that tips did not help...
There is no TV in the room (can be rented), no refrigerator, no hair dryer.

We have never seen such a wild male population in any country! In many ways, it was they who left a negative imprint on our memories of Tunisia. The second important (at least for me) feature of Tunisia is that the country is unacceptably dirty! Dirt and garbage everywhere: Medina, streets, beach... Looking ahead, I’ll say that we took trips to the Sahara and saw some cities of Tunisia: garbage, garbage, garbage... Even if you try hard not to pay attention to it, it doesn’t help. There is still a feeling of disgust and disgust (especially in Medina).
Men do not give passage to girls, young women, ladies and even adult women. The phrase "sex contact?" pronounced everywhere: at sea, on the beach, General store, on the streets. They are not embarrassed by the presence of their father/husband nearby. Prostitution in Tunisia is legalized: boys actively “earn extra money” in the summer. The rest of the local men behave like monkeys: constant shouts, screams and nasty things towards foreign girls. An abomination. I generally refuse to understand those girls who go to Tunisia unaccompanied by a man or their parents. In fairness, it is worth noting that we also came across adequate male individuals. One of them is a salesman in a bag store. Not only did he not push his product, but he also explained the advantages of certain models in fairly passable English. He pointed out in detail what points you should pay attention to when choosing travel bags, for which special thanks to him. (His store is near the food market, No. 124). Unfortunately, we didn’t buy anything from him, but his advice helped a lot.

You can bring olive oil, spices, gift sets of dates, oriental sweets, hookahs, leather travel bags and travel bags, and leather flip-flops from Tunisia. We bought all the products in the Generale, but we had to go to the Medina to get the bags... In principle, you can buy them in the shops near the hotel, but there they were already so worn out and dirty that we finally decided to go to the market. There is much more choice (both in terms of quality and novelty), and the prices are cheaper. Pay attention to the quality: at first glance, all the bags are the same, but after 2-3 days you notice that they are completely different in quality! Do not buy anything in the first days of your vacation (go and ask the price): the sellers, judging by the lack of a tan, will raise prices, thinking that you are not in the know. The largest traveling bags can be bought for 35-40 dinars (original price 150-180 dinars), a travel bag on wheels 40 dinars (original price 120 dinars). In general, I'm not a fan of this kind of trading. It turns out that it’s a game for the fool: what if he buys it for 120 dinars?! Those. The buyer is made to look like a fool before making a purchase. But we really wanted to buy these bags)) In the end, we developed a tactic: the eldest daughter took the signature “hands on hips” stance, stomped her foot and said in English “I know the prices in Medina!” They gave it for the money we said. They also showed us their “factories”: in the same stores, further inland, 5-6 people sit and sew everything)). Therefore, when the seller tries to prove to you with bulging eyes: “There is no real price!” These are factories!!!”, you can tell them with a laugh: “We saw your factories!” They were again immediately embarrassed and agreed to our price.
We bought homemade leather flip flops as gifts for all our male relatives (their quality also differs in each store). The original price was 15 dinars, after half an hour the eldest daughter negotiated to 7 dinars. And then we accidentally wandered into the City Center Market supermarket (on the right when exiting El Hana, 10 minutes on foot, opposite the Western-style cafe Saloon, landmark Marabou Hotel). There, all these flip flops cost 6,900 dinars. Without the painful haggling for me, and better quality. In this supermarket we also bought face masks for gifts (2,900), beautiful leather belts (4,900), and women's slippers (6,900). On the second floor you can buy the same suitcases and travel bags, but a little more expensive than in the Medina (50-60 dinars). There is nowhere to take a walk in Sousse; you need to go to the neighboring tourist Port el Kantaoui (10 km). By taxi 5 dinars one way, by train 2.5 dinars per person, by tuk-tuk 2 dinars per person. For those who will communicate a lot with Russia, I advise you to buy a local Tunisian SIM card. It costs 5 dinars with 0 on the account. Cards are sold for 5 dinars (cost 5,300 dinars), a minute with Russia is 0.550, all incoming cards are free (via a payphone 1 dinar/min).

Cost per person (in dinars) = 145 + 15 (camel) + 40 (jeep). In this situation, we found ourselves “victims of the Internet”: we read admiring reviews and decided to definitely go. They paid 800 dinars for a family (20,000 rubles) and were disappointed. I will speak frankly: money wasted. The most amazing thing is that even the hotel guide hinted to us that there was nothing to do there)) But we went anyway. Buy water in Generale: there it is 0.400 dinars, on an excursion it starts from 2 dinars. At 6.10 we were picked up from the hotel by our guide Zuhaer. It turned out that he is quite difficult to express himself in Russian. (I emphasize, not just bad, but extremely difficult!). For about 1.5 hours, tourists were collected from their hotels. We were lucky: we sat at the front of the bus, heard and even understood something from the guide’s words. The back of the bus didn't hear anything! The speakers just didn't work)) We weren't lucky with the guide: information about the country, customs, etc. was extremely scarce. The only thing where he was strong was Islam! Some tourists have already begun to grumble, because... the guide explained in such detail who should wash, how much and how, it was awkward! After driving for about 40 minutes, the guide discovered that he had forgotten one tourist in Sousse. We turned around: we drove half the road, half of the way she met us in a taxi (paid for by the guide). Thank you anyway.
We visited the Colosseum in El Jem (beautiful), a sea oasis (nonsense), troglodyte housing (even more nonsense, stupid scam), Star Wars observation deck (not bad, but already unbearably hot), shops, lunch, check-in at the Touareg 3 hotel * (other companies accommodated their tourists in El Mouradi Douz 4*), watching the sunset in the Sahara on camels (20 minutes there, 20 minutes in the so-called Sahara to watch the sunset, 20 minutes back. 1 driver is assigned to 3-4 camels There were minimal emotions. There was a feeling that the sand was brought to the site by KAMAZ trucks))). The children enjoyed riding camels. Take trousers for skating, because... It will be more convenient to ride in them. There local photographers will photograph you, and sell the photo to you for 4 dinars. You are not obligated to buy. Our guide apparently took the remaining unsold photos for free and was already doing his business on the bus: selling them for 2 dinars. Petty.) Then return to the hotel and dinner. The hotel is not bad, there is a swimming pool, the dinner is good.
Rise at 3.30, breakfast, departure at 4.10, meeting the dawn at the Shot El Jerid salt lake (beautiful), only we collected bath salts (again, we found out from the Internet, other tourists were offended by the guide that he didn’t give them in advance warned), jeep safari (perhaps the most interesting of the whole excursion. About 4 hours in total), scenery for the film "Star Wars", a visit to an oasis in the mountains (not bad), upon returning to the jeep parking lot, it turns out, we were supposed to see mirages. But only those who saw them were sitting in a jeep with a guide, because... He didn’t warn anyone else about the mirages. The children were upset. Visit to Keirouan: carpet factory, mosque (again, detailed stories about the traditions of Islam). I can’t say anything about the well-known online store in Keirouan, where cheap souvenirs and so on. – we were not taken there.
Be prepared that everyone and everywhere will fool you: at the reception, in the Medina, in a cafe. But for a guide from CapitalTour to fool his tourists - I was not ready for this!!! Case in point. Along the route you will be taken to several retail outlets. In one of these supermarkets, he advised me to buy cactus jam. I asked a specific question: “Does the Generale in Sousse sell this jam?” The guide’s answer (verbatim): “Yes, it is for sale, but there it is of worse quality and more expensive. Here it’s 5 dinars, and in General it’s 7.” I took out 15 dinars and bought 3 jars. Imagine my surprise when later in General I saw the same jam for 1,500 dinars!!! These are all little things, but what an unpleasant aftertaste it left in my soul...
And finally, the guide persistently advised leaving a tip to the driver (he repeated it 3 times, and it was said that this is a tradition and custom, and it is not good to break them!). When a young couple left 5 coins of 100 millimes (a total of half a dinar) at the exit of the bus, he scolded (I’m not exaggerating) the entire bus: “Either thank me properly, or just get off the bus!” In our country, yellow coins are considered an insult.” It’s no different from begging on the street, where kids run around you and stretch out their hands. For me, it would be better if a trip was $50 more expensive with tips included in the price, than to constantly think about who to tip for what and how much. (5, 1 dinar, 500 (0.5 dinar), 100 millimeters and smaller - all these are coins (yellow - 100 millimeters and smaller). Paper money - from 10 dinars.)
One more example. When leaving for the airport, the bellman, while transferring luggage from the room to the luggage room (check-out from the room was at 12.00, and we were picked up from the hotel at 15.00, so the luggage was in a special room), tore the handle off the bag. Happens to everyone, but he pretended nothing happened and didn’t apologize. Instead, he held out his hand for a tip. Of course, I put the money I had prepared in his palm, but I was upset by such service (it was a pity for the bag, and besides, it was obvious that the bags had to be unloaded in a different order, and not like Vitsin, taking the lowest pot. All this happened in my presence, but no one paid attention to my KNOW! KNOW!

P.S. For the first time, at the end of our vacation, we wanted not just to go home, but to escape from THIS country. If you have not yet finally decided on the country, then I advise you to change your mind. Well, or at least choose not Sousse, but Mahdia, Korba or similar small villages, where there is cleanliness and peace (as our hotel guide advised us, saying that Sousse is a mistake. Although, in my opinion, the whole of Tunisia is one big mistake .) The country is not yet ready to accept foreign tourists, although it has been in the tourism business for about 30 years. If you still want to go to Sousse, then El Hana Beach is quite worth the price/quality ratio, I recommend it.
OPINION IS PURELY SUBJECTIVE, BUT CORRECTED BY FOUR PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS!
For those who have decided to go to Tunisia, I sincerely wish you more luck than we did.

You can talk about the quality of local alcohol for a long time, and this is due to the fact that every foreign tourist has his own ideas about what high-quality alcohol should be: some are more than satisfied with everything, while others say that Tunisian alcohol is impossible to drink. In any case, you can take a certain amount of alcoholic drinks with you. Allowed to import one liter of strong alcohol or two liters of other alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, etc.) per person. Alcohol is considered strong if its strength exceeds 25%.

You won’t be able to buy alcohol everywhere in Tunisia, and this even applies to beer, although there will be no problems with non-alcoholic beer - there are many varieties of it in Tunisia and it is sold almost everywhere. Apart from hotels, where there are practically no problems with alcohol, the second place where you can definitely buy this or that strong drink is the Generals chain stores. You can find such a store in every major city in Tunisia, and there is one in Sousse. This store is located on the road to the beach and is considered perhaps the only place in the city where you can buy alcohol. In addition to alcohol, these stores sell fruits, vegetables, meat, water, bread and other food products. The store is open daily from 08.30 to 21.00.

You can find alcohol in some restaurants in Sousse, but usually alcohol is sold only in the most expensive and prestigious restaurants, and therefore the price there will be appropriate. In order to sell alcohol, you need to get a license, which costs a lot of money and not every restaurant can afford it.

In some large supermarkets, such as Carrefour, you can find beer and wine, but you won't be able to find strong alcohol there. You also need to keep in mind that the sale of alcohol is allowed from 12-18.30, and on Friday it is completely prohibited for religious reasons. The ban on the sale of alcohol also applies to the holy month of Ramadan for all Muslims. But all these bans practically in no way affect hotels; they act as a kind of state within a state. So it turns out that in order not to have problems with alcohol, you need to choose the right hotel.

They also write on the Internet that MG is the only source of alcohol in Tunisia. It is not true.

Secondly, beer and wine are also sold in other stores. For example, in the Ice Mall shopping center or in the Carrefour hypermarket in the La Marsa area in the capital. Of course, it is difficult for tourists to look for such places and it is easier to find the nearest MG.

What to buy from alcohol

When you enter the alcohol department of MG, you will be amazed at the abundance of beer, the store looks more like a beer warehouse (pictured below, click on the photo to enlarge). This is not surprising; owners of local cafes and restaurants buy beer by the caseful. Many Tunisians drink beer, despite religious prohibition.

There is no point in buying Tunisian beer and taking it home; it does not shine with either taste or quality. Tourists buy beer if they don’t come for All Inclusive.

Tunisian wine is considered high quality, tasty and inexpensive. Wine from Tunisia is exported to many countries, and even to France.

Below see a mini-gallery of photos from MG in the port of El Kantaoui. In the photo you can see the decor of the store and see some prices for alcohol and other goods.

The chain's first store opened in Tunisia back in 1883, this store was located on Avenue de France in the capital. In 1905, the chain was renamed “Magasin General”. Since then, new stores have been opened, the chain has changed hands, and after independence it actually ended up in the hands of the state. The authorities actively used the network to control and regulate prices. In 1988, the joint stock company Magasin General was founded, which still exists today.

An important event occurred in 2012 - the French company Auchan bought a 10% stake and began to actively participate in the activities of MG stores. The Auchan company had long wanted to enter the Tunisian market, but they could not enter themselves; they could not buy someone. It took Auchan 19 years to enter Tunisia.

Improvements began almost immediately. The assortment on the shelves expanded, new stores began to open, the premises became cleaner and more comfortable. MG now has a logo and signs with this logo near each store (see the photo of such a sign at the beginning of the article, click on the photo to enlarge). Until 2012, some stores had no signs at all; tourists couldn’t even find them.

Now it is a full-fledged large retail network with a turnover of about $500 million a year. In terms of sales volumes, MG is ahead of Carrefour and Monoprix.

How to find MG stores in popular resorts

The easiest way is to get into a taxi and say to the taxi driver the phrase “general store.” Every taxi driver in every resort knows the location of the nearest MG. The price of the trip will depend on the distance; read about prices in our article “”.

It can be convenient to visit MG while exploring local attractions. In this case, we will tell you where MG stores are located in the resorts.