Location: Tunis
Day 1 - 29 Jun 2019
Tunis-Carthage International Airport
Content: The more we dived into the research of Tunisia the more we were hooked—who knew this little North African country was so rich in history and well-rounded in activities for tourists? We visited in 2019 as US citizens, so all that was required from us was a passport and hotel name and address for where we would stay (usually if we stay in multiple places we just list the first hotel). Now there is a negative PCR requirement and temporary hotel quarantine, but save this itinerary for when covid restrictions loosen a little!
Bardo National Museum
Content: We went straight from the airport to a fantastic museum to learn about the the Greek and Roman influences and history from centuries ago. The mosaics are phenomenal and the ceilings will leave your mouth open in wonder. Definitely a must see in Tunis.
Location: Medina of Tunis
Day 1 - 29 Jun 2019
Medina of Tunis
Content: The souks are full of so many shops, you can literally get lost through all the wonderful alleyways! Spices, bookstores, restaurants with families eating slowly cooked goat’s heads—this is a whole other world to us and we can’t stop taking in all the sites. We purchased some garlic olive oil and lemon olive oil as souvenirs to take back with us.
Location: Gammarth
Day 1 - 29 Jun 2019
Four Seasons Hotel Tunis
Content: WOW! Such an amazing hotel and quite affordable compared to Four Seasons in other parts of the world. Our room was large with a huge fluffy king bed, enormous bathroom with soak tub and double sinks, a massive pool area leading out to the Mediterranean Sea, and a Spanish fusion restaurant with some of the best tapas. One of the best hotels hands down we’ve stayed at.
Location: Carthage
Day 2 - 30 Jun 2019
Carthage
Content: Wear good shoes for some rocky areas, but this famous UNESCO site is a very important place to visit in Tunisia. Centuries of history, wars—even the famous general who rode war elephants, Hannibal, comes from this city. Could probably see the whole site with a guide in one hour.
Location: Site archéologique de Carthage
Day 2 - 30 Jun 2019
Baths of Antoninus
Content: Additional Roman baths close to the sea worth stopping for half an hour. Definitely makes you appreciate modern day plumbing and showers!
Location: Carthage
Day 2 - 30 Jun 2019
Sidi Bou Said
Content: Such an awesome city to explore! Many colorful and unique doors on different people’s homes, shops to look through, seaside views again, and beautiful flowers. Some streets are very steep and parking can be hard to find, so get there as early as you can before others start lining the streets.
Dar Zarrouk
Content: Lovely views of the sea with A/C inside or you can sit in the courtyard outside—the food was so yummy. Seafood is their speciality, and we got the Tuna with some small salads, fish wrapped in puff pastry, and a satisfying fruit tart. It was starting to get really hot, so we also ordered a refreshing lemon and mint drink. Very affordable compared to its almost fine dining interiors.
Location: Gammarth
Day 2 - 30 Jun 2019
Four Seasons Hotel Tunis
Content: Returned to our favorite hotel to relax and enjoy the amenities for one last night!
Location: Kairouan
Day 3 - 1 Jul 2019
Zaouia of Sidi Sahabi
Content: Any Mausoleum related to a companion or relative of Prophet Mohammed is always spectacular and moving. We traveled all the way out to Kairouan by hired driver and guide to experience more of the Islamic culture and delicacy of stonework, columns, and arches.
Great Mosque of Kairouan
Content: Women must wear a scarf, and they hand out borrowed scarves if you don’t have one. Men must wear long pants. The arches make amazing pictures, and the grand atmosphere is really cool to see. Lots of carpet shops nearby to walk to, as Kairouan is known for their carpet handicraft.
Location: Tozeur
Day 3 - 1 Jul 2019
Tozeur
Content: We drove further south to a famous oasis surrounded by over 200 springs and tons of date trees. Along the way, some officers/military made sure we were approved tourists in the country and checked our itineraries with our guide to make sure we’re in good hands. Everyone was always friendly but extra cautious to ensure all foreigners are completely safe. Several years ago, there used to be terrorists living in the desert mountains in the south, but the country has since kept them very at bay but still employee kilt are to ensure it stays that way. The town here is much more conservative, and even the bricks and buildings look different from the Mediterranean side of Tunisia. We explored a few rooftops, one souk, and found an exotic building to take pictures by a creek. Don’t be alarmed if you see unventilated meat shops with camel meat and livestock tied up nearby—this is the culture we must respect and observe as outsiders.
Palm Beach Palace
Content: An extravagant hotel with average service and food, but great prices on bottle of wine ($3). There was only wifi near the lobby and not in the rooms, but had a large pool area and was probably the best hotel to stay in in the area.
Location: As-Sabikah
Day 4 - 2 Jul 2019
Chebika Oasis
Content: We hired a 4x4 driver to take us to all the natural beauties of the southwest side of Tunisia—first stop, Chebika Oasis! Many Russian tourists arrived in massive groups throughout our whole trip, so we highly suggest to start earlier if you really want the places more to yourselves. They have found seas shells and fish bones in these mountains, can you believe it?! A beautiful waterfall resides here, and climb to the top to see amazing views for miles.
Location: Tamaghza
Day 4 - 2 Jul 2019
Tamerza Tunisi
Content: We drove by Tamerza to see more desert scenery and stop to take pictures of this old unique looking abandoned town.
Location: Midès
Day 4 - 2 Jul 2019
Mides
Content: One more canyon stop with a smaller waterfall. We didn’t have time to hike down it, but always good to take advantage of scenic breaks like these on a full day of site seeing.
Location: Tozeur
Day 4 - 2 Jul 2019
Eden Palm
Content: Great place to eat good home cooked food. We had the traditional Brik pastry stuffed with egg and parsley, slow cooked goat meat, and fruits including fresh figs!
Location: Naftah
Day 4 - 2 Jul 2019
Ong Jmel
Content: Now we’re getting into Hollywood’s best kept secrets and old movie sets! Ong Jmel is a rock formation that looks like a camel’s neck. Not too far away (locals would know where exactly) there is an old movie set with a castle as well! These were in both the English Patient and Star Wars movies—no entry fee.
Mos Espa
Content: Almost like a roller coaster, we drove down a huge sand dune to park in the middle of the desert at a famous Star Wars set from Episode 1. Be aware that some locals are there to do whatever they can to make some money, especially little kids holding desert foxes to shove into your hands to take pictures with—we refused and continued to explore on our own.
Lars Family Homestead Exteriors
Content: The coolest Star Wars site we visited! Episodes 4 and 2 were filmed here at this original hotel that George Lucas stumbled upon. If we had more time, we would have stayed a night in this unique hotel that’s dig into the ground like traditional Berber homes.
Location: Ksar Ouled Soltane
Day 4 - 2 Jul 2019
Ksar Ouled Soltane
Content: Traditional Berber houses with pulleys to store food high above to keep away from neighboring bandits! This area was also used in the Stars Wars episode 1 movie for the slave quarters.
Location: Tozeur
Day 4 - 2 Jul 2019
Palm Beach Palace
Content: Back to the hotel for the evening after a long but great day.
Location: Nafta
Day 5 - 3 Jul 2019
Chott el Jerid
Content: We woke up early for the sunrise over a massive salt lake for some epic pictures! Its sun-baked surface, composed of a hard crust of sodium chloride, conceals sources of underground water and the area has a vivid red colour due to the high iron content.
Location: Douz
Day 5 - 3 Jul 2019
Sahara desert Tunisia ღ
Content: We decided to do a one hour camel ride in the Sahara desert, which in retrospect we could have done without. We’ve done camel rides before with places that really take care of horses and other camels—this one seemed to be very touristy and the camels seemed over worked.
Location: Sfax
Day 5 - 3 Jul 2019
Les Oliviers Palace
Content: Checked into a new hotel for the evening, slowly making our way back to the coast. Went through several small villages, lush green orchards, and now a hustling bustling city of Sfax. Restaurant here had a huge menu with lots of great foods to eat.
Location: El Jem
Day 6 - 4 Jul 2019
El Jem
Content: Compared to Rome, this amphitheater is the second best maintained in the world, previously holding up to 35,000 people! You can wander the different floors and tunnels for a couple hours.
Location: Sousse
Day 6 - 4 Jul 2019
منتجع ومارين سبا موڤنبيك سوسة
Content: Fantastic five star hotel, and we even got relaxing massages! Beach is nice to relax by as well. Buffet area is ok—very large but the food was just ok.
Location: Sousse
Day 7 - 5 Jul 2019
Medina Sousse (المدينة العربي سوسة)
Content: We explored another Medina of shops and markets—anything from birds to turtles to fruits, fish, and electronics. The colors of this area reminded us of Sidi Bou Said.
Location: Monastir
Day 7 - 5 Jul 2019
Ribat
Content: We loved visiting this fortress and climbing to the top for amazing views from the tower.
Location: جمال
Day 7 - 5 Jul 2019
Mausoleum of Habib Bourguiba
Content: A beautiful mausoleum and small museum dedicated to the first President of Tunisia.
Location: Sousse
Day 7 - 5 Jul 2019
منتجع ومارين سبا موڤنبيك سوسة
Content: Back to the hotel to enjoy some drinks by the pool and beach!
Location: Carthage
Day 8 - 6 Jul 2019
Sidi Bou Said
Content: We decided to return to Sidi Bou Said to spend a little more time wandering around the streets and taking some more pictures with their colorful doors!
Location: Medina of Tunis
Day 8 - 6 Jul 2019
Medina of Tunis
Content: We then made our way to “old Tunisia” which includes the Medina, the ‘European’ quarter built at the beginning of the 20th century and the new modern suburbs. For more than 500 years, the Medina has been the historic heart of Tunis and UNESCO has classified it as a World Heritage Site due its fascinating and exotic maze of streets. We stopped by the Zaitouna Mosque (from outside), mosque of Sidi Mehrez and the mausoleum of the Husainides princes. We then ask locals for a great rooftop view and we’re able to find these picture spots that way.
Location: Tunis
Day 8 - 6 Jul 2019
Laico Tunis
Content: Checking in for our last night, this hotel is very modern, clean, comfortable, and dinner buffet is really good!
Location: Tunis
Day 9 - 7 Jul 2019
Tunis-Carthage International Airport
Content: Back to the airport to leave this wonderful country. We had to fill out a form by paper to mention if we were declaring anything. Gate is simple and easy to get to.