About Al Monastir City

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Al Monastir city is the capital of Monastir Governorate located to the south of Sousse and Port el-Kantaoui and to the north of Mahdia . There are different ways to get to the city of Monastir as well as travel away from it . There is Monastir (Habib Bourguiba) International Airport which schedules flights from most Western European countries , however it does not run domestic flights . Also a bus service runs from the bus station at the western edge of the medina to destinations of Sousse (one bus every 30 minutes) and Mahdia (one bus hourly) . From the airport you can also rent a car from Avis or Europcar which are based at the airport . There are also louages that go to Sousse , Kairouan and Tunis and they leave from the place next to the bus station , while the Louages going to Mahdia can be taken from their own station located on the southeastern side of the city . Traveling to and form the city by train is also possible as there are about 16 train trips a day running from the city to Sousse and eight a day to Mahdia , while there is only one train daily to Tunis .

The city of Monastir is actually located on the central shore of Tunisia and does not have much advantage in comparison to its neighboring towns . It was traditionally a fishing port , but now it is a major tourist resort . The city has a well preserved ribat and a horseshoe-shaped municipal beach in addition to the Mausoleum of Habib Bourguiba and a Zone Touristique which is less integrated into Monastir than in other coastal towns . One fascinating feature of the city of Monastir is that it retains its originality more than the other beach towns .

Concerning restaurants and cafes in the city , you will find some of the best as well as the more expensive of them near each other out at the marina . Located on the beach of place du Governorate is the popular Roi du Couscous restaurant which serves the best couscous around the whole of Monastir city . There is also the famous Al Hambra restaurant at rue Sidi el-Mezri in Monastir proper . This restaurant is really a wonderful place to eat in as it has a fascinating outdoor patio as well as a classy dining room with a European atmosphere and touch . Various different dishes are served there including many pasta dishes , pizza , sal¬ads , steaks as well as different selections of seafood . Dar Chakra , located off rue de l'lndependance , is another attractive place to have a meal in as it is located in an old man¬sion in addition to its having an outside place if you prefer to set in the patio . The most delicious dishes there are that of calamari and grilled fish . As for Cafes , Café La Medina (located at place du 3 Septembre 1934) is quite popular . It resides in the middle of the medina in an interesting intersection . In addition to drinks and snacks , the cafe also serves different meals consisting of salads , pizzas or meat dishes . Also famous there is the briqs which are crispy pastries with various fillings . If you want to buy food stuff yourself , you can either go to the Monoprix supermarket located next to the post office in the front of the marina complex , or to the other larger one located on ave Habib Bourguiba , outside one of the gates to the medina .