This destination guide is a very personal account of our travels. What we saw, where we ate and stayed, and what we liked and didn’t like.
Along with our lists, we’ve included a few tidbits of wisdom that we wish we’d had before we left. We hope you find this information useful on your next trip as well.
Tunisia is a country that probably isn’t even on the radar of most Americans. But it has long been a popular destination for Europeans due to its proximity, climate and low cost. The country has beautiful, varied scenery, and a long and rich history.
For the nature lover there are lush mountains and cork forests along the northern coast and the stark Sahara Desert farther south. History and archaeology lovers have numerous sites to visit from ancient empires. Star Wars fans have many filming locations and sets to visit. And if you just want to lay on a nice beach, there is that as well.
Taxis are easy to use and honest. (They use their meter.) You can hail one on the street. A red light means they are available, green means they are engaged and if the sign is off, they are off duty. You can also use the BOLT app to hail a cab and pre-set the price. You’ll still need to pay the driver in cash. The meter is generally cheaper than BOLT.
There are two taxi areas at the airport. The first is right outside the terminal. The second, unofficial and much cheaper option, is to walk through the parking lot and hail a cab at the roundabout at the entrance to the parking lot. You won’t be the only one doing so.
Coffee Shops are places where local men gather in mid-morning and late afternoon. It is unusual to find women in these establishments.
Tunisia imports many of its staple goods. Sometimes there are disruptions in the supply chain, and it is not uncommon for the country to run out of something. While we were there, the country ran out wheat and gas for a couple of days. Other than not being able to order pasta one night, we were not impacted.
It is very difficult and expensive to electronically process payments in Tunisia. As a result, apps such as Bolt and private tour operators will ask you to pay in cash. Outside the larger towns, many vendors do not accept credit cards and cash is your only option. There are many ATMs and so it is fairly easy to get cash. However, the transaction limit is fairly low, generally 300-400 TND per withdrawal, and the transaction fees range from 0 to $10. ATM fees can add up quickly.
We set up a Cash Travel account at USAA. Their ATM cards don’t charge a fee and they’ll reimburse ATMs fees incurred, up to a limit. Many credit unions provide similar services.
Sometimes the country runs low on cash, particularly after holidays. Be sure to get your cash before the weekend and holidays.
We had the best luck with STB Bank ATMs. They offered the lowest fee, 10 TND (about $3.25) – although sometimes they didn’t charge us at all. There are locations throughout Tunisia, including the Tunis airport. ATB Bank charged a fee of $10. Amen Bank charged 12 TND (about $4)
Tunisia is chock full of history. We only scratched the surface.
Carthage Ruins – Very interesting and helpful in putting the history of the Mediterranean region into context. Carthage was a big city and there are many sites worth visiting, including the baths, villas, port, forum, amphitheater and aqueduct. Transportation (taxi or van) is needed between most of the sites. We recommend hiring a guide – otherwise you’re just looking at a bunch of ruins. See our recommendations below.
Dougga – a 2-hour drive from Tunis through rolling hills and farm fields
Well preserved Roman ruins. It is helpful to have a guide walk you through this ancient city, but not imperative.
Local guides will generally drive their clients to and from the site. Alternatively, you can rent a car and tour the site yourselves.
Zaghouan – a mountain to the south of Tunis, was the water source for Carthage. The water flows a total of 132 km (at an 11-degree slope), making it among the longest aqueducts in the Roman Empire. It can be combined with a visit to Dougga.
El Jem Amphitheater (aka Thysdrus Amphitheater)
The second largest amphitheater in the ancient world, after the Colosseum in Rome. We did not visit, but we understand it is very impressive as it is almost as large, but better preserved.
See more in this post.
Tunis is the capital and economic hub of Tunisia. While there are a few things to see downtown, most visitors opt to stay in the picturesque coastal town of Sidi Bou Said, near La Marsa.
Shopping
The Medina (Souk) of Tunis is not a must see. We’ve heard there are a few stalls with “gems” like old tiles and jewelry stores, but it’s hard to know which to trust. Many of the stores sell cheap items made in China, similar to what you’d find in a swap meet.
Higher quality Tunisian items can be found In the back streets of La Marsa.
Sidi Bou Said and La Marsa
Sidi Bou Said is a charming seaside town known for its blue and white houses and cobbled streets. The al fresco cafes, Tunisian eateries and small art galleries make it a delightful place to be based in Tunis.
La Marsa is next door. It isn’t as beautiful and doesn’t attract as many visitors, but the shops are well curated and the restaurants are very good.
Both towns are 30 minutes from the airport and downtown.
See more in this post.
What to do
Ennejma Ezzahra Palace – The Palace of the Baron d’Erlanger. He was responsible for getting the city to paint its buildings white and blue. The interior of the building is beautiful, hosting Tunisian craftmanship everywhere. It also houses an in-depth museum of north African music instruments. If your timing is good, you can attend a concert in the house.
Abdelliya Palace was the summer residence for the Muradids and Husainids in the 17th and 18th century. The local neighborhood is more interesting than this nearly forgotten historical palace
Scooter around La Marsa
Get lost walking in the alleys of Sidi Bou Said
Take the TGM train between Sidi Bou Said and La Marsa- A truly local experience.
Visit the North African American Cemetery and learn about the US’ North African campaign, which started four years before D-day
Most Tunisians drive 7 hours to Tozeur from Tunis (or 5 from Djerba). Rather than drive from Tunis, you may want to consider flying. Flights run a few times a week.
Tozeur has a special energy that comes from the warm and welcoming people. Some (but not too many) foreigners are re-vitalizing the city center and opening boutique hotels. Tozeur is known for its people and their hospitality. Be sure to spend time chatting with them as you explore the town.
There is enough to do to spend 2 nights in Tozeur
See more in this post.
Tour Oasis by Horse Drawn Carriage. With a lot of water, it is amazing what is grown in the middle of desert. Jamel set us up with his friend Slim (who doesn’t have a What’sApp account.) I’m sure your hotel can connect you with a cart and driver.
Walk through the Medina of Tozeur. The narrow walkways are stunning.
In the medina is the Sidi Ben Aissa Archaeological and Traditional Museum. The docent’s stories give you an insight into growing up in a large family within a small village community.
Nearby, Visit natural oases and local Amazigh (Berber) villages of Chebika, Tamerza, and Mides.
Visit Star Wars sets and enjoy a 4-wheel drive bash through the desert. We used T. R. Touristique (They don’t have an internet presence), which was arranged by our guide, Jamel.
See more in this post.
Despite the transfer of the political capital to Tunis in the 12th century, Kairouan remained the Maghreb’s principal holy city. Its rich architectural heritage includes the Great Mosque, with its marble and porphyry columns, and the 9th-century Mosque of the Three Gates. For Muslims, 7 trips here are said to equal one hajj to Mecca.
We toured the Great Mosque, the Mausoleum of the Barber and the Aglabid Basins.
It is worth visiting as it provides an insight into the Arabic history of Tunisia. However, the city isn’t set up for tourism. The hotels are old and dingy and the town center doesn’t really embrace tourists. We stayed here because it’s a good way to break up the drive from Tunis to Tozeur.
See more in this post.
Tozeur and Douz sit on the edge of the Chott el Jerid, the world’s largest dry salt lake bed. We’ve been told that Douz has its own character, but we didn’t stop to enjoy it.
Glamping at a Desert Camp
This was arranged through Jamel. Mid-morning, we rode out on camels for 2 hours. We had lunch, dinner and breakfast at camp. The food was good, but not gourmet.
We stayed in warm, spacious tents. We had blankets, but no sheets. The bathrooms were a short walk away and shared by everyone in the camp, including the staff. At the time of our trip, the camp didn’t have showers.
It was relaxing. We read books and played cards. There weren’t any other guests when we were there, but the camp is set up for many more.
We visited the villages of Tamezret, Matmatat, Toujane, Medenine, Chenini, Ksar Hadada and a few others. We saw many examples of troglodyte dwellings, as well as other features like granaries. We also saw many of the locations and sets used in several Star Wars films. One of the best known, the Hotel Sidi Driss, looks tired and trampled over. We much preferred the Hotel Ksar Hadada. It has been recently renovated and the food and rooms were much better.
See more in this post.
Food and Beverage
Couscous was developed by the Berbers of Tunisia. In the south, main dishes are couscous with roasted vegetables and/or meat.
Northern food is heavily influenced by Italy. Many main dishes are centered around pasta or grilled meat or fish.
Briks are a favorite as an appetizer or small quick meal. Briks are thick sheets of phyllo dough folded in a triangle around a mixture of onions, herbs, harissa and meat or tuna, and a raw egg. The pastry is fried just before it is delivered to your table.
Celtia, Heineken, and Becks are the three most common beers in Tunisia. Celtia is the local beer and is the most popular.
Tunisia has several wineries. Domaine Neferis’ Syrah Cuvée Magnifique was our favorite. It costs about $16/bottle retail.
Most restaurants are alcohol free. You may be able to bring your own beer and wine, which you can buy at the grocery store. If you want to buy alcohol on a Friday, you’ll need to show your foreign passport.
Where to eat:
Tunis/ Sidi Bou Said/ La Marsa:
Bambalouni – Best beignets ever. Spend time in this line as the beignets in the stall next door aren’t worthy of comparison
Blu Blu Sidi Bou – Modern restaurant with tasty briks and flavorful tajines. We ate on the upstairs patio.
Ben Rahim – For serious coffee lovers of both sexes. The latte had notes of dark chocolate.
Restaurant El Bey – Very popular local fast restaurant. Wish we’d have had time to try it.
Boulangerie Paul – Yup, this is the pastry shop from Paris. It doesn’t disappoint.
Casa Lico – Homemade pasta. Chic clientele
Tie-Break Restaurant – Very near the entrance to Carthage. We stumbled upon it just before our Carthage tour. This is the restaurant for the Tennis Club. It is open to everyone, but probably only appealing to expats as it’s expensive and the food is very French. While this isn’t our normal scene, we relished our chevre salad and omelet in a grove of shade trees.
La Goulette:
This town is near the water and the main street is lined with restaurants offering fish specials. It is popular with locals and there appeared to be many good restaurants. We ate at Restaurant Djerbien, which specializes in Djerbien cuisine. Our favorite dish was couscous, which is a Berber dish from the south.
On the road to Dougga:
There are several roadside stands along the way. We ate at Restaurant El Malouf in Testour where we had chicken, pasta and salad.
On the road to Tozeur:
About midway, in the town of Bir El Haffey there are several roadside diners that offer grilled fresh lamb. (So fresh that sides are hanging in the doorways.) We were introduced to Mechouia (grilled, chopped green pepper) salad with our ribs of lamb.
Tozeur:
Couscous, Lamb, Chicken and Mechouia are local specialties. Couscous was developed by the Berbers in this area. It is delicious.
Restaurant Soleil – We had lamb in a pot. They don’t serve beer or wine, but we saw some people bring their own.
Restaurant de la Republique – Our guide’s favorite place. We savored the lamb couscous with beer. Yep you can get beer here.
Pizza Mamma Mia – AMAZING pizza. The crust is light, yet flavorful. While they recommend the pasta – order the pizza. Only water and soda are available for drinks.
Restaurant Dar Deda – Recommended by our guide, but we didn’t have a chance to eat there
Café Le Coin was very popular with the young men. we got cappuccinos to go in the morning. (BTW, in Tunisia, they add instant hot chocolate to their cappuccino. If you don’t want chocolate in your cappuccino, ask for it Sans Chocolate.)
Matmatat:
Restaurant Chez Abdoul. Best Couscous on trip! Couscous was developed by the Berbers in this region.
Ksar Hadada:
Hotel Ksar Hadada – this is a new hotel. We ate there and the meal was delicious. (The chef had retired from Ibis.) We were shown the rooms. They are nicely adorned. If you’re looking for a troglodyte, Star Wars hotel, I recommend this one over Hotel Sidi Driss, which looks worn and well-trodden (by thousands of tourists every day.)
Sidi Bou Said
La Villa Bleue was recommended by our friends. (We didn’t stay there because we stayed with our friends.)
Kairouan
Hotel Continental – we stayed and ate there. It is an old, tired convention hotel.
La Kasbah Hotel – Recommended by our guide. We didn’t stay here, but it’s worth considering. (Agoda)
Tozeur
Hotel Dar Saida Beya – Delightful boutique hotel (guest house) in the center of Tozeur. Highly recommend.
Tamezret
Dar Ayed Tamezret – Beautiful hotel with pool and a bocce ball court. It is secluded so you’ll want to book half board (breakfast and dinner). The Food was delicious. Note, while the hotel is delightful, you may find that the location is not in the right place for your tour. If that’s the case, then you can find other hotels in more convenient locations.
Ksar Hadada
Hotel Ksar Hadada – this is a new hotel. We ate there and the meal was delicious. (The chef had retired from Ibis.) We were shown the rooms. They are nicely adorned. If you’re looking for a troglodyte, Star Wars hotel, I recommend this one over Hotel Sidi Driss, which looks worn and well-trodden (by thousands of tourists every day.)
Djerba
Djerba has a mix of all-inclusive hotels (on and off the beach), small hotels and Airbnbs. We chose an all-inclusive on the beach because we didn’t want to spend time hunting for a beach or food. We were happy with our decision. We stayed at the Tui Blue Palm Beach Palace. It is a European hotel chain with good food. The only thing we didn’t like was the number of people smoking outdoors.
We highly recommend hiring a guide as the best way to see Tunisia. Two that we used and can recommend:
Jamel Arfaoui (Local Tunis and Multi-day tours throughout Tunisia)
What’s App/Cell: +216 26 08 84 86 Messyjamel@gmail.com
Nour El Houda (Local Tunis tours)
What’s App/Cell: +216 21 40 60 88 narnoura_01@hotmail.com
There are several ways to see rural Tunisia. We booked a 6-day private tour through Tours By Locals that included transportation. Cost for the 2 of us was $1900 plus hotels, food and entry fees for this tour:
Day 1 – Dougga; one of the best-preserved Roman towns in Africa and Zaghouan the town famous for its Water Temple. Overnight in Kairouan.
Day 2 – Kairouan: the Great Mosque, the Mausoleum of the Barber and the Aglabid Basins. Overnight in Tozeur.
Day 3 – The Atlas mountains: oases of Chebika, Tamerza, Mides, and Ong Jemal Star Wars desert,
overnight in Tozeur.
Day 4 – Drive to Douz crossing the huge dry salt lake Chott Al Jerid. Explore the Toureg Market.
After lunch take a camel ride to the camp. Overnight in tent.
Day 5- Stop at the Berber villages of Tamezret and Matmata, visit A Berber family living in a Troglodyte dwelling and explore Sidi Driss, a filming site for Star Wars. Overnight in Matmata.
Day 6 – Explore Toujane, Chenini, Ksar Haddada and Ksar Medenine. Overnight in Djerba Island.
May 13, 2023
gail
So helpful – thanks gg