Tunisia 2026: regions, best time to visit, getting there, train, admission prices and costs

Tunisia suits you if you want to combine a beach holiday with Roman ruins, old medinas and a side trip into the desert. Ten sites in the country are on UNESCO's World Heritage List (as of September 2026).

What is new in 2026 is above all Sidi Bou Saïd: the village has been part of the World Heritage since 25 July. In April the Dahar Geopark joined UNESCO's global network of geoparks. And a new winter timetable has applied to long-distance trains since 1 September 2026.

Tunisia is less suitable if you cope badly with heat and can only travel in high summer. In Tozeur the average daily high in July is 40.0 °C (1991–2020). The weather service INM has not measured a hotter summer than that of 2026 since 1950; according to the provisional summary it was 2.9 °C above the 1991 to 2020 average.

Getting there from Germany

In 2025, 563,474 passengers flew from Germany to Tunisia, counted at the 22 main airports with Tunisia as their last known destination. That is rank 33 among 211 destination countries; transfer passengers abroad are missing from this figure. More than half (55.9%) landed at Tunis-Carthage (314,904), followed by Monastir (126,923) and Djerba-Zarzis (117,683). Enfidha-Hammamet managed only 3,957.

Most departed from Frankfurt (183,332), Düsseldorf (128,634) and Munich (102,775). The source is the Federal Statistical Office, year 2025; totals, rank and shares are our own analysis.

Tunis-Carthage: bus 635 for 0.500 dinars

For 0.500 dinars, bus 635 of the transport operator TRANSTU takes you via Ariana to Tunis Marine (TGM) station; the journey takes about 25 minutes. The first bus from the airport leaves at 6:40, then it continues hourly. Taxis run with a meter. At the airport rank for individual taxis, 3.250 dinars are added, and from 21:00 to 5:00 a night surcharge of 50% also applies (as of September 2026).

Monastir: suburban train right at the airport

The Métro du Sahel, the suburban train between Sousse and Mahdia, stops at Monastir airport. According to the airport, a train comes on average every 40 minutes from 5:00 to 22:00. Yellow taxis cost roughly 0.9 dinars per kilometre, white ones 1.35 dinars; the airport reckons about 70 dinars to Mahdia and 90 to Kairouan (as of September 2026).

Djerba-Zarzis: bus to Houmt Souk for 1 dinar

Djerba's airport is in Mellita. A regional bus goes to Houmt Souk for 1 dinar, but only at 7:30, 8:30, 12:40, 17:40 and 18:40. In a taxi, the meter from the airport does not start at zero but at 4.500 dinars, and at night from 21:00 to 5:00, 50% is added (as of September 2026).

Regions and destinations at a glance

The tourist office classifies the seaside resorts like this: Sousse lively, Mahdia and Monastir quiet, Yasmine Hammamet modern, Djerba relaxed (as of September 2026).

Prices and times: as of September 2026, trains per the 2026/27 winter timetable.

Tunis and Carthage

The Zitouna Mosque in the medina of Tunis dates from the 9th century. Since the remodelling from 2009 to 2012, the Bardo National Museum has almost twice as much floor space; it costs 13 dinars and is closed on Mondays. Carthage north of Tunis was rebuilt after its destruction by Rome in 146 BC, as the capital of the province of Africa. Admission to the Antonine Baths: 12 dinars (as of September 2026).

Sousse, Monastir and Mahdia

Behind the medieval walls of the Sousse medina stand the ribat, Great Mosque and kasbah. The ribats of Sousse and Monastir are open daily and cost 8 dinars each (as of September 2026). From Tunis Ville, the 7:25 train is in Sousse after two and a half hours; only the 16:45 goes direct to Mahdia (winter timetable 2026/27).

Kairouan and El Jem

The Great Mosque of Kairouan was founded in 670. Later builders in the Maghreb and Andalusia took it as a model, writes the state heritage agency AMVPPC. The courtyard is also open to non-Muslims, who see the prayer hall only from outside. It is open only until 14:00, on Fridays until 12:00, and the combined ticket costs 12 dinars (as of September 2026).

The amphitheatre of El Jem, built from 238 to 250, held 27,000 to 30,000 spectators. With the 7:25 train from Tunis you are there at 11:22 (winter timetable 2026/27).

Djerba

Djerba has been World Heritage since 2023, in recognition of the island's settlement pattern. According to the tourist office, you find peace rather in the island's interior and on some sandy beaches, while the north coast is a large holiday area. In Houmt Souk stands the Borj Ghazi Mustapha fort of 1425; it costs 8 dinars and is closed on Fridays (as of September 2026).

Tozeur, Nefta and Douz

The palm oasis on whose edge Tozeur lies counts several hundred thousand palms. You reach the mountain oases of Chebika, Tamerza and Midès after a few dozen kilometres from Tozeur or Nefta. At Onk Jemel near Nefta you can see film sets from Star Wars. According to the tourist office, anyone who wants to get to know the desert gently starts in Douz. The Sahara Museum there opens in summer only from 7:00 to 14:00 (as of September 2026).

Best time to visit

The table shows WMO climate normals for 1991 to 2020: Tunis-Carthage is in the north (3 m), Tozeur in the south (92 m). Each month shows high and low in °C and rainfall in mm.

Tunis gets 485.6 mm of rain a year on 61.5 days, Tozeur only 96.5 mm on 13 days. In Tozeur the average daily highs in March, April, October and November are between 22.6 and 29.6 °C. On the coast, according to the tourist office, the sea breeze dampens the summer heat. In August, Djerba and Monastir stay just below Tunis at 33.9 and 33.1 °C.

Getting around the country

Train and bus

The SNCFT railway runs on 1,803 km of line, of which 1,571 km is single-track (as of September 2026). Since 1 September 2026 the long-distance trains have run to the winter timetable, which runs until 30 June 2027. It does not apply during Ramadan.

Direct trains to Sousse leave Tunis Ville at 7:25, 15:45 (not Saturdays), 17:20 and 21:15 (winter timetable 2026/27). As a guide price, the SNCFT gives 9 dinars in 2nd and 12 dinars in 1st class, subject to change (as of March 2026). To Sfax it takes 4:12 to 5:06 hours depending on the train, to Gabès 6:31 or 7:10 hours.

The state bus company SNTRI starts in Tunis at the Bab Saadoun and Bab Alioua bus stations. It has sales points in Kairouan, Sousse, Tozeur, Douz and on Djerba, among other places (as of September 2026). For journeys between cities, many Tunisians take the louage. The shared taxi holds five people and their luggage.

Car and roads

The motorways are operated by Tunisie Autoroutes. A car pays 3.400 dinars toll from Hammam Lif to Sousse and 6.800 dinars from Msaken to Gabès Nord, in cash in the “espèces” lane. The limit on the motorway is 110 km/h, and 90 km/h in rain. You call breakdown assistance via an emergency phone or the operator's app, and information is available on 80 100 120 (as of September 2026). According to ADAC, petrol cost 2.53 dinars per litre on a weekly average, and diesel 2.21 dinars (as of 25 September 2026).

Domestic flights

In the booking mask of Tunisair Express, the domestic destinations are Djerba, Tozeur, Sfax, Gafsa, Gabès, Tabarka and Monastir (as of September 2026).

Money and costs

The currency is the Tunisian dinar (TND), worth 1,000 millimes. You may neither import nor export dinars. Money is changed at banks and authorised exchange offices; on the street it is prohibited. According to ADAC, credit cards are often accepted in holiday regions, likewise in many hotels, restaurants and larger shops. You get cash at machines with a credit or Maestro card and PIN (as of September 2026).

The admission prices apply to visitors without residence in Tunisia; residents pay less. Foreign currency with a counter-value of 20,000 dinars or more you declare to customs on entry and exit, which can also be done online (as of September 2026).

Tourist tax: 4 to 12 dinars per night

Since 1 January 2024, guests from abroad pay 12 dinars per person and night in 4- and 5-star hotels and 8 dinars in 3-star ones. In all other accommodation, from holiday apartments to campsites, it is 4 dinars (Finance Act 2024).

Practical information

Tunisia is in the GMT+1 time zone and has had no summer time since 2009. In winter the time is therefore the same as in Germany, while during German summer time it is one hour earlier in Tunisia (our own derivation, as of September 2026).

Signs are mostly in Arabic and French: the national language is Arabic, and many people speak French fluently. You reach the police on 197, the fire brigade on 198 and the ambulance on 190 (as of September 2026). The mains supply is 230 V at 50 Hz, and plugs of types C and E are usual (IEC, as of December 2024); ADAC recommends a travel adapter. Roaming at domestic prices under the EU rule does not exist in Tunisia.

The national holiday is 20 March. According to the German Embassy in Tunis, 17 December is also a public holiday in 2026. During Ramadan the long-distance trains do not run to the winter timetable, and many sites open at their own times.

What applies to entry, safety and health is given by the German Foreign Office.

Who Tunisia is not for

• If you avoid heat but can only go in July or August: Tozeur then averages 40.0 and 39.6 °C by day, Tunis 34.0 and 34.5 °C (1991–2020).
• If you want to swim in winter: In January Tunis averages 16.4 °C by day and 8.4 rain days (1991–2020).
• If you want to bring dinars with you or take them away: According to customs, the national currency may be neither brought into nor taken out of the country.
• If you rely on a dense timetable: The airport bus in Tunis runs hourly, the one on Djerba five times a day (as of September 2026).
• If you want to sightsee in the afternoon or on Mondays: The Great Mosque of Kairouan closes at 14:00, and the Bardo is closed on Mondays (as of September 2026).
• If you want to phone and surf as at home: The EU roaming rule does not apply in Tunisia.