Day trips from Tunis

From Tunis the trips split by transport and distance: Carthage is half an hour by train and nobody skips it, Dougga is the nearest trip with a driver and the best preserved Roman town in North Africa, Bizerte and Cap Bon follow further out. Dougga is World Heritage and a full day most people skip and should not — a town on a hill with nobody about.

Carthage and Sidi Bou Said — half a day, by train

The TGM train from the end of Avenue Bourguiba, 30 min to Carthage Hannibal station: Byrsa, the Antonine baths, the Punic harbours on one ticket (€6), then two stops on to the blue-and-white village with the café on the cliff. This is the trip everyone does and should do; the details, the order and what to skip are on the Sidi Bou Said page.

GuideSidi Bou Said on its own?Sidi Bou Said →

2 daysCarthage is day two of the plan — this is how it fits:Tunis in 2 days →

Dougga — the nearest full-day trip, 2 h with a driver

The Roman town of Thugga on a hill a hundred and twenty kilometres south-west, a UNESCO World Heritage site, with a capitol whose pediment is intact, a theatre for three and a half thousand, streets, houses and a public toilet with twelve seats in a circle. There is nobody — ten coaches a day in season, none outside it. With a driver 2 h each way, a full day with lunch in Téboursouk; a louage goes to Téboursouk, then a taxi to the site, which works but takes time. Entry is €2.40.

When to goWhen's the best time for these trips:The best time to visit Tunis →

Bizerte — a day, 1 h by train

1 h by train from the main station: Africa's northernmost town, with an old harbour lined with coloured houses, a medina by the canal, a Spanish fort and town beaches without a single all-inclusive hotel. Fish on the quay for lunch; Cap Angela, the northernmost point of the continent, is half an hour further by taxi. This is Tunisia without tourists, an hour from the capital.

FoodFish in Bizerte and what else along the coast:What to eat in Tunis →

Cap Bon — a day, 1 h 30 by car

The peninsula to the east: Nabeul with pottery and the Friday market, Kelibia with the fortress over the harbour and El Mansoura beach, El Haouaria with Roman quarries on the cape and vineyards along the road. A full day with a driver or a hire car, 1 h 30 to Kelibia; the train reaches only Nabeul. For anyone staying in Hammamet this is closer than from Tunis.

GuideHammamet — a holiday or a base?Hammamet →

What not to do

• Dougga by louage without spare time. A louage to Téboursouk, a taxi to the site, then back when a taxi turns up — it works, but from six in the morning. A driver by the day costs more and gives the day back.
• Carthage by taxi. The train is faster, cheaper and stops a hundred metres from the baths; a taxi sits in the queue on the bridge across the lagoon.
• The Sahara from Tunis in a day. Tozeur is five hours each way; the Sahara needs two nights and a start from the south, not the capital.

GuideThe Sahara in two days — how it works from Tozeur:Tozeur →

BudgetWhat these trips actually cost:What Tunis costs →

Hidden gemsThree places in Tunis itself, if a trip falls through:The Tunis guidebooks skip →

Where to stayWhere to sleep before an early departure:Where to stay in Tunis →

MistakesMistakes that ruin these exact trips:Mistakes everyone makes in Tunis →

Getting aroundHow to reach the starting point for each trip:Getting around Tunis →