How the Tunis, Carthage and Sidi Bou Said day runs
The order follows the clock rather than the postcard. The medina raises its shutters around 08:30: the lanes are still cool, the souks almost empty, and since this is the part of the day with the most walking, it is better done on fresh legs. Carthage comes next, in the middle of the day, because the site is split across several enclosures and the driver drops you at each one, so you barely walk at all. Sidi Bou Said closes the day, once the coaches have gone: the sun drops onto the white walls and you finish sitting on a terrace above the gulf rather than standing in the souks. If a stop holds you longer than expected, stay. The driver reshapes what follows and only speaks up if it puts the last site at risk.
Collected at 08:00 or 09:00, whichever you prefer
Departure from your hotel
Dropped off where you started by 18:00, or earlier if you prefer
Back at your accommodation
Where Tunis, Carthage and Sidi Bou Said sit
The Tunis medina, Carthage and Sidi Bou Said follow one another over about fifteen kilometres, from the centre of Tunis out to the coast north east. That is what makes it possible to link all three without spending the day in the car. Click a stop to see it on its own.
Map from Hammamet. Change your departure city in the booking form to recalculate the route.
The Tunis medina, as the souks open
Seven hundred listed monuments in a maze of covered lanes, with the Zitouna mosque at its centre. This is the part of the day with the most walking, and at this hour the souks have just opened: it is still cool inside and the craftsmen are at work before the crowds. The driver drops you at one gate and picks you up at another, so you never have to retrace your steps.
Zitouna mosque, perfume souk and chechia makers
Covered souks, still cool and quiet at opening
Dropped at one gate, collected at another
An hour and a half to two hours on foot
Carthage, in the middle of the day
Antonine Baths facing the sea, the Punic quarter on Byrsa hill, the circular ports, the amphitheatre. The site is split across several enclosures, and the driver drops you at each one rather than making you walk between them. It is the least tiring stop of the day, which suits the hottest hours. A single ticket covers them all and you choose which to see.
Antonine Baths, the largest outside Italy
Byrsa hill and its view over the ancient ports
One ticket valid across every enclosure
Driven from entrance to entrance, no walking between
Sidi Bou Said, to end the day
Blue doors, white walls, bougainvillea and a view over the gulf from the cliff. The village takes an hour on foot, two if you stop at the Café des Nattes or in the ceramic workshops. We arrive late in the afternoon, once the coaches have left and the light is raking across the façades: the best moment for photographs, and for sitting down on a terrace before the drive home.
Cobbled lanes and houses with blue mashrabiya screens
Clifftop terrace over the Gulf of Tunis
Café des Nattes and artisan workshops
One to two hours, depending on what you feel like
Your pace across Tunis, Carthage and Sidi Bou Said
A private Carthage and Sidi Bou Said excursion is only worth it if you can change it as you go. You decide the departure time, how long you spend at each site, when and where you eat. If you want to skip one stop to stretch another, just say so. The driver knows the driving times and will tell you straight what still fits into the day.
Departure at 08:00 or 09:00, your choice
Free time at every site, never on a stopwatch
Lunch where and when you want it
Back by 18:00, or earlier if you have had enough
Carthage and Sidi Bou Said tour price by departure city
The price of the Carthage and Sidi Bou Said excursion applies to the vehicle for the whole day, not to the passenger: with four of you it works out at €20 each. Departing from Tunis costs €10 less because the drive is shorter. You pay no deposit and settle with the driver at the end of the day, in dinars or euros.
| Departure | 1-4 pers. | 4-6 pers. | 5-8 pers. | 8-12 pers. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hammamet | 80 € | 100 € | 120 € | 150 € |
| Sousse | 90 € | 110 € | 130 € | 160 € |
| Tunis | 70 € | 90 € | 110 € | 140 € |
Included in the price
Private air-conditioned vehicle, never shared
English-speaking driver all day
Fuel, tolls and parking
Pickup and drop-off at your hotel
Child seats on request, at no extra cost
Not included
Carthage archaeological site ticket (~12 TND)
Lunch and drinks
Personal purchases in the souks
Worth preparing
Three concrete points that change how comfortable the day feels.
Sidi Bou Said at the end of the day
The coaches leave the village around 16:00. Keeping it for last gives you quiet lanes and low light on the white walls.
One ticket for all of Carthage
The ticket bought at the Antonine Baths is valid across every sector of the site on the same day. Keep it, you are asked for it at each entrance.
Comfortable shoes
Expect three to four kilometres on foot over the day, including the medina cobbles and the gravel paths of Carthage.
Carthage, Sidi Bou Said and Tunis: your questions
What the day covers, how long Carthage takes, when Sidi Bou Said is quietest and what the tickets cost: the answers travellers ask for most.
The other days from your hotel
Staying several days? Most of our guests do two trips in the same week, one cultural and one closer to nature. Here are the other six routes, with their starting price and real duration.
Two UNESCO sites
El Jem Amphitheatre & Kairouan Excursion
The El Jem amphitheatre, seating 35,000, and Kairouan, the fourth holy city of Islam.
from 90 € · 7h45
UNESCO archaeology
Dougga & Bulla Regia Roman Cities Excursion
Dougga, the best-preserved Roman city in North Africa, and the underground villas of Bulla Regia.
from 120 € · 9h45
Punic heritage and coast
Kerkouane, El Haouaria & Korbous: Cap Bon Excursion
Kerkouane, the only Punic town left standing, the El Haouaria caves and the hot springs of Korbous.
from 90 € · 7h30
Medinas and coast
Sousse, Monastir & Port El Kantaoui Excursion
Port El Kantaoui, the UNESCO medina of Sousse and the ribat of Monastir in one day.
from 90 € · 6h30
Mountains and a Berber village
Zaghouan & Zriba Loulia Tour: Temple of Waters Excursion
The abandoned Berber village of Zriba Loulia, the town of Zaghouan and its Roman Temple of Waters.
from 70 € · 6h15
With the family
Friguia Park Safari Excursion from Hammamet
A semi-open safari park at Bouficha: lions, giraffes and African savannah in half a day.
from 45 € · 4h
Worth reading before you book this day
Three guides that answer the questions we get most often: what there is to see in the country, what a day costs and when to go.
Book your Carthage and Sidi Bou Said excursion
Send us your accommodation, your date, the departure time you want and the number of travellers. You get written confirmation within two hours with a firm price for the vehicle, no deposit and no online payment. One message books your Carthage and Sidi Bou Said excursion.
Confirmed within 2 h
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Free cancellation 48 h before