Best Places to Work From in Tunis: A Remote Worker's Guide
16 min read · Tunis, Tunisia · best places to work ·

Best Places to Work From in Tunis: A Remote Worker's Guide

FM

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Fatma Mansouri

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I have been working remotely from Tunis for the better part of three years now, and I can tell you that finding the best places to work from in Tunis is not as straightforward as you might expect. The city does not advertise itself as a digital nomad hub the way Lisbon or Bali does, but once you know where to look, the options are surprisingly solid. Between the old medina side streets and the modern business district of Berges du Lac, there is a growing ecosystem of remote work cafes Tunis locals actually use, plus a handful of Tunis coworking spots that have quietly built loyal followings. This guide is the one I wish someone had handed me when I first arrived with a laptop and a deadline.

Remote Work Cafes Tunis: Where the Wi-Fi Actually Holds Up

Tunis has no shortage of cafes, but the vast majority of them are designed for quick espresso standing at the counter, not for spreading out a laptop for six hours. The ones below are the exceptions, places where the owners have figured out that if they give you reliable internet and a power outlet, you will keep ordering coffee all afternoon.

1. Coffee Republic, Rue de la Liberté, Bab Bhar

This is the spot I recommend to every remote worker who asks me for a starting point. Coffee Republic sits on Rue de la Liberté, the wide pedestrian boulevard that runs from the edge of the old medina toward Avenue Habib Bourguiba. The interior is split between a ground floor that gets crowded around midday and a mezzanine level that is quieter and better suited for focused work. The Wi-Fi is stable, the outlets are plentiful along the back wall, and the staff has never once made me feel rushed even during slow periods.

What to Order: The iced latte is consistently good, and the avocado toast is one of the better versions you will find in central Tunis. If you are there past 3 PM, the fresh orange juice is worth it.

Best Time: Arrive before 9:30 AM to claim a mezzanine seat. By 11 AM, the place fills up with university students from nearby Université de Tunis, and the noise level climbs noticeably.

The Vibe: Bright, modern, and a little corporate in feel, but the people-watching from the front windows onto Rue de la Liberté makes up for it. One thing to know is that the single restroom can have a line during peak hours, which is annoying when you are deep in a work session.

Local Tip: If the mezzanine is full, walk two minutes east to the small park behind the Municipal Theatre. There is free municipal Wi-Fi there, and on cooler days you can work from a bench with a coffee in hand. Most tourists do not know this network exists.

2. El Ali, Rue du Pacha, Médina

El Ali is not a cafe in the modern sense. It is a traditional Tunisian coffee house tucked into the narrow streets of the médina, near Rue du Pacha, and it has become something of a quiet institution among local freelancers and journalists. The space is tiled in classic blue and white, the tables are small marble-topped affairs, and the espresso is pulled on a vintage machine that has probably been there for decades. The Wi-Fi is a relatively recent addition, brought in by the owner's son who works in tech and convinced his father that internet would attract a younger crowd.

What to Order: Order a Turkish coffee with a glass of water on the side, and if you are hungry, ask for a lablabi. It is the best lablabi in the médina, made with a heavier hand on the cumin and harissa than most places use.

Best Time: Late morning, between 10 AM and noon, before the post-lunch crowd arrives. Afternoons here get loud and smoky, which is great for atmosphere but terrible for concentration.

The Vibe: Authentic to the point of feeling like you have stepped back in time. The drawback is that seating is limited and the marble tables are not ideal for laptop ergonomics. Bring a cushion if you plan to stay more than an hour.

Local Tip: The owner, Monsieur Hassen, knows every artisan and shopkeeper in the médina. If you mention you are working on something related to Tunisian culture or history, he will introduce you to people who can help. This kind of connection is something no coworking space can replicate.

3. My Way Café, Avenue Mohamed V, Bab el Khadra

Avenue Mohamed V is one of the busiest commercial streets in Tunis, and My Way Café sits right in the thick of it, a few blocks from Place de la République. It is a laptop friendly cafe Tunis locals have adopted as an informal office, particularly in the mornings. The space is spread over two floors, with the upper level being the quieter of the two. Power outlets are available but not abundant, so grab a seat near the walls.

What to Order: The cappuccino is strong and well-priced, and the chicken panini is a reliable lunch option. They also do a decent lemonade that hits the spot during the warmer months.

Best Time: Weekday mornings are ideal. On weekends, the cafe becomes a social hangout and the tables are claimed by groups of friends who are not there to work.

The Vibe: Casual and a bit chaotic during rush hours, but the energy can be motivating if you feed off ambient noise. The main complaint I have is that the air conditioning struggles during July and August, and the upper floor can get uncomfortably warm by early afternoon.

Local Tip: There is a small stationery shop directly across the street that sells notebooks, pens, and even portable laptop stands. If you forgot something essential, this shop has saved me more than once.

Tunis Coworking Spots: Dedicated Spaces for Serious Work

If you need more than a cafe, Tunis has a small but growing number of coworking spaces that cater to freelancers, startups, and remote employees of international companies. These are not as numerous as you might find in a European capital, but the ones that exist are well-run and surprisingly affordable.

4. Carthage Coworking, Les Berges du Lac

Les Berges du Lac is the modern, planned district north of the city center, built around an artificial lake and home to embassies, corporate offices, and a handful of upscale restaurants. Carthage Coworking sits in one of the low-rise office buildings along the lakefront, and it is the most professional coworking environment in Tunis. The space has hot desks, a few private offices, meeting rooms with proper video conferencing equipment, and a small kitchen area. The Wi-Fi is enterprise-grade, which means you can run video calls without the connection dropping every twenty minutes.

What to Book: The hot desk daily rate is reasonable, but if you are staying in Tunis for more than a week, the weekly pass gives you access to a dedicated locker and discounted meeting room bookings.

Best Time: The space is open from 8 AM to 8 PM on weekdays. Mornings are the quietest, and the community manager told me that most members leave by 6 PM, so if you want the place almost to yourself, stay late.

The Vibe: Clean, quiet, and efficient. It feels more like a small office than a creative hub, which is either a plus or a minus depending on what you need. The one downside is that the location, while pleasant, is a 20-minute taxi ride from the city center, and public transport to Berges du Lac is not always reliable.

Local Tip: On the opposite side of the lake, there is a walking path that loops the entire perimeter. I do my best thinking on that walk, and it is completely free. Early mornings, you will see Tunisian families out for a stroll, which is a side of the city that most foreign visitors never encounter.

5. Le 15, Rue de Marseille, Mutuelleville

Le 15 is a coworking space in the Mutuelleville neighborhood, one of the more residential and leafy parts of Tunis. It occupies the upper floor of a converted villa, which gives it a completely different feel from the corporate setup at Berges du Lac. The space is smaller, with room for maybe 20 people at full capacity, and it has attracted a community of designers, writers, and small business owners. There is a small terrace where people take calls or eat lunch, and the interior has the kind of mismatched furniture that makes it feel like a well-organized living room.

What to Book: They offer daily, weekly, and monthly memberships. The monthly rate is competitive with what you would pay for a decent cafe habit, and you get 24-hour access with a key card.

Best Time: The community is tight-knit, and Tuesday and Thursday evenings often have informal networking events or skill-sharing sessions. If you want to meet other remote workers, those are the days to show up.

The Vibe: Warm, creative, and a little bohemian. The trade-off is that the space is small, and during peak hours it can feel cramped. If you need room to spread out with multiple monitors, this is not the place.

Local Tip: Mutuelleville has some of the best bakeries in Tunis. The boulangerie on Rue de Naples, just a five-minute walk from Le 15, makes a pistachio croissant that I consider essential to my weekly routine. Most people outside the neighborhood do not know about it.

6. Cogite, Rue du Royaume d'Algérie, Cité Ezzouhour

Cogite is one of the oldest coworking spaces in Tunis, founded as a startup incubator and community hub in the Cité Ezzouhour neighborhood. It is less polished than Carthage Coworking and less cozy than Le 15, but it has something the others do not, a deep network of Tunisian entrepreneurs, mentors, and investors who pass through regularly. If you are working on a project related to North Africa or the Arab world, the connections you can make here are genuinely valuable.

What to Book: They run a structured membership system with different tiers. The basic tier gives you hot desk access, while higher tiers include mentorship sessions and pitch practice with local investors.

Best Time: Weekday afternoons are when most of the community activity happens. Mornings tend to be quieter, with members doing focused individual work.

The Vibe: Functional and mission-driven. The building itself is nothing special, but the energy of the people inside makes up for it. One honest complaint is that the air conditioning is inconsistent, and certain corners of the space get noticeably warmer than others in summer.

Local Tip: Cité Ezzouhour is not a neighborhood most tourists visit, but it has a real, lived-in quality that tells you more about Tunis than any guidebook. The street food here is excellent and cheap. A sandwich merguez from the cart near the entrance to the neighborhood costs almost nothing and is genuinely delicious.

Laptop Friendly Cafes Tunis: The Neighborhood Gems

Beyond the well-known spots, there are a few cafes in residential neighborhoods that have quietly become favorites among people who work from their laptops. These are not places you will find on most travel blogs, but they are exactly where I go when I want to be left alone with my work.

7. Café de l'Olivier, Avenue de la République, El Menzah

El Menzah is a suburban district to the north of central Tunis, mostly residential and not particularly scenic. But Café de l'Olivier, on Avenue de la République, has become a reliable spot for remote workers who live in the area. The cafe is large by Tunisian standards, with plenty of seating, good natural light from floor-to-ceiling windows, and a menu that goes beyond the usual coffee and pastry. The Wi-Fi is password-protected but the staff will give it to you without hesitation.

What to Order: The café crème is standard but well-made, and the shakshuka plate is a solid lunch option that you will not find at most Tunisian cafes. They also do a good fruit smoothie if you want something lighter.

Best Time: Mid-afternoon, between 2 PM and 5 PM, is the sweet spot. The lunch crowd has cleared out, and the after-work crowd has not yet arrived.

The Vibe: Spacious and low-key, with a clientele of students, freelancers, and the occasional family. The music is kept at a reasonable volume, which is not something you can say about every cafe in Tunis. The one issue is that the parking situation on Avenue de la République is tight, and if you are driving, you may end up circling the block for ten minutes.

Local Tip: El Menzah has a small but well-stocked Carrefour Market on Avenue de Carthage. If you are working from this neighborhood for the day, you can grab lunch supplies in the morning and save yourself the cost of eating out. The store is air-conditioned, which matters more than you think in August.

8. Dar El Jeld Area: Working from the Side Streets

This is not a single venue but a micro-neighborhood that deserves its own mention. Dar El Jeld is a historic area near the médina, known for its old palace and the network of narrow streets that branch off from it. Along these streets, there are several small cafes and tea rooms that most visitors walk right past. One in particular, a nameless spot on the small square facing the Dar El Jeld palace, has become my secret weapon for days when I need absolute quiet. There is no sign, just a few plastic chairs and a counter where an older man serves mint tea and coffee. The Wi-Fi comes from a router he installed himself, and it works better than it has any right to.

What to Order: Mint tea, always. It is served the traditional way, with pine nuts floating on top, and it costs less than a dollar.

Best Time: Early morning, before 10 AM, when the square is empty and the light coming off the old stone walls is beautiful. By noon, the area gets busy with people coming and going from the médina.

The Vibe: As quiet and local as it gets. There is no music, no espresso machine hissing, no one taking Instagram photos. Just you, your laptop, and the sound of the call to prayer echoing off the walls. The obvious drawback is that there are no power outlets, so come with a full battery.

Local Tip: The Dar El Jeld palace itself is not always open to the public, but if you ask the caretaker nicely and mention an interest in Tunisian architecture, he will sometimes let you see the interior courtyard. It is one of the most beautiful spaces in the city, and almost no one knows it exists.

How Remote Work Fits into the Character of Tunis

Tunis is not a city that was built for remote work, but it is a city that has adapted to it in its own way. The coworking scene is small but genuine, driven by a generation of Tunisian entrepreneurs who are building companies that compete internationally. The cafes that welcome laptop workers are doing so not because they read an article about digital nomad trends, but because they noticed that people with laptops buy more coffee than people without them. There is a practicality to it that feels very Tunisian.

What makes working from Tunis different from working from, say, Chiang Mai or Medellín, is the layering of history and modernity. You can spend the morning in a coworking space on the lakefront, video-calling a client in Berlin, and then walk through the médina in the afternoon and have a conversation with a craftsman whose family has been making chechias in the same workshop for four centuries. That kind of contrast is not something you can manufacture, and it is what keeps me coming back.

The city also has a rhythm that remote workers need to understand. Lunch is the main meal, and many businesses close for an hour or two in the early afternoon. Friday is the holy day, and while coworking spaces stay open, the city slows down noticeably. During Ramadan, working hours shift, and some cafes adjust their schedules. None of this is a problem, but if you are on a deadline and expecting the city to operate on a nine-to-five European schedule, you will be frustrated.

When to Go and What to Know

The best months for working from Tunis are October through April, when the weather is mild and you can comfortably sit outside or walk between venues. Summer, particularly July and August, is brutally hot, and even air-conditioned spaces can feel stuffy if the cooling system is not up to the task. If you are visiting during summer, plan to work in the mornings and take a long break in the afternoon.

Wi-Fi in Tunis is generally reliable in coworking spaces and the better cafes, but I always keep a local SIM card with a data plan as a backup. Ooredoo and Orange both offer prepaid data packages that are cheap and easy to top up. For serious video calls, the coworking spaces are your safest bet.

Transportation within Tunis is a mix of taxis, the TGM light rail line that runs from the city center to La Marsa, and the older Métro Léger within the city. Taxis are cheap by European standards, but make sure the meter is running or agree on a price before you get in. The TGM is useful if you are working from Berges du Lac or the northern suburbs, but it gets packed during rush hour.

Finally, a word about cost. Working from Tunis is significantly cheaper than working from most European cities. A coffee at a good cafe costs between 3 and 5 Tunisian dinars, a coworking day pass is usually under 30 dinars, and a full lunch at a local restaurant can be had for 10 to 15 dinars. Your biggest expense will likely be accommodation, but even that is reasonable if you book ahead and stay slightly outside the tourist center.

Tunis will not hand you a remote work lifestyle on a silver platter. You have to seek it out, ask around, and be willing to sit in a plastic chair in a nameless tea room with a full battery and a glass of mint tea. But if you do, you will find a city that rewards curiosity, and a work setup that is more than good enough to get things done.

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