Tunisia travel guide: What to know before you go

Whether you’re after the golden beaches, ancient Roman ruins or the Sahara’s off-grid escapes, the best places to visit in Tunisia should be explored with an open mind and sense of adventure.

This North African country is packed with history, colourful medinas, beautiful Mediterranean coastline, and landscapes that change dramatically as you travel from north to south.

As I found out first hand, it’s also a destination that takes a little more planning, especially when it comes to getting around.

Travel in Tunisia isn’t always easy when you don’t speak the language or are missing the creature comforts of home (why are all mattresses so firm here?!), but those minor hiccups are easy to forget when gazing at the impressive centuries-old fortifications and panoramic vistas.

I travelled around Tunisia with a group of very well-travelled friends and a crew of local experts, picking up plenty of useful tips along the way.

From what to eat to where to go, how to get there and ideas for a 7 day itinerary, this Tunisia travel guide covers everything you’ll want to know about planning your own trip.

How to pronounce ‘Tunisia’

First things first: what’s the correct way to pronounce the country’s name? Well, it depends who you ask.

Tunisians actually say ‘Tunis’ (too-nis)—just like the capital– though I also heard many locals refer to it as ‘two-niece-ee-ah’ which is more common among native English speakers. Too-knee-zha also works too. Frankly no one seemed to care how it was said, so you do you, boo.

Getting around Tunisia

Tunisia works as either an independent or guided trip–but it depends where you go.

The main cities and coastal areas are relatively straightforward to navigate, but travelling into rural areas or heading south towards the Sahara requires a lot more planning and even special vehicles.

If you’re sticking to the main tourist areas you can get around using taxis, trains and buses. Louages (shared minibuses) are another popular way to travel between towns: they’re inexpensive and generally leave once all the seats are filled.

For our friends trip, we had Tunisia Ecotourism show us around the country on a week-long road trip from north to south.

The company is based up north in Bizerte, and focuses on fostering sustainable and responsible travel. Their customizable, multi-day tours focus on super local experiences away from the main tourist areas to see the real side of Tunisia, and the founders personally spearhead environmental projects like educating hotels about how to compost food waste.

The Tunisia Ecotourism team arranged accommodations in home stays for us for a more local experience, walked us through the maze of medinas and even brought us into homes for traditional meals cooked by mom!

It was a great way to experience places we definitely wouldn’t have found on our own, and having someone who knew the roads, spoke the language and understood the local culture made a huge difference.

The reason I’d suggest having a guide and driver like we did is because once you leave Tunis, there can be a bit of a language barrier and getting around on the roads is more difficult.

Many of the signs at important archeological sites are also not in English, so you wouldn’t learn much about them without a guide.

If you’re heading to the Sahara you’ll also need a driver for safety reasons, as tour operators have 4X4 vehicles that can handle the rough conditions (though our crew still ended up having to push the van through sand!).

Many areas don’t have cell reception, so they check in with local authorities along the way for good reason: a week before our trip a foreign tour group got stranded by a flash flood, and when they didn’t show up for their checkpoint as planned emergency services were able to head out right away to help them before the situation deteriorated.

Is it safe to travel to Tunisia?

As mentioned, I went travelling in Tunisia with a group of friends, and since my flight got in earlier I spent two days as a solo, (pregnant!) female traveller.

Like literally everywhere else on earth I probably wouldn’t suggest wandering around alone here at night, but I felt 100 per cent safe during my time alone in Tunis. I stayed at a nicer resort in Gammarth, walked along the Mediterranean Sea and booked this group day trip to explore Sidi Bou Said and Carthage.

All of those areas felt very safe with other tourists around, and the locals are wonderful about not aggressively hassling you to buy things (*ahem* Egypt and Morocco). In retrospect, I could have just gotten a cab to see Sidi Bou Said and Carthage on my own and it would have been fine.

Based on what I’ve heard, travellers can expect a similar experience in the touristy beach areas of Hammamet and Sousse.

It’s worth checking your government’s current travel advisory before you go (here’s the Government of Canada’s Tunisia travel advisory), since advice can shift and certain border regions near Libya and Algeria carry higher risk warnings.

That said, common-sense precautions apply everywhere: avoid wandering unfamiliar areas alone after dark, and in remote areas like the Sahara always travel with an experienced guide.

Language in Tunisia

The official language in Tunisia is Arabic, and most Tunisians speak a dialect of Tunisian Arabic which has hints of French.

Tour guides and staff working in major hotels tend to be fluent in English and French and potentially a few other languages, but once you leave main cities like Tunis expect it to be more difficult to communicate if you only speak English.

How many days do you need in Tunisia?

Spend at least 7 days in Tunisia if you want to see more than just the capital and surrounding coastal areas. With only a few days, I’d concentrate on Tunis, Carthage and Sidi Bou Said which also allows time to relax at a coastal resort. 

With 5–10 days you can start venturing out to Kairouan, see the impressive Roman amphitheatre at El Jem, and head south to the Sahara.

7-day Tunisia itinerary

If you have 7 days in Tunisia like we did, a north-to-south road trip gives you the best range of landscapes and experiences. Here’s what our one week Tunisia itinerary looked like:

• Days 1-2: Tunis, Sidi Bou Said and Carthage. Arrive in Tunis, settle in and spend the morning wandering the medina, then spend the afternoon in Sidi Bou Said. The next day explore the Roman ruins of Carthage and enjoy some time on the beach.
• Day 3: Kairouan. Head south to Kairouan, one of Islam’s holiest cities and home to the Great Mosque and a beautifully preserved medina. 
• Day 4: Dougga. Dougga is one of the best-preserved Roman sites in North Africa and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 
• Day 5: Ichkeul National Park and the northern coast. Take a detour through the UNESCO wetlands of Ichkeul before stopping at the coastal village of Ghar El Mleh on the way.
• Days 6-7: Head south toward the Sahara or the beach resorts. This is where your itinerary branches: sun-seekers can drop down to Hammamet or Sousse, while adventure travellers push further south toward the desert. For the Sahara, you’ll need a guide with a 4×4.

There’s oh-so-much history in Tunisia

If you’re a history buff, visiting Tunisia will be your jam and the best part is you’ll probably enjoy the landmarks mostly to yourself since the country is far less touristy than its European counterparts.

In fact, there are so many archeological sites that the government hasn’t even bothered unearthing them all due to the expense of excavation and preservation.

There are eight UNESCO sites in Tunisia including the medina in Tunis, the impressive ruins of Dougga and the ancient city of Kairouan.

Turns out Kairouan is considered the world’s holiest city in Islam after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem–who knew!

What should women wear in Tunisia?

Tunisia is one of the region’s more progressive countries, but while you won’t see all women completely cloaked female travellers should definitely respect the local culture and cover up a bit.

The entire time I was there I didn’t see a single bare shoulder or short skirt, so it’s definitely best practice to dress a bit more conservatively with longer pants or skirts and shirts with a high neckline that covers the upper arms.

There are a couple of exceptions: swimsuits are A-OK especially at touristy resorts, and if you visit a hammam you’d better bet they’ll make you strip all the way down.

My girlfriends and I learned this shortly after having our bathing suit tops tugged off during a steam room experience that left nothing to the imagination, and were then ordered to get completely naked during the massage portion–yes, no privacy towels allowed!

If you’re visiting sacred landmarks like the Great Mosque of Kairouan, men are required to wear long pants and women should do the same while covering their head with a scarf.

No worries if you don’t have those items handy, as robes and scarves can be borrowed at the front entrance.

Overall, Tunisia is relatively relaxed compared with some other destinations in the region, but modest clothing is appreciated, especially outside resort areas and at religious sites.

When is the best time to visit Tunisia? 

Yes this is Africa, but the weather in Tunisia isn’t always as warm as you might think.

It typically only gets hot enough to sunbathe on the beautiful beaches from about June to September, so if you’re travelling to Tunisia with the goal of getting a golden glow then plan accordingly.

We went in spring (late April) and were downright freezing a few times on overcast days when the wind picked up, so be sure to pack lots of layers if you’re visiting in shoulder season.

• Spring (March–May): A great time for exploring archaeological sites, cities and the countryside. Temperatures are generally comfortable, although evenings can be cool.
• Summer (June–August): Best for beach holidays along the Mediterranean, but inland temperatures can get extremely hot. If you’re planning to explore the Sahara, this isn’t my first choice.
• Fall (September–November): Another excellent time for sightseeing and exploring the desert, with temperatures becoming more manageable after the summer heat.
• Winter (December–February): Generally quieter, with milder conditions in the south but cooler, wetter weather in the north.

If I were planning another trip, I’d aim for May or October to balance comfortable sightseeing temperatures with the chance to enjoy the coastline.

Food in Tunisia

Our group wasn’t always the easiest to serve when it came to meal times, with restrictions like a couple of vegans, limited sugar and carb requirements, and all of the random things you’re apparently not allowed to eat when you’re pregnant.

Fortunately there were always plenty of options to satisfy everyone, and I was especially pleased to find that while some of the traditional dishes are spicy there were still lots of alternatives to suit my plain palate.

Expect to find lots of lamb, fish (especially tuna), barbecue chicken and legumes for protein, fresh-out-of-the oven bread served with local olive oil, eggs, veggies, pasta and dips like shukshuka.

The fresh pressed strawberry juice found everywhere we went was a hit, especially considering that would cost like $20 a glass to make back in North America.

Oh, and there’s absolutely no shortage of tea to mark pretty much every meal or occasion throughout the day: be sure to try the sweet tea with mint and nuts which is absolutely delicious!

Is alcohol allowed in Tunisia?

Alcohol is allowed in Tunisia: there’s a local beer called Celtia, boukha (a fig liqueur) and some local wine. However, there are a few–somewhat loose–restrictions about when and where you can actually enjoy a drink.

Your best bet for getting a glass of wine or cocktail is at a hotel or resort, where prices are slightly lower than in North America but higher than Europe.

Booze is harder to procure out in public as it’s usually sold out of a storage room during certain hours in supermarkets, and Tunisians are not permitted to buy it on Fridays or during Ramadan. You also won’t see people drinking out on the streets, as it’s consumed inside of homes, restaurants or hotels only.

Accommodations in Tunisia

Ever wanted to feel like royalty? Then book in at a local inn or homestay for what’s sure to feel like a rather regal experience thanks to the opulent furnishings.

No joke, we ended up nicknaming one of my rooms ‘the Beyonce suite’ because it was so extra.

Most of the options outside of the main tourist areas are family-run hotels called ‘dars’ which are similar to riads, with an open courtyard lush with plants and bright decorative tiles surrounded by private rooms.

Many feature over the top canopy beds and seating areas, and are set up well for families with multiple beds or adjoining rooms.

Now for a couple of downsides: it seemed like every single bed I slept in (from resorts to hotels to homestays) had an incredibly firm mattress and thin pillows, so it must be a Tunisian thing.

Second, it often took 5-10 minutes of running the water before the shower would heat up (if it did at all), so a bit cringe-inducing for someone like me who’s very cognizant of water usage and conservation.

In Tunis and Sousse you’ll find more of the major hotel chains, luxury beach resorts and five star properties that are popular with sun-seekers who are interested in more of a relaxing vacation than an immersive experience.

What Tunisia actually looks like

When I originally imagined Tunisia, thoughts of vast red deserts, camels, palm trees and chaotic medinas came to mind.

Well, there’s definitely some of that to be found, but what surprised us all were the rolling hills and farmlands in the north, groves of olive trees, white sand beaches edging the coastline and vibrant turquoise hue of the Gulf of Tunis.

Sidi Bou Said in Tunis is an absolute dream, and its whitewashed facades accented with blue shutters draped with fuchsia bougainvillea vines are like a scene right out of Greece.

No matter where you travel in Tunisia, it’s sure to be an unforgettable experience.

FAQ about travelling to Tunisia

What is the best time to visit Tunisia?

The best time to visit Tunisia for beach weather is June to September, when it’s warm enough to sunbathe on the Mediterranean coast. Spring (late April and May) and autumn are great for sightseeing and exploring ruins and medinas without the heat, though you can get cold, overcast days when the wind picks up. 

Do you need a guide to travel in Tunisia?

It depends where you’re going. Tunis and the northern tourist areas like Sidi Bou Said and Carthage are manageable independently, especially if you’re sticking to daytime tours. Once you leave Tunis though, a guide makes a significant difference: signs at archaeological sites are often not in English, and in the Sahara a guide with a 4×4 vehicle is essential for safety. 

Money and currency in Tunisia

The local currency is the Tunisian dinar (TND), and one important thing to know: Tunisia has fairly strict currency regulations. Tunisian dinars cannot be imported or exported, so plan to exchange or withdraw money locally and spend or convert any remaining dinars before leaving the country. 

While ATMs are available in major cities and tourist areas and larger hotels and restaurants often accept credit cards, you’ll want cash for restaurants, smaller shops, markets, taxis and purchases in more rural areas.

Plan to bring euros or dollars with you, then exchange them for dinars at the airport or in Tunis once you arrive.

What to pack for Tunisia

Packing for Tunisia depends on the time of year and where you’re going. If you’re visiting in spring or fall, bring layers. As I learned during our late April trip, it isn’t necessarily hot just because you’re in Africa!

I recommend:

• Comfortable walking shoes for exploring medinas and archaeological sites
• Lightweight, breathable clothing that covers your shoulders and knees for visiting religious sites
• A scarf for visiting mosques
• Sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat
• A swimsuit (avoid a very revealing one) for the beaches and hotel pools, and bring a cover-up.
• A light jacket for cooler evenings
• Cash to exchange for dinars, for smaller purchases and taxis
• If you’re heading into the Sahara, bring warmer layers for the evenings as desert temperatures drop considerably after sunset.

Globe Guide explored Tunisia as a guest of Tunisia Ecotourism. As always, hosts have no editorial influence on articles. This article has been updated with new information since its original publish date.

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