Sidi Bou Said
A hillside village above the Gulf of Tunis where whitewashed houses with blue doors and shutters line steep cobbled lanes. Cafes and small galleries look out over the sea.
Sidi Bou Said and Carthage
The ruins of ancient Carthage lie next to a blue-and-white clifftop village, and both are easy trips from Tunis.
Attractive locations
Byrsa Hill
The hill at the heart of ancient Carthage, with ruins of Punic houses, an archaeological museum and views over the bay. It is a good first stop for understanding the site.
Saint Louis Cathedral (Acropolium)
A former cathedral on Byrsa Hill, now a venue for concerts and exhibitions. Visitors come for the building itself, the events and the wide views from its terrace.
Antonine Baths
The remains of enormous Roman baths beside the sea, one of the biggest bathing complexes in the Roman world. Tall arches and underground rooms can still be explored.
Carthage Amphitheatre
The ruins of a Roman arena where gladiator shows and public spectacles once took place. Only part of the seating and underground rooms survive, but its scale is clear.
Punic Ports of Carthage
Two ancient harbours, a rectangular commercial port and a round military port, built by the Carthaginians. The shapes of the basins are still visible beside the modern coast.
Tophet of Carthage
An ancient Punic sanctuary and burial ground with rows of small stone markers. It is a quiet site that tells part of the story of Carthage's religion.
Airports
Tunis Carthage International Airport TUN
It is about 10 km in a straight line from Sidi Bou Said and Carthage.
Enfidha - Hammamet International Airport NBE
It is about 89 km in a straight line from Sidi Bou Said and Carthage.
Monastir Habib Bourguiba International Airport MIR
It is about 129 km in a straight line from Sidi Bou Said and Carthage.
Scams and safe taxis
Taxi and scam advice for this country is on the Tunisia page
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan12.7 °C52 mm
- Feb12.4 °C42 mm
- Mar13.9 °C55 mm
- Apr16.1 °C42 mm
- May19.1 °C27 mm
- Jun23.1 °C17 mm
- Jul26.3 °C5 mm
- Aug27.0 °C20 mm
- Sep24.6 °C71 mm
- Oct21.7 °C63 mm
- Nov17.6 °C52 mm
- Dec14.2 °C60 mm
Driest months: Jun, Jul, Aug. Wettest months: Sep, Oct, Dec.
Costs
Prices here are about 31% of US prices (World Bank, 2025). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.
Festivals and events
culture
Carthage International Festival
Carthage's Roman theatre is the venue for concerts.
Who can help
Emergency
Police 197. Ambulance 190. Fire 198. National Guard 193.
local government
Police Secours (national police emergency, 197)
Helps with: The Interior Ministry's e-services portal lists 197 as the Police Secours emergency number. The page has no information aimed at tourists.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Tunisia, including visitors, who needs police help.
Phone: 197
local government
Garde Nationale (National Guard, 193)
Helps with: The Interior Ministry's e-services portal lists 193 as the National Guard emergency number. The page has no information aimed at tourists.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Tunisia, including visitors, who needs help from the National Guard.
Phone: 193
local government
Protection Civile (Civil Protection, 198)
Helps with: The Interior Ministry's e-services portal lists 198 as the Civil Protection number. It is the number for Tunisia's civil protection service.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Tunisia, including visitors, who needs rescue or emergency help.
Phone: 198
local government
Office National du Tourisme Tunisien (ONTT)
Helps with: Tunisia's national tourism office. Its contact page gives head office addresses in Tunis, phone numbers and an email; it lists no tourist helpline.
Who qualifies: Anyone visiting Tunisia or planning a trip there.
Phone: 71 341 077
Email: ontt@discovertunisia.com
ngo
Tunisian Red Crescent (Croissant-Rouge Tunisien)
Helps with: Tunisia's national Red Crescent society. Its site gives its head office in Tunis; the site text does not describe specific services for visitors.
Who qualifies: People in Tunisia who need to reach the national Red Crescent society.
Phone: +216 71 325 572
Email: contact@croissant-rouge.tn
Address: 19, Rue d'Angleterre, 1000 Tunis
un agency
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Tunisia
Helps with: The UN migration agency's mission in Tunis. Its contact page also lists a toll-free assistance number (numéro vert d'assistance).
Who qualifies: Migrants in Tunisia. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Phone: +216 71 860 312
Email: IOMTunis@iom.int
Address: 6, Rue du Lac le Bourget, Les Berges du Lac, 1053 Tunis
embassy
Foreign embassies in Tunisia (official diplomatic list)
Helps with: For a lost passport or serious trouble, contact your own country's embassy. The Tunisian foreign ministry's diplomatic list (June 2024) gives each mission's phone, email and address.
Who qualifies: Citizens of each country, through their own embassy.