Tunisia Travel Guide: Carthage, Sidi Bou Said and the Sahara

Tunis combines a UNESCO medina full of souks and palaces with the Bardo Museum, home to one of the world's great collections of Roman mosaics. See our guide to the Tunis medina and Carthage.

Carthage and Sidi Bou Said sit side by side on the coast north of the capital. Explore the Antonine Baths and the Punic ports, then climb the cobbled lanes of Sidi Bou Said for mint tea with pine nuts and a view of the Gulf of Tunis. Our Sidi Bou Said hotels page has the best places to stay.

Hammamet is Tunisia's original resort town, with jasmine gardens and a walled medina by the sea. Sousse and Monastir add historic ribats and marinas, and El Jem rises from the plain like a Roman Colosseum without the crowds. Djerba, the island of dreams, has whitewashed villages, the ancient El Ghriba synagogue and fine resorts; see Djerba luxury resorts.

In the south, Tozeur and the mountain oases of Chebika and Tamerza lead to the salt flats of Chott el Djerid, and Douz is the gateway to the dunes. The troglodyte homes of Matmata and the ksour around Tataouine are famous worldwide as Star Wars film locations.

US citizens do not need a visa for tourist visits to Tunisia of up to 90 days. Your passport should be valid for at least six months from arrival; longer stays need a residence permit.

There are no nonstop flights from the US to Tunisia. Connect through Paris, Rome, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Madrid or Doha to Tunis-Carthage International Airport, with total travel times of about 11 to 14 hours from the East Coast. Djerba, Monastir and Tozeur also have airports with flights from Europe and from Tunis. Compare the best premium cabins on our airlines page.

A private driver is the most comfortable way to tour the country; distances are short, and Tunis to Hammamet takes about an hour.

Tunisian cooking is bright and spicy: fish couscous, brik pastries with egg, lablabi chickpea soup, grilled seafood, and harissa with everything. Olive oil from Tunisia is among the best in the Mediterranean.

The best things to do in Tunisia include a private tour of Carthage and the Bardo Museum, sunset in Sidi Bou Said, a day at El Jem, a thalassotherapy ritual in Hammamet or Djerba, golf at the coastal courses and a night under the stars near Tozeur or Douz. Our trip ideas suggest how to combine Tunisia with its neighbors, and our guide to the summer escape covers the coast in high season.

Shopping is a pleasure in Tunisia. Look for hand-painted ceramics from Nabeul, woven kilims from Kairouan, silver jewelry, olive-wood bowls, perfumes and essential oils, and the famous red chechia caps made in the Tunis medina. In Sidi Bou Said, the galleries and craft shops along the main lane are a lovely place to find a keepsake. Tunisia's spas are another highlight: the country is one of the world's leading centers of thalassotherapy, and the best hotels in Gammarth, Hammamet and Djerba offer seawater treatments, hammams and massage rituals that make an ideal end to days of sightseeing.

Tunisia is attracting interest from European retirees and remote workers drawn by its climate, coastline and lower costs. Foreigners can buy property with government authorization, and the coast around Gammarth, Hammamet and Djerba is the most sought after. Read about the country's plans in Tunisia 2035, and explore regional options in our prime Luxury Real Estate directory.