Five days is enough to cover the four faces of Tunisia that make the country worth travelling to: the layered Islamic capital, the holy city, the Saharan south, and the Roman coast. This itinerary moves efficiently but never feels rushed - two nights in Tunis give you time to slow down in the medina before heading south, and the route ends at Sousse, close to Enfidha-Hammamet Airport (NBE), which is convenient for European connections.
All prices listed are approximate as of 2026 and are subject to change.
Before you go, read our guides to flights to Tunisia and getting around Tunisia. An Airalo eSIM for Tunisia gives you data connectivity from the moment you land.
Days 1–2: Tunis, Carthage and Sidi Bou Said
Day 1 - Tunis Medina and Bardo Museum
Arrive at Tunis-Carthage Airport (TUN). A taxi to the city centre costs approximately 10–15 TND (around 3–5 USD); the journey takes 20–40 minutes depending on traffic. Check in, then head to the Bardo National Museum - one of the world’s finest collections of Roman mosaics, housed in a former Ottoman palace. Allow 2–3 hours.
- Bardo Museum entry: approximately 12 TND
- Hours: Tuesday–Sunday 09:00–17:00 (closed Mondays)
- Getting there: Metro Line 4 to Le Bardo, or taxi approximately 5–10 TND from Avenue Habib Bourguiba
Spend the afternoon in the Tunis medina, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. The Zitouna Great Mosque is the focal point - the exterior is always accessible and the courtyard is open to non-Muslims for a small fee (approximately 3 TND). From there, explore Souk El Attarine (perfumes and herbs), Souk El Leffa (textiles), and Souk El Berka (jewellery).
Lunch: Café M’Rabet on Souk El Trouk - a 19th-century teahouse with a tiled courtyard. Main dishes from approximately 15–30 TND.
Dinner: Restaurant Essaraya in the medina - traditional Tunisian dishes in a restored Ottoman house. Main courses approximately 35–60 TND.
Day 2 - Carthage and Sidi Bou Said
Take the TGM commuter train from Tunis Marine station to Carthage - approximately 1 TND per trip, trains run every 10–15 minutes. Spend the morning at the Carthage archaeological sites: the Antonine Baths, Byrsa Hill, the Tophet sanctuary, and the Roman villas. A combined ticket for all Carthage sites costs approximately 12–15 TND.
- Carthage hours: 08:00–17:00 daily (summer to 19:00)
Continue one TGM stop to Sidi Bou Said after lunch. The blue-and-white hilltop village overlooks the Gulf of Tunis and is one of Tunisia’s most photographed settings. Walk the main street, visit Dar El Annabi (a traditional Arab house, approximately 5 TND entry), and stop at Café des Délices for mint tea with pine nuts (approximately 8–12 TND).
Lunch: Dar Zarrouk in Sidi Bou Said - a clifftop restaurant with panoramic sea views. Main courses approximately 45–80 TND.
Evening: Take the TGM back to Tunis and eat in the Belvedere neighbourhood. Pack your bag tonight - you leave south in the morning.
Days 1–2 accommodation
| Tier | Option | Price per night |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | Ibis Tunis Les Berges du Lac | from 70 TND (approximately 22 USD) |
| Mid-range | Hôtel Dar El Medina | from 180 TND (approximately 57 USD) |
| Luxury | The Residence Tunis | from 600 TND (approximately 190 USD) |
Search all hotels in Tunis on Booking.com
Day 3: Kairouan - the Holy City
Kairouan is one of the most significant Islamic cities in Africa - the fourth-holiest city in Islam and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is also the most undervisited major destination in Tunisia, which means you will have the medina largely to yourself compared with Tunis.
Getting to Kairouan from Tunis
Louage (shared minibus) from Tunis Bab Aligua station to Kairouan: approximately 10–14 TND, journey time around 1.5–2 hours. Departures are frequent throughout the morning. With a hire car, the route via the A1 motorway to Enfidha then the P2 takes approximately 1.5 hours.
Compare car hire rates for Tunisia - useful for this leg if you plan to drive onward to Tozeur the same day.
Kairouan sights
Arrive by mid-morning and allow 4–5 hours in the city:
- Great Mosque of Kairouan (Mosque of Uqba): the oldest mosque in the Maghreb, founded in 670 AD. Entry to the courtyard approximately 3 TND; non-Muslims cannot enter the prayer hall but the courtyard and its colonnades are genuinely impressive. Hours 08:00–14:00 and 16:00–18:00 daily.
- Aghlabid Basins: ninth-century reservoir system at the edge of the medina - remarkable civil engineering built to supply the city with water.
- Medina and carpet souks: Kairouan is famous for hand-knotted Berber carpets. The medina is compact and navigable without a guide.
- Bir Barouta: a well in the medina, traditionally connected by legend to the Mecca zamzam well, turned by a camel. Entry approximately 1 TND.
Lunch: Restaurant Farouk on Avenue de la République - grilled meats and local stews from approximately 12–20 TND.
Afternoon: travel south to Tozeur
Leave Kairouan in the early afternoon. By louage: take a louage to Gafsa (approximately 12–15 TND, 2 hours), then a second louage to Tozeur (approximately 10–12 TND, 1.5 hours). With a hire car, the direct P3 route to Tozeur takes approximately 3 hours - more comfortable given you will arrive after dark.
Dinner and overnight: Tozeur.
Day 3 accommodation
| Tier | Option | Price per night |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-range | Hôtel Kairouan | from 80 TND (approximately 25 USD) |
Note: if you prefer to spend more time in Kairouan, stay one night and leave for Tozeur on Day 4 morning - this is a slower-paced alternative that allows a full afternoon in the medina.
Search hotels in Kairouan on Booking.com
Day 4: Tozeur and the Mountain Oases
The Tozeur region is one of the most dramatic landscapes in Tunisia - palm oases, salt lakes, Berber canyon villages, and the edge of the Grand Erg Oriental. This day packs in a lot, so start early.
Morning: Tozeur old town
Spend 1 hour in Tozeur’s Ouled El Hadef quarter before heading out. The old town is built from yellow-brown brickwork laid in geometric patterns - unlike anything you will have seen in Tunis or Kairouan. The Dar Cheraït Museum (approximately 5 TND entry) gives context on the region’s oasis culture.
Mountain oases day trip: Chebika, Tamerza and Mides
The three canyon oases along the Algerian foothills are the highlight of the Tozeur region. A hire car gives you full freedom; alternatively, book a half-day guided 4x4 excursion through your hotel or a local operator (approximately 80–150 TND per person).
- Chebika - a palm-grove canyon with a small waterfall fed by a spring. Walk 20–30 minutes into the canyon.
- Tamerza - the largest of the three oases, with an abandoned Berber village visible above the new settlement. The gorge walk is 45–60 minutes.
- Mides - the most dramatic: a deep red-rock canyon on the Algerian border. Short walk of 20 minutes to the canyon viewpoint.
Allow 3–4 hours total for all three stops, including driving time.
Afternoon: Chott el Jerid and Douz
Drive back via the Chott el Jerid - a vast salt flat stretching 250 km² that shimmers like mercury in the afternoon light. The crossing takes approximately 1 hour by car and is one of the great desert drives in North Africa. Stop for photographs at the roadside salt formations and mirages.
If you want a Sahara experience to end the day, continue to Douz (approximately 1.5 hours from Tozeur) for a sunset camel trek at the edge of the Grand Erg Oriental. Short treks cost approximately 40–80 TND per person. Return to Tozeur for the night.
Day 4 accommodation
| Tier | Option | Price per night |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-range | Dar Horchani | from 160 TND (approximately 51 USD) |
| Luxury | Anantara Tozeur Resort | from 600 TND (approximately 190 USD) |
Search hotels in Tozeur on Booking.com
Day 5: El Jem and Sousse
Getting north from Tozeur
The fastest return is by louage: Tozeur to Gafsa (approximately 10–12 TND, 1.5 hours), then Gafsa to Sousse (approximately 18–22 TND, 3 hours). Leave Tozeur by 07:00 to reach Sousse by midday. With a hire car, the direct A1 route from Tozeur to Sousse via Kairouan is approximately 3.5–4 hours.
Alternatively, Tunisair Express operates seasonal flights from Tozeur-Nefta Airport (TOE) to Tunis (approximately 150–250 TND one way), then a taxi or train to Sousse.
El Jem (recommended if arriving early)
If you leave Tozeur early enough, stop at El Jem on the way to Sousse (accessible by train from Sousse or by car directly). The El Jem Amphitheatre is the third-largest Roman amphitheatre in the world and the best preserved in Africa - more intact than the Colosseum at the arena floor level.
- El Jem entry: approximately 12 TND (combined ticket with the archaeological museum)
- Hours: 07:30–17:30 daily (summer to 19:00)
- Train from Sousse: approximately 1 hour, from 6 TND - easier to visit El Jem from Sousse than by trying to stop on a louage route
Sousse afternoon
Sousse is a UNESCO-listed coastal city with a medina, ribat fortress, and long beach. A good place to decompress before an evening or early morning flight.
- Ribat fortress: approximately 8 TND, 08:00–17:00. Climb the watchtower for views over the port
- Sousse Archaeological Museum (Kasbah): approximately 8 TND - strong collection of Roman mosaics from the Sahel region
- Medina walk: free; the Great Mosque of Sousse courtyard is open to visitors
Dinner: Dar Essid in the Sousse medina - a restored 10th-century merchant’s house with courtyard dining. Main courses approximately 35–60 TND.
Enfidha-Hammamet Airport (NBE), which handles many European charter and low-cost flights, is approximately 1 hour north of Sousse by taxi (approximately 40–60 TND) or by louage via Enfidha town.
Budget Summary
| Category | Budget tier | Mid-range tier | Luxury tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation (4 nights) | from 200 TND (64 USD) | from 800 TND (254 USD) | from 2,000 TND (636 USD) |
| Meals (5 days) | from 250 TND (79 USD) | from 500 TND (159 USD) | from 1,000 TND (318 USD) |
| Transport | from 100 TND (32 USD) | from 200 TND (64 USD) | from 500 TND (159 USD) |
| Entry fees and activities | from 80 TND (25 USD) | from 200 TND (64 USD) | from 400 TND (127 USD) |
| Total per person | from 630 TND (200 USD) | from 1,700 TND (541 USD) | from 3,900 TND (1,240 USD) |
All figures are approximate as of 2026.
Practical Tips
- Currency: Tunisian Dinar (TND). ATMs are reliable in Tunis, Kairouan, and Sousse; less so in Tozeur. Withdraw cash before heading south - the mountain oases villages are cash-only.
- SIM card: An Airalo eSIM activates before you land. Coverage is good in all cities on this route; signal drops in the canyon oases.
- Louage timing: Louages depart when full (typically 5–8 passengers). At major stations in Tunis and Sousse, you rarely wait more than 30 minutes. On the Gafsa–Tozeur leg, wait time can be longer - start early.
- Desert heat: June–August temperatures in Tozeur exceed 40°C. Start any outdoor activity by 07:00, carry at least 2 litres of water per person, and rest during midday.
- Travel insurance: get covered before you go - EKTA travel insurance for Tunisia covers medical emergencies and trip disruption.
For a longer trip, see our 7-day Tunisia itinerary which adds Dougga, Hammamet, and a second day in the south. For a shorter visit focused on the capital, our 3-day Tunisia itinerary stays in the Tunis region throughout. Our Sahara desert tour guide covers the southern leg of this route in depth.
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