Tunisia Travel Guide: Carthage Ruins, the Sahara Edge, the Medina of Tunis, and Why It Is North Africa's Most Underrated Destination

Tunisia is a country of approximately 12 million people on the northern tip of Africa, bordered by Algeria to the west and Libya to the east, with the Mediterranean to the north and the Sahara extending across its southern half. In geographical terms, it is one of the most dramatically varied small countries on Earth: within a total area smaller than the state of Georgia (the US state), it contains Mediterranean coastline, Roman ruins that rival those of Rome itself, an inland salt lake visible from space, Berber troglodyte villages carved into cliff faces, and sand dunes. It is also, in English-language travel coverage, extraordinarily underrepresented. Morocco, which is structurally similar in its combination of medinas, Sahara access, and Mediterranean coast, generates perhaps twenty times the English-language travel content that Tunisia does. This is a gap that benefits visitors who find it: lower prices, shorter queues, and a more authentic engagement with a culture that has not yet been significantly shaped by mass tourism.

The Medina of Tunis: A UNESCO Labyrinth

The medina (old city) of Tunis was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, one of the earliest inscriptions in the Maghreb. It covers approximately 270 hectares and contains around 700 monuments including palaces, mosques, mausoleums, madrasas (Islamic schools), and foundouks (caravanserai, the traditional merchants' hostelries). Unlike the medinas of Marrakech or Fez, which have been heavily commercially adapted for international tourism, Tunis's medina retains a substantial working-city character: Tunisians shop, work, study, and live here. The tourist infrastructure exists but it has not overwhelmed the underlying city function.

The Zitouna Mosque (also called the Al-Zaytuna Mosque, or Olive Tree Mosque) at the medina's centre is its oldest and most important building. Founded in 737 CE, it is the oldest mosque in Tunisia still in continuous use and has served as one of the most important centres of Islamic scholarship in the Maghreb for more than 1,200 years: the Zitouna University, which operated within the mosque complex from its foundation, is considered by some historians to be the oldest continuously operating university in the world, predating the University of Bologna (founded 1088 CE) by approximately 350 years, though this claim is contested by scholars who differentiate between a mosque school and a university in the modern institutional sense. Non-Muslim visitors may observe the courtyard and exterior; entry to the prayer hall is restricted.

The souks (market streets) that radiate from the Zitouna Mosque are organised by trade in the traditional Medina structure: the Souk des Chéchias (red felt hats, a Tunisian speciality), the Souk des Parfumeurs (scents and essences), the Souk des Orfèvres (goldsmiths). The quality of craftsmanship in the traditional trades is high and the prices, while negotiable in the tourist-facing stalls, are significantly lower than equivalent goods in Marrakech's souks. A hand-woven silk-and-wool kilim that would cost €300-400 in Marrakech's Mellah sells for €80-150 in Tunis's textile souks with comparable quality.

The Bardo National Museum, located in a former palace 5km from the medina (admission 11 TND, approximately £2.90), contains the finest collection of Roman-era mosaics in the world. Tunisia was the breadbasket of the Roman Empire and its wealthy villas and public buildings were decorated with extraordinarily fine floor and wall mosaics; hundreds of these are preserved at the Bardo in situ-scale installations. The Ulysses mosaic (2nd-3rd century CE, depicting Ulysses tied to his mast as the Sirens sing, from a villa near Dougga) is among the most celebrated Roman-era artworks in existence.

Carthage: The Ruins of Rome's Greatest Enemy

Carthage, the Phoenician city-state founded around 814 BCE according to Roman sources (or as early as the 9th century BCE according to archaeological dating), became Rome's primary geopolitical rival in the western Mediterranean for approximately 250 years. The three Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage (264-241 BCE, 218-201 BCE, and 149-146 BCE) were among the most consequential conflicts in ancient history: the Second Punic War saw Hannibal Barca cross the Alps with approximately 37 elephants and 50,000 infantry to invade Italy directly, defeating Rome's armies at Trebia (218 BCE), Lake Trasimene (217 BCE), and Cannae (216 BCE), where approximately 70,000 Roman soldiers died in a single afternoon in what remains one of the most studied tactical victories in military history.

Rome finally destroyed Carthage in 146 BCE at the end of the Third Punic War, razing the city and, according to the Roman historian Appian, selling the 50,000 surviving inhabitants into slavery. The phrase that Cato the Elder reportedly ended every speech in the Roman Senate with ("Carthago delenda est," Carthage must be destroyed) gives some sense of the visceral animosity Rome felt toward its rival. The Romans subsequently built a new city on the same site, also called Carthage, which became the second city of the Roman Empire in the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE (after Rome itself), and the ruins of both the Punic and Roman phases are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed 1979) within the modern suburb of Carthage, 17km northeast of Tunis city centre.

The Punic ruins are less visually dramatic than the Roman ones: most of the Punic city lies below the Roman construction or has been destroyed. The Tophet, the sacred precinct associated with the ritual burial of children (long debated by scholars: Roman sources described child sacrifice at Carthage, and the burial urns at the Tophet contain infant remains, but the debate about whether these represent ritual killing or simply a dedicated infant cemetery continues in academic literature), is a haunting open-air site. The Punic Ports, a circular military harbour and an adjacent rectangular commercial harbour, are partially preserved and visible from the waterfront. The Roman Antonine Baths (2nd century CE) on the seafront are among the largest Roman bath complexes outside Rome itself and the site with the most impressive standing ruins.

Dougga: The Best-Preserved Roman Town in Africa

Dougga (the Roman town of Thugga), approximately 110km southwest of Tunis, is the most completely preserved Roman provincial town in North Africa and arguably the most impressive Roman site in Africa as a whole. UNESCO inscribed it as a World Heritage Site in 1997, noting that it "preserves a great many monuments in a relatively good state of preservation." The hyperbole is deserved. The Capitol temple (166 CE), dedicated to Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva, has three of its original Corinthian columns standing to full height with their entablature intact. The theatre (2nd century CE), built into the hillside in the classical manner with original seating for approximately 3,500 spectators, still hosts theatrical performances in summer. The forum, the market, the baths, and the mausoleum of Ateban (a pre-Roman Numidian royal mausoleum, 3rd century BCE, the tallest surviving Numidian monument in existence at 21m), are all accessible on foot across a compact site that can be walked in two to three hours.

Dougga is rarely crowded. On a typical weekday visit outside school holiday periods, you may find fewer than 50 other visitors across the entire site, which covers approximately 65 hectares of excavated and partially excavated remains. Admission: 8 TND (approximately £2.10). Getting there requires either a rented car or a taxi from Tunis (approximately 90 TND one way; negotiate a return journey to avoid being stranded). A guided day trip from Tunis including transport and a guide costs approximately €40-60 from operators in the medina.

El Jem: Rome's Most Surprising Amphitheatre

The amphitheatre of El Jem (the Roman city of Thysdrus), 200km south of Tunis near the coast, is among the largest and best-preserved Roman amphitheatres in the world. Built around 238 CE, it seated approximately 35,000 spectators and is the third-largest Roman amphitheatre by capacity, after the Colosseum in Rome (50,000-80,000) and the amphitheatre of Capua in Italy (around 40,000). Its exterior facade of three tiers of arched arcades stands almost to its original height, and unlike the Colosseum, whose interior was significantly stripped of its stone in the medieval period, the interior vaulting and arena floor at El Jem is more complete. The gladiatorial tunnels beneath the arena are accessible and atmospheric. UNESCO inscribed it as a World Heritage Site in 1979. Adult admission: 12 TND (approximately £3.20).

The Sahara: Tozeur, Douz, and the Chott el-Djerid

Tunisia's Sahara fringe is accessible within a few hours' drive of the central cities, making it the most practically accessible desert experience in North Africa for travelers who do not want to commit to a full Morocco or Algeria desert expedition. The main gateways are Tozeur in the southwest (served by flights from Tunis on Tunisair and by Nouvelair) and Douz further east, known as "the gateway to the Sahara."

The Chott el-Djerid, a vast salt lake between Tozeur and Kebili, is one of the most visually extraordinary landscapes in North Africa: in the dry season it is a white expanse of salt crust extending to the horizon, creating mirage effects in the heat. The road that crosses it (the causeway on the D16 road) runs for approximately 60km across the lake surface. In the wet season (winter) it fills partially with shallow brine. The lake is also notable for its film history: the Lars Homestead sets from the original Star Wars films (1977-1983) were built near Tozeur and on the island of Djerba; the Hotel Sidi Driss in the Berber village of Matmata was used as the interior of the Lars homestead and is still open to visitors (and still operating as a hotel) for approximately 40 TND per night.

Camel treks into the sand dunes (the Erg Chebbi equivalent in Tunisia is the dune systems around Douz) cost approximately 30-60 TND for a half-day excursion. Overnight desert camps (a tent on the dune edge, dinner of tagine and couscous, sleeping under the stars) cost approximately 80-120 TND per person. These prices are roughly one third to one half of comparable experiences in Morocco's Merzouga or Zagora.

Practical Information for Tunisia in 2025

Safety and the current situation

Tunisia experienced a period of significant political instability following the 2011 Jasmine Revolution (the first of the Arab Spring uprisings) and a series of terrorist attacks between 2015 and 2016, including the attack on the Bardo National Museum (March 2015, 22 deaths) and the attack on tourists at the Sousse beach resort (June 2015, 38 deaths, most of them British). These attacks devastated the Tunisian tourism industry and led many governments including the UK to issue "do not travel" advisories for certain regions.

The situation in 2025 is substantially improved from those years. The UK FCDO has revised its Tunisia advisory to "exercise a high degree of caution" for the northern and coastal regions (including Tunis, Carthage, Dougga, El Jem, Tozeur, and Djerba) while maintaining stronger warnings for areas near the Libyan and Algerian borders. Most major European tour operators have resumed operations to Tunisia. The country received approximately 10 million international visitors in 2023, approaching pre-2015 levels. The Bardo National Museum reopened and the sites mentioned in this guide are all functioning normally with tourist infrastructure in place.

Currency and costs

The Tunisian Dinar (TND) is a controlled currency that cannot legally be taken out of the country. Exchange money at the airport or at banks (official bureaux de change have standard rates; street exchangers operate illegally and should be avoided). As of early 2025, approximately 3.8 TND equals £1 and approximately 3.1 TND equals $1. Tunisia is very affordable for European visitors: a full restaurant meal at a good local restaurant costs 15-35 TND (£4-9); a taxi across Tunis costs 5-15 TND; a double room in a well-reviewed mid-range hotel in the medina area costs 80-150 TND per night (£21-39).

Getting there

Tunis-Carthage International Airport (TUN) is served by direct flights from London Heathrow (British Airways), London Gatwick (easyJet in summer), and numerous other European cities including Paris, Frankfurt, Rome, and Madrid. Ryanair serves Tunis and Djerba from multiple UK and European airports. Return flights from London typically cost £150-350 depending on season and advance booking. The flight time from London is approximately 2.5-3 hours.

Language and culture

Arabic (Tunisian dialect, which differs significantly from Modern Standard Arabic) is the first language. French is widely spoken and is the language of government, higher education, and business; most signs in tourist areas are in both Arabic and French. English is increasingly spoken in hotels and major sites but cannot be assumed outside Tunis. Learning a few words of French before visiting (particularly in Dougga and El Jem where English-speaking guides are less common than in Tunis) is practical rather than merely courteous.

Tunisia's combination of accessibility from Europe, extraordinary Roman and Punic heritage, Sahara access at reasonable cost, and a medina culture that has not been commercially flattened by mass tourism places it, for the right traveler, ahead of Morocco as a North Africa destination. The tourism infrastructure is thinner (fewer boutique riad-style hotels, fewer highly polished tour operations) but the authenticity of the experience is correspondingly greater. It is, by almost any measure, the most underrated destination in North Africa for European independent travelers.

Related: Morocco Travel Guide: Marrakech Medina, the Atlas Mountains, and Sahara Desert Camps | Egypt Travel Guide: Pyramids of Giza, Luxor Temples, and the Nile Cruise