Tunisia's capital wraps a labyrinthine medieval medina, a French-built Ville Nouvelle and a string of coastal suburbs around the Gulf of Tunis. It is remarkably affordable, sunny most of the year, and bilingual in Arabic and French, with universities like Tunis El Manar and Carthage drawing students. Add the ruins of Carthage and the blue-and-white village of Sidi Bou Said on your doorstep, and it is a captivating, offbeat choice.

• A UNESCO-listed medina alongside a French colonial Ville Nouvelle
• Bilingual in Arabic and French, and very affordable by European standards
• Carthage's ancient ruins and Sidi Bou Said are a short train ride away

Life revolves around cafe culture, with mint tea and strong coffee on Avenue Habib Bourguiba and in La Marsa, and around the coastal suburbs, where students gather at seaside cafes and summer beach clubs. Nightlife is lower-key than in Europe and centres on Gammarth and Lac 2, and the big universities keep La Marsa and El Manar young. It is social in a relaxed, Mediterranean way.

• Sip mint tea with pine nuts at the Cafe des Nattes in Sidi Bou Said
• Hang out along the La Marsa corniche and its cafes
• Summer nightlife centres on Gammarth's beach clubs and Lac 2

Tunis is very affordable, so around 450 to 700 euros a month covers a shared flat, food and transport, helped by a weak dinar. Street food like lablabi and a market shop cost very little, and public transport is cheap, though the modern Lac and Gammarth districts are pricier. Bring a savings buffer, as moving money and using cards can be fiddly.

• A bowl of lablabi (chickpea soup) costs 2 to 4 dinars (around 1 euro)
• Shared-flat rooms are cheap, though Les Berges du Lac costs more
• Public transport is inexpensive, and a taxi across town is only a few dinars

Exchange students usually rent shared flats in the coastal suburbs, from La Marsa and Carthage to Sidi Bou Said near the universities, or in central El Manar and El Menzah. University halls exist but are basic and limited, so most look privately via Facebook groups, the Tayara classifieds site and word of mouth. Viewing in person before paying is wise.

• La Marsa, Carthage and El Menzah are popular, well-connected student areas
• Search the Tayara.tn classifieds and local Facebook housing groups
• Ask the Studcasa Tunis group to sanity-check an area and a fair rent

The TGM light railway is the student lifeline, linking central Tunis to La Goulette, Carthage, Sidi Bou Said and La Marsa along the coast. The city also has a metro leger tram network and buses run by Transtu, plus cheap yellow taxis, where you should insist on the meter (compteur). For intercity trips, shared louage minibuses are quick and cheap.

• Take the TGM train from Tunis Marine out to Carthage, Sidi Bou Said and La Marsa
• Use the metro leger tram lines and Transtu buses for the city centre
• Insist on the meter in yellow taxis, and use louages for cheap intercity trips

The University of Tunis El Manar is the largest, strong in medicine, sciences and engineering (ENIT), the University of Carthage covers engineering, business (IHEC) and the sciences across coastal campuses, and the University of Tunis handles humanities and economics. Private schools like ESPRIT add options. Teaching is mainly in French and Arabic, so French is a real asset.

• Tunis El Manar leads in medicine, science and engineering
• Strong French helps enormously, as most teaching is in French and Arabic

It depends entirely on your nationality. EU, UK, US, Canadian and Australian citizens enter Tunisia visa-free as tourists for up to 90 days, enough for a short exchange, but not a legal study stay on its own. For a full semester or year you register with your host university and apply for a student residence permit (carte de sejour) once you're in the country.

Start the paperwork early: you'll need your acceptance letter, proof of funds, passport photos and proof of accommodation, and the whole process runs in French and Arabic. Overstaying the 90-day stamp means fines on your way out, so get the carte de sejour sorted before it lapses. Always check your own government's travel advice, as the rules shift.

• Many Westerners: 90 days visa-free on entry
• Longer stays: carte de sejour via your uni
• Bring: acceptance letter, proof of funds, photos
• Don't overstay the 90-day stamp, fines on exit

Tunisian food is bold and cheap: fiery harissa, couscous, the egg-and-pastry brik, lablabi, ojja and a hearty tajine tunisien, which is more like a baked omelette than the Moroccan dish. Grab a fricasse or makloub on the go, and finish with a bambalouni doughnut in La Marsa or mint tea with pine nuts. The medina souks are a feast for the senses.

• Try brik a l'oeuf and a bowl of lablabi from a cheap local eatery
• Eat a bambalouni (fried doughnut) on the La Marsa seafront
• Wander the medina souks for spices, sweets and street snacks

The medina is the historic maze of souks and mosques, while the Ville Nouvelle around Avenue Habib Bourguiba is the French-built downtown of cafes and cinemas. Along the coast, La Marsa is the chic, cafe-lined student favourite, Sidi Bou Said the postcard blue-and-white village, Carthage the leafy ruins-strewn suburb, and Les Berges du Lac the modern business district.

• La Marsa: coastal, cafe-filled and popular with students
• Sidi Bou Said or Carthage: scenic, historic and near the universities
• Ville Nouvelle: the central downtown around Avenue Habib Bourguiba

Tunis is a springboard for extraordinary trips. Sidi Bou Said and Carthage are almost in the city, Hammamet's beaches an hour away, and the Roman ruins of Dougga about two hours. The holy city of Kairouan and the vast colosseum at El Jem are day trips south, while Bizerte's northern coast is an easy hour by louage.

• Carthage and Sidi Bou Said: 30 to 40 minutes on the TGM
• Roman Dougga (UNESCO): about 2 hours inland
• El Jem's colosseum and holy Kairouan for a bigger day out

French will get you a long way, and a few words of Tunisian Arabic (derja) earn warmth. Agree taxi fares or insist on the compteur, carry cash as cards are not universally accepted, and dress a little more modestly away from the beach suburbs. Be mindful of adjusted hours and daytime fasting during Ramadan, and avoid the fierce July and August heat if you can.

• Insist on the taxi meter (compteur) and keep small dinar notes handy
• Dress modestly outside the beach areas, especially in the medina
• Ask the Studcasa Tunis group about Ramadan timings and reliable louage routes