Finding an apartment in downtown area

Jeeves New member

Member since 29 March 2012

JeevesNew member30 March 2012 13:13:11

Hi!

I am a graduate student from the US and I plan to be in Tunis for 2-3 months to do research (mostly) at the Bibliotheque Nationale. I'm currently living in Morocco and I fly to Tunis in a week.

I'm wondering if anyone here can give me some suggestions on finding a short-term, furnished apartment in the downtown area. I am just looking for a small, one-bedroom apartment or studio - or maybe even just a room share - as I am traveling alone. The library where I'll spend most of my days working is near Place de la Kasbah on Boulevard 9 du Avril 1938, and I'd like to be within a 10-15 minute commute (by foot would be ideal) of the library.

I definitely plan to have a look at the accommodation listings in the classified section of the blog, and I will also see if I can find any leads on tunisie-annonce.com. In the meantime, however, I'd love to hear any other suggestions for searching for housing.

Also, I have a few specific questions.

Would you recommend that I live in the downtown area (near the library), or would you recommend that I look at housing in other neighborhoods and take public transport to the library every day? I should say that I'd like to live in a neighborhood that has some restaurants and cafes open at night, in case this makes a difference.

I have read through some older accommodation questions posted on the forum and see that I should expect to pay somewhere around 600 TND for a furnished place. Does that sound about right for the downtown area? Should I expect to pay more than that given that my housing is short-term (2-3 months only)?

Thanks in advance!

Jeeves

Jeeves New member

Member since 29 March 2012

JeevesNew member03 April 2012 13:32:31

Hey again,

Just checking to see if anyone has any suggestions - haven't heard from anyone yet.

Would you recommend living in downtown Tunis? I'm looking for a nice area with shops, cafes, and restaurants nearby if possible.

I am thinking that I should budget about 600 TND for a furnished studio/one bedroom apartment in the downtown area. Does that sound about right?

Thanks!

boxingpandora Member

Member since 04 April 2012

boxingpandoraMember04 April 2012 11:36:36

Hi!

I'm also a graduate student doing research here in Tunis, from now until July 2--I just arrived to Tunisia (and coincidentally enough, lived in Morocco until recently), and am house-hunting at the moment. If you are interested in a roommate, I'm looking at a place Saturday (2 bedrooms), unsure of price as of yet, but it's downtown, very central. I am staying at a hotel until April 14, so if you're interested in sharing an apartment, feel free to email me: boxingpandora@gmail.com

A

anmaoueslati Active member

Member since 02 March 2012

anmaoueslatiActive member04 April 2012 12:23:07

Welcome to Tunis!
Jeeves, 600DT is enough for a flat downtown or in other neighborhoods, I live on a 3br apt and it's 420DT (Cite Hedi Nouira). Apartments downtown are somewhat difficult to find. Even though you can check tunisie-annonce.com/AnnoncesImmobilier.asp?rech_order_by=31 Many owners don't advertise their rentals online, so you might want to walk around your favorite places and ask the security guys (that's how my husband found the apt. where I live in Ariana). Don't forget to negotiate the price, our rental was supposed to be 500! Another good option not far from Centre Ville, is El Manar. It's a favorite spot for students and it has lots of places to choose from. I believe is more "alive" at night than downtown. My in-law's live Downtown (in Bab Lassal) and it's simply boring. So my suggestions for you are: Manar, Manar II, Bab Bhar (in Centre Ville), Cite Olympique. The following places are very much alive but far from the library: la Goulette, Carthage, La Marsa. Good luck to both!

Jeeves New member

Member since 29 March 2012

JeevesNew member04 April 2012 21:24:45

boxingpandora and anmaoueslati - thank you both for your responses! I just arrived in Tunis tonight and I plan to start my apartment search tomorrow.

A - I'm definitely interested in having a roommate. I will send you an email soon.

anmaoueslati - Thank you so much for all the info about apartment prices and locations. I will have a walk around the areas you recommended tomorrow to see which areas I like the best. If downtown is that boring I think I'll try to look elsewhere! It sounds like finding an apartment in Tunis is similar to finding an apartment in many cities in Morocco in that many places are not advertised online and so you have to walk around and ask security guys and concierges about open apartments.

Thanks again!

angelo severini Member

Member since 09 April 2012

angelo severiniMember09 April 2012 16:20:32

hello,
i am angelo severini , italian tech and i plan to go romania up 28/04/2012 i have to leave a new appartement and sell my thing if you are intrested send me a message .
my appartement is in montplaisir 5 mn from avenue habib bourguiba tunis and 15 mn max from kasaba and library.

Jeeves New member

Member since 29 March 2012

JeevesNew member10 April 2012 08:32:45

Thanks jules.cesar. I am still looking for an apartment... I have also seen some places listed for under 600dt. It's good to know that you found an apartment for under that price. And thanks for your offer to help negotiate price for me! I have actually met a few Tunisians who have offered to help with that - if they somehow fall through I may well ask you for a hand.
Thanks again.

anmaoueslati Active member

Member since 02 March 2012

anmaoueslatiActive member10 April 2012 11:49:32

You're welcome and I hope your apartment search ends soon I know how important is to settle down. You came just in time, finding apt in Summer is THE MOST difficult thing to do Good luck!