Carthage and Sidi Bou Said Excursion with the Tunis Medina
The medina of Tunis, the ruins of Carthage and the blue and white lanes of Sidi Bou Said, all in the same day. This Carthage and Sidi Bou Said excursion runs in a private vehicle from your hotel, and you set the pace at every stop.
- 08:00 at your hotel
- At your hotel by 16:30
- Full day, private vehicle
From80 €per vehicle
What the Carthage and Sidi Bou Said excursion covers
This Carthage and Sidi Bou Said excursion links three places nearly every traveller wants and which are awkward to reach separately: the UNESCO-listed medina of Tunis, the archaeological site of Carthage with its Antonine Baths and Byrsa hill, and the clifftop village of Sidi Bou Said. We collect you from your hotel, your Airbnb or any address in Hammamet, Sousse or Tunis at 08:00, and bring you back to the same door by 18:00 or earlier. Between the two UNESCO sites and the village the order is planned, but nothing is timed to the minute.
- Photogenic
- Blue & white village
- Antiquity
- Carthage, 700 BC
- UNESCO medina
- 700 monuments
- Heritage
- 2 UNESCO sites
How the Tunis, Carthage and Sidi Bou Said day runs
The order follows the clock rather than the postcard. The medina raises its shutters around 08:30: the lanes are still cool, the souks almost empty, and since this is the part of the day with the most walking, it is better done on fresh legs. Carthage comes next, in the middle of the day, because the site is split across several enclosures and the driver drops you at each one, so you barely walk at all. Sidi Bou Said closes the day, once the coaches have gone: the sun drops onto the white walls and you finish sitting on a terrace above the gulf rather than standing in the souks. If a stop holds you longer than expected, stay. The driver reshapes what follows and only speaks up if it puts the last site at risk.
Scroll to drive the day
Pickup at your hotel
Your driver waits at reception. Hotel, residence, Airbnb or any address in Hammamet, Sousse, Port El Kantaoui or Tunis.
On the road to Tunis medina
Tunis medina
UNESCO medina, new townVisit: 1 h 30
The medina of Tunis is one of the best preserved Arab medinas in the Maghreb, listed as UNESCO World Heritage. Its 700 monuments, mosques, zaouias, madrasas, form an intact medieval urban fabric. The Zitouna mosque, founded in 703, is the central monument around which the whole network of specialised souks grew. A few steps away, Avenue Habib Bourguiba offers a walk through an impeccably preserved colonial Tunis.
- Zitouna mosque, the great mosque of the 8th century
- Specialised souks: chechias, carpets, perfumes, spices
- Avenue Habib Bourguiba and colonial architecture
On the road to Carthage
Carthage
Ancient city, UNESCOVisit: 1 h 30
For three centuries Carthage was the capital of one of the most formidable powers of the ancient world. A rival of Rome, it was razed and then rebuilt as a prosperous Roman city. The Antonine Baths are the third largest Roman baths known anywhere. Byrsa hill dominates the site and gives an exceptional view over the gulf. The tophet, a Punic sanctuary excavated since the 19th century, is one of the most historically charged places in all of Tunisia.
- Antonine Baths, the largest Roman baths in Africa
- Byrsa hill, the heart of Punic Carthage
- Tophet, a Punic sanctuary with millennia-old offerings
Lunch break
In a local restaurant of your choice. Your driver suggests good addresses, the meal itself is not included.
Sidi Bou Said
The blue and white villageVisit: 1 h 30
Sidi Bou Said is the most photogenic village in the Mediterranean: white houses, wrought iron painted cobalt blue and cascading bougainvillea make a setting found nowhere else. The Café des Nattes, perched at the top of the village, has been an intellectual meeting place for over a century, André Gide, Paul Klee and Gustave Flaubert all passed through. The terrace offers a panorama stretching across the Gulf of Tunis.
- Panoramic terraces over the Gulf of Tunis
- Café des Nattes, a village institution since 1914
- Flowered lanes, wrought iron grilles and blue doors
Drive back
The driver takes you back to your hotel, with a stop on the way if you need one.
Back at your hotel
Drop-off at the same address, never later than 18:00.
From Sousse, Port El Kantaoui or Tunis the pickup stays at 08:00 and you are back at your hotel by 18:00 at the latest. The driver adapts the time at each stop to the road.
Where Tunis, Carthage and Sidi Bou Said sit
The Tunis medina, Carthage and Sidi Bou Said follow one another over about fifteen kilometres, from the centre of Tunis out to the coast north east. That is what makes it possible to link all three without spending the day in the car. Pick your pickup city above the map to see your own route.
Carthage and Sidi Bou Said tour price by departure city
The price of the Carthage and Sidi Bou Said excursion applies to the vehicle for the whole day, not to the passenger: with four of you it works out at €20 each. Departing from Tunis costs €10 less because the drive is shorter. You pay no deposit and settle with the driver at the end of the day, in dinars or euros.
- Your day
- Your details
Pickup at 08:00 at your hotel in HammametBack at your hotel by 16:30
No deposit. You pay the driver on the day.
See every price by city and group
| Pickup | 1 to 4 people | 4 to 6 people | 5 to 8 people | 8 to 12 people |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hammamet | 80 € | 105 € | 110 € | 150 € |
| Sousse | 130 € | 155 € | 160 € | 200 € |
| Port El Kantaoui | 130 € | 155 € | 160 € | 200 € |
| Tunis | 70 € | 95 € | 100 € | 140 € |
What's included
- Private air-conditioned vehicle, never shared
- English-speaking driver all day
- Fuel, tolls and parking
- Pickup and drop-off at your hotel
- Child seats on request, at no extra cost
Not included
- Carthage archaeological site ticket (~20 TND)
- Lunch and drinks
- Personal purchases in the souks
The Tunis medina, as the souks open
Seven hundred listed monuments in a maze of covered lanes, with the Zitouna mosque at its centre. This is the part of the day with the most walking, and at this hour the souks have just opened: it is still cool inside and the craftsmen are at work before the crowds. The driver drops you at one gate and picks you up at another, so you never have to retrace your steps.
- Zitouna mosque, perfume souk and chechia makers
- Covered souks, still cool and quiet at opening
- Dropped at one gate, collected at another
- An hour and a half to two hours on foot
Carthage, in the middle of the day
Antonine Baths facing the sea, the Punic quarter on Byrsa hill, the circular ports, the amphitheatre. The site is split across several enclosures, and the driver drops you at each one rather than making you walk between them. It is the least tiring stop of the day, which suits the hottest hours. A single ticket covers them all and you choose which to see.
- Antonine Baths, the largest outside Italy
- Byrsa hill and its view over the ancient ports
- One ticket valid across every enclosure
- Driven from entrance to entrance, no walking between
Sidi Bou Said, to end the day
Blue doors, white walls, bougainvillea and a view over the gulf from the cliff. The village takes an hour on foot, two if you stop at the Café des Nattes or in the ceramic workshops. We arrive late in the afternoon, once the coaches have left and the light is raking across the façades: the best moment for photographs, and for sitting down on a terrace before the drive home.
- Cobbled lanes and houses with blue mashrabiya screens
- Clifftop terrace over the Gulf of Tunis
- Café des Nattes and artisan workshops
- One to two hours, depending on what you feel like
Your pace across Tunis, Carthage and Sidi Bou Said
A private Carthage and Sidi Bou Said excursion is only worth it if you can change it as you go. You decide how long you spend at each site, when and where you eat. If you want to skip one stop to stretch another, just say so. The driver knows the driving times and will tell you straight what still fits into the day.
- Pickup at your hotel at 08:00
- Free time at every site, never on a stopwatch
- Lunch where and when you want it
- Back by 18:00, or earlier if you have had enough
Worth preparing
Three concrete points that change how comfortable the day feels.
Sidi Bou Said at the end of the day
The coaches leave the village around 16:00. Keeping it for last gives you quiet lanes and low light on the white walls.
One ticket for all of Carthage
The ticket bought at the Antonine Baths is valid across every sector of the site on the same day. Keep it, you are asked for it at each entrance.
Comfortable shoes
Expect three to four kilometres on foot over the day, including the medina cobbles and the gravel paths of Carthage.
Carthage, Sidi Bou Said and Tunis: your questions
What the day covers, how long Carthage takes, when Sidi Bou Said is quietest and what the tickets cost: the answers travellers ask for most.
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