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Logistics & Practicalities

Everything to settle before you hit the road

Car hire, money, phones and the small rules that make travel easier, gathered in one place.

Getting around

The 4x4 and the desert

The roads to Tozeur, Douz, Matmata and Tataouine are all paved, so an ordinary car will do. Beyond them, on the tracks, a 4x4 becomes essential: Ksar Ghilane, the dunes of the Grand Erg, the Star Wars sets around Ong Jemel.

Where to hire
Tozeur, Douz and Djerba have the most 4x4s. Hiring one with a driver is common, and often simpler than arranging insurance to drive yourself on sand.
Before setting off
A full tank, a spare wheel and 5 litres of water per person. Petrol stations grow scarce south of Douz.
In the dunes
Never alone, never after dark. Tell your hotel where you are heading.
Request a 4x4 with a driverComing soon

Getting around

Driving and transport

Traffic drives on the right. Most travellers pair a hire car with a domestic flight or a train journey or two.

Speed limits
50 km/h in towns, 90 on open roads, 110 on motorways. The A1 to Sfax is a toll road.
Checkpoints
Police and National Guard checkpoints are frequent. Slow down and keep your passport and the vehicle papers within reach.
At night
Best avoided in the South: unlit lorries, camels and sand drifting across the road.
Without a car
Louages (shared minibuses) link every town and leave as soon as they are full. Trains run from Tunis to Sousse, Sfax and Gabès. Flights connect Tunis with Djerba and Tozeur.

Money

Dinars and exchange

The Tunisian dinar (TND) is a closed currency: it can only be obtained inside Tunisia, and taking it out of the country is prohibited.

Where to exchange
At the airport, banks, post offices and hotels. Rates are set by the Central Bank and vary little.
Keep the receipts
Exchange slips are required to convert any leftover dinars back at the airport before you fly home.
Cash or card
Cash machines in every town. Hotels and larger restaurants take cards; the souks, louages and the South run on cash.
Tipping
Around 10% in restaurants. Bargaining is expected in the souks, not in shops with marked prices.

Phone & internet

Local SIM cards

A local SIM costs little and makes WhatsApp, navigation and calls to drivers far easier. There are three networks: Ooredoo, Orange Tunisie and Tunisie Telecom.

Where to buy one
In the airport arrivals hall or at a network shop. A passport is required.
Data
Prepaid bundles of several gigabytes cost a few dinars and can be topped up at any kiosk.
Coverage
Good in towns and along the main roads, patchy in the Sahara and across the Chott el Jérid. Save your road trip offline before leaving Tozeur or Douz.

Health & safety

Water, sun and emergencies

Pharmacies are everywhere, and every town keeps one open through the night.

Water
Tap water is treated in towns, but bottled water remains the norm, especially in the South.
Sun and cold
A hat and sunscreen all year round. Desert nights drop close to freezing from December to February.
Emergency numbers
Police 197 · Ambulance (SAMU) 190 · Fire brigade 198 · National Guard 193

Customs

Calendar, dress and languages

A few habits that make visits run more smoothly.

Ramadan
Its dates move forward by about 11 days each year. Many cafés close during the day outside tourist areas; the evenings come alive.
Dress
Shoulders and knees covered in mosques and medinas. Most prayer halls are closed to non-Muslims.
Languages
Tunisian Arabic; French is understood almost everywhere, English in tourist areas.
Plugs and time
230 V, European sockets (types C and E). UTC+1 all year round.

Regional notes

Region by region, the customs that matter

Bargaining, dress, beating the heat, visiting people at home: a few short pointers for each part of the country.

Tunis, Carthage and Sidi Bou Saïd

Bargaining in the souks
In the medina the first price is an opening, not an insult. Start low, keep smiling and walk away politely if there is no deal: the price often drops on the doorstep. Never offer a price you are not ready to pay.
Self-appointed “guides”
A stranger offers to show you “the terrace with a view” or “today’s Berber festival”? The tour usually ends in a shop. A smiling “la, aychek” (no thank you) is enough.
The Zitouna mosque
Non-Muslims can look in from the entrance or the gallery, in the morning and outside prayer times. Shoulders and knees must be covered.
Friday at noon
It is the time of the main weekly prayer: some shops close and the medina goes quiet. On Sundays many stalls close earlier.
Sidi Bou Saïd
Come early in the morning or on a weekday. At weekends half of Tunis heads up to the Café des Délices, and the view comes with a queue.

Cap Bon

Nabeul, Hammamet, Kélibia, El Haouaria

Nabeul’s Friday market
The big market of the week: pottery, spices, basketry and livestock on the edges. Arrive before 10 am.
Pottery and ceramics
Compare two or three workshops before buying. Hand-painted glazed pieces cost more than moulded ones, and rightly so.
Summer on the coast
In July and August the beaches fill with Tunisian families. It is joyful, but book your stay early. Swimwear is for the beach; in town, cover up.
Harissa
Cap Bon is chilli country. Home-made harissa (“harissa arbi”) is sold at the market and keeps in the fridge under a layer of oil.

The Sahel and Kairouan

Sousse, Monastir, Mahdia, El Jem, Kairouan, Sfax

The Great Mosque of Kairouan
Non-Muslims can visit the courtyard in the morning and look into the prayer hall from its doors. It is closed to visitors on Friday afternoons. Shoulders and knees covered.
Kairouan carpets
A genuine hand-knotted carpet carries a seal from ONAT (the national crafts office) on the back. Be wary of the “cooperatives” you get taken to: ask for the seal and take time to compare.
Makroudh
Buy it still warm from a pastry maker in the medina, rather than boxed on the way out of town.
El Jem at the end of the day
The amphitheatre is at its best, and coolest, in the evening light. In summer it hosts a symphonic music festival under the stars.
The Sahel medinas
Sousse and Mahdia are best on foot. Leave the car outside the walls: the lanes are narrow and often one-way.

The Djerid

Tozeur, Nefta, Chebika, Chott el Jérid

The heat
From June to September it often tops 40 °C. See the oases at dawn, nap in the early afternoon like everyone else and head out again around 5 pm. Plan on at least two litres of water per person per day.
Palm groves are private gardens
Stay on the paths, do not pick the dates and ask before stepping into a plot. Many owners are happy to show you around.
Deglet nour dates
The harvest runs from October to December: the best time to taste them from a freshly cut branch.
Chott el Jérid
Stay on the paved road across it. Off the road the salt crust can give way under a car, especially after rain.
Carriages and camels
Agree on the price and the length of the ride before you get on, not at the end.

The South of ksour and cave homes

Matmata, Tataouine, Douz, Ksar Ghilane, Gabès

Matmata’s cave homes
Many are still lived in. Go in only when invited, and it is customary to leave a small contribution for the family. Ask before photographing the people who live there.
The ksour of Tataouine
Old fortified granaries. Some are restored, others fragile: do not climb on crumbling stairs.
Never alone in the desert
Beyond Douz, go with a guide or a driver who knows the tracks. Tell someone your route and keep spare water in the car.
Winter nights
From December to February, nights in a desert camp drop close to 0 °C. Bring a proper warm layer, even after a mild day.
The Sahara Festival in Douz
Held every winter, around late December: camel races, poetry and music. Rooms get booked out.
Best times to go
October to November and March to April. Avoid July and August.

Djerba and Zarzis

El Ghriba synagogue
Cover shoulders and legs, and take your shoes off at the entrance. In spring the pilgrimage draws thousands and security is tighter that day.
The Houmt Souk fish auction
In the morning, fish is auctioned in the covered market. Worth watching even if you buy nothing.
Djerbahood in Erriadh
The village has become an open-air street art museum. Walk it early, before the heat, and keep it low-key: people still live there.
Getting around
The island is flat: bikes and scooters are easy to rent in Houmt Souk and the hotel zone.

Everywhere, all year

Ramadan
Opening hours change: outside tourist areas many cafés and restaurants close during the day, then life picks up after the fast is broken. Avoid eating or smoking openly in the street. Ramadan evenings are a great time to discover the medinas.
Photos
Always ask before photographing someone, especially women and children. Do not photograph official buildings, soldiers or police.
What to wear
Away from the beach, covered shoulders and knees open every door, religious sites above all.

Local words

A few words of Tunisian for the road

Tunisian Arabic (derja) mixes Arabic, Berber, French and Italian. Three words are enough to get a smile from a shopkeeper or a driver: here are the ones you will actually use.

Saying hello

  • Aslema

    أسلامة

    Hello, hi

    The everyday Tunisian hello, more local than “salam”.

  • Labès ?

    لاباس؟

    How are you?

    The answer is “Labès, hamdoullah”: fine, thank God.

  • Aychek

    عيشك

    Thank you

    The Tunisian thank you. The French “merci” works everywhere too.

  • Ya hbibi

    يا حبيبي

    My friend, my dear

    Warm, between friends or with a shopkeeper. To a woman: “ya hbibti”.

  • Bislema

    بالسلامة

    Goodbye

At the souk

  • Bkadech ?

    بقدّاش؟

    How much is it?

  • Ghali barcha

    غالي برشة

    That’s too expensive

    Said with a smile, it opens the bargaining; nobody takes offence.

  • Barcha

    برشة

    A lot, very

  • Chwaya

    شويّة

    A little

    “Chwaya chwaya”: slowly, little by little.

  • Behi

    باهي

    OK, deal

At the café, at the table

  • Tey bel naanaa

    تاي بالنعناع

    A mint tea

  • Kahwa

    قهوة

    A coffee

    The “capucin”, a small coffee with milk, is the Tunisian café classic.

  • Mouch har

    موش حار

    Not spicy

    Harissa often comes with everything. “Chwaya har”: only a little spicy.

  • Saha !

    صحّة

    Cheers, enjoy, well done

    Said after a meal, a hammam, a haircut or new clothes.

  • Yezzi

    يزّي

    Enough

    To turn down a third helping politely: “Yezzi, aychek”.

On the road

  • Mrigel

    مريڨل

    Sorted, all good

  • Taw

    توّا

    Now, right away

    “Taw taw” means right away. In practice, often “soon”.

  • Win ?

    وين؟

    Where?

  • Ma fhemtech

    ما فهمتش

    I didn’t understand

  • Inchallah

    إن شاء الله

    God willing

    A promise, a hope or a “we’ll see”: it depends on the tone.