You've gotta haggle in Tunisia

For a crash course in Tunisia's contrasting cultures - the mix of European and African, the Muslim traditions with Western tourist attractions - just take a stroll round the capital Tunis's old town area, the medina, and its markets, or souks to give them their proper name.

The medina, was founded in the 7th century by Arab conquerors, and the souks are dozens of winding streets which snake around the 9th-century Zitouna Mosque, or Mosque of the Olive Tree. Only a few streets in to the medina and you feel immersed in a culture far removed from the European, Parisian-style new town that lies a short walk along the Rue Jemaa Zitouna.

The roads are narrow, with winding alleyways leading to the shady entrance halls of houses up to 400 years old. Trucks and motorbikes speed along these tricky-to-negotiate thoroughfares and are impossible to spot and often difficult to hear - so keep your wits about you.

The medina's various souks - the Souk el-Attarine (Perfume Makers' Souk) or Souk el-Berka (former slave market) for example - had different specialisations in the past, as their names reveal. Nowadays, all seem crammed full of the same tourist-friendly tat - camels carved, stuffed or even musical, seem to be Tunisia's main export rivalled only by the heaps of dodgy-looking jewellery.

However, on closer investigation, some nice pieces are to be found and tasteful rugs and ornaments are available at a good price if you're prepared to haggle - which can be a hard-won skill for those with a natural inclination towards wallflowerdom. It can pay off though, as those I travelled with demonstrated. One man bought an Arab-style hat following two minutes of negotiations with the shopkeeper, for what seemed a bargain price. Then his friend put in a fiveminute spiel - including a bogus claim that the stallholder was 'taking food from my children's mouths' - and was rewarded with a hat for a third the cost, plus two free ashtrays.

On second thoughts, maybe it's better to shell out a few extra dinar and hang on to your dignity.

Given the medina's maze-like quality and plethora of eye catching phenomena - the mysterious boxes of terrapins, the mangy cats, the house-cum-workshop manufacturing traditional camel saddles - you should allow a couple of hours to explore the souks properly.

Striking up a conversation with shopkeepers can reap rewards. We got talking to a one who invited us to look at the view of the medina from his roof. The spectacular vistas of the old town made it clear why the area was made a UN World Heritage site in 1981.

Luckily for us, the call to prayer got under way as we emerged from the top of the rickety staircase, adding an intense, exotic atmosphere to proceedings. Tourist books advise against this as shopkeepers often put the hard-sell on tourists on their way back out into the markets. We encountered no problems at all - but those easily bullied into buying a Persian carpet might be better taking a couple of friends along for support.

On our way out of the souks, we noticed stalls selling knock-off Adidas and were assailed by the strains of Kylie's Can't Get You Out Of My Head, while a group of school children were eager to test out their well-polished English on us - reminders that we were in Africa's self-proclaimed most European country.

Andrew flew with Tunisair and stayed at The Golden Tulip Hotel in Gammarth. A half-board trip featuring the hotel costs from £395 for one week. For information on Tunisia, call 020 7224 5561 or www.cometotunisia.co.uk