The Best Day Trips from Tunis – Ruins, Beaches, Mountains and Medinas
Scribbled by Claire ◊ 21 Jun 2025
Are you visiting Tunisia for the first time and want to explore beyond Tunis? Here, we list all the best day trips from the city, including combinations to help you make the most of your time.
A visit to Tunisia’s capital city, Tunis, provides the opportunity to explore incredible Roman ruins, an ancient UNESCO medina, quaint neighbourhoods, and beautiful coastline. In addition to all this, the region offers so much more beyond the city.
So, how do you decide what to do?
We spent a month travelling around Tunisia, much of which was spent exploring the region surrounding Tunis. It’s absolutely packed with incredible places to see!
Here, we talk about all the best day trips we did from Tunis, how to combine multiple locations to make the most of your time, and lots more planning information!
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Excursions from Tunis
As well as sites within Tunis, there are lots of options for day excursions to get a peek into the Tunisia that exists outside of the capital city.
Below are all the places we’ve visited and recommend, with suggestions for combining several sites in one day where applicable. It’s common to be able to visit more than one place in a day – use the map at the bottom to see where all the day trips are located in relation to each other. We’ve also noted how far each place is from Tunis to make it easier for you to plan.
Each location has the choice of self-driving, public transport or organised tour (some places might be a bit tight with public transport and would necessitate an overnight stay).
1. Hammamet (1 hour, 66 kilometres)
For a quick beach hang out, or maybe you just want to experience another Tunisian town, consider visiting Hammamet. It’s pretty, timelessly charming and has everything you’d likely expect from a beachfront town in Tunisia.
Along with the popular beaches, the city also has a giant Hispano-Turkish fort, a typical winding medina, and a huge Islamic cemetery dotted with beautiful trees.
We spent some time in an Airbnb here, and it was a nice change of pace. However, we would be remiss to mention that during Ramadan and in the off-season, it’s a bit of a ghost town. Apparently, in the summer months, it’s a very lively and fashionable place to hang out.
Best combined with: Zaghouan (for hiking), Thuburbo Majus or Uthina (for Roman ruins)
2. Bizerte (1 hour, 71 kilometres)
The colourful, picturesque harbour town of Bizerte is the northernmost city in Africa. It’s a small, walled, atmospheric place with some lovely vibrant buildings and street art. Just on the outskirts sit some superb empty coastline (well away from the typical tourist itineraries).
When we visited, there was also a cool street market on (we drove over some onions by accident after we got our car stuck in there after following someone else). As always in Tunisia, the city has a lovely little medina which is worth taking a stroll through.
Something we noted was that drivers became astonishingly aggressive as we drove towards Bizerte.
We had wanted to see the boat wrecks on the coast to the east of the city called ‘wreck of Ydra’ but it was sketchy weather when we visited (and it’s easier with a high clearance car). We would recommend checking them out if it’s your kind of jam. Along with this, there is Ichkeul National Park, which contains a freshwater lake, famous for migratory bird watching.
Also, from Bizerte, it’s possible to visit Cape Angela, the northernmost point on the African continent.
Best combined with: Utique archaeological site
Tour to Bizerte, Utique, and Ichkeul
Check out this private tour from Tunis that includes all the highlights around colourful Bizerte, plus some Roman ruins and a national park – it’s a fantastic way to see a lot in one day with no hassle!
Check Bizerte tour availability.
3. Sousse and Monastir (2 hours, 148 kilometres)
Sousse, traditionally a beachside resort town, hides one of our favourite attractions in Tunisia, the UNESCO designated Medina of Sousse. This was our favourite of all the medinas we visited, with shadowy little alleys and lovely, friendly people (zero hassle here). It also had very little in the way of tourist tat.
The resort region of Sousse left us with little to be enthusiastic about, to be honest (I think Nick described the area during Ramadan as feeling a bit desolate like he imagined Pripyat to be). For a beach holiday though, I’m told it’s one of the best.
Only 21 kilometres away is the pretty town of Monastir, which is definitely worth a visit if you are in Sousse. Outside of the city is a resort area with sandy beaches, perfect for a night by the sea. In the centre you’ll find the impressive Ribat of Monastir, a defensive structure that looms over the town and the attractive promenade.
Best combined with: El Jem (Roman ruin), Kairouan (ancient Islamic city)
4. Kairouan (2 hours, 160 kilometres)
The UNESCO designated Islamic holy city of Kairouan was one of the best stops on our road trip through Tunisia. Renowned for its Great Mosque, described by UNESCO as a ‘universal architectural masterpiece’, this revered city has been a major centre of Islamic study for well over a thousand years and is the ancient heart of Islam in the Maghreb. As one of the oldest sites of Islamic worship in the world, the mosque alone is well worth a trip.
There is also the dusty, atmospheric medina, which consists of, in traditional Tunisian style, alleys and small stalls. It is also a well-known place for handmade Tunisian carpets and filming scenes from Indiana Jones!
Best combined with: Sousse/Monastir (beaches and medinas), El Jem (Roman ruins)
BEST Tour to Sousse, KAIROUAN AND EL JEM
Have a look at this private day tour from Tunis to Sousse, Kairouan and El Jem. It ticks off the three main highlights of northern Tunisia in one day, including the magnificent Roman amphitheater of El Jem, our favourite medina in Sousse and the holy city of Kairouan.
Check Sousse and Kairouan tour availability.
HOW MANY DAYS DO YOU NEED IN TUNIS?
For enough time to explore the city, we would recommend 2-3 days.
If you add a couple of day trips to check out some Roman ruins, a beach or fishing town, some mountains, or lesser known medinas, we’d recommend around five-seven days.
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RELATED POST | BACKPACKING TUNISIA COMPLETE GUIDE
5. Dougga and Bulla Regia (110 kilometres/157 kilometres, two hours)
Dougga and Bulla Regia are some of the premier Roman archaeological sites in Tunisia, situated west of Tunis.
We didn’t visit Bulla Regia due to some absolutely horrendous weather, but we heard enough good things about it that we are happy to recommend it to anyone looking at a trip to Tunisia.
We did however, visit the Roman site of Dougga, which was one of the best archaeological sites we have ever visited. It is set atop a hill, with panoramic views across the speckled olive tree fields, and almost no tourists. We absolutely loved our time here.
These sites are reasonably far from Tunis and, as such, would be tiring (but doable) to fit both into a single day trip by self-driving. It is feasible to see both in one day as part of a tour (we know people who did this during their trip to Tunis).
They are also a good combination to pair with a longer overnight trip to El Kef or Ayn Darahim.
Recommended Tours to Dougga and Bulla Regia
If you’re keen to visit two of Tunisia’s best Roman ruins in one day, consider this private day tour from Tunis that saves loads of time, includes a dedicated tour guide and lunch.
Take a look to see if it’s for you – check ruins tour availability.
6. El Jem (2.5 hours, 205 kilometres)
If you enjoyed the Colosseum at Rome, but not the crowds that came with it, El Jem (or Djem) is a real treat!
We found this amphitheater truly spectacular, with access all the way around the top and expansive panoramic views that stretch across the entirety of the city.
It’s pretty far away, so usually we wouldn’t suggest El Jem as a day trip, however people seem to day trip here all the time during a visit to Tunis.
Best combined with: Kairouan or Sousse/Monastir. Also, as a longer journey if spending a night in Sfax.
7. Other Ruins – Thuburbo Majus, Utique, Uthina (61, 36, 27 kilometres)
There are so many Roman archaeological ruins in Tunisia, mostly clustered around Tunis!
Thuburbo Majus, Utique and Uthina are particularly close to Tunis and we would recommend them to any history buffs out there.
The sites are pretty wild, partially restored, with zero tourists (for us anyway) and a nominal entry fee of 8 TND (£2) each. They aren’t large and won’t take a whole day to explore. Often, sheep herders were wandering their flocks throughout the sites (watching livestock wander around a huge ancient amphitheater felt peculiar but awesome).
Uthina | we liked Uthina. Visiting late in the day meant the light made the place feel kind of ethereal and otherworldly. The facilities there are also super-modern, with lots of information and the site has phenomenal views.
Thuburbo Majus | this was the least developed of the three ruins we visited and was still heavily under restoration (during Ramadan, only a few people were working). There was some signage with names, but mostly you had to settle with your imagination. There were some very ornate pillars, lots of half constructed buildings and some large mosaics. Like Uthina, this site has substantial views and we really enjoyed it, despite the lack of information. Places like this have a kind of majesty, especially if you get to explore them in solitude.
Utique | if you must choose, Utique was our least favourite; there was quite an annoying caretaker harassing us for tips and the ruins were the least interesting. However, it had really well-preserved Roman mosaics of fish and some creepy skeletal remains of a child.
8. Zaghouan (1 hour, 58 kilometres)
Zaghouan is one for the outdoor lovers.
The small town of Zaghouan is situated at the base of the Dorsale Mountains and sits below eastern Tunisia’s tallest peak, Djebel Zaghouan, which stands at 1295 metres.
This mountain is a fantastic, strenuous hike for anyone fancying a challenge. Set in a national park, this region is also home to Temple des Eaux (Temple of Water), a roman archaeological site consisting of an aqueduct which originally provided water for Carthage.
Best combined with: Sousse/Monastir, Hammamet (beaches)
BEST PLACE TO STAY IN TUNIS
We stayed in quite a few different hotels in Tunis during our month around Tunisia. These are our favourites:
City centre or Medina area | this area is best if you don’t have a car and want to spend significant time exploring the old town. We recommend, and loved, Dar El Jeld – one of the nicest hotels we’ve ever had the pleasure of staying at! It’s adjacent to the UNESCO designated medina, has outrageously nice rooms and a superb, panoramic rooftop bar.
Lac II area | this area is lovely if you are self-driving (everywhere has parking, it’s modern, quiet, there are supermarkets and apartments with kitchens). We recommend Le Corail Suites Hotel – we used our points to stay in a lovely modern apartment with full kitchen, plus it has great parking and lovely staff.
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Tunis Day Trips – With or Without a Tour?
We’ve suggested day trip options here, however every one of these trips in Tunisia we did with a self-drive rental car. The country is easy to get around and self-driving provides more flexibility. However, with little time, organised tours may be a more suitable option for you.
For any pre-booked tours, we use Get Your Guide – it’s affordable, simple and you can read reviews for all the tours. Check them out for all the places listed above. There are particularly affordable tour options, especially designed for shorter trips, that combine sites so you can fit more into your schedule.
CAR HIRE FOR YOUR TUNIS DAY TRIPS
We always rent our vehicles all over the world, including our recent trips in Oman, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Jordan and Morocco, with Discover Cars. They’re often the most affordable, plus they paid out immediately on an insurance claim we made when our car took some heavy damage in Sicily. We fully recommend them.
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TAKE A LOOK BELOW OR CHECK CAR RENTAL
Day Trips from Tunis – a Map
Below is a downloadable Google map of Tunis and the surrounding region, with all the day trips above marked.
To save this to your Google Maps, click on the star icon by the title.
Final Thoughts – Tunis Day Trips
Tunisia is a super cool place, with so many more things to do than I first imagined. Realistically, you could spend more than a week just taking day trips from the capital city!
Northern Tunisia, in particular, is packed with things to do and it would be a pity not to experience a little bit of what the country has to offer outside the city of Tunis.
We hope this list helps you plan an excursion or two – we’ve visited everywhere on this post and highly recommend getting out of the city!
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Thank you, Claire + Nick
