Hotel Majestic

Hotel Majestic is one of the grand old hotels of the Ville Nouvelle and a landmark of early twentieth-century architecture in Tunis. The building on Avenue de Paris was commissioned in 1911 by René Kisraoui and designed by the architect Paul-Auguste Baron, and sources give opening dates between 1911 and 1914. Its white Art Nouveau façade, with gently curved corners and four storeys, overlooks the Jardin Habib Thameur, and there is a terrace on the first floor.

The hotel's guest book is full of famous names. The Tunisian writer Hatem Bourial lists the Indonesian president Sukarno, Richard Nixon when he was vice-president of the United States, François Mitterrand when he was a French minister, and performers including Louis Armstrong, Luis Mariano, Gilbert Bécaud and The Platters among those who stayed here.

The hotel closed for a major renovation between 2005 and 2010, and in a 2024 article Bourial describes it as a reference point among the city's hotels and a flagship of its owners, with 68 rooms and nine suites. A French travel magazine has recommended its bar for a drink, which is a good way to see the building even if you are staying elsewhere.

The location is central and practical. Avenue de Paris leads directly to Avenue Habib Bourguiba and Place de l'Indépendance, so the cathedral, the Théâtre municipal and the street cafés are a short walk away, and Bab el Bhar and the medina are only a little further. That makes the Majestic a sensible base for travellers who want to explore on foot and use taxis or the TGM for Carthage and Sidi Bou Said.

The Majestic suits travellers interested in architecture and history and those looking for a mid-range city hotel rather than a beach resort or a medina guesthouse. We could not find an official website for the hotel, and current room details and facilities could not be confirmed from an official source, so check recent information and ask about rooms facing the garden when you book. As with any historic building, room sizes and styles may vary, and in a city-centre location it is worth asking for a quieter room if you are a light sleeper.