Dar Ben Gacem

Dar Ben Gacem is a small hotel in the Medina of Tunis spread across two restored historic houses: Dar Pasha on Rue du Pacha, with seven rooms, and Dar Kahia on Rue El Kahia, with eight. Together they offer fifteen individually designed rooms, each with a private bathroom and access to a courtyard, a rooftop and dining areas. It is one of the best ways to experience the medina from the inside rather than as a day visitor.

The main house was once the home of a family of perfumers and dates back to the seventeenth century. Like most medina houses, it turns inwards around a courtyard, and a shaded patio and rooftop terraces give guests space to relax above the lanes. Breakfast is a rich Tunisian spread, with breads, jams, fresh fruit, omelettes and pressed orange juice mentioned in a French travel magazine, and the food is sourced from local suppliers and small businesses in the neighbourhood. On request, the team will also cook Tunisian meals and adapt dishes to dietary needs.

The hotel is run as a social enterprise. Profits are reinvested in restoring historic buildings and promoting the medina, and the staff and suppliers come from the local community. The founder, Leila Ben Gacem, has also created Dehliz El Zliz, a small museum of Tunisian ceramic tiles in the basement of Dar Kahia, with more than 200 pieces from the Qallaline workshops collected by her parents.

Services include airport transfers, help with transport around Tunisia, babysitting arranged with mothers from the neighbourhood, and laundry dried in the sun. The team can plan activities from an hour to several days, including medina walks, food shopping, cooking with the hotel's chef and calligraphy sessions.

Dar Ben Gacem suits couples, solo travellers and small groups who value character and a local connection over resort facilities. Cars cannot drive through most of the medina's lanes, so arrange a transfer or ask for directions before you arrive, and pack light. The souks, the Zitouna Mosque and the Kasbah are all within walking distance. Book directly through the website, by phone or by WhatsApp.