Language: The overwhelming majority speak Arabic and French. English is taught in all schools and is increasingly spoken especially by younger people. Some German and Italian is also spoken.
Currency: The unit of currency is the Tunisian dinar (TND), divided into 1,000 millimes. Travelers cheques are widely accepted. Banks and some hotels provide foreign exchange. ATMs are found in most towns and at all the tourist resorts; almost all will accept Visa cards and many will also accept Maestro (Switch) cards. Visa,
Diners Club,
American Express and
MasterCard are accepted for
payment in souvenir shops, upmarket hotels and restaurants, although Visa encounters the least problems. All Tunisian currency must be exchanged before departure.
Time: GMT +1 (GMT +2 from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October).
Electricity: Electrical current is 230 volts, 50Hz. Round European-style, two-pin plugs are used.
Communications: The international dialing code for
Tunisia is +216. The outgoing international code is 00, followed by the relevant country code (for example 0027 for
South Africa). City/area codes are in use, e.g. (0)1 for
Tunis. The country is covered by two GSM 900 mobile networks. There is widespread Internet coverage with Internet cafes in the main cities and towns.
Duty Free: Travelers to Tunisia do not have to pay duty on the following items: 200 cigarettes, or 50 cigars, or 400g tobacco; 1 bottle of alcohol; a reasonable amount of perfume; and gifts to the value of 10 Tunisian dinars.
Tourist OfficeTunisian
National Tourism Office (ONTT), Tunis: +216 (0)71 341 077 or www.tourismtunisia.com
EmergencyEmergency medical service (Samu): 190; Police: 197.
Embassies
Embassy of Tunisia,
Washington DC,
United States: +1 202 862 1850.
Embassy of Tunisia,
London, United Kingdom (also responsible for
Ireland): +44 (0)20 7584 8117.
Embassy of Tunisia,
Ottawa,
Canada: +1 613 237 0330/2.
Embassy of Tunisia,
Tokyo,
Japan (also responsible for
Australia): +81 3 3511 6622.
Embassy of Tunisia,
Pretoria, South Africa: +27 (012 342 6282/83.
United States Embassy, Tunis: +216 (0)71 107 000.
British Embassy, Tunis: +216 (0)71 108 700.
Canadian Embassy, Tunis (also responsible for Australia): +216 (0)71 104 000.
South
African Embassy, Tunis: +216 (0)71 798 449.
Honorary Consul of Ireland,
Zi Sidi Rezig: +216 71 904 294.
