Roman ruins, medinas and Saharan oases
Tunisia is a compact North African country with Mediterranean beaches, ancient ruins and the edge of the Sahara. Carthage, the colosseum at El Jem and the hilltop Roman town of Dougga are among the best ancient sites in Africa. Medinas in Tunis, Kairouan and Sousse, and the blue-and-white village of Sidi Bou Said, add charm. It suits history lovers, beach holidaymakers and travellers on a budget.
Tap a card or a pin. Add a place to a day of your trip, or look for tours.
One of the largest Roman amphitheatres in the world, remarkably intact and rising above a small town. You can walk its tiers and underground passages.
Remains of the Punic and Roman city on the coast near Tunis, including the Antonine Baths and the Byrsa Hill. The sites are spread out.
A clifftop village of white houses with blue doors overlooking the Gulf of Tunis. Cafe des Delices is famous for its view.
A maze of souks, mosques and palaces around the Zitouna Mosque. It is a living old town.
A palace museum with one of the world's finest collections of Roman mosaics. It is essential before visiting the ruins.
A remarkably complete Roman town on a hillside, with a capitol, theatre and houses among olive groves. It is the best-preserved Roman town in North Africa.
A holy city with the Great Mosque, one of the oldest in North Africa, and a walled medina. It is known for carpets and makroudh sweets.
A flat island of beaches, whitewashed mosques and the ancient El Ghriba synagogue. Its settlement pattern is UNESCO-listed.
Berber homes dug into pits in the ground, one of which featured in the Star Wars films. Some still house families.
A vast salt lake whose surface shimmers with mirages. A causeway crosses it.
A palm oasis town with patterned brick architecture, near the mountain oases of Chebika, Tamerza and Mides. It is the base for the desert.
A desert oasis with a hot spring among sand dunes of the Grand Erg Oriental. Camel trips and desert camps operate here.
A walled medina with a fortified ribat and Great Mosque near beach resorts. The archaeological museum has fine mosaics.
Long sandy beaches and a small medina, the classic Tunisian resort. It is easy to reach from Tunis.
A rare surviving Punic town on Cap Bon, never rebuilt by the Romans. It shows Carthaginian houses and baths.
Everything above is open to read. A Hodolog account lets you build the trip around it: pick cities, add places to days, see the weather for your dates.
Each city with a guide opens its own page: map, where to stay, what to eat.
Capital with medina, Bardo and Carthage nearby.
history, gateway · Open the city guideBeach city with medina.
beach · Guide comingHoly city.
history · Guide comingDesert oasis base.
desert · Guide comingDjerba island town.
beach · Guide comingResort town.
beach · Guide comingIsland beaches, villages and a relaxed pace.
beaches, relaxing · Guide comingA working port with a medina, less touristy.
local life, food · Guide comingCapital, Carthage and Roman hill towns.
Carthage, Sidi Bou Said, Dougga
Peninsula of beaches and Punic sites.
Hammamet, Kerkouane
Resorts and historic medinas.
Sousse, El Jem, Kairouan
Oases, salt lakes and dunes.
Tozeur, Chott el Djerid, Ksar Ghilane
Island life and troglodyte villages.
Djerba, Matmata
The capital area with Carthage and quiet beach towns.
Tunis, Carthage, Hammamet
Choose how long you have, then add the whole route to a trip as places and nights.
Best: April to June and September to October. Warm, sunny weather without the peak summer heat.
The desert south is best from October to April; coastal resorts are busiest in July and August.
January. Quiet season. Lower prices, fewer crowds.
59°F daily high, 52°F average, 2.5 in
Average of past years from NASA POWER, worked out at each city's position. A place far from these cities can be quite different.
The US State Department rates Tunisia Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, due to terrorism, crime and unrest, and advises against the Algerian and Libyan border zones and some mountain areas.
Trains and louages (shared taxis) link main towns cheaply, but the south is easier with a car or tour.
Tunisia is very good value, with cheap food, transport and hotels.
Entry rules depend on your passport. Members see the rules for their own passport here.
Passport and visa rules change often and without notice. Always check the official pages before you book and again before you travel.
| Entry | Check visa and entry rules with Tunisia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (diplomatie.gov.tn) and your own government's travel advice before you go. |
| Plugs | Type C, E; 230 V 50 Hz |
| Tap water | not safe |
| Tipping | Tip about 10 percent in restaurants and small amounts to guides. |
| Payments | Cash is king; dinars cannot be taken out of the country. |
| Emergency | 197 police, 190 ambulance |
| Etiquette | Bargaining in souks is expected but be friendly. Non-Muslims may not enter most mosque prayer halls. Avoid public drinking outside licensed places. |
| What to wear | Cover shoulders and knees in medinas and religious sites. |
| Driving | On the right |
| Between cities | Trains link Tunis with Sousse, El Jem and Sfax, and louages (shared vans) connect all towns. Domestic flights reach Djerba and Tozeur. A car or tour is best for the south. |
| Main airports | TUN, NBE, DJE, MIR |
| Ride apps | Bolt |
Phoenicians founded Carthage, which became a rival to Rome until its destruction in 146 BC. Rome rebuilt the region into a rich province, leaving theatres, temples and the El Jem amphitheatre. Arab armies brought Islam in the 7th century, and Kairouan became a great religious centre. After Ottoman and then French rule, Tunisia gained independence in 1956, and its 2011 revolution started the Arab Spring.
Researched 2026-10-13. Check official sources and recent changes before you go.