It’s nearly impossible to visit Tunisia without noticing the beautiful doors. They’re everywhere. I often found myself lost in an ancient medina only to look at my camera roll and realize I’d spent the last 30 minutes taking pictures of doors.

In Tunisia, doors are symbolic reflecting the fortunes and happiness of the families living inside. They are generally built of palm wood reinforced with sheet metal. They are decorated with black studded nails to create complex geometric patterns. Occasionally some doors come with more floral patterns owing to the European influence.

When I visited Tunisia, I was just blown away by these doors. They’re so beautiful, and every city I visited tended to have its own unique style and color. Most doors are blue, but I saw yellow, turquoise, red, and white.

Some of the most common symbols on the doors are the crescent star, minarets flowers, and fir trees. Some of the doors have large archways allowing for a person to enter on a horse without dismounting.

Many will claim that the best doors are in Sidi Bou Said – the Santorini-like coastal town just outside Tunis – but I found that beautiful doors are located throughout the country. You just need to wander down the right side street to find the real treasures.

Most of the doors have two knockers – one for the men and one for the women. The ones on the left are used by the women, and the ones on the right are used by the men.

When I first decided to travel to Tunisia, I was honestly a bit scared. The media doesn’t exactly make North Africa out to be the safest place these days, and I was worried that with the lack of tourists travel would be challenging.

I quickly found out that my initial fears couldn’t be further from the truth. Tunisia was an open and welcoming country. It was very easy to get around and figure things out, and I felt like there was no shortage of excellent hotels at great prices. I never once felt unsafe, and I am so glad to have visited because it was a truly special trip.

From the delicious street food to the friendly people, Tunisia really was a special place and I hope to return again soon. On the way to the airport my taxi driver told me that after the resort terrorist attacks in 2015, tourism completely stopped. He said no longer do the cruises come to Tunis, and he rarely sees someone like me.

It’s unfortunate that this has happened to a wonderful country, but it also means that you can visit Tunisia without the crowds. Outside of the capital, I never even saw any tourists. Hopefully word about the beauty of Tunisia continues to spread so tourism will pick back up again.

I hope these doors will inspire more to visit. Please check out my other articles on Tunisia for more information about budget travel in this country. Now I will leave you with a few more doors…

Thank you for reading! Would you visit Tunisia? Let me know in the comments below!