Planning a Week or More in Tunisia

October 31, 2026

Travel advice, 31 October 2026. Before you book, read the latest US State Department and UK FCDO pages: parts of the border regions and military zones are off limits to tourists. The FCDO (revision of 24 July 2026) advises against all travel to Chaambi Mountains National Park, the Salloum, Sammamma and Mghila military zones, and the zone south of El Borma and Dhehiba, and against all but essential travel to Kasserine Governorate and Sbeitla. The US rating is Level 2. Keep to the routes below.

Choose a length, then a direction

Tunisia stretches about 750 km from north to south, so most visitors choose between a short northern loop and a longer run to the Sahara. The distances add up, so count the driving hours before the sights. The routes below assume a rented car or a driver. Trains and louage vans can replace the car between the main coastal towns.

Getting around

Any ordinary car copes with the paved roads between Tunis, Sousse, El Jem, Kairouan, Tozeur and Djerba, and the A1, A3 and A4 motorways charge tolls. A 4WD or a driver who knows the tracks is needed for the dunes, the mountain oases and the roads around Tembaine. SNCFT trains serve the east coast, and the main-line timetable runs from 1 September 2026 to 30 June 2027.

4 days, north only

Day	Plan
1	Tunis medina, then the Bardo National Museum (shut on Mondays)
2	Carthage and Sidi Bou Said by TGM
3	Dougga and Testour by road
4	Bizerte old port or a final morning in Tunis

7 days, to the oases and back

Day	Plan
1 and 2	The northern days above, compressed
3	Kairouan, then El Jem, and a night on the coast at Sousse or Monastir
4	Sousse medina, then the long drive to Tozeur by Sfax and the Chott el Djerid road
5	Ong Jemel and Mos Espa by 4WD
6	Douz for the dunes, then Matmata
7	Djerba, or north again by Gabes

Chott el Djerid is a salt crust over soft mud. Stay on the P16 road. Chebika, Tamerza and Mides are oases near the Algerian frontier, with Mides on the border line itself. Look at the live FCDO map and use only a licensed Tozeur operator.

10 days, with the ksour

Add the Berber granary villages around Tataouine: Ksar Ouled Soltane, Ksar Hadada and the hilltop village of Chenini. Stay on paved tourist roads with a licensed guide, and keep out of the military zone south of Remada and of the Libyan border strip.

Use the last two days on Djerba. Houmt Souk has its pottery and harbour, and the Erriadh lanes carry the Djerbahood murals. El Ghriba synagogue in Erriadh is an active place of worship. Five people died in a shooting there on 9 May 2023 during the pilgrimage, two pilgrims and three security officers. The 2026 pilgrimage took place from 30 April to 6 May, with heavy security and about 200 foreign visitors. Arrive prepared for checkpoints and ID checks, dress with care and ask locally about visiting.

Season and spending

The best months for the whole route are spring and autumn. Winter suits the desert, while July and August push the interior to 40 to 46 degrees Celsius. Heritage tickets rose on 1 April 2026 to as much as 30 TND for the top category and go up again in January 2027. Pay for daily costs in dinars, and keep exchange slips.

Hotels for the northern and coastal nights can be searched on Booking.com . Further reading: SNCFT , Discover Tunisia and the UK FCDO page .