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Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia

Travel guide · Medinas, Carthage and white-and-blue villages

Travelling to Tunisia

The medina of Tunis, the ruins of Carthage, white-and-blue Sidi Bou Said, the amphitheatre of El Djem and beaches like Djerba and Hammamet. We tell you when to go, what to see and what to eat.

Updated 18 October 2026 · How we make our guides

  • Best time: from April to June and from September to January
  • Where to eat: a medina restaurant or a brik stall
Photo: Mietek Ł · CC BY-SA 3.0

Tunisia in 30 seconds

  • The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Tunisia are from April to June and from September to January.
  • To eat like a local: a medina restaurant or a brik stall. Don’t leave without trying: Couscous, Brik, Lablabi.

Tunisia in November

Yes: November is a good time to travel to Tunisia. Our data shows no weather or seasonal warnings that month.

More destinations for November

When to travel to Tunisia

The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Tunisia are from April to June and from September to January.

  1. Jan no warnings
  2. Feb with warnings
  3. Mar with warnings
  4. Apr no warnings
  5. May no warnings
  6. Jun no warnings
  7. Jul with warnings
  8. Aug with warnings
  9. Sep no warnings
  10. Oct no warnings
  11. Nov no warnings
  12. Dec no warnings

More destinations for those dates: where to travel in January · where to travel in April · where to travel in May · where to travel in June

  • February, March

    Ramadan (approximate dates)

    During the day many restaurants close or open less and museum and shop hours change. The evenings, with iftar, are very special.

    What to do: Out of respect, don’t eat or drink in the street during the day; book dinner for after sunset.

  • July, August

    Intense heat

    In July and August it’s very hot, especially inland; the coast is more bearable.

    What to do: For ruins and medinas, spring and autumn are best; in summer, the beach.

What to see in Tunisia

The cities and areas most worth your time, with their highlights. Open each one for all the places, where to stay and its day trips.

  • Tunis

    Tunis

    The capital, with a World Heritage medina, the Bardo Museum and Carthage close by.

    • Medina of Tunis
    • Bardo Museum
    • Avenue Habib Bourguiba
    • Spice souk
    Tunis guide
  • Djerba

    Djerba

    The southern island, with beaches, villages of white houses and the El Ghriba synagogue.

    • Houmt Souk
    • El Ghriba Synagogue
    • Djerbahood
    • Sidi Mahrez beaches
    Djerba guide
  • Hammamet

    Hammamet

    Long beaches, a walled medina by the sea and jasmine gardens.

    • Medina
    • Kasbah
    • Beaches
    • Yasmine Hammamet
    Hammamet guide
  • Sousse

    Sousse

    A medina with walls, a ribat and a great mosque, a World Heritage Site, right by the beach.

    • Ribat
    • Grand Mosque
    • Medina
    • Archaeological Museum
    Sousse guide
  • Sidi Bou Said

    Sidi Bou Said

    The white-and-blue village above the Gulf of Tunis, full of artists and cafés with views.

    • White-and-blue streets
    • Café des Délices
    • Dar Ennejma Ezzahra
    • Marina
    Sidi Bou Said guide
  • Carthage

    Carthage

    The ruins of Hannibal’s city by the sea, a World Heritage Site.

    • Antonine Baths
    • Byrsa Hill
    • Punic ports
    • Tophet
    Carthage guide
  • Monastir

    Monastir

    A coastal city with a ribat that appears in lots of films and the Bourguiba Mausoleum.

    • Ribat of Monastir
    • Bourguiba Mausoleum
    • Medina
    • Beaches
    Monastir guide
  • Kairouan

    Kairouan

    The holy city of the Maghreb, with its Great Mosque, carpets and date sweets.

    • Grand Mosque
    • Medina
    • Aghlabid Basins
    • Mausoleum of the Barber
    Kairouan guide
  • Tozeur

    Tozeur

    An oasis of date palms on the edge of the Sahara, with an old town of patterned brick and the Star Wars sets nearby.

    • Ouled el Hadef medina
    • Palm Grove
    • Chott el Djerid
    • Chebika mountain oasis
    Tozeur guide
  • El Djem

    El Djem

    A huge Roman amphitheatre in the middle of a town, one of the best preserved in the world.

    • Amphitheatre
    • Underground passages
    • El Djem Museum
    • Symphonic music festival
    El Djem guide

Day trips and activities

What’s most worth booking from each city. We take you straight to the best-rated tour on GetYourGuide, with its reviews and dates.

From Tunis

From Djerba

From Hammamet

From Sousse

From Sidi Bou Said

From Carthage

From Monastir

From Kairouan

From Tozeur

From El Djem

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What to eat in Tunisia

To eat like a local: a medina restaurant or a brik stall, and order fish couscous or brik. And don’t leave without trying:

  • Couscous

    With lamb, fish or octopus.

  • Brik

    A crisp pastry filled with egg and tuna.

  • Lablabi

    Chickpea soup with bread and harissa.

  • Ojja

    Eggs with tomato, pepper and merguez.

  • Mechouia salad

    Roasted peppers and tomatoes.

  • Makroud

    A date-filled semolina sweet from Kairouan.

The typical dish of Tunisia, at home

Brik
Photo: Meriemou · CC BY-SA 4.0

Brik

A very thin sheet of pastry (malsouka) folded into a triangle around an egg, tuna, capers and parsley, fried until crisp. It’s eaten by hand, taking care not to let the yolk drip.

  • Serves 4
  • 25 min

Ingredients

  • 4 brick pastry sheets
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tin of tuna in oil
  • 1 tablespoon of capers
  • 1 boiled, mashed potato (optional)
  • Chopped parsley and onion
  • Harissa to taste
  • Oil for frying, and lemon

How to make it at home

  1. Mix the tuna with the potato, capers, parsley, onion and a pinch of harissa.
  2. Put a sheet on a plate, spoon the mixture onto one half making a well, and crack an egg into it.
  3. Fold the sheet into a half-moon or triangle, sealing the edges with a little egg.
  4. Fry in hot oil for 1 minute on each side, until golden with the yolk still runny.
  5. Drain and serve with lemon.

The trick: Quick in the oil: the whole point is the runny yolk.

The typical food of each city, with a recipe

Curious facts about Tunisia

What guidebooks don’t tell you and will help you understand the country better.

  • Carthage was Rome’s great rival: Hannibal set out from here with his elephants.
  • El Djem’s amphitheatre is one of the best preserved in the Roman world.
  • Kairouan is the fourth holy city of Islam.
  • Scenes from Star Wars were filmed in the south.
  • By law since 1915, Sidi Bou Said’s houses have been painted white and blue.
  • Harissa, the chilli paste, is on UNESCO’s Intangible Heritage list.

Traditions of Tunisia

Customs and celebrations that will help you experience the country like a local.

  • July and August Carthage Festival

    Concerts in the Roman amphitheatre.

  • December Douz Sahara Festival

    Camels, poetry and music.

  • Date varies Ramadan

    The nights come alive.

  • Malouf

    Traditional Andalusian music.

What not to do in Tunisia

First-trip mistakes that are easy to avoid.

  • Don’t go to the border areas with Algeria and Libya that official travel advice warns against (from Tozeur, keep away from the border).
  • Don’t enter mosques unless non-Muslims are allowed.
  • Don’t wear clothes that leave shoulders and knees bare in the medinas.
  • Don’t photograph official or military buildings.
  • Don’t haggle rudely in the souks.
  • Don’t drink alcohol in the street.

Before you go

Entry requirements depend on your passport and change: always check them with official sources before travelling.

Frequently asked questions about Tunisia

What people search for most before travelling to Tunisia.

What’s the best time to travel to Tunisia?

The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Tunisia are from April to June and from September to January.

What to see in Tunisia in a week?

The essentials of Tunisia: Tunis, Djerba, Hammamet, Sousse and Sidi Bou Said. How many places fit into your days, and in what order, depends on your dates and how you get around: the Bagintravel app plans your trip day by day in a minute.

What to eat in Tunisia?

Couscous, Brik, Lablabi, Ojja, Mechouia salad, Makroud. To eat like a local: a medina restaurant or a brik stall.

What is the typical dish of Tunisia?

Brik. A very thin sheet of pastry (malsouka) folded into a triangle around an egg, tuna, capers and parsley, fried until crisp. It’s eaten by hand, taking care not to let the yolk drip.

What should you not do in Tunisia?

Don’t go to the border areas with Algeria and Libya that official travel advice warns against (from Tozeur, keep away from the border). Don’t enter mosques unless non-Muslims are allowed. Don’t wear clothes that leave shoulders and knees bare in the medinas.

Is it worth travelling to Tunisia in November?

Yes: November is a good time to travel to Tunisia. Our data shows no weather or seasonal warnings that month.

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Guide reviewed 18 October 2026. Seasonal data, places and areas: the same ones the Bagintravel app uses. Sources and method.

Photos: cover, Mietek Ł (CC BY-SA 3.0). Tunis, Kritzolina (CC BY-SA 4.0). Djerba, Skander zarrad (CC BY-SA 4.0). Hammamet, Mutari (CC BY-SA 3.0). Sousse, No machine-readable author provided. BishkekRocks assumed (based on copyright cl (CC BY-SA 3.0). Sidi Bou Said, Mohamed Moslem Mosbah (CC BY-SA 3.0). Carthage, Calips (CC BY 2.5). Monastir, Gorik Francois (CC BY-SA 2.0). Kairouan, Momin Bannani from London, UK (CC BY-SA 2.0). Tozeur, Tsaag Valren (CC BY-SA 4.0). El Djem, Daniel Hausner (CC BY-SA 3.0).