Tunisia travel guide
Tunisia packs Roman ruins, whitewashed clifftop villages, old walled medinas, Mediterranean beaches and the edge of the Sahara into a country you can cross in a day. It suits history lovers, beach holidaymakers and travellers curious about desert landscapes and North African food, from couscous to brik.
Places worth the trip
Carthage and Sidi Bou Said
The ruins of ancient Carthage, Rome's great rival, spread across the coastal suburbs of Tunis, including the Antonine Baths and the Punic ports. Nearby Sidi Bou Said is a hillside village of white walls and blue doors overlooking the Gulf of Tunis.
Tunis medina
A UNESCO-listed maze of souks, palaces and mosques centred on the Zitouna Mosque. The Bardo Museum nearby holds one of the world's finest collections of Roman mosaics; check its opening status before you go.
El Jem
A remarkably well-preserved Roman amphitheatre, among the largest ever built, rising above a small town in the centre of the country. You can walk through its tunnels and up into the upper tiers.
Kairouan
One of the holiest cities in the Islamic world, with the Great Mosque of Kairouan, founded in the 7th century, the Aghlabid basins and a medina known for carpets and makroudh, date-filled pastries.
Dougga
A Roman town on a hillside in the north-west, with a theatre, temples, baths and houses spread across farmland. It is one of the best-preserved Roman sites in North Africa.
Djerba
A flat island in the south with beaches, the El Ghriba synagogue, one of the oldest in Africa, the market town of Houmt Souk and the street murals of Djerbahood in Erriadh.
The Sahara and the southern oases
Douz is a gateway to the dunes for camel treks and desert camps. Tozeur and the mountain oases of Chebika and Tamerza sit near Chott el Djerid, a vast salt pan, and Matmata has traditional underground homes.
Sousse and Monastir
Coastal towns with walled medinas and fortified ribats (fortress-monasteries), close to long beaches and resorts on the Sahel coast.
Interesting facts about Tunisia
- Several Star Wars films were shot in southern Tunisia, and Luke Skywalker's home planet Tatooine takes its name from the town of Tataouine.
- The underground houses of Matmata were used as the Lars family homestead in the first Star Wars film, and one now operates as a hotel.
- Tunisia's National Dialogue Quartet was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2015.
- Chott el Djerid is one of the largest salt pans in the Sahara, and mirages are common across its flat surface.
- The Zitouna Mosque in Tunis is associated with one of the oldest centres of learning in the Islamic world.
Best time to visit Tunisia
Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) are ideal for sightseeing and the desert, with warm days and cooler nights. Summer (June to August) is hot, particularly inland and in the south, but it is peak season on the coast. Winter is mild and sometimes rainy in the north, and desert nights are cold. Visits to the Sahara are most comfortable from October to April. During Ramadan, many cafés close in daytime and opening hours change.
Getting around
Louages, shared minibuses that leave when full, are the fastest and most common way to travel between towns, from stations on the edge of each city. Trains run along the coast from Tunis to Sousse, Sfax and Gabès and inland to some towns. Tunis has a light rail (the metro léger) and a suburban line, the TGM, to Carthage and Sidi Bou Said. Taxis are metered in cities. Hire a car, or join a tour, for the desert and the southern oases. Djerba is reached by a short ferry or a causeway.
Practical details
- Capital
- Tunis
- Currency
- Tunisian dinar (TND)
- Languages
- Arabic (official), French (widely used)
- Plug types
- C, E
- Voltage
- 230 V, 50 Hz
- Emergency
- 197 police, 190 ambulance, 198 fire
- Driving side
- right
- Tipping
- Appreciated: round up in cafés and leave around 10 percent in restaurants; tip guides and drivers.
Staying online in Tunisia
Mobile coverage is good in Tunis, coastal cities and most towns, with 4G widely available. Coverage thins out in the interior and the south, and in the Sahara around Douz and Ksar Ghilane signal can be weak or absent at desert camps. Wi-Fi is common in hotels and many cafés, although speeds vary. Download offline maps before heading south. Install an eSIM before you fly and switch it on when you land.
Tunisia eSIM plans
1 GB
1GB eSIM Data for 7 Days for Tunisia
無制限
Unlimited eSIM Data for 1 Day for Tunisia
2 GB
2GB eSIM Data for 15 Days for Tunisia
3 GB
3GB eSIM Data for 30 Days for Tunisia
Useful apps
- Google Maps: Navigating medinas, cities and roads; download the south offline before a desert trip.
- Google Translate: Arabic and French translation, with offline packs for rural areas.
- XE Currency: Converting dinars; the currency cannot be freely exchanged outside Tunisia.
- WhatsApp: Commonly used to contact guides, guesthouses and drivers.
Tunisia travel FAQs
Arabic and French are the main languages. English is spoken in tourist areas and by many younger people, but a few words of French go a long way.
Yes. Coverage is good in cities and along the coast, and weaker in the desert. A travel eSIM gives you local data for maps and messaging without roaming fees.
Yes. The Hotel Sidi Driss in Matmata, used as the Lars homestead, can be visited, and the Mos Espa set near Tozeur is a popular stop on desert tours, though desert sands have shifted around it.
Swimwear and casual clothes are fine at beach resorts. In medinas, rural areas and religious sites, cover shoulders and knees. Non-Muslims cannot enter the prayer halls of most mosques.