Best time to visit Tunisia: the month-by-month calendar

Tunisia runs two climates inside one country. The coast stays mild and breezy, while the interior climbs much higher from June onwards. Since almost every ancient site sits inland with no shade, it is that second column that decides your day, not the temperature at your hotel.

If you can pick your date, pick April. The north-western countryside is green, poppies cover the fields around Dougga, and you can walk a site without hunting for shade. Flights are still cheap and the cruise coaches have not arrived yet.

• Best for: Dougga and Bulla Regia, our longest day, which turns punishing in summer.

• Also excellent: El Jem and Kairouan, where the amphitheatre and the Great Mosque are crowd-free.

• Worth knowing: the sea is still 17 to 18 °C. This is a season for sites, not for swimming.

• Wind: March stays windy on Cap Bon. Pack one extra layer for the clifftops.

Summer forbids nothing, it dictates a timetable. At 08:00 you reach Carthage before the heat; at 11:00 you are in an oven with no shade. It is the only season where the departure hour matters as much as the destination, which is why our summer days start at 08:00 rather than 09:00.

• The right pick: the Sahel, which hugs the sea between Sousse and Monastir with a constant breeze.

• With children: Friguia Park, just four hours, and the animals are livelier early.

• Avoid at midday: Dougga, nine hours forty-five door to door, most of it in full sun.

• Bonus: the El Jem International Festival puts symphony concerts inside the amphitheatre in July and August.

This is the season we recommend most often. The sea has banked the summer heat and stays swimmable into late October, while the interior has dropped back below 30 °C. You can alternate a day of ruins with a day on the beach without repacking.

• September: sea at 26 °C, sites comfortable all day again. Families have gone home and hotel rates fall.

• October: the best light of the year for photographing Sidi Bou Said and Carthage.

• Harvests: southern dates and northern olives come in through October and November. The Kairouan markets are worth the stop.

• Booking: this is also peak season for independent travellers. See how far ahead to book.

A Tunisian winter is not a European one. Expect 15 to 19 °C on the coast by day, with showers that rarely outlast an hour or two. It is not beach weather, but it is by far the best season for the cities, and the sites are nearly empty.

• The best moment for the covered medinas of Tunis and Sousse, and for the Bardo Museum.

• Birds: Ichkeul National Park hosts tens of thousands of migrating birds between November and February.

• The south: this is the only comfortable season for the desert, October to April. Allow two to three days, not one.

• Cool evenings: 8 to 11 °C at night and little heating in seaside hotels. Bring a jumper.

No site closes during Ramadan, but the rhythm of the country shifts and most guides forget to mention it. Neighbourhood restaurants open late, the souks slow down in the afternoon then come alive at night, and traffic thickens just before the fast is broken.

We coordinate a limited number of vehicles per day, so the useful lead time depends on the season. Out of season, the day before is often enough. In August and during European school holidays, the good morning slots go first.

No deposit is ever asked, whatever the date. You pay on the day, in dinars or euros. If you are still weighing up which day to take, the Tunisia excursions guide compares all seven, and Tunisia sightseeing puts them back in the context of the whole country.