The blue-and-white colour scheme is not just for decoration — it has been the law since the 1920s! The Baron d'Erlanger, a musician who loved the village, helped pass a rule saying every building had to be painted those exact colours. Today the whole place looks like it was designed by a very tidy painter who only had two colours to work with.
The blue doors of Sidi Bou Said are famous around the world. Many of them are studded with metal nails in beautiful geometric patterns, and some have a small brass hand — called a khamsa — for good luck. No two doors are exactly the same, even though they are all the same shade of blue.
From the café terraces at the top of the cliff, visitors can look out over the Gulf of Tunis and watch boats crossing the blue water below. On a clear day you can see for miles. The café called Café des Nattes is one of the oldest in Tunisia — it is famous for its sweet mint tea with pine nuts floating on top.