Admission costs 3 dinar with an additional charge of 1 dinar (50p) for photography.Write a postcardJust across the street from the restaurant Chergui, in the heart of Sidi Bou Said, is the Caf?es Nattes. The caf?its atop a steep flight of steps, and can’t be missed as you enter the village. Sit among the basking cats and enjoy sensational views over a syrupy mint tea or a gritty Turkish coffee.The icing on the cakeIf you are in Sidi Bou Said, the Dar Nejma Ezzahra is a great place to spend an hour or two. Created by the ailing Baron d’Erlanger in the 1920s, this mock palace is a whimsical blend of Oriental and European interior design and furnishing. The views from the manicured gardens are wonderful and no detail is overlooked inside the palace. Every cornice and skirting board is gilded, painted, enamelled or tiled. The result is a giant jewel box that drew artists and musicians from across Europe and Tunisia.

The museum is open every day except Monday, from 9am-12pm and 2-5pm Admission costs 3 dinar (£1.50).. Cyclists the world over have long considered Holland their spiritual home and Amsterdam the city of the bicycle par excellence. For one week at the end of May, however, the attention of the pedalling world switches to the Canadian province of Quebec, and in particular its main city, Montreal. It’s also a celebration of cycling in a city better known for its freezing winters and vast complex of underground shopping malls.

At the first sign of spring the parks, caf?erraces and bicycle lanes come to life. This is the most bike-friendly and cycling-mad metropolis in North America. The Bike Fest is to Montreal what beer is to Munich and films are to Cannes.At least this was my first impression after a taxi-ride from the airport with the constant rattling of a bicycle rack fixed to the back of the car in my ears and the surprising rhetoric of my driver, Ken.”I’ve got to admit there’s too many cars in this city,” he said, when I raised the subject of the Bike Fest. “It’ll probably be no good for business, but I guess it’s important to keep promoting healthy and eco-friendly alternatives to this thing,” he continued, slapping his hands on the furry, pink steering wheel of his Volvo.

“That’s why I’ll be out there on Friday night with you, my friend.”Such comments – the like of which it was hard to imagine flowing from the lips of a New York cabby – summed up perfectly the philosophy behind the Bike Fest, and we agreed to ride together on Friday’s Tour la Nuit, a highlight of the festival.More than 80,000 people from Montreal and beyond participate in the Bike Fest in some way or another. Events include a bicycle-awareness day, cycling lectures and numerous concerts, picnics and parties. But the main attractions are three organised bike rides along routes closed to traffic. The 20km Tour la Nuit takes place after dark and passes through the Botanical Garden; another ride, the Tour des Enfants, unites 10,000 six-to-12-year-old children for a 21km jaunt across the northern part of the city; and for the climax of the festival, the Tour de l’Ile, up to 45,000 bikes take over 65km of roads in Greater Montreal.”These rides aren’t races,” explains Suzanne Lareau, president of Velo Quebec, the organisers of the Bike Fest.