Day trips from Sousse

Sousse is the only resort in Tunisia from which the three most important sites of the coast and interior are done without an organised excursion: El Jem and Monastir have a train from the station in the centre, Kairouan needs a driver because there is no railway. Mahdia is the fourth, for fish and beach, and for anyone wanting a town without a single catalogue hotel.

El Jem — about 1 h by train

A Roman amphitheatre, the main reason to leave the coast for the interior. The train from the station in the centre of Sousse, about 1 h, and a louage runs too. Entry with the mosaic museum is €6. In the morning, before the sun enters the arena; back to the beach by lunch. This is the trip nobody on the coast should skip, and it has its own page.

GuideEl Jem up close — the amphitheatre and the museum?El Jem →

2 daysEl Jem is day two of the plan — with Monastir on a change of train:Sousse in 2 days →

Monastir — 20 min by train

An 8th-century ribat right on the shore, better known from films than Sousse's, with a tower and the view of the sea and the cemetery; Bourguiba's mausoleum with its gold dome and marble, where nothing is charged; and a medina smaller and quieter than Sousse's. Half a day, with a train roughly every half hour. Done as an afternoon, or after El Jem with a change of train at Sousse.

GuideMonastir up close — the ribat, Bourguiba's mausoleum and where to stay, the old town or Skanes:Monastir →

Kairouan — 1 h 30 with a driver

The fourth holy city of Islam, inland: the 7th-century Great Mosque with a marble courtyard and columns from Carthage, entered as far as the courtyard; a medina with carpets that really are from here and the 9th-century Aghlabid basins. A louage goes from the station in the centre of Sousse, but with a driver it is joined with El Jem in one long day — an hour and a half between them — which is the best day trip on the coast. Makroud, the date cake, is bought here.

GuideKairouan up close — the Great Mosque, the Aghlabid Basins and the medina:Kairouan →

Mahdia — 1 h by train

The 10th-century Fatimid capital on a cape, with a quiet medina, a fishing harbour where fish is sold off the boat and a long sandy town beach. No catalogue hotels; fish restaurants by the kilo and a Friday market of cloth. The train from the station in the centre of Sousse via Monastir; a full day with the beach.

GuideMahdia up close — Skifa el Kahla, the cape and where to stay the night:Mahdia →

What not to do

• Kairouan and El Jem by train on the same day. The train runs south, Kairouan is west without a railway — they are joined only with a driver.
• Tunis and Carthage as a trip from Sousse. Two hours each way and a whole day on a coach for half of Carthage; from Hammamet it makes sense, from Sousse it does not — better a night in Tunis.
• 'The Sahara in one day' from the hotel. Sixteen hours on a coach, half an hour on a camel at Douz; the Sahara needs two nights and a start from the south.

2 daysA night in Tunis instead of a coach day — what fits into two days?Tunis in 2 days →

Where to stayWhere to stay in Sousse before or after a day trip:Where to stay in Sousse →

FoodWhat to eat in Sousse once you're back from a trip:What to eat in Sousse →

BudgetWhat the day trips add to a day's spend:What Sousse costs →

Getting aroundGetting to Sousse and around it:Getting around Sousse →

When to goWhich month suits these trips best:The best time to visit Sousse →

MistakesMistakes in Sousse itself, from the airport to a Monday at the kasbah:Mistakes everyone makes in Sousse →