Some people do but others choose to respect the Muslim culture and do not. Having been 3 times in the last couple of years would say that most people remain covered up but am unaware of any laws prohibiting topless sunbathing. Seems the choice is yours but definately take a bikini top so you have the option!

If you are discreet ie put your top back on when swimming/ordering drinks,walking around, then you wont feel too uncomfortable.

When I was there last 2 years ago very few women went topless and those that did kept it discreet. Pity the Russian men didnt have the same decorum, theres only so many middle aged men in thongs that you can stomach

A very good question! i too am holidaying in Tunisia this summer and never gave it a second thought about going topless, i go at the end of june so if your traveling before this please drop a note back to let me know how you got on. Nothing worse than tan lines. xx

We wen in september last year and my girlfriend went topless around the pool there was no problem with this at all. On the beaches especialy if they are public beaches it is a different matter. My advice would be around the pool yes on the beach respect the local culture and stay covered up.

Cheers hun,

We're going to Sahara beach hotel and i'm not sure if it's a public beach or private, but i will definately give it thought now before stripping off!

I've never come across private beach in Tunisia. Most of the hotels in Skanes are right on the beach and directly accessible from the hotel grounds but they are all public beaches. If you want to go topless you'd be best to remain around the pool. The local women seem to swim fully covered and I've never seen anybody in just bikini bottoms on the beaches. In my experience, even around the hotel pools, very few women go topless in Tunisia so while it won't be frowned on you might find yourself very much in the minority and how you comfortable you feel without your top on it will depend on how you feel about that.

SM

I am sorry to disagree we stayed at the hamment gardens hotel and it had its own private beach which was roped off from the public ones. Along the same stretch of beach there was at lease another 4 private beaches.

As for around the pool I would estimate that at least 30% of the females were topless botyh sunbathing and whilst swimming in the pool. Maybe the hotel we were staying at was an exception to the norm butI could'nt comment on that.

Best thing to do is watch what the other gusets do and follow suit.

I may be in the minority here but in an Islamic country I would respect the culture and not go topless, I have in other countries but I feel to be respected in Tunisia & also to respect the women there I would not..just my personal view. I am aware that tan lines don't matter when it comes down to making others uncomfortable.

have to agree with the previous poster, going topless in Tunisa is pretty insulting to the Tunisians. Although I do sunbathe topless in other countries, knowing how the Tunisians feel about public nudity made me feel too uncomfortable.

At the end of the day does going on holiday mean we forget to pack our manners along with our bikini tops? And really if you cant fit in with another culture for a week or two of your lives, whats the point of going abroad?

Thanks to all that have replied.
We're going to the Allegro Rivierra (PEK) on 20th July, anyone know what the 'sunbathing' situation is there?

Annie

Having just come back from a wonderful two weeks in Hammamet, the situation seems to depend on the mood of the locals. A young woman in her 20's was walking down the beach topless and was told by a police officer to cover up. In fact after two weeks on the beach at the Hotel Fourati my partner and I only ever saw three women go topless and each one tho not told directly, was given a very bad frown from the police wandering around, even tho the police were there mainly to get rid of the beach sellers. So I would say spend a day or two and see what the reaction is where you are.

WOW! quite a debate going on... to be fair, never would i do, or appreciate, walking around topless, i wouldn't even enter a pool without a top as i feel it's unsuitable when children are playing, i don't want my son bumping into another womans breasts when splashing around! but to lie in a secluded spot with your husband close next to you (who's a bit of a prude might i add!) i feel is fine. the whole idea of going on hol is to let your inhibitions go, not to insult the locals, who, may i add, are working at a holiday complex, so would expect to come accross semi naked women. People don't go to large family complexes to see the sights... they go to chill out and not have to think for two weeks! i'll see how the land lies and probably keep covered on the beaches, mainly because of the traders approaching, crikey, my hubbys gonna be on pins!!!!!

Thanks xx

Yes, local people working in a holiday complex are going to expect to see semi-naked women around. But they are also going to expect that if you're happy to show your breasts off in public then you're going to have no objection to them looking at them. I suspect that this is why so many women don't go topless in Tunisia - bare breasts are still a rare enough sight for them to attract attention and curiosity and it can feel too uncomfortable for many women. Local women would never dream of going topless, as I said before many of them don't even use one piece swimsuits much less a bikini. If you or your husband are going to object to staff in the hotel looking at you then you might want to consider whether you want to attract that sort of attention in the first place.

The situation is probably comparable to the 1970s here when a few brave souls came back from Mediterranean beach holidays and after seeing how French women seemed to have no qualms about baring their breasts thought they'd give it a try on British beaches too but it did take quite a while to become accepted. And when I think about it, it looks as if it still hasn't been fully accepted on my local beaches in Scotland - even on the hottest of days topless sunbathers are very few and far between on my local beaches or the nearest open air lido even when it is warm enough to lie around in the sun and the beach is busy! So it does raise the question for me again about why some things most of us wouldn't do at home in the way of dress etc are considered acceptable when we go abroad.

SM

The majority of women I have seen topless in Sousse have been fat Germans, who really shouldn't do so anywhere. Tunisia is a fairly relaxed country, but it is still a Moslem one, and I think it is inpolite not to respect their traditions. I feel the same applies to thongs, though I have seen them round the pools and on the beaches as well, usually being stared at by the locals.

The only time i take my top off is when im lied on my front . And if tan lines are a real issue for some people , you might want to invest in a strapless bikini top .

Without sounding to pedantic . this isnt Spain where anything goes . You need to respect the culture . and even if you go out in the day time . Make sure you cover up , i did see a lady walking through the streets of sousse in a bikini top, and then got quite upset when the local lads started whistling at her .

I'm sorry but I have to take issue with you there Spiralharp - I rather doubt that the person you saw could honestly be described as a lady.

As SM says, the local women don`t even wear swimsuits, all the locals on our beach in Skanes swam fully clothed, then used beach tents to change into dry clothes afterwards. Even some of the men swim fully clothed, so I can imagine that they COULD get quite upset at what they probably think of as great impropriety on the part of the holidsaymakers.

Holiday resort or not I would say its common curtesy to keep tops on. And should staff really be subjected to something they find offensive and disrespectful just because they work in a resort? If thats the case then we could say bar staff should put up with smokers in this country
At the end of the day if getting an all over tan is the only reason you go on holiday then pick a country that is openminded with it

Suki2464

To be fair, taking your top off is being described as insulting, where as smoking is more a health issue! i've never heard of someone getting cancer because of another removing their clothes!

This is obviously a touchy subject, so i'd say it's entirely up to the individual and how confident they feel.