Our trip to Tunisia was so far the most excentric experience as we went there to share a special day with our dearest friends we have come with a Guidelines from our experience in this coutry for 4 nights and 5 days.
Don’t get me wrong It is a beautiful country, it reminds you of Greece as all the house are painted in white and have blue doors and windows and with so many beautiful Roman Empire site seeing but if you dont know how to get around it can become very overwelming and the people not very welcome as English is not a spoken languange amongst the locals but if you speak French it might be easier to move around. Also you have to keep an open mind.
Here are some guidelines for your upcoming trip with some added from my experience.
PASSPORT / VISA
First of all you must verify and double check your passport validity to the country if you require Visa or not even if you don’t require visa if your doing transit to get there double check their rules and passport visa guidelines before adventuring as from our experience we needed a Transit Visa to go trough Germany leaving the country when we arrive from the same route to the country. So be aware and i keep in mind this we have seen people arriving and being deported the same day that don’t require Visa to enter the country. I
1 - CURENCY:
Upon your arrival at the airport, please feel free to change between 100-150 ($ & €) to have some cash at hand. The rule of thumb for the exchange rate is 3 dinars for dollars and 3.3 dinars for euros when we arrived in September 2024. This will closely fluctuate between each exchange office give-or-take.
2 - You can continue exchanging money using exchange offices in the city or ATMs directly with your credit card as you go throughout your trip. Please note that Tunisia has a strict foreign monetary policy, hence if you have dinars that you need to exchange back to euros or dollars you as you cannot convert the local currency to the foreign currency anywhere in Tunisia.
3 - HOSPITALITY:
For tipping: 10-20 dinars is very generous at restaurants/hotels. For blue collar workers (at the airport or supermarkets) 5 dinars is more than enough. Tipping is expecting anywhere anytime. Clubbing TİP, Restaurant TIP, Taxi Tip. It makes everyone happy and seeing you as a tourist they expect it from you cause they are feeling obliged to be nice to you but they are not completely genuine and coming from the heart.
Hotels : we’ve stayed in the most luxurious 5 stars hotel when we were there The Movenpick and let me tell you didn’t deserve a 5 stars cause our shower and sink drain was blocked all the time, there were flies in the room , the ones coming from the drain. So if you can get a nice Airbnb with a stunning views for the same price, you can visit the hotels in the morning for Breakfast.
4 - TRANSPORT : Download the Bolt app (Uber alternative) if you plan on moving around in the city & plan on visiting the Medina. Cash payments are the only method of payment for Bolt. Bolt is very convenient please have internet with you from the Airport if you don’t have Bolt if you try to get other Taxis on the go they will try to get as much from you. So we recommend Bolt as it is the way the local go around. Please keep in mind that they are not the most good looking cab, they have no AC, no clean seat and sometimes if its raining water drip from the roof. But hey what an experience! Drivers don’t speak nothing of English and as i say before if you speak French its much easier.
5 - Have a credit card with you for restaurant/hotel payments. The Dutch "iDeal" or american debit cards don't really work with the financial system in Tunisia (Amex not recommended).
6 - ALCOHOL
Last note regarding alcohol. Tunisia is predominately a Muslim country, which means that alcohol is not readily available at every location. All hotels & *touristic* restaurants offer a wide variety of alcohol. Must cafes offers cocktails they are extraordinarily natural fruit juices without alcohol.
Some touristic and iconic places to dine are Casa Medina in Tunis, Dar el Jeld in Medina
Alcohol can also easily be purchased at supermarkets during a fixed window of 8 am till 8 pm (to the best of my knowledge). Supermarkets such as Carrefour or Monoprix are where you can purchase all types of alcohol. *On Fridays, these sections at the supermarkets are closed (considered as the Christian Sunday).*
7- SITE SEING :
Make sure you visit Sidi Bou Said ; it is on a mountaintop where the Bolt can take you and drop your off at the very top and you can continue by foot to visit the streets.
Carthage is a residential neighborhood with Roman Ruines to visit all site you can get a pass for day to visit all 6 locations for only 12 Dinars, they are extremely tiring so go prepared with shorts, water and hats, not so much tourist though.
Visit La Medina city center .. on a late afternoon
The desert on cold times not on Summer they are tours to sleep and camp in the desert.
Trains are not the most updated they break while traveling and they fix them on the go.
Sidi Bou Said
Carthage
Antonin Bath
La Medina
We recommend that if your an hygienist extreme do not visit Tunisia. It is overwhelming and everything you will do and experience will not be satisfying. But if you have an open mind and embrace the experience get ready to get shout out, treat very badly by the locals, but ready to make the best of it.
Please note this is our experience, we had a great time with our friends but if you have local friends living there its best to have recommendations from them. We found the Country very complicated and the people not aware that you are visiting and that your helping their economy. It is not a place we are excited to go back and probably will never go back, we checked it from our Bucket list.
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