Sidi Bou Saïd
Explore Sidi Bou Saïd holidays and discover the best time and places to visit. | With its distinctive blue-and-white colour scheme, cobbled streets and jaw-dropping glimpses of azure waters, the cliff-top village of Sidi Bou Saïd is one of the prettiest spots in Tunisia. Named after a 13th-century Sufi saint, its distinctive architecture is a mix of the Ottoman and the Andalusian, a result of the influx of Spanish Muslims in the 16th century. For the French, the sleepy fishing village was a perfect depiction of the Orientalism romanticised by Europeans in the 19th century, and they committed to ensuring that its character â both real and imagined â was preserved (it was given protected status in 1915). Past residents and visitors include artist Paul Klee, author André Gide, philosopher Michel Foucault, and arty British eccentrics Osbert and Edith Sitwell. It still retains a sense of North African fantasia today, both for visitors and interestingly enough, for Tunisians themselves.
