Vacation to Tunisia

​Tips for planning vacation to Tunisia

Here is everything you should know when planning your journey, from visa regulations to transportation.
  • Visa and Passport Requirements
Most nationalities-including travelers in the US, Canada, plus the UK-do n't want a visa to go in Tunisia like a tourist. If your nationality will not be on the following list, then you definitely should talk to a Tunisian Embassy and obtain a visa.
You do NOT need a tourist visa in case you belong to among the following countries: Algeria, Antigua, Austria, Bahrain, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Bosnia & Herzegovina, British Virgin Islands, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Denmark, Dominica, Falkland Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, The Gambia, Germany, Gibraltar, Gilbert Islands, Greece, Guinea, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kiribati, South Korea, Kuwait, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Monaco, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Netherlands, Niger, Norway, Oman, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Saint Helena, St.
Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & Grenadines, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States, Vatican City, and Yugoslavia.
Your passport have to be valid for around six months when you enter Tunisia. You will get a stamp within your passport upon entry in to the country (get it) that may allow you to stay for a few months. No entry fees are charged.
Nationals of Australia and South Africa can buy their tourist visa upon arrival in the airport, but verify with the Tunisian Embassy.
  • Health and Safety
  1. ​​As with many destinations in Africa you need to be careful as to what you drink and eat to avoid stomach upsets. Buying food from street vendors carries some extent of risk especially salads and uncooked food. Tap water might be drunk in primary towns, but there is plenty of bottled water around for being totally safe.
  2. · Immunizations and Vaccinations: No vaccinations are essential by law to go in Tunisia but Typhoid and Hepatitis A are two vaccinations which can be strongly recommended. It is also a great idea being up to date using your polio and tetanus vaccines. Luckily Tunisia is malaria-free.
  3. · Terrorism: On April 11, 2002, Al-Qaeda terrorists used a truck bomb to fight a synagogue for the Tunisian island of Djerba. The attack killed 14 Germans, five Tunisians, and a couple of French tourists. About 30 others were injured. In 2008 two Austrian tourists were kidnapped by an Algerian Al-Qaeda organization. The couple were them selves and driving near to the Algerian border deep inside the Sahara desert. They were released six months later in Bamako, Mali. Apart from both of these incidents, Tunisia has become free from terrorist attacks which is probably the safest destination in North Africa.
  4. · Crime: Violent crime is very rare in Tunisia but getting harassed by "guides" and petty theft is reasonably common from the tourist areas and souks. Avoid walking alone in the evening especially in unlit areas and within the beach. Take care of your valuables , nor flaunt your cameras and jewelry.
  5. · Women Travelers: Tunisia can be an Islamic country so be modest along with your clothing. In the key tourist areas along with the capital Tunis, dress is rather modern in support of half the girls wear headscarves nevertheless, you won't see way too many short skirts, shorts or tank tops. Wear a bikini or swimsuit only at a pool or on the beach.
  • Currency and Money Matters
The Tunisian Dinar is Tunisia's official unit of currency. The confusing thing about Tunisian Dinar is always that 1 dinar comes to 1000 millimes (not the traditional 100). So you can contain the occasional cardiac arrest and think your debt 5,400 dinar for just a cab ride, while in fact it's only 5 dinar 4 millimes.
The Tunisian Dinar just isn't available beyond the country because it is not an internationally traded currency, and you can easily change US Dollars, British Pounds, and Euros for the most part of the key banks 
which line the primary streets (request Ave Habib Bourghiba whatever town you are in, and will be the primary street).
Many on the banks ATMs (cash machines) accept plastic cards. Using an ATM far less time consuming than exchanging currency in the bank and it is often cheaper.
You can't take Tunisian Dinar out with the country, so try to spend it when you depart. The Tunis airport isn't going to accept Dinar to use gift shops when you finally go through customs.
Credit Cards are accepted at high-end hotels, from the tourist zones plus some high-end restaurants inside the main cities, and you'll be using cash typically. American Express is just not widely accepted at all.
  • When to Go
As with a lot of destinations, the elements usually determines local plumber to travel to Tunisia. If you want to trek from the desert (which I endorse) a good time to go is late September to November and March to early May. It will be chilly at nighttime, although not quite freezing, along with the days will not be too hot.
If you're headed for that beach and would want to avoid the crowds, May, June, and September are common perfect. Most tourists visit Tunisia in July and August if the sun shines every single day, the swimming is perfect along with the beach towns are filled up with life. Book the resort well in advance should you're planning to search during the warm weather.
You could possibly get to Tunisia by boat, plane, and road (from Algeria and Libya). 
  • Arriving by Air
Tunisair is Tunisia's national carrier, they fly to be able to destinations in Europe and also North and West Africa. You can't fly direct to Tunisia in the Americas, Australia, or Asia. You'll have to connect in Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa. Most scheduled airlines fly into Tunis-Carthage International Airport, just outside of the capital Tunis.
Other airlines into Tunis include Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa and Alitalia, Royal Air Moroc, and Egyptair.
  • Chartered Flights
​Most chartered flights head straight to the airports near to the beach resorts. You can fly direct to Monastir, Djerba, and Touzeur (for that Desert) through the UK, France, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Austria as well as the Netherlands. Nouvelair offers charter flights to European destinations from various tourist resorts in Tunisia.
  • Arriving by Ferry
Ferries sail to Tunis from France and Italy throughout every season and several times weekly. Book well in advance in case you're planning to go in July and August. Ferries and Cruise ships arrive and depart from 'La Goulette' the primary port, that is about 10km in the center of Tunis. You can catch a taxi cab into town, or have a commuter train. You can also have a commuter train nearly the very picturesque village of Sidi Bou Said.
  • Ferries from France
Ferries travel between Tunis and Marseille. The journey takes 21 hours along with the ferries are operated by aritima Ferries (a French company) and CTN (a Tunisian company).
  • Ferries from Italy
There are some ferries you'll be able to take from two ports in Sicily-Palermo (8-10 hours) and Tripani (7 hours). Grimaldi Lines and Grandi Navi Veloci operate the ferry services.
There will also be several ferries per week to and from Tunis to Genoa (23 hours), Salerno (23 hours), and Civitavecchia (21 hours). Grimaldi Lines and Grandi Navi Veloci and SNCM operate the ferry services.
  • Crossing by Land
You can cross into Tunisia by land from Algeria (which lies West of Tunisia). The most common border towns to come and depart from are Nefta and El-Oued. You could get a louage (shared taxi) from Tozeur or Gafsa. Make sure you check in the security situation in Algeria prior to cross.
To are able to Libya, the majority of people take the road from Gabes. It's busy with numerous trucks carrying goods and also Libyan and Tunisians on holiday. But if you do not hold a Tunisian passport, you will need special permission to search in Libya and you've to join the state tour. You can arrange for being met in the border, visit Ras Ajdir for the Tunisian side. Long distance buses alternate from Tunis to Tripoli every single day and take about 12 hours. Check out the national bus company website (SNTRI) for schedules and prices in French and Arabic.
  • Getting Around Tunisia
Tunisia can be quite easy to bypass by plane, train, louage, and bus. Public transport is well organized, cheap and runs frequently. If you won't have lots of time, you can find domestic flights to every single major town (usually in and out of Tunis). You can choose between trains, buses, and shared taxis, or rent your individual car.
  • Getting Around by Plane
Tunisia's national domestic airline is referred to as Tunisair. Tunisair operates some charter routes also in and out of Tunis to several destinations in France, Spain, and Italy. Their scheduled domestic/regional routes include Tunis to Djerba, Sfax, Gafsa, Tabarka, Monastir, Tripoli, and Malta.
You can't book directly online, and you can email and also a booking and simply pay for it upon arrival in Tunis. If you live in Europe you are able to usually book by way of a travel agency.
  • Traveling by Train
Traveling by train in Tunisia is surely an efficient and cozy way to bypass. The train network in Tunisia isn't very extensive but many in the major holiday destinations are covered. Trains run between Tunis, Sousse, Sfax, El Jem, Touzeur, and Gabes.
  • Traveling by Bus
Long-distance buses cover every major town in Tunisia along with the network is a bit more extensive than that covered by the train. Long-distance buses are happy, air-conditioned, and everyone turns into a seat. The national bus company SNTRI carries a decent website with schedules and fares.
Within big cities like Tunis and Sfax, local buses operate, these are generally extremely cheap and sometimes crowded. In Tunis it's really the least pleasant supply of around, opt for your tram or a cab instead.
  • Traveling by Louage
When there is no bus available or train, everyone runs on the louage. Louage lines have fixed rates and routes, but no fixed departure times. They do go frequently, plus they go when filled up (usually 8 passengers). But they travel fast and it is a very convenient way to go around. There may not a huge amount of room for luggage and you will be a bit squished. Sometimes, you will end up charged extra for giant bags.
Most louages don't travel in the evening so plan accordingly. There are louage stations as being a bus station or taxi stand that you get on. You usually cash driver in addition to being soon when you show up. You'll have not an issue getting help find the right louage to your destination. Louages are generally old white station wagons which has a colored stripe around the side or minibuses.
  • Renting a Car
All the foremost car rental companies are represented in Tunisia and you may rent a vehicle upon arrival at any on the airports. The cheapest rate runs at about 50 TD on a daily basis, but that does not include unlimited mileage. If you're headed for that desert in Southern Tunisia you will want to rent a 4x4 and that is double the price.
Check out Tunisia Auto Rental website for any comparison chart of all the main car rental companies that happen to be represented in Tunisia. I got a great quote from Budget in Djerba too. Auto Europe has the right advice about road conditions and what to anticipate in Tunisia. They will also be an excellent rental car company.
The roads are decent typically in Tunisia and paved. Drivers don't always follow the rules though and sometimes drive too fast. In towns and cities many traffic lights are just ignored, so be cautious especially when driving in Tunis. It's best to use trains and.
  • Private Taxi
Private taxis are the way to go around major cities and towns. They're very easy to spot, they're small, and yellow merely flag them down. Taxis need to use their meters in most cases, this is not a problem except when dealing with and from your airport in Tunis. For some reason, this can be where tourists always seem to obtain ripped off.
If you would like to tour across the south of Tunisia, chartering a cab is a great way to arrive at the more remote Berber villages and stop the large tour buses.
  • Tram
There's a great tram line in Tunis, quite simply the Metro Legere plus the hub is within the Place de Barcelone (opposite the principle train station). Take the number 4 to are able to the Bardo museum. Buy your tickets when you board, and should you don't like crowds avoid commuting times.

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