tunisia map tourist

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It may be but a slim wedge of North Africa’s vast horizontal expanse, but Tunisia has enough history and diverse natural beauty to pack a country many times its size. With a balmy, sand-fringed Mediterranean coast, scented with jasmine and sea breezes, and where the fish on your plate is always fresh, Tunisia is prime territory for a straightforward sun-sand-and-sea holiday. But beyond the beaches, it’s a thrilling, underrated destination where distinct cultures and incredible extremes of landscape – forested coastlines, Saharan sand seas in the south – can be explored in just a few days.

Attractions

Must-see attractions.

This sprawling maze of ancient streets and alleyways is one of the most impressive medieval medinas in North Africa and one of Tunisia's great treasures…

El Jem Amphitheatre

This Unesco World Heritage–listed colosseum was the second-largest in the Roman world (after Rome's); it was 149m long by 124m wide, with three tiers of…

Kairouan’s medina feels like it ebbs and flows to a different rhythm to modern Tunisia. Long protected by its monumental walls and babs (gates), most of…

Sousse Archaeological Museum

Located inside the 11th-century kasbah, this museum showcases an extraordinary collection of 2nd- and 3rd-century Roman mosaics, one of the best in the…

Archaeological Museum

A 1km walk from the El Jem Amphitheatre (follow the signs), this museum showcases an exceptional collection of Roman mosaics. All are richly coloured, in…

Bardo Museum

The main draw at the Tunisia's top museum is its magnificent collection of Roman mosaics. These provide a vibrant and fascinating portrait of ancient…

Arguably the most magnificent Roman site in Africa, Dougga’s ancient remains – a Unesco World Heritage site since 1997 – are startlingly complete, giving…

On the cultivated amber slopes of Mt Mekrima, the fascinating but little-visited ruins of ancient Uthina are the remains of one of the Roman Empire's…

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Tunisia and beyond

Maps of Tunisia

Tunisia is a North African country with a total area of 163,610 sq. km and a coastline of 1,148 km on the Mediterranean Sea to the north. Tunisia sits next to only two other nations. Algeria and Libya . Even though it is not directly connected, Tunisia is only a few hundred kilometers from the Southern European nations of Italy and Malta . Despite being roughly the same size as the state of Wisconsin , Tunisia's north-south extent lends great environmental diversity. 

The Tunisian Dorsal is a mountain range that runs in a southwest-northeast direction from Tunisia's border with Algeria in the west to the Cape Bon peninsula in the east. This mountain is an extension of the Saharan Atlas Mountains. Further north of the Tunisian Dorsal, the mountains of the Northern Tell (that include the Kroumirie Mountains in the northwest and the Mogods running along the northern coastline) can be found. The High Steppes (in the west) and Low Steppes (in the east) lie to the south of the Tunisian Dorsale. They are cut by mountains running north to south. Mount Chambi (1,544 M) is the highest point in the country. At 17 m below sea level, Chott el Djerid is Tunisia's lowest point.

The Medjerda River valley lies in between the Tunisian Dorsal and Northern Tell Mountains (shown on the map above). This valley features a series of ancient lake basins and is the country's most fertile grain-producing land. The Medjerda River is the only perennial river in Tunisia and it drains into the Gulf of Tunis. As we go further south, there is a series of depressions called chott. Many intermittent rivers flowing through the country end up in these chotts. Extending inwards from the eastern coastline are large plains called Al-Sāḥil and Al-Jifāra.

The Sahara Desert's Sand Sea , also called the Grand Erg Oriental covers much of the southern portion of Tunisia. Most of the wadis here remain dry all year round and hence, access to water is a major concern here. Tunisia also has several islands. Djerba Island marked on the map above is North Africa's largest island. It is located in the  Gulf of Gabès

Governorates of Tunisia Map

Tunisia has 24 major administrative divisions called governorates. In alphabetical order, they are as follows: Ariana, Beja (Bajah), Ben Arous (Bin 'Arus), Bizerte (Banzart), Gabes (Qabis), Gafsa (Qafsah), Jendouba (Jundubah), Kairouan (Al Qayrawan), Kasserine (Al Qasrayn), Kebili (Qibili), Kef (Al Kaf), L'Ariana (Aryanah), Mahdia (Al Mahdiyah), Manouba (Manubah), Medenine (Madanin), Monastir (Al Munastir), Nabeul (Nabul), Sfax (Safaqis), Sidi Bouzid (Sidi Bu Zayd), Siliana (Silyanah), Sousse (Susah), Tataouine (Tatawin), Tozeur (Tawzar), Tunis, Zaghouan (Zaghwan).

The governorates are further subdivided into 264 districts called mutamadiyat which are further divided into smaller administrative divisions called shaykhats or municipalities and imadats or sectors. Tataouine is Tunisia's largest governorate by area and Tunis is the largest one by population but the smallest by area. The capital of this governorate, Tunis, is also the national capital.

Where is Tunisia?

Located in the Maghreb region of North Africa, Tunisia hosts the northernmost point in the African continent called Cape Angela. Tunisia is located in the Northern and Eastern Hemisphere of the Earth. It is bordered by only two neighboring nations. Libya bounds Tunisia to the southeast and Algeria to the west and southwest. The country has a coastline on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east.

Tunisia Bordering Countries : Libya , Algeria .

Regional Maps : Map of Africa

Outline Map of Tunisia

The blank outline map represents mainland Tunisia. The country also has several islands on the Mediterranean Sea which cannot be observed on this map. The above map can be downloaded for free, and used for educational purposes like map-pointing activities.

The above outline map represents mainland Tunisia without its islands on the Indian Ocean. The country extends southwards as a relatively narrow almost vertical band of territory from its coast on the Mediterranean Sea to the north. 

This page was last updated on December 18, 2023

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• 3 Other destinations
• 4.1 History
• 4.2 Climate
• 4.3 Terrain
• 4.4 Public holidays
• 4.5 Tourist information
• 5.1.1 Visa application requirements
• 5.2 By plane
• 5.3 By boat
• 5.4 By train
• 6.1 By plane
• 6.3 By taxi
• 6.4 By train
• 6.5 By louage
• 8.1 History and archaeology
• 8.2 North of the desert
• 8.3 The desert
• 9.1 Beaches
• 9.2 The desert
• 15.1 Violence
• 15.2 Female travelers
• 15.3 Money and scams
• 15.4 Tunisian dual nationals
• 16.1 Health care
• 16.3 Vaccinations
• 17.1 Ramadan
• 18.1 Telephone
• 18.2 Internet

The Republic of Tunisia ( Arabic : تونس‎ Tūnis ), is a country in North Africa bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Tourist infrastructure is well developed, and there are several ways to enjoy the loveliness of Tunisia, including spending time on the gorgeous Mediterranean beaches, viewing its ancient ruins, living its thriving desert culture, or sampling its delicious cuisine.

Regions [ edit ]

Cities [ edit ]

• 36.800833 10.18 1 Tunis — the laid-back capital of Tunisia with easy access to Carthage and a very authentic souk
• 33.881389 10.098333 2 Gabes — large town on the east coast, mostly a rail and bus transit point
• 35.683333 10.1 3 Kairouan — a major site for Islamic pilgrimage
• 36.166667 8.7 4 El Kef — Byzantine and Ottoman architecture in this small town in the northwest
• 35.504722 11.062222 5 Mahdia — former captal
• 35.77799 10.82617 6 Monastir — ancient city with a history back to Phoenician times; these days it is home of the main charter flight airport in the country
• 34.74 10.76 7 Sfax — historic town with a great old kasbah; also access to the Kerkennah Islands
• 33.457222 9.025833 9 Douz — the "Gate of the Desert", a Saharan city known for its date tree plantation and Saharan tourism
• 33.919722 8.133611 10 Tozeur — gateway to several mountain oasis villages

Other destinations [ edit ]

• 36.852558 10.323461 1 Carthage — Phoenician colony, biggest trade metropolis of the antique world; famously razed by the Romans; remnants now encased in a museum; site easily reached by train from Tunis
• 33.7837 10.8833 2 Djerba — a Mediterranean island in the south which is popular with sun-seekers, and home to a historic synagogue that is one of the last remaining active ones in the Arab world
• 36.423333 9.220278 3 Dougga — impressive ruins of a remote Roman city
• 35.3 10.716667 4 El Jem — one of the best preserved Roman amphitheaters in the world
• 33.01696 9.09946 5 Jebil National Park — a large Saharan National Park with impressive dunes and rock formations
• 36.946389 11.099167 6 Kerkouane — remnants of the sole untouched Punic settlement which is a UNESCO World Heritage site
• 33.008603 9.616217 7 Ksar Ghilane — on the edge of the sand desert, the saharan oasis known for its hot spring and old roman fort
• 33.542639 9.966806 8 Matmata — berber village of cave abodes, where Star Wars ' Tatooine was set
• 34.319444 8.401389 9 Metlaoui — get aboard the restored Red Lizard vintage train snaking through scenic gorges and hills
• 35.229722 9.129444 10 Sufetula ( Sbeitla ) — a fairly well preserved Roman settlement in the mid-west area of Tunisia
• 32.933333 10.45 11 Tataouine — surrounded by various historic forts ( ksar ) and another filming location of Star Wars

Understand [ edit ]

History [ edit ].

Tunisia has a rich cultural history, ever since antiquity. The Carthaginian Empire, Rome's archenemy, was centred in Tunisia. Its capital, Carthage, is now a suburb of Tunis. Founded by Phoenician settlers from Tyre and Sidon (modern day Lebanon), Carthage was an ancient Mediterranean powerhouse. Three wars between Rome and Carthage (known as the Punic wars) were waged in the first few centuries before the birth of Christ. These culminated with the decimation of Carthage in 146 BCE by the Roman general Scipio, who is said to have wept at its destruction.

Between the destruction of ancient Carthage and the Arabic conquests of the 7th century, many cultures have made Tunisia their home. Carthage enjoyed a new period of prosperity under the Roman Empire until its collapse in the 5th century. Roman rule was replaced briefly by the Vandals, who made Carthage the capital of their kingdom. Carthage was then absorbed temporarily by the Byzantine Empire, until the rise of Islam in the 7th century.

After the dissipation of the Arabic Caliphates, the Ottoman Empire's Turkish Pashas ruled Tunisia. With the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Tunisia eventually fell under the sway of European Imperialism, as a French Protectorate, along with neighbouring Algeria.

Following independence from France 20 March 1956, President Habib Bourguiba established a strict one-party state. He dominated the country for 31 years, repressing Islamic fundamentalism and establishing rights for women unmatched by any other Arab nation. Bourghiba was quietly replaced in 1987 by Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. His forced resignation was carried out under the pretext that he was unfit to carry out his duties as president, due to his ailing mental and physical state as a result of extreme old age. Nonetheless, Bourghiba is still credited with the birth of the modern state of Tunisia, for which he fought his entire life. Ben Ali took a moderate, non-aligned stance in its foreign relations. Domestically, it sought to defuse rising pressure for a more open political society.

However, this changed in late 2010. Mohamed Bouazizi, a street vendor set himself on fire in protest of the confiscation of his wares and police harassment. This became the catalyst for the Tunisian Revolution, as well as the Arab Spring . After massive street protests, Ben Ali was forced out of power in January 2011. Since then, Tunisia has taken the path towards democratization of political and civil life.

Malta and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil exploration.

Climate [ edit ]

Temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in south.

Terrain [ edit ]

Mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south merges into the Sahara desert.

Public holidays [ edit ]

• Independence Day , 20th March - a time when hotel rooms are completely booked. Plan accordingly.

Tourist information [ edit ]

• Discover Tunisia website

Get in [ edit ]

Tunisia depends a lot on tourism; therefore, many people can visit the country without a visa.

Visa [ edit ]

Citizens of Algeria , Antigua and Barbuda , Argentina , Australia , Austria , Bahrain , Barbados , Belgium , Belize , Bermuda , Bosnia and Herzegovina , Brazil , British Virgin Islands , Brunei Darussalam , Bulgaria , Chile , China , Côte d'Ivoire , Croatia , Denmark , Dominica , Falkland Islands , Fiji , Finland , France , Gambia , Germany , Gibraltar , Greece , Guinea , Honduras , Hong Kong , Hungary , Iceland , Ireland , Italy , Japan , Kiribati , South Korea , Kuwait , Libya , Liechtenstein , Luxembourg , Macau , Malaysia , Mali , Malta , Mauritania , Mauritius , Mexico , Monaco , Montenegro , Montserrat , Morocco , Netherlands , New Zealand , Niger , North Macedonia , Norway , Oman , Poland , Portugal , Qatar , Romania , Russia , Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha , St. Kitts and Nevis , St. Lucia , St. Vincent and Grenadines , San Marino , Saudi Arabia , Senegal , Serbia , Seychelles , Singapore , Slovenia , Solomon Islands , Spain , Sweden , Switzerland , Turkey , United Arab Emirates , United Kingdom , United States and Vatican City do not require a visa to enter and stay for up to 3 months.

Citizens of Canada do not require a visa to enter and stay for up to 4 months.

If you're not a citizen of any of the countries listed above, you must apply for a visa in advance at a Tunisian embassy.

Visa application requirements [ edit ]

Visa requirements vary from country to country; however, you're normally required to submit the following to apply for a Tunisian visa:

• A copy of your passport (must have a validity of more than six months)
• Proof of your legal status in the country you're living in
• A letter of invitation from your host in Tunisia (a hotel reservation will suffice)
• The first page of your passport

The Tunisian embassy in the United States states that the Tunisian Ministry of the Interior vets all tourist visa applications and may take up to 21 days to process any visa.

By plane [ edit ]

Tunisair is the national airline of Tunisia.

• From the airport, you can catch a taxi to the centre of Tunis (beware, meters may be rigged). They are best hailed from the 2nd floor departure hall to avoid getting swindled and should cost no more than 7 DT to downtown Tunis (Avenue Habib Bourguiba area) during the daytime, and no more than 10 DT, 21:00-05:00 (during which meter rates are 150% of daytime rates).
• Alternatively, take bus #635 or #35 to Ave Habib Bourguiba for 0.47 DT. The bus comes roughly every half-hour and stops in front of the terminal.
• The official airport Wi-Fi requires payment, but connection to the public "Lindo Cafe" network from a restaurant of the same name is free.
• For cheap snacks and coffee/tea in place of overpriced airport fare, walk 3 minutes straight out of the airport's bottom floor (arrivals), past the fountain, through the parking lot, and you'll find a small convenience store and cafe selling items at local prices (espresso for 0.7 DT). It is next to a utilitarian car wash.

Other airports countrywide serve national and international flights including:

Charter flight companies can arrange flight and hotel, many that waiver a visa to enter. There are also some agencies that have ongoing tours for groups and private travellers.

By boat [ edit ]

Ferry services link Tunis to Malta , Trapani and Palermo ( Sicily , Italy ), Naples ( Italy ), Genoa ( Italy ) and Marseille ( France ). Travelling boats generally leave from La Goulette port (near Tunis). Other commercial ports are also available (Rades, Gabes, Sousse, Sfax, Zarzis)

By train [ edit ]

In 2018 a direct train should have operated three times per week between Tunis and the Algerian city of Annaba . However as of 2022 it isn't.

Get around [ edit ]

Tunisair express is the domestic airline branched off of TunisAir. You can fly between Tunis and Tozeur, Djerba and Gabes, as well as flights to Malta and Napoli. French-only website, booking is available online or through agencies Tunisair Express .

By car [ edit ]

Tunisian highways resemble US Interstate or the highways of Europe with a dual carriageway: A-1 runs from Tunis south heading to Sfax, A-4 runs from Tunis north heading to Bizerte, and A-3 runs from Tunis West heading to Oued Zarga. Tunisian highways speed limit is 110 km/h. It is possible to maintain that speed on that road very easily. The routes shown on some maps have a planned extension to Gabes then Ras Jedir (Libya Frontiers) in the South as of 2011-2014 and to Ghardimaou (Algerian Frontiers) in the West, but several years later. The remaining highways have single carriageways, with traffic round-abouts at major intersections, which follow the European model (those in the roundabout have the right of way). Consequently, on roads other than the A-1,4,3 it can be difficult to maintain an average speed of more than 75 km/h most of the time as the speed limit is 90 km/h. Almost all road signs are in Arabic and French.

Like most developing countries, road accidents are the leading cause of death and injury in Tunisia. Tunisians are aggressive, poorly skilled and discourteous drivers. They are unpredictable in their driving habits, jumping traffic lights, seldom signaling when changing lanes, often ignoring traffic lights and stop signs, driving at very high rates of speed regardless of the quality of the roads or condition of their vehicles, and stopping at almost any location even though it may block other cars or potentially cause an accident. Because of the lack of sidewalks, pedestrians walk on the roads often without regard for cars or their own safety. Sadly, Tunisians seldom secure their children in appropriate car seats and these tiny passengers often bear the brunt of most accidents.

Although police are visible at many major intersections, they seldom enforce traffic rules or stop bad drivers unless it is to solicit bribes.

People unfamiliar with driving in developing countries are best to use public transportation or hire a driver.

Driving in Tunis is further compounded by narrow streets and limited parking spots. To see the Medina of Tunis, it would be best to park some distance from the Medina, and take the light rail (called TGM) in from Marsa/Carthage, the green tramway (called Metro) downtown, or perhaps a taxi in from the nearer outskirts.

Rental cars are fairly easy to find, but somewhat expensive, at DT100 or so a day, for a medium-sized car such as a four-door Renault Clio.

By taxi [ edit ]

Private taxis are reasonably priced even for long-distance travel, just be sure to agree on the fare before you set off. Sample fares for a four-seater are €40 for Tunis-Hammamet or €50 for Monastir-Hammamet. When taking the taxi within bigger towns such as Tunis, there are meters installed. Make sure it is started when you leave and in the corresponding mode (night, day, etc). A green light indicates that the taxi is already taken, a red that it is free.

• Forus Taxi (smartphone app)

The national train company SNCFT runs modern and comfortable trains from Tunis south to Sousse , Sfax and Monastir . There are three classes of service, namely Grand confort (deluxe 1st), 1st and 2nd, and all are quite adequate. Example fares from Tunis to Sousse are DT12/10/6 (€6/5/3) in Grand/1st/2nd class. Although tickets are issued with wagon/seat numbers marked on it, that is largely ignored by locals. So if you are travelling with more people, try to get onboard quickly to find adjacent seats.

A good thing to do is to buy a carte bleue (blue card). It costs around DT20 for a week and you can travel all around the country using the banlieue (short distance train) and grande ligne (long distance). For the long distance you will have to make a reservation and pay a small fee (DT1,50 or so). These passes can also be bought to cover 10 or 14 days. There are rarely queues at the booking office and a little bit of French goes a long way. Trains go also to Tozeur and Gabes in the south where it is easy to access the Sahara and Ksour regions respectively. In some stations where the frequency of trains is small (e.g. Tozeur), the ticket booth will remain closed for most of the day and reopen around the time of the departure of the next train.

A light railway (called TGM) also connects Tunis northward to Carthage and La Marsa . Take this light railway system to Sidi Bou Said as well. One-way light railway tickets will cost approximately DT0.675.

By louage [ edit ]

Locals use louage or long-haul shared taxis where there is no train or bus. There are no timetables, but they wait in the louage station (which is generally near a train station if your destination is accessible by train) until 8 people turn up. The wait is never too long in major cities, most of the time less than half an hour. They are nearly as cheap as the walk up train fares and operate with fixed prices so you won't get scalped. e.g. Douz to Gabes (120 km) for 7 dinars. While louages are very cheap, they can also be stifling hot during the summer months (although the windows are left open during the ride and that helps!) and tourists may be hassled, if only rarely - most locals will keep to themselves. Furthermore, louages have the reputation to drive at a fast pace, and to be less safe than other transportation, so be aware of that.

Louage departures are very frequent; a louage departs as soon as the seats are filled. It is acceptable to pay for an empty seat to leave earlier.

All louage cars are white, with a side stripe showing the coverage area. Louages between major cities are recognizable by their red stripe, louages within region are recognizable by their blue stripe and louages serving rural areas are recognizable by their yellow strips (the Rural Louage can be yellow with blue stripes, or a van fully painted in brown color).

By bus [ edit ]

Long distance bus (called car ) [dead link] is also a safe and economic way to travel between major cities such as Tunis, Nabeul, Hammamet, etc. You will generally find a station in each major city offering many departures per day (every 30 minutes between Tunis and Hammamet). Some of the bus locally called "car comfort" offer higher standards (TV, air conditioner) at cheap prices. Hours can be found online.

Talk [ edit ]

Arabic is the official language of Tunisia.

Tunisian Arabic (also known as Tounsi ), the local vernacular, is spoken natively by almost everyone. It is most closely related to Maltese and has loanwords from French, Turkish, Italian, and so on. Tunisian Arabic is used primarily in informal and spoken communication and is not typically used for formal or written communication. If you don't know the local dialect, do not despair; all Tunisians learn Modern Standard Arabic at school, so you should have no problems communicating in major cities.

As is the case in Morocco and Algeria , French is widely spoken and is a second language for a lot of Tunisians. The language is held in high regard; French is used in many avenues such as business, government, and commerce. French is often used to transliterate Arabic words. For example, the name "Yusuf" is transliterated as "Youssef".

English is seldom spoken and is mainly spoken in tourist areas. Code-switching is a common practice in Tunisia.

See [ edit ]

History and archaeology [ edit ]

Although Tunisia is best known today for its beach resort holidays, the country has an amazing heritage with some exceptional archaeological remains to be explored.

Little remains of Carthage , but what does is relatively well presented compared to the rest of the ruins in Tunisia. This great city of the Phoenician and Punic periods dates from the 6 th century BC and was the base of a hugely powerful empire spanning the entire south Mediterranean. Its most famous general was Hannibal who crossed the Alps to battle the Romans . Hannibal suffered his first significant defeat at the Battle of Zama in 202 BC, and after over 50 years of being watched closely by Rome, Carthage was attacked in the 3 rd Punic War and completely destroyed. The city was redeveloped by the Romans a century later, and Carthage became the capital of the Roman province of Africa. What we see today are the remains of that era.

North of the desert [ edit ]

In the northwest, Jugurtha's Table is a large mesa with a moon-like surface and deep crevasses and is normally accessed fom the town of El Kef .

The desert [ edit ]

Tunisia has some of the most accessible, beautiful Saharan desert scenery. George Lucas fans will recognise the village of Matmata . The troglodyte dwellings here were used as the set for the young Luke Skywalker's home of Tatooine. The central western desert towns of Tozeur (with the film set of Mos Eisley ) and Douz are surrounded by beautiful Saharan dune scenery. Since 2009 the oasis Ksar Ghilane is accessible by tarmac road.

Do [ edit ]

Beaches [ edit ].

Beach resort holidays in Tunisia are extremely popular, especially with Europeans. The main resorts are on the east coast from La Goulette (close to Tunis ) south to Monastir . The southern island of Djerba is an alternative. Many water sport activities are widely available or you can just relax, taking advantage of the almost relentless sunny climate.

All of Tunisia can be proud of its beaches, you just have to know where to find the "undiscovered" ones. There is a beach not far from Sousse called Chott Meriam. The beach is clean with white sand and beautiful clean sea. The best beaches of Tunisia can be found in Kelilbia, Djerba, Ghar El-Melh, Rafrafbeach, Sidi El Mekki, Sounine, Sousse and Zarzis.

A few tour organizations organize day trips from Tunis to beaches in Bizerte and around the area for a price of about DT25 per person, with a meal included. These events can be found mainly on Facebook.

Treks into the desert are an increasingly popular part of a visit to Tunisia, and the towns of Douz and Tozeur are good starting points. Close to Tozeur is the small town of Metlaoui , and this is the starting point of a great train journey. The beautifully-restored wagons date from 1904, and the luxurious train takes you into a truly stunning desert mountain landscape. Agencies organizing such treks include Libre Espace Voyage and Au Coeur du Desert.

Buy [ edit ]

Money [ edit ].

The national currency is the Tunisian dinar , denoted by the symbol " دينار " or " DT " (ISO code: TND ). Typical banknotes circulate in denominations of 5 (green), 10 (blue or brown), 20 (violet-red), 30 (orange) and 50 DT (green and purple).

Note : you are not allowed to take Tunisian dinars out of Tunisia. The Tunisian dinar is a non-convertible currency, i.e, you cannot buy it abroad.

The dinar is divided into 1000 millimes , with typical coins being 5 DT (Silver with copper insert), 2 DT, one dinar (large and silver in colour), 500 millimes (smaller, silver colour), 200, 100 and 50 millimes, (large brass), 20 and 10 millimes (smaller brass) and 5 millimes (small aluminium). It is prohibited to bring dinars in and out of Tunisia, so you have to change your money locally.

Prices are typically marked in dinars and milliemes, with a decimal point like: 5.600 or 24.000 or 0.360 sometimes with DT. Markets typically sell items by the kilogram. So tomatoes may have a sign "480" on them which means 480 millimes per kilo. Good cheese will be marked something like 12.400 DT or about US$7 a kilo. Most self-serve supermarkets expect you to put your purchases in the flimsy plastic bags they provide and then bring them to the nearby scales where a worker will weigh them and apply a price sticker.

You can withdraw local cash with a Mastercard or Visa card at many ATMs all over Tunisia.

Eat [ edit ]

Tunisian cuisine has similarities with Middle Eastern cuisine , and mainly builds on the Northern African Maghreb tradition, with couscous and marqa stews (similar to the Moroccan tajine ) forming the backbone of most meals. Distinguishing characteristics are the fiery harissa chili sauce, the heavy use of tiny olives which are abundant in the country, and the Tunisian tajine which, unlike the Moroccan dish of the same name, refers to a type of omelette-like pie prepared with a ragout of meat and/or vegetables mixed with herbs, legumes and even offal, enriched with eggs and cheese and baked in a deep pie dish until the eggs are just set, somewhat like an Italian frittata . Lamb forms the basis of most meat dishes and local seafood is plentiful. Pork and pork products are not widely available but can be found in some supermarkets and in some hotels in tourist areas.

• Harissa : very hot spicy chili paste (sometimes made more mild with carrots or yogurt), served with bread and olive oil as a starter at almost any meal.
• Shorba Frik : lamb soup
• Coucha : shoulder of lamb cooked with turmeric and cayenne pepper
• Khobz Tabouna (pronounce Khobz Taboona ): traditional oven baked bread
• Brik (pronounce Breek ): very crispy thin pastry with a whole egg ( Brik à l'œuf ), parsley and onions and sometimes meat like minced lamb or tuna ( Brik au thon ). Very tasty as an inexpensive starter. Eat it very carefully with your fingers.
• Berber Lamb : Lamb cooked with potatoes, carrots in a clay pot.
• Merguez : small spicy sausages.
• Salade tunisienne : lettuce, green pepper, tomato, onions, olives, radishes mixed with tuna.
• Salade méchouia : puréed grilled vegetable salad seasoned (often with harissa ) and served with olive oil and sometimes tuna.
• Fricassé : small fried sandwich with tuna, harissa, olives and olive oil.
• Tunisian cakes : sweets related to Baklava.
• Bambaloni : fried sweet donut-like cake served with sugar.
• Tunisian "fast food": sandwiches, makloubs (folded pizzas), "libanais"...

Regrettably, Tunisia has a very underdeveloped restaurant culture, and most food prepared in restaurants, outside of Tunisian homes or souks is disappointingly bland and carelessly presented. These characteristics tend to apply across the price scale, though one can occasionally eat tasty couscous or "coucha" stew in some low-priced restaurants. One's best hope for good eating in Tunisia is to be invited as a guest in someone's home or eat at a food stall in a souk.

Drink [ edit ]

Being a progressive Muslim-majority country, alcohol availability is restricted (but not greatly) to certain licensed (and invariably more expensive) restaurants, resort areas and Magasin Général shops. Large department stores (Carrefour at Marsa/Carthage and Hammamet) and some supermarkets (e.g. Monoprix) sell beer and wine, and some local and imported hard liquors, except during Muslim holidays. Female travelers should be aware that, outside resort and areas of significant tourist concentration, they may find themselves with a beer in a smoky bar full of men drinking in a rather dedicated fashion. Some bars will refuse to admit women, others may ask for a passport to check nationality. Look around a bar before you decide to imbibe!

• Beer : Celtia is the popular local brand, but some places also carry imported pilsner beers. Locally brewed Löwenbräu is decent, and Heineken has entered in the Tunisian market in 2007. Celtia "En Pression" (On Tap) is good. Celestia is a non-alcoholic beer which is also popular.
• Wine : Most places that serve alcohol will have Tunisian wine, which is quite good. Tunisian wine always was produced by French oenologists. Most of it was exported to France till the 1970s. Wine cooperatives were left and produce 80% of the wine which is served mostly to tourists. Since the privatisation of some parts of these cooperatives the international taste of wine entered the market in Tunisia. The small companies like Domaine Atlas, St. Augustin, Ceptunes etc. have successfully established the new generation of Tunisian wine. Importation of wine is extremely difficult because of very high taxes. Some high-end hotel restaurants can make French or Italian wines miraculously appear at a price.
• Boukha : is a Tunisian spirit made from the distillation of figs.
• Coffee : served strong in small cups. Tunisian cappuccino is also served strong in small cups. "Café crème" is available in many tourist areas and may even appear in an "American Cup". Local favorites include the capucin (espresso macchiato) and the direct (latte).
• Tea : is generally taken after meals. Sometimes served with pine nuts floating in the tea.
• Mint Tea : very sweet peppermint tea that is taken at any time of the day.

Sleep [ edit ]

There are lots of fine hotels in Tunisia. Many smaller hotels can be found in major cities, tucked into most roads. Hotel star ratings are not at par with European and US standards - a 4-star Tunisian hotel is the equivalent of a 3-star hotel elsewhere.

You can also rent a furnished apartment. Some private people offer their own apartments for rent especially in summer.

It is advisable to organise your accommodations online or by phone prior to your arrival. Other than pricier hotels, most accommodations don't seem to have a website. French would be handy when booking accommodations.

Work [ edit ]

Finding work in Tunisia is difficult , even for Tunisian nationals. Tunisia has a high unemployment rate − 16.1% as of May 2023 − which, as obvious as it sounds, is as good as saying that there's not enough work for anyone. Most of Tunisia's unemployed are university graduates, and many Tunisians move abroad in search of better opportunities.

Unemployment has long been a problem successive Tunisian governments have dealt with, and it was one of the factors that ignited the Tunisian Revolution. Since the end of the revolution in 2011, the government has largely failed to create enough employment opportunities for Tunisia's university graduates. A major terrorist attack in 2015, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, dealt a big blow to the country's tourism industry.

One seldom manages life in the country effectively without knowing either Arabic, French, or both, so try to acquire the necessary language skills. Doing so will open many doors for you.

While pick-up restaurant and handyman jobs are common in other countries, these positions are much less likely to present themselves in Tunisia because of local competition. It's better to arrange for a job before coming to Tunisia.

Average wages in Tunisia are low compared to Western nations.

Stay safe [ edit ]

Violence [ edit ].

Tunisia has undergone a revolution and is in a contentious transitional period. While large-scale violence is not occurring, demonstrations do still happen from time to time, and are sometimes violent or broken up brutally. So consult your foreign office to check on current conditions before traveling to Tunisia, and do your best to steer clear of any large demonstrations that may occur while you are there.

In 2015, Islamist terrorists targeted tourists in Tunisia. In March 24 people were killed at the Bardo Museum in Tunis and in June a terrorist shot dead 39 tourists at a beach and a hotel in Sousse . For a time after the incident the UK government had recommended that its citizens leave Tunisia and not visit for anything other than essential travel. That advice has now been downgraded and the normal tourist coastal areas are considered safe. However, the border areas with Libya and in parts Algeria are still not safe areas.

Female travelers [ edit ]

It is apparently not considered rude for a man to stare at a woman's body which should indicate that modesty will attract less attention. Women can expect to be the target of frequent catcalls ("Gazelle" seems to be especially popular). If you travel as part of a couple, stay together as much as possible as the female traveller should not wander around on her own if she doesn't want to be pestered. The pestering usually amounts to nothing more than bizarre words and the occasional touch but it can be extremely persistent and annoying.

Tunisian women often wear outfits that would normally be seen on the streets of any major world city (tight jeans, slinky top), but they do so while showing traditional modesty by exposing virtually no skin. Arms are covered down to the wrists, collars go to the neck (cleavage is non-existent) and a head scarf may be worn. Western women visiting can minimize attention by selecting clothing that minimizes skin shown. V-necks are fine if another layer with a higher collar is worn underneath.

Note that in most towns, there are outdoor cafes around squares and on the streets, but they are only for men; even when accompanied by men, women are not welcome. Prices are much cheaper in these cafes than mixed gender cafes and tearooms found in Tunis.

Money and scams [ edit ]

Travellers report problems being pestered either to buy something or for other purposes. Persistence is a major complaint. Some say that a refusal often results in a bad reaction, "being hissed at" is one example, but those who have been advised to refuse politely with a smile rarely complain. "Non, Merci" is a very good response, with a smile. This seems to be borne out by the reports of sole female travellers who you would expect to receive the most attention, but who often report the least problems (from an admittedly small sample), perhaps because they are more cautious than accompanied females. It certainly seems to be the case that sole female sea bathers attract a good deal of unwelcome attention (even molestation) until a male friend arrives.

Theft of belongings, even from hotel rooms and room safes, is widely reported and the usual caveats apply - keep valuables in a secure place (e.g. supervised hotel safe deposit), do not flash too much cash, and keep wallets, purses and other desirable items where pick pockets cannot reach them. A good recommendation is only to carry enough cash for your immediate requirements and only one credit or bank card, provided you can be assured of the security of your reserves. Besides, most of the Automatic Bank-notes distributors are available and foreign credit cards are accepted. You can take cash (in equivalent Tunisian dinars) directly from your bank account with a small extra fee (bank transaction from €1 to €2).

Theft is also reported at airports. Keep your belongings under your direct supervision all the time.

When it's time to settle the bill in a Tunisian cafe or restaurant, it's advisable to ensure that you are presented with an actual paper, itemised copy of a bill before handing over any money. Frequently, your waiter will claim to have calculated your total amount due in their heads and this will always be more than you actually owe. Also, check prices on menus before ordering. Some establishments will claim to have no menus, they usually have wall mounted menus. Tunisian workers are extremely low paid (£300 per month approx) and will frequently try and take advantage of tourists without their wits around them.

Be aware that the export of Tunisian currency is forbidden and searches of wallets and purses can, and do, occur at Tunis airport. You are not permitted to take Tunisian currency out of the country, but the money exchanges at the airport will generally refuse to change your Tunisian currency to foreign currency. If you proceed through immigration and are found with more than DT20 - 30, you will be invited to return landside to change them. The problem is that this "invitation" will come after you have already been through passport control and handed in your exit card; therefore it is not practical. You will then be invited to hand some or all of your Tunisian money (which in any case cannot be spent in the duty free shops) to the uniformed official. Arguing will get you nowhere and a request for a receipt will be met with an outright refusal. Judging from the way the money is swiftly palmed, you will have almost certainly just paid a bribe.

Customs agents may approach you as soon as you have checked in, to ask how much foreign currency you have with you. You may then be escorted a private office where two or more agents count the money, note the amount, and then return it to you. Be sure to check that they have returned the correct amount as there are reports of substantial discrepancy between the amount you gave and the amount that was returned.

Tunisian dual nationals [ edit ]

Tunisia has recognised multiple citizenship since 1975.

If you are a Tunisian citizen – being a dual citizen of Tunisia, having a Tunisian parent, or being a naturalised citizen – possessing another passport will not grant you consular access and protection in the event you get detained or arrested.

Stay healthy [ edit ]

Health care [ edit ]

Tunisia, especially in tourist destinations and major cities, has hospitals of international standard. The quality of medical care is generally better and more accessible in the capital Tunis and other major cities. Public health services in the larger cities are reasonably functional, but often suffer from a lack of resources.

There are several private clinics of international standard in the Tunisian capital and tourist centres. Private clinics operate in a hospital-like manner and perform a wide range of procedures. The availability of specialised health care services can be limited. International clinics are staffed by English-speaking doctors, but other staff, especially on the public side, often speak only Arabic or French. Ambulance services are limited outside urban areas.

A few clinics in the capital Tunis include Clinique Internationale Hannibal, Les Cliniques El Manar, Clinique Saint Augustin and Polyclinique Les Berges du Lac.

Dental care in Tunis is provided by DENTYSS (Montplaisir).

In Soussé, some hotels have their own doctors who will make medical visits if necessary. Other clinics in the town include Clinique Essalem and Clinique Les Oliviers.There is also a private clinic in Hammamet, Polyclinique Hammamet.

For more information on public health care prices, visit the Tunisian Ministry of Health website in French. Prices should be verified separately on the spot.

It is highly recommended that you have comprehensive travel insurance when travelling to Tunisia. Without insurance, medical fees can often be quite high. Health care providers often require a cash advance. Most places do not accept payment commitments from certain insurance companies, and only some accept credit cards.

Pharmacies in Tunisia are easy to find and are usually open late. The contact details of the pharmacy on duty can often be found on the doors or windows of pharmacies.

Tips [ edit ]

• Sunburn - Please remember that the sun is frequently your biggest enemy and frequently apply a high (factor 30 or better) sun screen. It is usually cheaper in your local super market than at the holiday destination.
• Be careful what and where you eat and drink (remember the ice cubes too); diarrhea is a common complaint from incautious travellers. The tap water in the high-end Tunis-Carthage-Marsa area seems to be safe (2006).

Vaccinations [ edit ]

Always check with your doctor 4-8 weeks before traveling (the 4-8 weeks is important, as some vaccinations take weeks to become effective, and with polio you can be contagious for a while too):

• Yellow fever is required for all travelers arriving from a yellow-fever-infected area in Africa or the Americas.
• Hepatitis A is usually recommended Two Havrix injections, given 6 months apart, provide 10 years of Hep A protection
• Hepatitis B - Highly recommended if likely to have intimate contact with locals or if visiting for more than 6 months.

Respect [ edit ]

Tunisia is a Muslim-majority country, and one should be mindful of the dress code depending on the region. Whilst a lot of skin (even topless) is tolerated on beaches and within hotel complexes, a modest amount of exposed skin may be frowned upon outside these areas. That said, the country is also home to long-established Christian and Jewish minorities who are free to practice their religions, but may not proselytize to Muslims.

Be aware that the further south one travels, the more conservative Tunisia becomes. While most women wear western-style clothing in the Capital (which is a mix of Mediterranean, European and Middle Eastern cultures), Southern Tunisia is more conservative and far more traditional.

Ramadan [ edit ]

At least one Tunisian tourist website says that after the revolution the 2011 Ramadan was more strictly observed, and the same for the following years. For three days at the end of July 2012, the vast majority of shops were closed during the day, although the Tunis medina was mostly open. Virtually all of the restaurants were closed. Beyond a few tourists drinking coke, not a single person was eating or drinking during the day, even at the touristy cafes at Sidi Bou Said.

In Tunis, on the Ave Habib Bourgiba, all of the cafes had their tables put away until after iftar (the breaking of the fast) at sunset, around 19:30. After that many people were out, and you could order food at some cafes, and coffee and desserts at others. Just before the iftar, Ave Habib Bourgiba is completely devoid of life and other-wordly. At smaller cafes, like 3 Etoiles on Rue Mustapha M'Barek, you can see families and men sitting around tables full of food, waiting for sunset.

At night, though, the medina comes alive - huge crowds are out and throng the street, which is definitely something to experience! Shops and supermarkets are often open till midnight.

Be prepared for a somewhat unique experience if you choose to visit Tunisia during Ramadan. During the daylight hours, eat and drink (even water), very discretely. Buy bread and focaccia from the street vendors in the evening for lunch the next day, or find one of the local shops that is still open to buy something to tide you over. Virtually no one drinks alcohol, and your best bet (at least in Tunis) might be the Hotel Africa.

Connect [ edit ]

Telephone [ edit ].

Public telephones are available in all towns and cities and in most villages under either the name of Publitel or Taxiphone - in cities simply look around - there is at least one on every street. International calls tend to be quite expensive (DT 1,000/minute to call anywhere in the EU). There are three mobile GSM operators, private Ooredoo , private Orange , Tunisia state-owned Tunisie Telecom all offering wide mobile coverage (including some oasis in the Sahara). Rates tend to be quite low for domestic calls, but very high for international calls (around DT 1,500/minute). Ask for a carte prépayée for a prepaid SIM card. Orange in July 2016 was offering 2 for 1 packs (30 mins + 500mb for a month for DT2.5) and free SIM cards for tourists entering in Tunis airport.

Emergency Call

• 197 Police emergency number - general emergency
• 198 Health emergency number - Ambulance SAMU
• 1200 Telephone information

Internet [ edit ]

Public internet access is available in many cities and towns, usually using the Publinet logo. Look for a large purple sign with the Publinet logo. Access is usually 0.8DT/hour, and speeds tend to be quite low (1024 kbit/s is the norm in Sousse and 4096 in Tunis ). Home internet (ADSL) is not as expensive as it used to be, you can have 1 year ADSL of 4096 kbps speed, for just DT400 per year. You can also have 3G internet access through any cell phone carriers (Tunisie Telecom, Orange Tunisia or Tunisiana),FTP and peer-to-peer access is available anywhere in Tunisia, there is no access restriction by the government anymore. USB keys for internet are rather popular and can be found for varying periods, even for short stays.

Post [ edit ]

La Poste Tunisienne is quite efficient and fast. Post restante is offered in certain (bigger) offices. A stamp for international letters costs DT 0,600.

Rapide Post is the Poste's service for sending mail and packages quickly. Once a Rapide Post package enters the US it is handled by FedEx. It is the best and most secure way to send things in Tunisia.

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Tunisia Travel Guide – All About Visiting Tunisia

Planning holidays in Tunisia? You will not be disappointed! The country was one of my best travel discoveries recently; I was so impressed with all the remarkable monuments, historical sites, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, beautiful landscapes, hospitable locals, and friendly vibe. Whether you are traveling to Tunisia to relax on the beach or to explore this fascinating country, you are in for a treat.

I put together this Tunisia travel guide to help you prepare for your trip to Tunisia with all the info you might need. In this article, you will find all you need to know about visiting Tunisia and having a hassle-free time there. Read on, plan your trip, and enjoy Tunisia!

Planning a trip to Tunisia?

Here are the services I always use and personally recommend:

• Accommodation : I always book a place to stay on Booking.com
• Tours: when I decide to go on a tour I use either Viator or Get Your Guide .
• For transportation and booking tickets online , I usually use 12Go or Omio
• Looking for the airport pickup ? Check Welcome Pickups!
• If you plan to rent a car during your trip to Tunisia check Discover Cars to compare prices and find the best deals
• Get insured for your trip to Tunisia with SafetyWing

Table of Contents

Basic information on Tunisia

Where is tunisia.

Tunisia, a country of over twelve million inhabitants, is located in North Africa, on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It neighbors Algeria on the west and Lybia on the east.

Why visit Tunisia

For some reason, Tunisia isn’t as popular among tourists as nearby Morocco and Egypt , yet the country offers exceptional sights and monuments and perfect opportunities for relaxing holidays at the sea. It is also not so spoiled by tourism as the two countries mentioned above, which makes visiting Tunisia so much easier and more pleasant.

If you are looking for exceptional Roman ruins, vibrant yet charming medinas, beautiful architecture, stunning views, or even some alternative sites – Tunisia is a place for you. There are so many great places to visit and things to do in Tunisia that you will be impressed with all the country has to offer!

Planning a trip to Tunisia

Best time to visit tunisia.

The best time to visit Tunisia is spring (April-May) or autumn (October-November). The weather is good then, perfect for relaxing on the beach and sightseeing. Summer months can be too hot even for sun lovers.

I visited Tunisia in early January, and it was perfect for sightseeing, with mostly sunny days and temperatures around 15-20C (sometimes even more). There were also very few tourists around, making sightseeing much nicer.

Insurance for Tunisia

I believe you should always have insurance when you travel as you never know what might happen, and better safe than sorry. And the same goes for a trip to Tunisia. You can buy travel insurance with the trusted company, SafetyWings, here .

Visa for Tunisia

Most nationalities don’t need a visa for a stay of up to 90 days. If you are from some countries in Africa, Asia, or South America, chances are you need a Tunisian visa before entering the country. You can get it in the embassy of Tunisia near you.

Before planning a trip to Tunisia, be sure to consult the website of the Tunisian embassy or your local Ministry of Foreign Affairs to check if a visa is required.

How to get to Tunisia

Unfortunately, Tunisia is not on the route of low-cost airlines, so getting there might be a bit tricky and expensive (that’s the most budget-consuming thing about visiting Tunisia). I flew with Air France via Paris, but you can also fly directly to Tunis from Rome, Cairo, Casablanca, Doha, Frankfurt, Istanbul, or Dubai. Check the local airline Tunisair, too, as it serves many direct flights to European airports.

Another good option to fly to Tunisia might be a charter flight. They serve primarily tourists who decide to go for resort holidays, but you don’t need to buy the whole package to use them; you can get the flight ticket only and use them too. Charter flights usually go to popular holiday destinations in Tunisia, which include the airports of Djerba, Enfidha–Hammamet, and Monastir.

I was considering flying charter to Tunisia, but flights from Poland were only once a week, on Thursdays, and the price wasn’t much lower than Air France that I used (where I could choose the dates that suited me). It’s worth checking charter flights, but in the end, the regular flight might still be your best option.

How many days for visiting Tunisia

The optimal time for visiting Tunisia is 10-14 days. This way, you can see all the highlights and best attractions in Tunisia as well as relax a bit at the seaside. Of course, the more, the better, but even with only one week in Tunisia, you can see a lot.

I spent ten days in Tunisia and was satisfied with what I saw then. Still, I wouldn’t mind spending an extra day or two simply doing nothing and enjoying the laid-back atmosphere of the seaside.

You can read my detailed 10-day Tunisia itinerary here.

What to see in Tunisia

Tunisia offers so many amazing places to visit, and what makes it a great destination is the diversity of attractions. Spectacular Roman ruins, incredible vibrant medinas, long sandy beaches, charming towns, and so much more – Tunisia has it all!

Some of the best places to visit in Tunisia (that I was lucky to see) are:

• Tunis – the capital of the country, with beautiful, UNESCO-listed medina and interesting architecture from the French colonial period
• Carthage – impressive ruins of the Phoenician city from the 6th century BCE and the most significant trade metropolis of the antique world, another UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Sidi Bou Said – a charming town on the coast just outside of Tunis, famous for its traditional white-blue houses and winding lanes
• Bulla Regia – an impressive archeological site known for its Hadrianic-era semi-subterranean housing and numerous mosaics still left in place
• Dougga – one of the best and most well-preserved Roman ruins I’ve ever seen, a massive site packed with original buildings from ancient times, another UNESCO site
• Testour – a 16th-century shelter for the Muslim and Jewish refugees from Andalusia who gave a distinctive look to the town
• El Jem – home to one of the best preserved Roman amphitheaters in the world, dating back to the 3rd century, included on the UNESCO World Heritage List
• Sousse – the third largest city in Tunisia, with UNESCO-listed medina and a great Archeological Museum, famous also for its long and sandy beach
• Kairouan – another UNESCO place, the town is known as a holy city in Islam, with incredible medina and stunning Great Mosque, among other attractions
• Djerba – the island is popular as a holiday destination for its long and sandy beaches, but you can also find there some alternative sites such as the town with over 200 murals or numerous abandoned hotels
• Ksar Ghilane – an Oasis on the edge of the Sahara desert
• Chenini – an old Berber village built into the mountains, partly abandoned
• Tataouine – the city is known primarily thanks to the Star Wars movies; you will find in and around the place numerous inspiration and filming locations for great films

Other interesting places that I missed but are still worth visiting include numerous seaside towns perfect for relaxing holidays (Hammamet, Nabeul, or Monastir), Chott el Djerid (the vast salt lake), Sbeitla (another ancient town), Matmata (the Berber village and the Star Wars filming location), or Tozeur and nearby mountain oasis villages.

How to get from Tunis airport to the center

Apparently, some infrequent buses run between the airport and the center of Tunis, but I’ve never seen them (and in total, I was four times at the Tunis Carthage airport). The best option is to take a taxi. The fair prices I found online are 30 TND in the day and 45 TND at night, but everything depends on the negotiation skills and meter use.

Fortunately, in Tunis, you can use Bolt cars and find the ride in the app. That’s what I did in Tunis, and I never paid more than 10 TND (that included my tip) for the ride between the airport and the center, doesn’t matter what time of the day I was going (once I had to be at the airport around 5 in the morning and price for Bolt was 6 TND at that time).

Since the area around the airport can be confusing for finding the car, I suggest going outside to the roundabout and getting the ride there (here is the exact location). It is so much easier and stress-free this way. When I arrived, I couldn’t find my driver at the airport, and eventually, we met at the roundabout; the second time, I went directly there and ordered my ride from that point.

How to get around cities

Again, taxis are your best option. In Tunis and Sousse, you can use Bolt, and that makes everything so much easier. In other places, like Djerba, you can use regular taxis. I found the taxi drivers in Djerba honest, and I wasn’t scammed even once there; usually, I even paid less than I assumed for the ride.

How to get around Tunisia

Tunisia doesn’t have very well-developed railway lines; however, you can use the train during your trip, especially on the Tunis – Sousse – El Jam route. You can find the schedules here, at the official website of Tunisian Railways.

The trains are a bit old but surprisingly comfortable, and the journey doesn’t take that long, although delays happen. There are two classes on the train, and I recommend getting tickets for the 1st class as they are not much more expensive, but the comfort level is much better.

Since I’m used to getting tickets in advance, just to be sure I have a seat secured, I went to the train station in Tunis shortly after arriving to get all my tickets. As it turned out, there was no need for that as everyone got the tickets just before the departure. You can go to the train station 15 minutes before the train and get the ticket there.

While the coach and seat are indicated on the ticket, no one cares about that, so sit wherever you want to, as long as the class is correct.

You can also take the suburban train from Tunis to Carthage and Sidi Bou Said. They depart frequently from the small Tunis Marine station, just a short walk away from the clocktower in the center of the city.

You buy the ticket in the window just before entering the platform – the same system works everywhere on this line. The ticket is really cheap, less than 1 TND for the ride from Tunis to Carthage or Sidi Bou Said.

Louages are the most popular way to travel around Tunisia. These minibusses can fit up to 10 people and depart when full. The whole system might look hectic, and the louages station can be a bit overwhelming, but everything is relatively straightforward and easy.

In bigger stations, you can find the signs with destinations, but even if they are not there, someone will tell you where to go so you won’t be lost for too long. You buy the ticket for the route you are interested in, and then you are pointed to the right car; once all the passengers arrive, you are ready to go.

I took louages from Sousse to Kairouan and back, and I never had to wait more than 5 minutes to go. As for the comfort, it depends on what kind of car you will get. On the way to Kairouan, the louage was jammed, and even if it was only an hour-long journey, my knees weren’t happy. However, on the way back to Sousse, it was spacious, and I could have easily gone in this kind of car for a few hours.

If you are short on time in your itinerary or don’t want to spend too many hours in louages, consider flying within Tunisia. At first, I was planning to take a louage from Sousse to Djerba, but it takes around 6 hours, leaving me with not enough time to explore the island, so I’ve decided to take the plane from Tunis to Djerba. And it was a perfect decision.

The flight was operated by Tunisiar Express and served by smaller planes – ATR 72. There is no online check-in, so you still need to wait in the queue at the airport, but at least you get checked luggage in the price. The flight time between Tunis and Djerba is around one hour.

Another place you might consider flying to/from is Tozeur, right in the heart of the Sahara, in the central part of the country, some 450 km away from Tunis.

Unfortunately, not every interesting place and tourist attraction is reachable by public transport in Tunisia (or it’s too much hassle if you’re in the country only for a short time). That’s why it’s worth considering the tour. They might be a bit expensive, but in most cases, they are definitely worth it as the places you visit are pretty impressive, and it would be a pity to miss them when visiting Tunisia.

I went on two tours during my trip, from Tunis to Dougga and Bulla Regia and from Djerba to the Sahara desert and Chenini. I booked both of them in advance on Viator , and I was really satisfied with the choice as both tours and all the places were incredible. I booked both tours in advance, before arriving (that’s my preferred way of planning a trip), but I think you might also get them organized by your hotel when you are in Tunisia.

Language in Tunisia

The official language in Tunisia is Arabic, but French is widely spoken due to its history and connections with France. If you know French, you are good to go. I had to try really hard to remember some basic French from when I learned it at school some 20 years ago.

Getting around with English can be complicated as it’s not that popular, and sometimes it’s a bit hard to communicate with people only in English. But everyone is friendly, and they will do their best to help you and make you feel welcome even with the language barrier.

Money in Tunisia

The currency of Tunisia is the Tunisian dinar (TND). At the time of writing this article, 1 TND was worth 0,30€ or 0,33$. The banknotes are 5, 10, 20, and 50 TND; the coins are 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 millimes, and 1/2, 1, 2 and 5 dinars.

Getting money in Tunisia

There are plenty of ATMs around where you can get money in Tunisia. Most of them charge a small fee for withdrawing money, usually 10-12 dinars – what’s interesting is that sometimes the fee varies even among the ATMs of the same bank. The only ATM that didn’t take a fee was the STB bank ATM in the arrivals at Tunis airport, just after the passport control but before collecting the luggage.

I used ATMs a few times and never had any issues, but I always use ATMs located at the bank, just in case. I also used my Revolut card.

Payment by card

Unfortunately, paying by card isn’t very common in Tunisia, so having cash with you is better; consider it when taking money from an ATM. I used a card only a handful of times, in hotels and at the airport; everywhere else, I paid by card.

Prices in Tunisia

Tunisia is, in fact, a very affordable country, and I was surprised by the prices there. To give you a few examples: a 3-star hotel in Djerba, with breakfast, was less than 30€/night, the first class train ticket from Tunis to Sousse was a bit over 3€, a hearty meal in one of the best restaurants in Sousse medina was 10€ and a quick fast food lunch was around 3€. The bottle of water is around 0,40€ and the bottle of cola around 0,80€. The fresh orange juice is around 1€. The cappuccino in Tunis cafe with the exceptional view of the medina is 2€.

Entrance fee to attractions

Most attractions and monuments require a ticket, which is another really affordable thing in Tunisia. I paid between 5 and 12 TND for entrance fees.

If you decide to go to the Sahara desert, most likely you will go to the oasis Ksar Ghilan. You can go a bit into the desert on a camel or a quad there. The prices for around a 45-minute trip are 10€ for a camel or 30€ for a quad.

Safety in Tunisia

The most common question I got about traveling to Tunisia was about safety. As you might remember, in 2015, Tunisia was targeted by ISIS. Two of three terrorist attacks that took place then were aimed at tourists (in the Bardo Museum in Tunis and the seaside resort near Sousse). Since then, tourism in Tunisia really collapsed as people were afraid to travel to a potentially dangerous zone.

But a few years have passed, and Tunisia slowly gets back on the travel map, with more and more travelers deciding to visit the country. Most of them are, however, going on resort holidays or organized tours.

During my trip to Tunisia, I’ve barely seen independent tourists besides me, and exploring such an unpopular place was an interesting experience. But I’ve never really felt unsafe there. Quite the contrary, actually, as everyone was friendly and welcoming. I was expecting a bit of the hassle in tourist spots, similar to those you get in Morocco or Egypt, but during my whole stay there, I had only one encounter with the annoying local who insisted on showing me around the medina in Kairouan – he was quickly yelled at by the local lady from the shop and run away.

That said, you must follow safety rules like everywhere else and use common sense. Before your trip, check the warnings of your local Ministry of Foreign Affairs to see if there is any part of Tunisia that you should avoid.

Solo female travel in Tunisia

I can’t count how many times I’ve heard the question of why I’m traveling solo in Tunisia (my usual answer was, “Why not?”). The concept of solo female travel isn’t popular there, and people couldn’t get why I’ve come there alone. But even if they didn’t fully understand, they were still very friendly and hospitable.

I didn’t have a single situation where I felt unsafe. The only time I felt more self-conscious than usual was when I was exploring abandoned hotels in Djerba, but it had nothing to do with the danger and more to do with my mind playing tricks. If you follow basic safety rules and your intuition, you will be fine.

Internet in Tunisia

Internet in Tunisia isn’t as widely available as you might wish. You can connect to wifi in hotels or some restaurants and cafes, but I would generally not rely on it too much. In two out of three hotels I’ve stayed at, I used my mobile data to surf online as wifi was too poor or acting up.

SIM card in Tunisia

As soon as I landed at Tunis airport, I got myself a local SIM card with internet data. There are three mobile phone networks you can choose from (Ooredoo, Orange, Tunisie Telecom), I went for Orange as their stand was the first one, just after passport control. There, I got a free SIM card with only a few bites included, but I went to the Orange shop in the arrivals, where they put the local SIM card in my phone and added extra bites. I paid 20 TND for 6 GB, which was more than enough for my trip. Maybe I overpaid, but then I saved the money on the Bolt ride from the airport versus taking the taxi, so I was good with that price.

When traveling around Tunisia, I didn’t complain about the network coverage. The only place where my Orange network didn’t work, but the other one (Tuntel) did, was the Sahara desert and near it.

You can also get a eSIM with Airalo for your trip to Tunisia, this way you will stay connected without all the hassle of getting a local SIM card. Click here to get the Airalo eSIM.

What to eat in Tunisia

The most popular food you can try in Tunisia is couscous, apparently the best in the world. It is prepared with spicy tomato sauce; you can choose different additions: meat, fish, or vegetables. Other dishes you might want to try include ojja – spicy tomato sauce with poached eggs and merguez; soups (like chorba or lablabi); tajine – the Tunisian version is made of eggs, potatoes, onion, garlic, parsley, grated cheese, happy cow cheese, salt, pepper, and turmeric (and then some extras, such as chicken, shrimps, or spinach), omek houria (spicy carrot salad), and tabouna (a traditional Tunisian bread).

Vegetarian in Tunisia

I was surprised by the challenge of being a vegetarian in Tunisia. In many of the restaurants, there was not a single vegetarian option on the menu, but as I quickly learned, it was not a problem at all. Everywhere I asked, they did something vegetarian for me – usually couscous with vegetables, which was so delicious I didn’t mind eating it every second day. Sometimes, it was a less fancy meal – an omelet or rice with salad, but the point is, I never was hungry.

Just a word of warning – if you can, treat the local pizza as a last resort. I had it twice, as it was the only option, and in both cases, it wasn’t the best food I’ve ever had. It was edible, of course, and I didn’t feel bad afterward; it just wasn’t very tasty, and I think the cheese was to be blamed for it.

What to drink in Tunisia

The absolute best thing you can drink in Tunisia is freshly squeezed juice, most often orange, but sometimes you can also find pomegranate. You can get it in most cafes and restaurants as well as from random vendors around, and usually, it’s very cheap, like 2-3 TND for a cup. I had it every single day (sometimes a few times), and it never got boring!

Another local drink I enjoyed was the mint tea. I’m a huge black-tea-no-sugar drinker, but somehow, I enjoyed this overly sweet drink. I was familiar with this kind of tea already from Morocco, but I still ordered it numerous times during my trip and enjoyed every single cup.

Alcohol in Tunisia is legal, but you are not allowed to drink it in public spaces, such as beaches, parks, etc. You can buy it in bigger stores; alcohol is also served in some restaurants and resort hotels in popular tourist destinations.

Where to stay in Tunisia

Since Tunisia is a popular seaside destination, you can find numerous hotels, including big resorts, along the Mediterranean coast. When it comes to staying in less popular places, the choice is smaller but still there.

You can find a place to stay and book your accommodation on Booking , that’s what I did too.

Power plugs in Tunisia

Tunisia uses type C and E power plugs; the European plugs work fine there.

Useful apps

The two most useful apps for me in Tunisia were Bolt for ordering taxis in Tunis and Sousse and Google Translate, which I downloaded in French and Arabic before the trip. I also used a lot of maps.me and Google Maps when getting around.

I can’t recommend visiting Tunisia enough. It was like a better version of Morocco or Egypt, with great ancient sites and bustling medinas but without many scams, overwhelming tourism, and annoying situations. It’s a matter of time before the country becomes a tourist hotspot again, so hurry up and visit Tunisia soon and enjoy all the greatness it has to offer.

Travel Resources

Below you can find the brands I trust and use when planning trips:

• You can find the best accommodation options at Booking . They have many discounts and excellent customer service. Click here to look for the place to stay in Tunisia
• I recommend joining organized tours to get to know the place better and to visit more places during your trip. You can find a great selection of tours at Viator or Get Your Guide .
• To always stay connected I use Airalo eSim cards – click here to get yours!
• Never travel without travel insurance , you never know what might happen and better safe than sorry. You can check the insurance policy for Tunisia here.
• Make sure to have the offline map always installed on your phone, they can save you so many troubles. I always use the free app Maps.Me .

For the end I left a few announcements that might interest you:

• Sign up to my newsletter or follow me on Bloglovin to get updates about the new posts
• Join my Facebook group about Eastern Europe, the Balkans and former USSR and connect with fellow travellers and enthusiasts of these regions – just click here!
• I’ve included a few handy links of services and products I personally like and use so you can plan your own trip to Tunisia too. They are often affiliate links. This means I will get a small commission if you book/purchase anything through my links, at no extra costs for you. Thank you!

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12 Comments

ALI KHAMMASSI

Hi Kami, I’m a licensed tunisian guide, i just want to thank you for the great job that you did and that you are doing. You’ve been a very good ambassador for my country .

Thank you. I really enjoyed my trip to Tunisia and I’ll gladly recommend the country to other travelers.

Hi Kami yours are the most helpful infos i found on tunisia. Just 1 question. Aren’t there any mini buses? I know them from kenya and türkiye. One can get on and off anywhere. No bus stop needed. Have you seen those too?

There are no minibuses like for example in Eastern Europe but there is a shared public transport with louages. I wrote about them in this article.

Thank you so much for writing this blog! We just visited Tunisia, and there isn’t a lot of quality information out that. Super appreciation all of the information, we used your blog non stop as a guide to help!

Thank you for your kind comment, I’m really happy you found my blog useful for your trip. All the best!

Charles Stewart

Hi Kami –

I’ll be in Tunisia in March and just read your travel guide. You’ve provided some very helpful tips and answered any question I might have at the planning stage. Excellent intro to an unfamiliar country…thank you!!

I’m very glad you found it useful. Have a wonderful trip to Tunisia! I’m sure you will enjoy this fascinating country!

BENJAMIN ABOSI

Thank you for sharing your tourism experience in Tunisia, the information is very interesting and I will like to get more of your traveling experiences. I wish to be your friend because I love traveling a lot.

I’m glad you found this article useful. All the best!

Jennifer diPretoro

Thank you for such a great article about Tunisia–I’m planning a trip in early April and this is enormously helpful !

I’m glad to hear that! Have a wonderful trip!

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Travel to Tunisia in 2024: Tips + Itinerary

By Joan Torres 20 Comments Last updated on April 12, 2024

From the most epic Roman ruins in Africa to crystal Mediterranean beaches, the Sahara and a great Berber culture, Tunisia is a small piece of land with a lot to offer and is a great alternative to Morocco as, basically, you get a similar Maghrebi culture with the difference that many parts of Tunisia remain unvisited and the country is mostly free of the classic scams.

The golden era in which Tunisia used to be a prime tourist destination came to an end with the 2015 terrorist attacks   – unfortunately – but, even during those times, the vast majority of visitors were resort-like tourists, the most adventurous ones visiting the most typical tourist attractions on an organized tour.

Even my parents visited Tunisia for a few days many years ago, but went there with everything organized.

This means that Tunisia hasn’t really witnessed the arrival of independent travelers and I believe this is one of the things that make any trip to Tunisia a great travel experience, as you will be continuously meeting curious, kind-hearted locals everywhere you go.

No more than a few hours from any European city by air, this is perhaps, the closest and easiest exotic, offbeat destination to visit during your 1 or 2-week holiday.

This guide contains everything you need to know to travel to Tunisia , including travel tips and a compelling 2-week itinerary.

I also recommend you read: How to visit Tunis in 3 days

In this Tunisia travel guide you will find:

Table of Contents

• Getting there
• Travel insurance
• Best time to visit
• Tour or not?
• The people, the country
• Moving around
• Is it safe?
• Day 1, 2 – Tunis
• Day 3 – Sousse
• Day 4 – Monastir
• Day 5 – Kairouan
• Day 6 – El Jem
• Day 7 – Sfax
• Day 8, 9 – Tataouine & around
• Day 10, 11 – Tozeur & around
• Day 12 – El Kef
• Day 13 – Jugurtha Tableland
• Day 14 – Dougga
• More information

eSIM for browsing, calling and planning your itinerary in Tunisia

With Holafly , you can now get an electronic SIM card for Tunisia from home with just 2 clicks.

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🪪 How to get a tourist visa for Tunisia

Pretty much any nationality can get a 3-month visa-free on arrival.

🛫 How to get to Tunisia

How to travel to tunisia by air.

Tunis International Airport has connections with several European cities and other major cities in Africa. I recommend you check on Tunisair and Skyscanner. I personally flew from Barcelona with Tunisair.

How to travel to Tunisia by land

Tunisia has a border with Algeria and Libya .

• Algeria – You can travel to Tunisia from Algeria and use the entry point near Tabarka – not sure if foreigners can use the other borders.
• Libya – You can’t really cross from Libya, not because the border is closed but because, currently, Libya is not issuing tourist visas and the only way to get in is via an agency who will fake a business visa for you, and they don’t recommend you enter or exit via Tunisia, as it would not be credible that you came to Libya for business purposes.

🚑 Travel Insurance for Tunisia

For Tunisia, get IATI Insurance :

• All types of plans: from families to budget backpackers
• Covers both short-term trips and up to 1-year long trips.
• Covers senior citizens too
• Readers of this blog can get a 5% exclusive discount

⛅ Best time to visit Tunisia

The best thing about Tunisia is that this is really a year-round destination.

The northern part of the country is purely Mediterranean, with mild winters and hot summers so, if you fancy the beach, July and August should prove best, and towns and cities are great to visit any time of the year. The arid south, however, is best visited in winter, otherwise, the heat might not let you enjoy it that much.

I visited Tunisia for 3 weeks from mid-April to the beginning of May and it was the perfect time. The weather in the northern part was absolutely pleasant, with a little rain sometimes, and the heat in the southern part was still quite bearable.

Should you travel in Tunisia independently or on an organized tour?

I visited Tunisia 100% independently, and I recommend you do the same.

However, if you are short of time and want to visit specific places on organized tours, I recommend you use GetYourGuide , a website where you can book any type of tour, from half-day trips to several-day tours with just one click.

🕌 The people and the culture

They are too African to be considered European, but they are too European to be considered African.

These are the words from an expat American woman living in the city of Tunis who I had the chance to meet during my trip to Tunisia.

Along with Beirut , Tunis might be the most secular and open-minded Arab city and you just need to go to the city center and see how people dress.

You find traditional, religious people too, of course, but the beauty of Tunis, and Tunisia in general, is that everybody is free to practice Islam the way they please and, on most occasions, you won’t be judged.

This is why in Tunis you are likely to see a young girl with a short skirt walking in a local market among other women wearing the full hijab, a mix you will rarely see in other Arab countries.

Sousse, Monastir and Sfax are other modern cities with a significant number of liberal people, especially among the young generation.

However, religion still plays an important role in Tunisia’s society. Even Tunis has its traditional districts and the rural areas are very conservative.

But what is true is that in Tunisia there isn’t much fundamentalism compared to other Arab nations and countries in the Middle East.

Arabic is the official language in the country, and I believe it is quite similar to the Arabic spoken in Morocco and Algeria.

However, it is very different from other Middle Eastern countries, from Egypt to Oman .

In fact, they don’t even understand each other. When I was living in Dubai, in my office there were Arabs from all the Arab countries and Tunisians would always address Middle Easterners in English.

French & English – Given this used to be a French colony, except for uneducated people from rural areas, pretty much everybody in the country speaks impeccable French, and the best educated Tunisians also have good English, so traveling in Tunisia doesn’t imply any language barrier.

🍲 Food: What can you eat when you visit Tunisia?

Just before my trip to Tunisia, I had spent around 5 weeks in Morocco, so I wasn’t really expecting to taste many different flavors, but I was very wrong.

First of all, Tunisian food is extremely spicy. Like a lot spicy, sometimes Indian-level spicy.

I don’t know why, but Tunisia must be the only Mediterranean country that uses chilis in their cuisine. They love it and also a chilli sauce named harissa , which they put everywhere.

One Tunisian lady told me that every time she travels to Europe, even if it is just for a few days, she always brings some harissa .

Moreover, due to its proximity to Italy, Italian food is a thing here, and the truth is that spaghetti with tomato sauce is a staple, something you can order in any local eatery for less than $1 sometimes, but it isn’t very good pasta to be honest.

Overall, Tunisian food is good, however, whereas in the city of Tunis (and Sousse as well) I had quite a few feasts, in the rest of the country most places would only serve very basic stuff, especially in the south, Tozeur and El Kef.

Must-try dishes in during your trip in Tunisia

• Brik – The most popular snack in Tunisia consists of a filled fried pastry, usually with egg or tuna. By the way, Tunisians love tuna.
• Ojja – Sort of a tomato stew that comes in different versions, from local sausage ( mergez ) to seafood. Ojja is available in pretty much any local eatery.
• Cous-cous – Maghrebi star-dish, and the Tunisian version is very spicy.
• Seafood – In the coastal towns of Tunisia you can find some really great seafood, the most remarkable I ate being some stewed octopus in a tomato gravy, absolutely tender and delicious. I ate it in Sousse, in a restaurant called Cafe Bellar.

🛺 How to move around: transportation

Remember to get travel insurance for Tunisia I strongly recommend IATI Insurance as it has COVID-19 coverage + 5% discount 5% discount if purchasing via this link

Typically, there are 2 ways to travel around Tunisia:

Traveling around Tunisia by train

The Tunisian train is great. It is reliable, relatively fast and just soooo good. There is a train line that goes along the coast all the way to Gabés and, as far as I am concerned, the whole line is fully operational.

During my visit, however, the line that connects Tunis with Gabés through Tozeur, in the west of the country, had been closed for several years, but it seems they have already resumed all trains. In any case, you can check timings on the official railway website .

Traveling around Tunisia by louage

Louages are the local mini-vans which basically, you will ride for traveling to places you can’t reach by train. I used them to travel to Kairouan, El Kef and Tozeur and some places in the south. They are very cheap.

💰 Money, budget and costs

In Tunisia, they use the Tunisian Dinar (TND) and approximately:

1 USD = 3.15 TND

Most cities will have ATMs and changing either € or USD should be very easy.

How much does it cost to travel to Tunisia?

Tunisia is cheap, much more than Morocco, mainly because of the currency’s devaluation after the massive drop in tourism. Cost of the most typical things:

• Street sandwich (falafel) – 1-2 dinar
• Local meal  (1 ojja) – 5 dinars
• Meal in a good restaurant – 20 dinars
• Entrance fees to places like Dougga ruins, ribats, fortresses, museums – 8 to 12 dinars
• Budget hotel – 20-30 dinars
• Mid-range hotel – From 40-50 dinars
• Transportation – I paid around 4-7 dinars for most train journeys, same for louage.

On a tight budget, I seriously think you can go backpacking in Tunisia for $ a day 20.

Please note that the below table is just an approximation.

⚠️ Is it safe to travel to Tunisia?

Tunisia has had some safety concerns in the past, especially throughout 2015, and that was the main reason why tourism dropped dramatically.

However, the situation has improved drastically and for a better understanding, I recommend you read my analysis:

Is Tunisia a safe country to visit?

Tunisia Itinerary – Places to visit in 2 weeks

How long should you go backpacking in Tunisia for?

I personally spent almost 3 weeks, went a bit slower than the suggested itinerary and visited one or two additional places not included here such as Djerba Island.

Tunisia 2-week travel itinerary map

Day 1, 2 – Visit the capital of Tunis

A third Mediterranean, a third European and a third North African, Tunis is a city with many cultural contrasts and most likely, the starting point of your Tunisia travel itinerary.

On the one hand, the old city is composed of an African, Maghrebi medina, not very different from the ones you would find in Morocco, but without the feeling of being in a tourist trap.

And, on the other hand, you also have the European part of town, which is filled with French-style facades, boulangeries and a relatively Westernized atmosphere.

In addition, think about all the nightlife, nice restaurants, the Roman ruins of Carthage and the Mediterranean-like district of Sidi Bou Said, and I seriously believe that traveling to Tunisia just for visiting Tunis is truly worthwhile.

Things to do in Tunis

I spent whole 5 days in Tunis, and managed to squeeze the things I visited in a 3-day travel guide

Where to stay in Tunis

Backpacker Hostel – Medina Youth Hostel   – Located in the heart of the medina, this is the most backpacking-friendly hostel in Tunis.

Mid-range hotel – Dar La Leila – Super nice, traditionally decorated lovely hotel, the top-rated hotel in Tunis, and super charming staff.

Top-end hotel – Dar El Jeld Hotel and Spa – A 5-star but traditional hotel that offers all the luxuries.

Best tours in Tunis

I recommend you look for tours via GetYourGuide .

Carthage and Sidi Bou Said – Roman ruins of Carthage and the Santorini-like city of Sidi Bou Said.

Bardo Museum & Medina – The classic medina + the museum containing one of the largest collections in the world of Roman mosaics.

Day 3 – The resort-like town of Sousse

This is the prime tourist destination in the country, for foreigneirs and Tunisians alike, but for independent travelers, it feels a bit odd.

It feels weird because the coastal front line of the new part of town is composed of ugly, mass tourism-like buildings, restaurants with over-priced menus and just the kind of trashy tourism I would try to run away from.

However, Sousse is the city that witnessed all those unfortunate terrorist events from 2015 , so during my visit in the month of May, it felt like a real ghost town and, in any case, the old part of Sousse is a great place to get lost in, among its narrow alleys.

Moreover, Sousse is a good base to explore a few places around such as Kairouan, Monastir or El Jem. I mean, you can find accommodation in those cities but Sousse has the largest offer of hotels, restaurants, and cafés so, for me, it made sense to hang out there for a while.

Looking for visiting Sousse on a tour? CLICK HERE TO CHECK ALL AVAILABLE TOURS IN SOUSSE

Things to do in Sousse

• Medina – Like all medinas in Africa, the medina of Sousse is a maze of streets where the highlight is getting lost and escaping from the main souvenir area.
• Great Mosque – From the 8th century. They make you pay an entrance fee, a bit unusual for being a regular mosque, but Tunisia is mostly like that.
• Ribat – Old Islamic fortress from the 8th century. It contains one of the oldest praying halls in Africa.
• Sousse Archaeological Museum – I am the least museum-friendly person but I loved the museum of Sousse because it contains some of the largest collections of Roman mosaics, including a massive one of Medusa . Check the official website for timings.

Ribat – A ribat is a small Arabic fortress typically found along the northern African coast, and built during the first years of the Muslim conquest. Most coastal towns in Tunisia have their own ribat and they tend to be pretty well-preserved. The word ”ribat” means ”defense of Islam”.

Where to stay in Sousse

Budget/backpacker – Hotel Paris – Basic hotel with relatively good Wi-Fi inside the medina. I stayed here.

Mid-range – Dar Antonia – Traditional, fancy dar in the medina.

How to get to Sousse from Tunis

There are several trains a day running to Sousse from Tunis central station.

A ticket would typically cost 10,000 dinars and it takes a bit more than 2 hours.

Day 4 – Day trip to Monastir

If you have the time, Monastir is a pleasant town that was founded as a Phoenician trading settlement more than 2,000 years ago.

Monastir is a peaceful, free-of-crowds town, as the touristic area is quite far away from the center, so it has managed to keep a certain charm, plus in my opinion, Monastir has the most well-preserved ribat in the country, a set of labyrinthic passages and stairways that seem taken from a movie.

Moreover, Monastir is the birthplace of Habib Bourguiba , the man who lead the country to independence from France and ruled the country from 1956 to 1987.

Other than that, Monastir is an all-right place to hang around for a while.

My visit here was a peculiar one. After visiting the ribat , I met with one local lady who had contacted me through Instagram and she took me to the local radio station’s offices – she was working there – and I kind of kept staring at what they were doing for a while.

Then, we went to Habib Bourguiba’s mausoleum.

You can also visit Monastir on an organized tour (along with Sousse) from Tunis. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

How to get Monastir from Sousse

Monastir is a 20km train ride from Sousse and trains run continuously throughout the day for $1 or less.

The Great Roman Civil War Do you know about the famous Roman Civil War between Julius Caesar and Pompey ? It was the war that led Rome from a Republic to an Empire, and the last stage that guided Julius Caesar to victory occurred on the battlefield between Sousse and Monastir. The coolest thing about it is that today’s Monastir was Caesar’s base, and Sousse was Pompey’s. They even made a TV series on Netflix.

Day 5 – Day trip to Kairouan, the holiest city in Tunisia

Some sources claim Kairouan is the holiest Islamic city in Africa, and the fourth in the world after Mecca, Medina and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.

I am not sure about that, however, because I have been to other places in the Middle East and Africa with the same claim but it is a fact that this is the holiest place to visit in Tunisia and the atmosphere is so different from anywhere along the coast, so low-key, so traditional and overwhelmingly welcoming.

Interested in visiting Kairouan on a guided tour? CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL AVAILABLE TOURS IN KAIROUAN

Things to do in Kairouan

At the Great Mosque, you can purchase one ticket that allows you to visit several sites and these are the ones I visited:

• Great Mosque – From the 7th century, one of the holiest Islamic places in Africa.
• Bir Barouta – An Ottoman-era building that was built around a well which apparently, connects to another well in Mecca. Sadly, they enslaved a poor camel that spends his day turning the well’s wheel.
• Zaouia of Sidi Sahab – Very beautiful Muslim complex with Andalusian-style tiles.

How to get to Kairouan from Sousse

There isn’t a train line passing through Kairouan, so you need to take a louage , which takes a bit more than 1 hour.

Sousse bus station is outside of town, here: 35.809717, 10.636374.

Mullah stories In Kairouan (in Zaouia of Sidi Sahab) I was approached by a kind Tunisian who gave me a 30-minute Islamic lesson in an attempt to persuade me to consider converting to Islam, and it was only 30 minutes because very kindly, I told him I had to leave. A very intense man, but I have bumped into many of those in my travels, and they always tell you the story of a British or an American who found God, hence inner-peace and happiness, after listening to his words.

Day 6 – Day trip to El Jem, an impressive Roman amphitheater

El Jem was one of my favorite places in my Tunisia itinerary.

This is home to one of the most epic Roman amphitheaters in the world, in fact, the 3rd largest one, built in the 2nd century, but for obvious reasons, it is much less crowded than the one in Rome.

Around 1km from the amphitheater, there is an archaeological museum also containing plenty of Roman mosaics, many of whom feature the scene when wild animals were released into the arena to eat convicts.

You must get the ticket at the amphitheater’s office, and it also includes the museum entrance.

Since it is on the way to Sfax, I took a train from Sousse early in the morning, visited El Jem for a few hours, and then I could easily get a train to Sfax.

Next to El Jem’s train station, there is a fancy hotel whose staff were kind enough to keep my backpack while I visited the city.

How to get to El Jem from Sousse

It’s a 1-hour train journey from Sousse central train station

Looking for guided visits to El Jem? CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL AVAILABLE TOURS TO EL JEM

Day 7 – Sfax, the coolest medina in Tunisia

Before traveling to Tunisia, I had read in a guidebook that the locals of Sfax were believed to be very thrifty hard-workers.

In my experience, most guidebooks are always filled with unlikely quotes but upon my arrival in Tunis, I spent some time discussing my Tunisian itinerary with a local guy who told me the exact same thing.

And, perhaps, this is the reason why, despite being untouched by tourism, Sfax has some sort of cosmopolitan feel by African standards, and many people there seem to be very open-minded.

Additionally, Sfax is also home to the best medina in the whole Tunisia, very big and authentic which hasn’t been spoiled yet by the arrival of tourists.

Things to do in Sfax

• Getting lost in the medina – As I said, this purely African medina is very traditional and authentic.
• Abandoned Synagogue – Tunisia used to be home to a large Jewish community and, in Sfax, there is an abandoned synagogue.
• Place de la Republique – French-style buildings at the entrance to the medina.

Where to stay in Sfax

There are 2 budget auberges (one next to other) 2km north west outside of the Medina.

For more hotel options in Sfax,

Jews in Tunisia Tunisia today has one of the largest Jewish communities in the Arab world, mainly living in Tunis city and Djerba Island. Of course, most of them migrated to Israel after the Israel-Palestinian war but many of them remain and a few synagogues are still functional, another fact that proves overall the tolerance in Tunisia.

Day 8, 9 – Tataouine & around: southern Berber lands

The lesser-visited southern part of Tunisia is an arid territory that extends all the way to the Libyan border.

Berber villages, camels, ancient ksars (fortified Berber villages), and just remoteness and inhospitality, no wonder why George Lucas decided to shoot Star Wars in these lands.

This is just so different from any place you visited in Tunisia, way more conservative and home to the Berbers, the indigenous people of North Africa before the Arabs came.

How to visit Tataouine The area is vast, touristic sites are scattered, and there is no public transportation. I mean, there are a few buses but it is not a convenient way to move around, not even for backpackers. The best way to explore this area is by either renting a car or going on a tour. I rented a car for a day in a rental car office in Medenine and paid less than $25.

Things to do in Tataouine & around

On a normal path, you will need an entire day to visit these places, and still, you may have to rush a bit. If you want to leave early in the morning, I suggest you rent the car on the day before, as rental car shops didn’t open until 9-10am.

The ”green pins” from the previous interactive map mark the following places:

• Ksar Ouled Soltane – The most well-preserved ghorfas in the area. Ghorfas are ancient 4-story buildings that Berbers used to store the grain.
• Chenini – For me, this was the best place to visit in Tataouine. A massive ancient ksar from the 12th century sitting on a hilltop. Gorgeous.
• Guermassa – Another great ksar, not as epic as Chenini’s but still great. I only saw it from the bottom because it takes almost 1 hour to go up and I didn’t have time. The top, however, can be reached by 4WD.
• Ghomrassen – Off the beaten track modern town with pretty cool local architecture, and the ideal place to stop for lunch.
• Ksar Hadada – This ksar used to be a movie set for Star Wars. I am not a big Star Wars fan, so for me, it was not that interesting, as it was nothing more than some commercial, over-restored ghorfas .

Where to stay in the area

I recommend you stay in Tataouine.

Budget – Auberge Alferdaus – An all right auberge/pension for budget travelers and backpackers.

Apartment – Dar Essadeg – Full traditional apartment.

Mid-range – Sangho Privilege Tataouine – For a comfortable stay, this oasis hotel has great facilities, including a pool, and it is not expensive at all for what you get.

Day 10, 11 – The oasis-town of Tozeur & around

Tozeur is a pleasant oasis town with a very unique old quarter whose buildings are made of bricks (hand-made apparently) and a base from which to explore other mountain oases and check out potential camel caravans.

They claim that those oases have been inhabited for 10,000 years.

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you will know that I like to be honest, and the truth is that this was my least favorite part of my trip to Tunisia.

First of all, because all those landscapes are in my opinion, a small version of the ones you find in north Oman , a country I visited multiple times. And second of all, because this was the only place where the main sites were just packed with tourists, many of them being the irresponsible type. But to be fair, it also didn’t help that the weather was awful (loads of wind and sand).

But anyways, traveling is extremely subjective and you might have a different experience.

Like Tataouine, the area around Tozeur is best explored by car or on an organized excursion. Most hotels can arrange it for you. I personally explored all places with a local friend I had met on Instagram.

Things to do in Tozeur

Please see the ”orange pins” from the previous interactive map.

• Chebika – A small village home to a massive palmeraie.
• Tamerza – Another small village with a palmeraie, a small canyon, and a waterfall.
• Midès – And another small oasis village but the highlight is the stunning views you get to see from the road that leads to it. 
• Ong Jemal – A desert famous for its sunsets and the location of a Star Wars movie set, where the original decoration still remains. Tour agencies will tell you need a 4×4 to reach the place but it is not true.

Where to stay in Tozeur

Budget – Residence Warda – A budget pension good for backpackers.

Mid-range – Residence Loued – A very pleasant traditional hotel at the heart of the Old City.

How to get to Tozeur from Tataouine

The journey is rather more than 300km.

From Tataouine, you need to take a louage to Medenine and from Medenine, another one to Gabés (not sure if you can find a direct one from Tataouine).

If you are lucky and trains are functional, you should be able to take a train from Gabés to Tozeur. Otherwise, take a louage from Gabés to Gafsa and from Gafsa to Tozeur.

Day 12 – El Kef, traditional off the beaten track town

El Kef and the area around was my favorite part of my Tunisia itinerary.

It is a barely visited town and the top of the medina features a kasbah from where you get stunning views of the city and the green meadows surrounding it.

It has a very authentic, traditional atmosphere as well. I spent 3 nights here – as I used it as a base to explore some places around – and didn’t bump into a single tourist.

Where to stay in Le Kef

There aren’t many options, but I stayed in a hotel close to the Medina named Hotel Sicca Veneria , where I paid $15 a night. It was good!

How to get to Le Kef from Tozeur

It’s a long way, around 330km.

From Tozeur, you need to first get a louage to Gafsa. From Gafsa, a second louage to Kasserine and from Kasserine to Le Kef. It takes the entire day.

Day 13 – Day trip to Jugurtha Tableland

This off the beaten track gem was the top attraction I visited in Tunisia.

A natural military fortress, Jugurtha Tableland is a massive flat-topped mountain that rises above 1270 meters, and that has been used as a fortress for centuries, from the Romans to today’s Tunisian Army.

That’s why this is kind of a sensitive place, especially because this is a border area from where you see Algeria – stunning views of Algeria, by the way – so having a guard with you all the time is a must (free of charge).

How to get to Jugurtha Tableland from El Kef

From El Kef bus station, you can take a louage to the border town with Algeria named Qalat as Sanan.

Most likely, the driver will already know about your intentions, so he will drop you at the police station, where they will make you answer a few questions and register for visiting Jugurtha.

I was extremely stupid to forget my passport in El Kef but, luckily, my Spanish ID was enough for them.

Then, the police helped me looking for a taxi to take me to the bottom of Jughurta (4km), and I paid the equivalent of around $10.

Once you arrive, an official guide will welcome you and take you to the top.

It also possible to camp at the top, but you will have to get permission at the police office, and a guard will be with you all night – I mean, they have their own huts. However, be aware that it is extremely windy.

Day 14 – Day trip to Dougga Roman ruins

When I traveled to Tunisia, I also got the chance to check out this amazing place, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997 named Dougga,

Dougga has some of the most impressive Roman ruins I have ever seen outside of Rome, probably more stunning than the ruins of Baalbek in Lebanon , or Jerash in Jordan , not only for the ruins themselves, which are in great conditions but also because Dougga was set up in a prime, fertile location, today surrounded by beautiful olive trees and wheat plantations.

Absolutely gorgeous.

Dougga is dominated by the perfectly well-preserved Capitol, dedicated to Jupiter, but you can also find many other temples in good conditions and an amphitheater.

Allow yourself a few hours to visit the area and try to come by the end of the day, when little crowds are gone and, if possible, on a weekday.

How to get to Dougga from El Keff

It was a bit complicated.

From El Kef, I took a louage to a village named Al Karib. Once in Al Karib, I asked for a louage going to Dougga town, which is 4km from the ruins, but everybody kept me saying there weren’t any, so I decided to hitchhike the remaining 20km, but it was a bit hard, as nobody would stop, don’t know why.

Then, on my way walking from Dougga town to the ruins, a kind man – a worker – picked me up.

Coming back to El Kef was fairly easy, as I just got in the first louage that passed by. By the way, from Dougga, you could easily go back to Tunis.

❗ More information for backpacking in Tunisia

📢 In my Travel Resources Page you can find the list of all the sites and services I use to book hotels, tours, travel insurance and more.

Get the Tunisia Travel Guide by Lonely Planet – A bit outdated but so far, the only one available.

All guides and articles for traveling in Tunisia destination

• Tunis Travel Guide
• Is Tunisia Safe?

Travel guides to other countries in Africa

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20 comments

Great blog and info as always:)Am supposed to go to Tunisia in october for 2,5 weeks ,still plan on going if……

Love reading your post, as it brings so many great memories. We have done 2 weeks roadtrip around the country too, but left the northern part for next time – I sure hope to be able to return soon and that these crazy times will be just a bad memory. All the best!

Has anyone rented a car and drove around Tunisia independently?

I did, in the south. Very easy

Man, let me tell you something and you can take it as a fact: any Arabic speaker can speak freely with another Arabic speaker from anywhere in the world. Yes, there are diferences and they can tell roughly from where the other dude is. Like I can tell a Texan from an Australian.

Hey Joan: Another great trip report. Currently planning my itinerary for my summer trip to Tunisia. This will largely be a RnR/beach vacay but looking to include some side excursions. Will likely position ourselves in Sousse and wondering if Dougga is doable as a day trip via public transportation? Also how does it compare to the amphitheatre in Busra, Syria?

Just want to make sure, the train to Sousse from Tunis is 10,000 Dinars or more than 3,000 USD for a 2 hour train ride?

Hi Joan, Thank you for a great introduction to Tunesia. Being European I typically spend my vacations at tourist hotspots in Spain, Greece, or Italy. It’s nice – but far from the adventure you’re describing. Need to convince the rest of my family to become a bit more adventourous 🙂

Mega helpful. Thank you.

Is there anyway to get from Sousse to Dougga?

Thank you for the information. Planning on a 2-week trip end of April 2023. Trying to source information about the Northern part especially traveling from/to Tunis – Bizerte – Cap Engela – Tabarka – Tunis

I’d love to visit Dougga. You said it’s possible to get back to Tunis from Dougga, is there a louage going between the two?

Hi Sarah, not from Dougga, since that is an archaeological site, but from nearby villages or towns.

Good evening, Hope everything is fine. I am planning to go to Tunisia and I wonder if there is a way to go from Medénin to Djerba Island by public transportation. If you know if there is a way I would like you to confirm it to me. Thank you in advance

Hey, I don’t remember exactly but I did go there by bus. It should be easy, just go to the bus station and ask for it

hello joan . i am planning to visit tunisia in august and move around with louages. in your article you mentioned that you visited tozeur with a louage. do you remember if it was direct ( tunis – tozeur ) or i have to change a bus in another city ? also , the station in which louage leave ( from tunis ) is called moncef bey , right ? any information will be helpful . thanks in advance and also thank you for sharing all these travel informations for countries that are not so visited . greetings from greece 🙂

Hi Konstantina! I traveled slowly from Tunis to Tozeur, stopping in many places in between, so I can’t really tell!

Hola Joan, qué tal?

A ver si hay suerte y ves el mensaje a tiempo. Estoy en Túnez y en unos tengo pensado visitar la zona alrededor de Medenine/Tataouine y estoy buscando un sitio para alquilar coche un día. Me podrías pasar el nombre, la ubicación o algún contacto aún mejor del sitio dónde alquilaste tú?

Muchas gracias, saludos!

Hola Jack, lamentablemente jamás me apunté la dirección, pero todo lo que hice fue buscar en Google Rent a Car

hello , thank you for writing about Tunisia but I think you should update your prices for the food , those prices must be from 10 years ago !

They are from 2019 but if you have any updated prices, they are most welcome 🙂

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Map of Tunis — Best attractions, restaurants, and transportation info

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We’ve made the ultimate tourist map of Tunis, Tunisia for travelers! Check out Tunis’s top things to do, attractions, restaurants, and major transportation hubs all in one interactive map.

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Use this interactive map to plan your trip before and while in Tunis. Learn about each place by clicking it on the map or read more in the article below. Here’s more ways to perfect your trip using our Tunis map:

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Top 14 attractions in Tunis

Ez-zitouna mosque.

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Cathedral of St Vincent de Paul and St Olivia of Palermo

Bab el bhar.

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Central Market of Tunis

Municipal theatre, sidi youssef dey mosque, roumouz lignes & couleurs, pl. du 14 janvier 2011.

• Rue Charles de Gaulle

Belvedere Park

Dar el jeld, ave habib bourguiba, top 10 restaurants in tunis, el ali restaurant & cafe, fondouk el attarine, restaurant chez slah, dar belhadj, le baroque-restaurant, restaurant el-walima, la closerie, restaurant insomnia, transportation in tunis, nearby airports, enfidha-hammamet international airport, tunis-carthage international airport, highways and major roads.

• A1 Autoroute
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What's the weather like in tunis.

It depends on when you visit! We've compiled data from NASA on what the weather is like in Tunis for each month of the year: see the links below for more information.

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Tunis throughout the year

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12 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions & Things to Do in Tunis

Written by Jess Lee Updated Dec 22, 2023 We may earn a commission from affiliate links ( )

Tunis is an easygoing capital city, which makes for a perfect introduction to Tunisia before setting off to explore the country further. The heart of the central city is the medina (old town), where simply strolling the squiggly alleyways is the major tourist attraction.

The two major things to do while in town are both out of the center. The world-famous Bardo Museum is home to one of the world's most important mosaic collections. Visitors staying in the beach resorts of Hammamet and Sousse come on sightseeing day trips to the capital simply to visit this museum. The other major historical attraction is the remnants of Ancient Carthage , scattered throughout a shoreside Tunis suburb.

When you've soaked up enough history during your Tunis stay, one of the best places to visit is Sidi Bou Said. This whitewashed village is a Mediterranean idyll right on the city outskirts.

Find out how to spend your time in town with our list of the top tourist attractions and things to do in Tunis.

See also: Where to Stay in Tunis

1. Explore the Ruins of Carthage

2. the national bardo museum, 3. day trip to sidi bou said, 4. get lost amid the medina, 5. view the city from the roof of the olive tree mosque, 6. stroll the streets of the ville nouvelle (new town), 7. la goulette (tunis port), 8. mosque of sidi mahrez, 9. dar hussein, 10. parc du belvédère and the museum of modern art, 11. rue sidi brahim and rue du pacha, 12. day trip to takrouna, where to stay in tunis for sightseeing, tunis, tunisia - climate chart, history of tunis.

The remnants of ancient Carthage – fabled wealthy seafaring city of the Phoenicians – lie scattered across the Bay of Tunis.

The evocative tumbled columns and piles of marble rubble are bordered by a panorama of the Mediterranean Sea, which was so fundamental to the city's prosperity.

Completely destroyed in the third Punic War in 146 BCE, the surviving ruins pale in comparison to some of North Africa's other ancient sites, but this doesn't mean you shouldn't visit. With their seafront setting, the ruins have an unbeatable, lost-in-time air.

The separate sites are strung out along the bay area. From the central city, take the Tunis Light Railway line direct to the various Carthage stops on the line. Some of the sites are close enough to be walked between if it's not too hot.

Don't skip the views across the entire area from the top of Byrsa Hill.

• Read More: Exploring the Ruins of Ancient Carthage: A Visitor's Guide

One of the world's three most renowned mosaic art collections (the other two are both in Turkey) resides in this opulent palace museum.

Inside, room after room exhibits gloriously intricate and still vibrantly fresh examples of mosaic art that have been unearthed from sites across the entirety of Tunisia .

The Sousse Room, Odysseus Room, and Dougga Room are the highlights, with their famed, incredibly well-preserved mosaic floorings from the Hellenistic and Roman era, but the entire collection is well worth an afternoon of browsing.

The ground floor of the building holds some interesting non-mosaic exhibits with displays of the neo-Punic, Christian, and Islamic eras.

Official site: www.bardomuseum.tn

Address: Rue Mongi Slim

The gorgeous Andalusian-style seaside neighborhood of Sidi Bou Said owes its fame to three young painters. While living here in 1914, Paul Klee, August Macke, and Louis Moilliet captured the beauty of its whitewashed buildings and blue doors on canvas.

Sidi Bou Said has been something of a bohemian artists' quarter ever since and is a favored weekend hangout spot for Tunis locals.

There are no major tourist attractions as such (that's part of its charm), but you can't fail to be beguiled by the perfect white-and-blue streets, cliffside cafés, and picture-postcard shoreline.

This is a place made for idle strolling, trinket shopping, and sitting back with a coffee simply soaking up the scenery.

• Read More: Exploring Sidi Bou Said: Tunis' Picturesque Seaside Suburb

Chock-a-block full of crumbling buildings found by weaving your way through a procession of ever-skinnier alleyways, the medina (old town) district is Tunis' historic heart and is brimming with sightseeing potential.

The main entrance gate, marking the end of the new city and beginning of the old is known as Bab el Bahr (Sea Gate). Built in 1848, it was known as Porte de France during the colonial period.

The old town walls of the Hafsid period may have long ago disappeared, but once inside, mosques, madrassas (Islamic schools of learning), and mausoleums boasting opulent tile work and splendid Fatimid and Ottoman architecture line the twisting streets.

Getting lost while meandering and stumbling onto some fabulous monumental relic is half the fun.

Shoppers should head to Souk des Chéchias, where the makers of Tunisia's traditional woolen hats have had their workshops for centuries. The area between Rue Djemma ez Zitouna and Rue Kasbah is where most of the souvenir stalls congregate.

Address: Main entry at Bab el Bahr (gate) on Rue el Jazira

The medina district's great mosque is home to some of the country's finest examples of religious architecture. Begun during the Umayyad dynasty in 732 CE, it has been added to and refined by conquering empires in the centuries since.

Although non-Muslims cannot enter the prayer hall, visitors are free to wander around the opulent and tranquil exterior courtyard and also to head up to the rooftop, where dazzling tile work is on display.

The rooftop is also one of the best places in the medina to get panoramic photographs of the area.

Address: Rue Djemma ez Zitouna

A world away from the organic jumble of the medina, Tunis' ville nouvelle was developed during the French colonial era.

Its main core is Avenue Habib Bourguiba – a magnificently wide avenue planted with palms and eucalyptus trees. The street heads eastwards, from just outside the medina on Place de l'Indépendance towards the harbor, in a dead straight line.

The imposing St. Vincent de Paul Cathedral is the largest surviving building of Tunisia's French colonial period. Its bulky neo-Romanesque facade presides grandly over the north end of Place de l'Indépendance and at the time of construction in 1893, it was a monumental reminder of France's dominance over the country. Inside is the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Architecture fans should check out the wonderful mix of colonial and post-colonial buildings along Avenue Habib Bourguiba, from the Modernist inverted pyramid of Hotel du Lac to the more genteel and grand European-style of the government buildings.

At the intersection with Avenue Mohammed V, Place d'Afrique has a clock monument symbolizing Tunisia's modern era.

La Goulette is the port suburb of the capital and has been a place of strategic importance (controlling the harbor entrance) since time immemorial.

In the reign of Emperor Charles V, it was the most important Spanish possession in the eastern Maghreb.

From 1574 onwards, the Ottoman rulers enlarged and strengthened the fortress built by Spain. La Goulette became a port only during the French colonial period, when the Lake of Tunis silted up and could no longer take ships of any size.

For sightseeing, La Goulette has Spanish and Ottoman forts to explore and the gateway of the Old Arsenal (on the Tunis Road).

If just soaking up the sea air is more your thing, the main coastal road (Avenue Franklin Rossevelt) is La Goulette's top promenading venue. Beyond the modern harbor, the long stretch of sandy beach is one of the city's top spots for evening and weekend relaxing.

This Ottoman-style mosque is named after the 10th-century marabout (holy man) Mohammed Mahrez es Seddiki (the "Ascetic"), who is the Islamic equivalent of a patron saint for the city. It's a graceful building topped off with nine white domes.

Mahrez played a vital role after the sacking of Tunis in 944 CE, encouraging citizens to rebuild and to develop trade and industry. He is buried across the road from the mosque.

Although non-Muslims cannot enter, the facade of the building is worth checking out while in the medina.

Address: Rue Sidi Mahrez, Medina

The sumptuous Dar Hussein Palace was built in the 18th century and restored during the 19th century.

Now home to Tunisia's National Institute of Archaeology and Art, visitors can wander freely in the beautiful inner courtyard (but aren't allowed into the palace itself) and soak up the opulent surroundings.

Nearby is the Dar Ben Abdallah, an 18th-century palace that has been put to good use as the home of the city's folk museum (the Musée du Patrimoine Traditionnel de la Ville de Tunis). The exhibits include faience, stucco ornament, costumes, and furniture.

Adress: Rue Sidi bou Khrissan, Medina

Location: Rue Sidi Bou Khrissan, Medina

This welcome splash of greenery is one of the city's top spots to catch your breath and regroup from the hustle of the busy streets.

The hillside has been planted with Aleppo pine, carob-trees, olive and fig trees, and palm trees, and those who take the short hike up to the top of the hill are rewarded with fantastic panoramas of the entire city (on a clear day).

On the east side of the park is the Museum of Modern Art, home to the country's top collection of work by Tunisian artists. The park is also home to the city's zoo.

These two streets (and their surrounding alleys) in the medina are home to a wealth of architectural gems and are a wonderful place to capture a sense of what the old town would have looked like before modernization.

The mid-19th-century Zaouia Sidi Brahim (Rue Sidi Brahim) is a showcase of sumptuous palace interiors, while 18th-century Dar Lasram (Rue du Tribunal) is another lavish example of palace style.

The Ottoman pasha once resided along Rue du Pacha, and the houses that still line the lane host some of the finest examples of engraved wooden doorways in the city.

The Amazigh (Berber) village of Takrouna is 110 kilometers south from Tunis. If you're only on a quick Tunisia trip, this is one of the closest places to the capital to experience some of the country's traditional stone-cut and dome-roofed village architecture.

The village is perched atop a cliff, and for many visitors, the main reason to visit is to photograph the village with its panoramic views of the farming plains sweeping out in all directions below.

Only a few families still live in the village. A couple of houses, can be entered so that visitors can see traditional village interior decoration, and there's a small café that serves simple local dishes.

Takrouna is also within day-tripping distance to Hammamet (46 kilometers northeast) and Sousse (56 kilometers southeast) and could be visited as a stop-off while journeying between Tunis and Sousse.

We recommend these great hotels in Tunis with easy access to the city's top sites, like the Olive Tree Mosque and the medina:

• Palais Bayram : luxury boutique hotel, steps from the medina, exquisitely restored 18th-century building, spa with traditional hammam.
• Hotel Belvedere Fourati : 4-star hotel, near Belvedere Park, modern decor, fitness center, free breakfast.
• Ibis Tunis : affordable rates, sleek decor, friendly staff, free parking.
• Hotel Metropole Residence : budget hotel, near the medina, friendly staff, clean rooms.

Thanks to its superb location on a wide, sheltered bay and a fertile hinterland, the site of present day Tunis is one of the two oldest cities in the entire Mediterranean area.

The first to settle here were the Numidians, who named their town Tunes. Afterwards, the Phoenicians founded Carthage near here in 814 BCE.

The rise of Tunis began with the final destruction of Carthage by the Arabs in 698 CE. The Lake of Tunis provided a natural harbor for the Muslim fleet.

Under the rule of Ibrahim II of the Aghlabid dynasty in 894 CE, the capital was transferred from Kairouan to Tunis, and the town began to develop into one of the leading spiritual and intellectual centers of the Islamic world.

In the 16th century, Tunis' prosperity attracted the attention of pirates, who captured and looted the town in 1534. In the following year, the Emperor Charles V drove out the pirates and Tunis became Spanish, though the administration remained in the hands of the ruling Hafsid dynasty.

In 1569, the Ottoman Turks over-powered the Spaniards, but Don John of Austria in turn defeated the Turks. In 1574, however, the Ottoman army won back the town, and it became the seat of an Ottoman governor.

In 1871, the Turkish Bey of Tunis, Hussein, declared himself independent of Constantinople, but the city (and country) fell under the colonial rule of France, which made Tunis an administrative center of their North African protectorate.

French rule finally ended on March 20, 1956 and in the following year, Tunis became capital of the Tunisian Republic.

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How to Spend 10 Days in Tunisia: An Itinerary for First-Time Visitors

Compared to other North African destinations like Egypt and Morocco, Tunisia just isn’t on many people’s radars. Admittedly, it doesn’t have the incredible wealth of ancient wonders that Egypt does, nor does it boast the unique labyrinthine medinas of Morocco. What Tunisia does have, however, is more of a road-less-traveled vibe. 

Particularly in the capital of Tunis, the relative lack of tourism means you tend to get hassled less than you do in Cairo or Marrakesh. The lack of energy devoted to fending off wheeler-dealers means you have more time to just take in the sights and sounds around you, chomping down on a street snack while musing over the mix of medieval Islamic and French colonial architecture.

Of course, this underdeveloped tourism industry has its downsides, too. While I managed to pack a lot into my Tunisia itinerary, there were several things I wanted to do but ended up skipping just because the logistics were so complicated. I’ve heard amazing things, for example, about overnight tours into the desert from Douz , a tiny town known as Tunisia’s gateway to the Sahara. There are also the fascinating former Berber habitations in Ksar Ouled Soltane and Chenini, now best known as Star Wars filming locations. Due to the limitations of public transport, you risk wasting whole days getting from A to B – which I just wasn’t willing to do!

Even without these stop-offs, I still found plenty to entertain myself over 10 days in Tunisia.

A Quick Word on Language

Tunisian Arabic is spoken throughout the country, but there’s also a strong undercurrent of French in the major cities. Tunisia was a protectorate of France for 75 years, up until 1956, and the after-effects are still evident today. As a result, you’ll find that many locals will resort to French if they can’t get their point across in Arabic. English, on the other hand, is very rarely spoken.

If you’re like me and long ago forgot any Francais beyond ‘Bonjour,’ ‘Merci’ and ‘Du vin, s’il vous plait,’ you’ll probably find yourself mostly employing hand gestures – or, of course, the unreliable joys of Google Translate. Even if you find this slightly embarrassing, let me set your mind at ease: I don’t think I had a single interaction where a taxi driver, market stall proprietor, or street food vendor wasn’t up for a game of charades. In other words, the people are generally pretty chill!

Local Customs

Despite being one of the more progressive countries in the Arab sphere, Tunisia still has a few conservative rules. One of the most frustrating (if understandable) for a tourist is that non-Muslims are not allowed to enter any of the prayer rooms of mosques – and in some cases even the courtyards are off-limits. This means you’ll often have to resign yourself to gazing at the exterior beauty of these buildings while wondering what further wonders are hidden inside, behind the beautifully decorated walls. 

Like in Egypt, it is not illegal for visitors or locals to buy or consume alcohol, but it isn’t something you find on every street corner or at every restaurant. Mostly, the sale is limited to luxury hotels and supermarkets like Monoprix. Remember that Friday is the Islamic holy day, which means it’s the day when all the alcohol ‘caves’ roll down the shutters. If you were planning on trying some of the local vino, bear that in mind. 

Despite Friday being the holy day, it is still Sunday that acts as the day of rest. Souks are half shuttered, restaurants take the day off and generally, everything has reduced hours or doesn’t open at all. Plan accordingly!

Day One: Ruins of Empire

Most international flights to Tunisia arrive in the country’s capital, Tunis. This modern-day city is built atop the same land that once held the center of one of the ancient world’s greatest powers, the Carthaginian Empire. Thousands of years ago, Carthage flourished here, spreading its civilization and commerce along the North African coast, across Mediterranean islands, and into southern Spain.

Following a bitter war with the Romans for control of the Mediterranean, Carthage was eventually decimated. Legend has it that the victorious Roman general, Scipio Africanus, sowed salt into the earth so the city would never again provide fertile soil.

This fascinating history provides the background to one of Tunisia’s most famous attractions, the ruins of Carthage, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The area includes not just partial remnants of the Carthaginian past, but also the Roman city that flourished a bit later. 

I’m going to be brutally honest up front: these ruins are far from the most impressive reminders of the ancient world you’ll ever see. Having said that, I would still recommend visiting if, one, you are a history nerd like me, and two, if you quite enjoy absorbing the atmosphere of a city by traversing its streets.

A ticket for the Carthage ruins gives you access to a variety of locations, including the Sanctuary of Tophet, covered with stelae and thought to have been the site of ritual sacrifice, and the District of Roman Villas, which provides some idea of ancient town structure. The Roman Theater of Carthage is largely a reconstruction, and really a minor entity if you compare it to the many existing, incredibly preserved Roman theaters elsewhere. 

Easily the most impressive of all the ruins in Tunis is the Baths on Antoninus, a sprawling complex that once housed palaestras (gyms), frigidariums (cold rooms), caldariums (hot rooms), and tepidariums (warm rooms). There’s nothing complete here, but there’s enough left to create much more of an atmosphere and a sense of the past.

The ruins of Carthage are fairly randomly ticketed. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of the fact that a patch of stone foundations in a bit of dried-out earth (some sort of craftsmen’s quarter, according to a plaque) was behind a barrier, while the half pillars, fallen walls, and rather well-preserved underground rotunda of the Basilica of Damus El Karita were completely free to enter, just off the highway.

Modern Carthage itself is a rather pretty suburb, containing not only the presidential palace but also a few residences that clearly belong to some of the country’s most important folks – at least judging from the military presence. Just wandering through the area, you’ll come across little patches of ancient stonework, stuck between costly villas and modern roads.

End your day with a little schlep up to Byrsa Hill for some lovely views over the city.

Where to Stay in Tunis

I stayed in a five-star gem. The Dar El Jeld Hotel and Spa is located in the Tunis Medina, inside a wonderfully renovated residence. Waking up to gorgeous views of the city from the rooftop terrace was one of the highlights of my trip – and the in-house hammam didn’t hurt either! There really isn’t a better place in the city to stay for comfort, convenience, and buckets of Tunisian charm.

Day Two: Sea, Sand, and Sidi Bou Said

White buildings with bright-blue doors and shutters, perched over coastal views. No, this isn’t the Greek isle of Santorini, it’s Sidi Bou Said, at once one of the prettiest and most touristy areas of Tunis. Expect to pay top dollar for almost everything here, from beverages to trinkets. 

The only exception is perhaps bambalouni, one of the most recognizable local foodie specialties. This giant donut is first deep friend, then not so much sprinkled as thoroughly dunked in sugary goodness. It’s not the healthiest snack, but it’s absolutely delicious and costs just a single dinar.

The start of the Sidi Bou Said area has a couple of stalls with people selling tat and trying to thrust unwanted ‘gifts’ upon you that they will then want money for. Politely wave them off and begin wandering the streets. 

Sidi Bou Said is a fairly small area, but charming, with characterful double doors and mashrabiya (projecting windows enclosed by carved wood latticework, allowing people to look out while preventing others from looking in). 

There are a couple of cafes here, too, expensive by local standards, but boasting some lovely views if you care to venture up to the terraces. The local tea, heavily sweetened with French-style mint sirop and often served with a handful of pine nuts (pignons) or almonds (amandes), is from my observation pricier than the coffee, not just here but everywhere in Tunisia.

While you’re in the area, don’t miss Ennejma Ezzahra Palace. Built by French painter and musicologist Rodolphe d’Erlanger as an homage to Arab-Islamic architecture. Of course, it’s nowhere near as historic or amazing as Granada’s Alhambra Palace, but it’s still an impressive work of art.

From the terrace in front of the main door, you can look down through blooming bougainvillea at a small harbor and compact beach. If you’re looking for some sun, sand, and possibly a bit of surfing, this was the cleanest of the beaches I visited in the Tunis metropolitan area. You will have to brave the 350 steps, however, which aren’t so bad on the way down, but on the way up… 

By way of comparison, the longest stretch of sandy seaside at La Marsa, which could be lovely, is rather sadly spoiled by lots of pieces of plastic trash, washing up with every wave. If you like a bit of property spotting, the area just a bit further inland from the coast contains some of the most ostentatious modern villas I saw in Tunis.

There are two other beachfronts to just quickly mention. Further west of La Marsa, Gammarth is the heart of the seaside resort town. During high season, the bars are buzzing and hawkers offer camel rides across the sands. 

Along the eastern side of Tunis, La Goulette is where cruise ships visiting the area dock. While it’s not a particularly attractive or interesting area, it does feature ramshackle seafood restaurants with sea views that are much frequented by locals, as well as an impressively domineering fort, built during the very brief stint Spain controlled the coast – if only it was open to the public!

If you want to experience the local metro service, the TGM (Tunis’ oldest line) runs all the way from La Marsa, past Sidi Bou Said and the Carthaginian Ruins, through La Goulette, and finishes up at the end of the downtown area. The section along La Goulette is particularly scenic where it crosses the Lake of Tunis.

It is perfectly possible to combine the Carthaginian ruins and Sidi Bou Said into one day, but it will be a lot to cover, especially if you walk between the sites rather than hiring a driver or taking a series of taxis. On the other hand, if your capacity for ruins is fairly small, it’s not unrealistic to cram it all in.

Day Three: Downtown Tunis

Right in the center of town is where you’ll find more of the real flavor of the Tunisian capital. 

I started off in the medina, whose enticing winding streets are filled with numerous cafes, souks, and stalls selling, well, pretty much everything. This hive of activity all grew up around the anchor of the Ez-Zitouna Mosque (literally Mosque of the Olive), originally built in the 7th century but completely reconstructed in the 9th. Today, its (much newer) minaret looms over the medina, calling folk to prayer. Entry, however, is forbidden to non-Muslims, so you’ll have to head to the terrace of the Cafe Panorama if you want a glimpse inside.

Make sure you don’t forget to try some Tunisian specialties while you’re in the medina. A few alleyways house small eateries where you can grab one of the most popular foods with locals: baguette farcie, a half-French, half-Arabic invention that consists of flatbread stuffed with cheese, mixed veg, and either chicken or jambon, before being baked. It’s heaven!

The Tunisians seem to love their filled breads, because two of the other most common foods I found everywhere were variations on a similar theme. The makloub is essentially folded-over flatbread cradling similar fillings to the baguette farcie (you can ask for it to be spiced up with some harissa), while fricassee is a deep-fried roll containing olives, boiled eggs, canned tuna, and potatoes. Given the penchant for baked bread and ubiquity of stone ovens, it’s not surprising to also see pizza being sold at many stands.

Once a gate to the medina and now a monument marking the meeting place of Islamic and French Tunis, Bab Al Bahr is set in a square lined by a couple of cafes where you can stop for a coffee boost and a bit of people watching. 

That done, it’s time to enter the former French quarter. Buildings here bear the hallmark of European architecture, with grand mansion blocks adorned with Belle Epoque excess. The most notable structure is the Cathedral of Saint Vincent de Paul. Completed in 1897, it’s a hodgepodge of architectural styles – the designer clearly just picked his favorite ideas and smushed them together – with a sculptured figure jutting prominently out from the façade to embrace the sky.

South of this, the Municipal Market is a paradise of fresh produce. The main hall features all manner of fruit and vegetables, while smaller sections branching off contain areas dedicated to fresh seafood (including fish and octopus), meat and chicken, and local cheeses and pickles. This area is complemented by the spice market, just a few steps away, filled with sacks of colorful powders. 

This will probably put you in the mood for some dinner. Finish your day with a meal at Fondouk Al Attarine, which serves up all the classics of Tunisian dining inside a former caravanserai. The setting is absolutely gorgeous: a glass-enclosed courtyard ensconced in foliage. Try the brik (a savory pastry filled with a runny boiled egg, meat, potatoes, and veg), followed by the fish couscous.

Disappointingly, the Bardo Museum, said to contain one of the best collections of ancient mosaics anywhere in the world, was closed when I visited – and has been closed ever since the onset of Covid. Although the Tunisian government has said it’s undergoing renovation, there’s also no word on when it will reopen. If you are luckier than me and visit Tunisia when it has finally begun welcoming people back, the Tunisians we spoke to were full of praise.

Day Four: Westward, Ho!

Now, you’ve explored what Tunis has to offer, it’s time to venture out of the capital and into other territories.

To the west are a pair of former Roman settlements that are located not far from one another. By public transport, they’re not the easiest places to reach, so it might be worth investing in a tour as I did. Otherwise, you’ll have to rely on a combo of bus and taxi.

Dougga is another of Tunisia’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites. For those of a romantic temperament, there’s plenty of scope for gazing misty-eyed at the extensive ruins and imagining the buzzing metropolis that once would have existed. Amidst the remnants of temples, bathhouses, and public latrines are a couple of standouts: the 19-tier restored theater, which could once hold 3,500 people, and the Capitol, which retains its grand portico intact.

While Dougga was a settlement long before the Romans elbowed their way in, there are precious few buildings to attest to that fact. An exception is the Libyco-Punic Mausoleum, a solid block of tiered stone adorned with griffins. It is one of just a handful of examples of Royal Numidian architecture that can still be seen today anywhere in the world.

Just over an hour’s drive from Dougga is Bulla Regia. Just like Dougga, Bulla Regia has a history of Berber, Punic, Numidian, and Roman habitation. While the ruins of the Memmian Baths are impressive, what makes this site unique is its belowground halls, built around open courtyards. These subterranean sections of Roman villas were where the rich retreated during the hot summer months. Thanks to their location, they have been fantastically preserved. 

The most amazing features are the almost perfect mosaics, many of which have been left in place (others have been removed from the Bardo Museum). These artworks give their name to most of the houses here, including the House of Amphitrite, which contains an imperious-looking nude woman (perhaps Amphitrite, the wife of Neptune) attended by crab-like centaurs and dolphin-bestriding cupids.

Return to Tunis for a hearty helping of ojja, a hearty tomato-based stew with eggs, peppers, and harissa that can be leveled up with some slices of merguez (a kind of spicy sausage). 

Day Five: Second-Best Sousse 

While Tunis is by far the most modern of Tunisia’s cities, you wouldn’t be doing the country full justice by just staying in the capital for your whole trip. Hop on one of the two morning trains heading to Sousse and expand your horizons southward. The trip takes just under 2.5 hours.

It is possible to do a day trip tour from Tunis that manages to squeeze in Sousse alongside nearby El Jem and Kairouan all at once. However, it’s a lot of driving for very little time in the towns. Instead, I recommend spreading out your trip so you don’t have to feel like you’re rushing the entire time.

Tunisia’s third-largest city, Sousse is a good place to base yourself for exploring the surrounding region. It was actually an earlier Phoenician colony than Carthage known as Hadrumetum, though it was later superseded in influence and power. Today, Sousse shares the distinction with Tunis of having its medina awarded UNESCO World Heritage status.

There are some really interesting comparisons to be made between the medinas of Tunis and Sousse. While both have a similar array of stalls, Sousse’s sellers are much more insistent, perhaps because the medina is smaller and more wholly geared towards tourism – in Tunis, the medina seems to have more alleyways that are just for locals shopping for socks, underwear and tea kettles.

On the other hand, Sousse’s medina still has most of its encircling defensive structures intact, with the sandy-colored walls firmly delineating the area from the rest of the city. The imposing kasbah (fortress) now plays host to the Sousse Archaeological Museum, the best place to see recovered Roman mosaics (at least until the Bardo reopens).

The oldest remaining part of Sousse’s medina is the ribat, a compact, square fortification. I puffed my way to the top of the tower via a narrow spiral staircase and was rewarded with panoramic views over the rest of the medina. 

Opposite the ribat is the city’s preeminent religious edifice, the Great Mosque of Sousse, which looks more like another defensive structure than a mosque, particularly as it lacks a minaret and the beautiful decorative geometric patterns you would usually associate with an Islamic place of worship. Non-Muslims can go no further than the courtyard, but you can peep into the prayer hall from the doorway. 

The medina can be chaotic, but if you want some rest and relaxation, Sousse is home to a strip of coastline that features the soft, sandy Bou Jaafar Beach. Grab a beer or some wine from the nearby MG Magasin General and kick your feet up for an hour or two. 

Where to Stay in Sousse

Dar Lekbira Boutique Hotel was only opened at the tail end of last year. As you would expect from a brand-new property, everything is shiny and clean. The building itself has been nicely renovated, though the furnishings tend towards the louder side of the spectrum. But hey, I’m not opposed to a little bling-bling! 

Day Six: Kairouan

Just to the west of Sousse, Kairouan was founded in 670 CE as a military post by a general of the Rashidun Caliphate. The Great Mosque, which is the city’s jewel, was first constructed at this time, before being rebuilt in 836 by the Aghlabid dynasty, the same powerful family who gave Sousse its Great Mosque.

While the exterior of Kairouan’s mosque appears just as forbidding and unadorned as Sousse’s, the inside is another story. Marble and porphyry columns line the hypostyle that leads to the prayer hall, which has two beautiful wooden doors barring entry to non-believers (like other mosques in Tunisia, no non-Muslims allowed). The boxy minaret, on the other hand, definitely looks like something out of a fortress.

A short walk away and just a few decades younger, the Mosque of the Three Doors may not look like much, but it is thought to be the oldest example of a mosque with a sculpted façade still in existence anywhere in the world. An interesting historical tidbit maybe, but it’s not as impressive as the Mosque Sidi Sahbi (Mosque of the Barber), which exhibits some beautiful tilework and stucco design in the publicly accessible courtyard. 

Kairouan is pretty easy to reach from Sousse if you don’t mind an adventure on a lounge . These minivan taxis are a cheap way to traverse the country where train and bus lines fail. It’s not an easy system to work out alone, but if you ask your hotel to help you, you shouldn’t have any problems getting an idea of the schedule.

Day Seven: A Jem of a City

El Jem is mainly famous for one thing: its enormous amphitheatre, which was possibly only rivalled by Rome’s Colosseum when it was whole. Built in the 3rd century CE, it was able to hold 35,000 people.

Part of the building has since crumbled away, but there’s still most of this impressive ruin left to explore. Clamber up through the tiered seating to feel the full size of the space, then head down to the underground to see where the behind-the-scenes action happened.

The ticket to the amphitheater also includes access to the nearby museum, which has its own collection of beautiful mosaics, salvaged from various Roman sites. 

Getting to the city is pretty easy from Sousse. Just hop on one of the trains heading towards Sfax. The trip takes just over an hour. Since there’s not much else to see in El Jem and the train schedules are heavily skewed towards pre-noon travel, I recommend visiting the amphitheater in the morning, before returning to Sousse for lunch.

After lunch, you can explore the area around Monastir. While technically a separate city, Monastir is connected to Sousse by the Sahel Metro, which means it takes just half an hour to get from one downtown to the other.

Monastir is a beach resort area with several narrow strips of sandy stretches abutting Mediterranean waters. Despite being a little too closely hemmed in by the nearby road, Qaraiya Beach is still a very scenic location to kick off your shoes and go for a paddle, particularly because it’s overlooked by the impressive remains of the city’s ribat. This fortress is more striking than the one in Sousse and boasts a watchtower that you can climb for great views over the surrounding area.

If you’ve got a little spare time on your hands, pay a 20-minute visit to the Mausoleum of Habib Bourguiba. Just a short walk from the ribat, it’s a dazzling monument to the father of Tunisian independence. When the sky is cloudless, the golden central dome and gold-tipped minarets glitter cheerfully in the sun. Habib Bourguiba is a beloved figure in Tunisia not just because he was a tireless agitator against colonial rule or because he was elected as the country’s first president, but also because of his many social reforms, promoting universal education and women’s rights. It’s worth going just to pay homage to the man and his ideals!

Return to Sousse for your final night.

Day Eight: Lazy Days

After several madcap days of touring a country, it’s always nice to take a day or two just to kick back and relax.

Hammamet is Tunisia’s original resort town. A former fishing village, it transformed over the course of the 20th century to become a destination for glamorous holidays, with film star Sophie Loren and fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli both once owning houses here.

Today, there are a number of five-star resorts lining the sandy shores, including many with private beaches that are adults only. The waters lapping the coast are deliciously warm, though some parts of the beach are definitely better tended than others. Pick your spot wisely and while away the day with a bit of sun worship.

Where to Stay in Hammamet

If you’re going to stay in a hive of beach resorts, you may as well throw yourself fully into the experience. The Royal Azur Thalasso has several outdoor swimming pools, easy access to a private beach, and lots of dining options, from al fresco terraces to the ridiculously overdone indoor restaurant. I rarely go for 5-star excess over characterful boutiques, but when I do, this is the kind of over-the-top-ness I enjoy.

Day Nine: Beside the Beach

If you want to break up your beach time with some cultural curiosities, Hammamet is home to a small medina that is filled with bright-white houses and dominated by the sandy-colored 13th-century kasbah. To be honest though, the vibe is very much a Disneyland version of Tunisia, especially after having visited much more interesting medinas elsewhere in the country.

Which reminds me, you can actually go to what is purported to be North Africa’s oldest amusement park along this slice of coast, dubbed Carthage Land (of course). If you’re traveling with kids, bumper cars, log flumes and roller coasters might be a welcome addition to your trip. 

Day Ten: Tunis Revisited

Catch the train from Hammamet back to Tunis. There are infrequent direct trains into the city center, but you may also have to change at the suburban railway town of Borj Cedria. Either way, the journey should take you between 1.5 and 2 hours.

If you’ve got a little time before your flight, head back into the medina for any of the local specialties you didn’t manage to try the first time around. One for the vegetarians, kafteji is essentially a mix of fried vegetables (eggplants, bell peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, zucchinis) that are often served as a side, though I prefer it stuffed in whatever flatbread the seller has got handy!

And That’s How to Spend 10 Days in Tunisia!

Tunisia may not be the first country that springs to mind when you think of North Africa, but it makes for an interesting alternative to the more commonly visited countries of Egypt and Morocco . With Roman ruins, sandy beaches, and lots and lots of stuffed-bread specialties, Tunisia has plenty to recommend itself to visitors looking to take the road less traveled.

Lauren Juliff

Lauren Juliff is a published author and travel expert who founded Never Ending Footsteps in 2011. She has spent over 12 years travelling the world, sharing in-depth advice from more than 100 countries across six continents. Lauren's travel advice has been featured in publications like the BBC, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Cosmopolitan, and her work is read by 200,000 readers each month. Her travel memoir can be found in bookstores across the planet.

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Tunisia still has surprises in store for you. You can enjoy the most beautiful sandy beaches , explore the ruins of an ancient Roman city , learn to ride a camel, then completely unwind in one of our superb thalassotherapy centres. Dive through a school of fish, learn to kite surf, taste one of the countless couscous recipes, play a round of golf … For MICE organisers, you can rely on excellent infrastructure and many well equipped conference centres. 

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Tunis and the Coasts of Carthage Tunis, Carthage, Sidi Bou Saïd are places loaded with history but also overflowing with life. The ca...

Tabarka and Aïn Draham Tabarka or Aïn Draham? Sea or forest? Both are waiting for you in the Tunisian North-West. A paradis...

Hammamet and Cape Bon Magnificent beaches, beautiful hotels, sporting activities and seafront nightclubs… some of the many...

Djerba Island The great island of the Tunisian South and Zarzis, its neighbour on the mainland, are one of the mos...

Sousse and Port El Kantaoui Major coastal resort and historical city, Sousse has two faces. Enjoy the enormous beaches of Sousse...

The Tunisian South From Tozeur to Tataouine via the vast sandy desert, the Tunisian South is a true world of its own wh...

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Maps of Tunisia

On TunisiaMap360° you will find all maps to print and to download in PDF of the country of Tunisia in Northern Africa. You have at your disposal a whole set of maps of Tunisia in Northern Africa: detailed map of Tunisia (Tunisia on world map, political map), geographic map (physical map of Tunisia, regions map), transports map of Tunisia (road map, train map, airports map), Tunisia tourist attractions map and and other maps of Tunisia in Northern Africa (black and white map).

All Tunisia maps

To discover the country Tunisia, the detailed map of Tunisia and the maps of the regions and administrative are available. Take the opportunity to discover major cities and locate the capital. To learn a little more about the geography of Tunisia, physical map and maps of mountains, rivers and elevation will be very useful. To help you move into the country, you may use transportation maps of Tunisia. It includes the Tunisia road map, train network and airports of Tunisia. To visit Tunisia in Northern Africa, you will find the tourist attractions maps highlighting monuments of Tunisia, but also the wine map of Tunisia. You will also find other maps like: blank map of Tunisia and some old maps of Tunisia in Northern Africa.

Update April 12, 2024

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Tunisia Travel Advisory

Travel advisory july 13, 2023, tunisia - level 2: exercise increased caution.

Reissued with obsolete COVID-19 page links removed.

Exercise increased caution in Tunisia due to terrorism. Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory.  

Do not travel to:

• Within 30 km of southeastern Tunisia along the border with Libya due to terrorism.
• Mountainous areas in the country’s west, including the Chaambi Mountain National Park area, due to terrorism.
• The desert south of Remada due to the military zone.
• Jendouba south of Ain Drahem and west of RN15, El Kef, and Kasserine, next to the Algerian border due to terrorism.
• Sidi Bou Zid in central Tunisia due to terrorism.

Country Summary:  Terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in Tunisia. Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, museums, resorts, hotels, festivals, nightclubs, restaurants, religious sites, markets/shopping malls, government facilities and security forces. A country-wide state of emergency, which grants security forces more authority to maintain civil order and enables the government to focus on combating terrorism, is in effect. 

The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in some areas of Tunisia. U.S. government employees must obtain special authorization to travel outside greater Tunis.  

Read the  country information page  for additional information on travel to Tunisia. 

If you decide to travel to Tunisia:

• Exercise caution when using public transportation, due to safety and security concerns.
• Avoid demonstrations and crowds.
• Monitor local media for breaking events and be prepared to adjust your plans.
• Avoid staying overnight outside of the main cities and tourist locations.
• Obtain comprehensive medical insurance that includes medical evacuation.
• Enroll in the  Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)  to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Follow the Department of State on  Facebook  and  Twitter . 
• Follow the U.S. Embassy in Tunisia on  Facebook  and  Twitter .
• Review the  Country Security Report  for Tunisia.
• Visit the CDC page for the latest  Travel Health Information  related to your travel.  
• Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the  Traveler’s Checklist .

Border with Libya – Level 4: Do Not Travel

Developments in Libya continue to affect the security situation along the Tunisian-Libyan border in areas such as Ras Jedir and Dehiba along with the cities of Ben Guerdan and Medenine. The border with Libya is frequently closed to all traffic with short notice for extended periods. The Department of State advises U.S. citizens not to travel to Libya. 

Visit our website for  Travel to High-Risk Areas .

Western Mountains and Chaambi Mountain National Park – Level 4: Do Not Travel

Terrorist groups continue to operate in mountains of Western Tunisia. 

The Desert South of Remada – Level 4: Do Not Travel

The desert south of Remada is designated as a military zone by the Government of Tunisia. Special authorization is required for travelers wishing to enter the military zone.

Jendouba El Kef and Kasserine near the Algerian Border – Level 4: Do Not Travel

Terrorist groups continue to operate in these areas. 

Sidi Bou Zid in Central Tunisia – Level 4: Do Not Travel

Terrorist groups continue to operate in this area. 

Travel Advisory Levels

Assistance for u.s. citizens, tunisia map, search for travel advisories, external link.

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