The main street of Sidi Bou Said — steep, cobbled, and flanked by blue-and-white walls trailing bougainvillea — is the most photographed lane in Tunisia. It climbs from the TGM station up to the hilltop, passing artisan shops selling ceramics, ironwork bird cages, and the distinctive blue ironwork that decorates every window and door in the village. The colour scheme is not decorative accident: it has been legally protected since 1915, when Baron Rodolphe d'Erlanger lobbied the French protectorate authorities to preserve the blue-and-white aesthetic.
The street is busiest in the late morning and early afternoon when tour groups come up from Tunis. By about 4pm the day-trippers thin out and the upper lanes near the mosque become much quieter. The ironwork shops and ceramic stalls do a brisk trade throughout the day. Even the most committed anti-souvenir traveller might reconsider here: the traditional Tunisian birdcages and the blue-painted ceramics are genuinely well made.