Explore the Roman amphitheater at El Jem
One of the best-preserved Roman amphitheaters in the world, rivaling the Colosseum in scale, still used for concerts in its original arena.
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North Africa
Things to do in Tunisia
Roman ruins as complete as anywhere outside Italy, blue-and-white Mediterranean towns, and a Sahara gateway that once doubled as a Star Wars filming location.
Explore Tunisia on the map →Budget$
Best for7-10 days
CapitalTunis
VisaVisa-free entry for up to 90 days for US, UK, EU, Canadian, and Australian passport holders.
CurrencyTunisian dinar (TND)
LanguagesArabic (official); French widely spoken
InternetGood
Typical lodging$15–$40/night
Driving sideRight
Power & voltage230V / 50Hz (Type C/E plug)
Time zoneUTC+1
Emergency number197 (police) / 190 (ambulance)
Dialing code+216
★★★★★ Culture★★★★★ Photography★★★★★ Beaches
Visa rules and emergency numbers can change without notice. Confirm the specifics for your nationality and dates before you travel.
Travel smart
Bottled water only. Small tips are expected for many everyday services.
Tunisia holds some of the best-preserved Roman ruins outside Italy itself, including El Jem's amphitheater, which rivals the Colosseum in scale, and Dougga, one of the most complete Roman small towns anywhere in the Mediterranean. Its southern desert towns, particularly around Matmata's underground troglodyte dwellings, doubled as filming locations for the original Star Wars films, adding an unexpected pop-culture layer to a country already dense with ancient history.
When to go
SpringMarch–May
Mild and blooming, one of the best windows for touring ruins and the Sahara before summer heat sets in.
SummerJune–August
Hot, especially inland and in the south, though Mediterranean coastal towns stay busy with beach tourism.
AutumnSeptember–October
Cooling and comfortable, another strong window for ruins and desert excursions.
WinterNovember–February
Mild on the coast but cold at night in the Sahara: a quieter, cheaper season for sightseeing.
20 things to do
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Culture & history
11Wander the blue-and-white town of Sidi Bou Said
A hilltop Mediterranean village overlooking the Gulf of Tunis, its bougainvillea-draped white houses and blue doors regulated by law since the 1920s.
Explore the ruins of ancient Carthage$4
The remains of one of antiquity's great Mediterranean powers, destroyed and rebuilt by Rome, with ruins scattered across a modern Tunis suburb.
Visit the underground troglodyte homes of Matmata
Berber homes carved into the earth for natural insulation, some still inhabited and others opened as guesthouses, also used as Star Wars filming locations.
Wander the medina of Tunis
A UNESCO-listed old town of narrow souk lanes selling spices, textiles, and metalwork, largely unchanged in layout since medieval times.
Explore the Roman ruins of Dougga
One of the best-preserved small Roman towns in North Africa, a UNESCO site with a theater, temple, and capitol still standing on a hillside.
Visit the Bardo Museum in Tunis
One of the finest Roman mosaic collections in the world, housed in a former beylical palace, offering deep context for the ruins seen elsewhere.
Visit the Great Mosque of Kairouan
One of the oldest and most significant mosques in the Islamic world, in a city considered Islam's fourth holiest after Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem.
Shop for handwoven carpets and pottery in Nabeul
A coastal town known for its ceramics and carpet-weaving tradition, with workshops open for visitors alongside the retail souks.
Explore the Ksour Berber granaries of Tataouine
Fortified multi-story grain stores built by Berber communities, now UNESCO-recognized and still standing across the southern plateau.
Visit Kerkouane, an untouched Punic-era city
A rare Carthaginian-era city abandoned before Roman rebuilding, giving unusually direct insight into pre-Roman Punic urban life.
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Adventure & outdoors
2Ride a camel into the Sahara near Douz
Known as the 'Gateway to the Sahara,' with overnight desert camps and camel treks into the dunes just beyond the edge of town.
Ride the Lezard Rouge train through the Seldja Gorge
A restored 1900s beylical train winding through a dramatic mountain gorge in western Tunisia, a scenic alternative to a straight desert drive.
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Food & drink
3Eat couscous, Tunisia's national dish
Steamed semolina served with vegetables, meat, or fish and a spiced broth: genuinely central to Tunisian home cooking, especially on Fridays.
Sip mint tea at a traditional Tunis café
Strong, sweet mint tea with pine nuts is a genuine daily ritual, best enjoyed slowly at a café in the medina rather than a modern chain.
Eat brik, Tunisia's crispy fried egg pastry
A thin pastry filled with egg, tuna, and herbs, fried until crisp, a beloved and slightly messy Tunisian street food classic.
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Nature & scenery
3Explore Chott el Djerid's salt flats
A vast, shimmering salt lake in the south that famously stood in for the fictional planet Tatooine's landscape in Star Wars.
Explore the mountain oasis town of Chebika
A palm-filled canyon oasis at the edge of the Sahara, also used as a filming backdrop, with a waterfall reachable by a short walk.
Explore the mountain villages of Ain Draham
A cooler, forested northwestern region near the Algerian border, known for cork oak forests and a noticeably different climate from the rest of Tunisia.
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Beaches
1Relax on the beaches of Djerba island
A palm-fringed Mediterranean island with a distinct Berber and Jewish heritage, home to one of North Africa's oldest synagogues.
Common questions
▾Do I need a visa for Tunisia?
Most Western passport holders, including US, UK, EU, Canadian, and Australian citizens, can enter visa-free for up to 90 days for tourism.
▾Is Tunisia safe for tourists?
The main tourist circuits (Tunis, Sidi Bou Said, the Roman sites, and the Sahara gateway towns) see regular safe tourism, though it's worth checking current advisories for specific border regions before finalizing an itinerary.
▾How many days does Tunisia need?
7-10 days lets you combine Tunis and the Roman ruins at Dougga and El Jem with a Sahara excursion around Douz or Tozeur, plus a coastal stop, without rushing.
▾Is the Star Wars connection to Tunisia real?
Yes. Several southern locations, including Matmata's underground troglodyte homes, were used as filming locations for the original trilogy, and some sites remain visitable today.
▾Is Tunisia affordable?
Yes, among the more budget-friendly Mediterranean destinations, with strong value for food, accommodation, and guided tours relative to nearby European countries.
▾How much does it cost to visit Carthage?
Foreign visitor entry to the Carthage archaeological site runs about TND 12 (roughly $4), covering several excavated areas across the site. A combined ticket covering multiple Carthage-area sites is usually better value if you plan to see more than one.
