Visas and entry requirements
Entry requirements for Tunisia depend on your nationality and on the length and purpose of your stay. Depending on your country, you may be able to enter visa-free for a short stay, or you may need to apply in advance.
Before booking, check with the Tunisian consulate or embassy in your country and with the official travel advice website of your foreign ministry. These are the only authoritative sources on the documents required and the passport validity needed.
- Check your passport's expiry date well before you leave.
- Keep digital copies of your ID documents and bookings.
- If you are travelling with a minor, find out which supporting documents may be requested.
- Rules sometimes change: check again a few weeks before your trip.
Money and payments
The national currency is the Tunisian dinar (TND). Its movement outside the country is regulated: as a rule, you obtain it on arrival, then spend it or change it back before you leave. Check the current rules with official sources.
You can exchange currency at banks, authorised exchange offices and airports, or withdraw dinars from ATMs, which are plentiful in towns. Cards are accepted in many hotels, supermarkets and restaurants, but cash remains essential in the souks, small shops, louages and taxis.
- Only exchange money at authorised outlets and keep your exchange receipts.
- Let your bank know you are travelling to avoid your card being blocked.
- Always keep some small change for cafés, taxis and tips.
- ATMs are scarcer outside the big towns: plan your withdrawals ahead.
Health
Before you leave, see your doctor or a travel health clinic to review recommended vaccinations and any treatment you take. Your country's official travel advice website also provides up-to-date health recommendations.
The big cities have clinics and hospitals, and pharmacies are everywhere; some stay open at night and at weekends on a rota basis. Travel insurance covering medical costs and repatriation is strongly recommended.
- Pack your regular medication with its prescription in your hand luggage.
- In summer, drink plenty of water and avoid the sun at the hottest times of day.
- Stick to bottled water if you have a sensitive stomach.
- Keep your insurer's contact details with you.
Safety
Tunisia welcomes many travellers every year, and hospitality is warm. As anywhere, however, the situation can vary from region to region and change over time.
Before and during your stay, check your country's official travel advice website: it lists areas to avoid and recommended precautions. Some border and desert areas may be restricted or require a permit.
- If your country offers it, register with its traveller registration service.
- Keep an eye on your belongings in crowded places.
- For the desert, always travel with a licensed guide or agency.
- Note down your embassy's or consulate's contact details.
Getting around
The louage, a shared taxi recognisable by its coloured stripe, is the most convenient way to travel between towns: it leaves from louage stations as soon as it is full. Trains run by SNCFT serve the Tunis–Sousse–Sfax line and part of the south, and a suburban line links Tunis with Carthage, Sidi Bou Said and La Marsa.
Intercity buses complete the network and serve many towns. In cities, individual taxis are plentiful and run on a meter. To save time heading south, domestic flights connect Tunis with some cities such as Djerba and Tozeur.
- In a taxi, make sure the meter is switched on when you set off.
- Check train and bus times the day before, directly at the station.
- Louages fill up more easily in the morning: avoid leaving too late in the day.
- For airport transfers, booking ahead saves you from haggling.
Driving in Tunisia
Traffic drives on the right. Renting a car is a great way to explore at your own pace, especially Cap Bon, the north-west and the south. Before you go, check whether your driving licence is valid in Tunisia; an international driving permit may be required depending on your situation.
Driving can be surprising at first: right of way is not always respected, and you will share the road with pedestrians, scooters and, on rural roads, animals. Police and National Guard checkpoints are common: slow down, stay calm and always keep your documents and the vehicle's papers within reach.
- Avoid driving at night away from main roads.
- Stick strictly to speed limits, which are frequently enforced.
- Fill up whenever you can in the south, where petrol stations are further apart.
- Check the car's condition and the insurance included before signing the rental contract.
Phone and internet
Buying a local SIM card is easy and often better value than roaming. The main operators have shops in towns and sometimes at the airport; your passport is usually required to register the line.
Mobile coverage is good in towns and along main roads but can be weak in some rural or desert areas. Most hotels, cafés and restaurants offer Wi-Fi, of varying quality.
- Make sure your phone is unlocked before you leave.
- Download offline maps before heading south.
- Choose a plan with mobile data for maps and messaging apps.
Etiquette and customs
Tunisia is an open country, but modest dress is appreciated away from the beach: cover shoulders and knees in medinas, villages and above all religious sites. Mosques are generally open only to Muslims, with a few exceptions such as the courtyard of the Great Mosque of Kairouan at certain times.
During Ramadan, whose dates change every year, many cafés and restaurants close during the day and daily rhythms shift; avoid eating or drinking conspicuously in public. Tipping is not compulsory but is appreciated. In the souks, haggling is part of the game: keep smiling and stay polite.
- Always ask permission before photographing someone.
- Avoid photographing official and military buildings or security forces.
- A few words of Tunisian Arabic, such as "aslema" (hello) or "yaïshek" (thank you), always go down well.
- During Ramadan, enjoy the festive atmosphere of the evenings after sunset.