TN Tunisia: how to get around

Although police are visible at many major intersections, they seldom enforce traffic rules or stop bad drivers unless it is to solicit bribes.

People unfamiliar with driving in developing countries are best to use public transportation or hire a driver.

Driving in Tunis is further compounded by narrow streets and limited parking spots. To see the Medina of Tunis, it would be best to park some distance from the Medina, and take the light rail (called TGM) in from Marsa/Carthage, the green tramway (called Metro) downtown, or perhaps a taxi in from the nearer outskirts.

Rental cars are fairly easy to find, but somewhat expensive, at DT100 or so a day, for a medium-sized car such as a four-door Renault Clio.

Private taxis are reasonably priced even for long-distance travel, just be sure to agree on the fare before you set off. Sample fares for a four-seater are €40 for Tunis-Hammamet or €50 for Monastir-Hammamet. When taking the taxi within bigger towns such as Tunis, there are meters installed. Make sure it is started when you leave and in the corresponding mode (night, day, etc). A green light indicates that the taxi is already taken, a red that it is free.

The following ride-hailing apps are available in Tunisia:

• inDrive
• Forus Taxi

As of 2025, the Bolt app no longer functions in the country.

The national train company SNCFT runs trains from Tunis south to Sousse, Sfax and Monastir. There are three classes of service, namely Grand confort (deluxe 1st), 1st and 2nd, but none are very comfortable due to a general state of disrepair. Example fares from Tunis to Sousse are DT 10.3/7.6 in 1st/2nd class. Although tickets are issued with wagon/seat numbers marked on it, that is largely ignored by locals. So if you are travelling with more people, try to get onboard quickly to find adjacent seats.

A good thing to do is to buy a carte bleue (blue card). It costs DT 40 for a week 2nd class, DT 56 1st class, DT 60 Confort and you can travel all around the country using the banlieue (short distance train) and grande ligne (long distance) (June 2025). For the long distance you will have to make a reservation and pay a small fee (DT 1 to DT 2.1 depending on the distance). These passes can also be bought to cover 14 or 21 days and simply cost double or triple the 7-day version. There are rarely queues at the booking office and a little bit of French goes a long way. Trains go also to Tozeur and Gabes in the south where it is easy to access the Sahara and Ksour regions respectively. In some stations where the frequency of trains is small (e.g. Tozeur), the ticket booth will remain closed for most of the day and reopen around the time of the departure of the next train.

Contrary to what you might expect in other countries, trains are the least timely mode of transportation in Tunisia: delays and cancellations are common and the wait for your train is often longer than bus or louage, even if you check the schedule and come to the station "on time". As of 2024, the information screens at stations don't work. At bigger stations, ask around which train is yours.

A light railway (called TGM) also connects Tunis northward to Carthage, La Marsa, and Sidi Bou Said. One-way light railway tickets will cost approximately DT 1 (June 2025).

Locals use louage or long-haul shared taxis where there is no train or bus. There are no timetables, but they wait in the louage station (which is generally near a train station if your destination is accessible by train) until 8 people turn up. The wait is never too long in major cities, most of the time less than half an hour. They are nearly as cheap as the walk up train fares and operate with fixed prices so you won't get scalped. e.g. Douz to Gabes (120 km) for 7 dinars. While louages are very cheap, they can also be stifling hot during the summer months (although the windows are left open during the ride and that helps!) and tourists may be hassled, if only rarely - most locals will keep to themselves. Furthermore, louages have the reputation to drive at a fast pace, and to be less safe than other transportation, so be aware of that.

Louage departures are very frequent; a louage departs as soon as the seats are filled. It is acceptable to pay for an empty seat to leave earlier.

All louage cars are white, with a side stripe showing the coverage area. Louages between major cities are recognizable by their red stripe, louages within region are recognizable by their blue stripe and louages serving rural areas are recognizable by their yellow strips (the Rural Louage can be yellow with blue stripes, or a van fully painted in brown color).

Long distance bus (called car) is also a safe and economic way to travel between major cities such as Tunis, Nabeul, Hammamet, etc. You will generally find a station in each major city offering many departures per day (every 30 minutes between Tunis and Hammamet). Some of the bus locally called "car comfort" offer higher standards (TV, air conditioner) at cheap prices.

Intercity buses are operated by the national transport authority, SNTRI and various local transport authorities around the country. SNTRI has schedules online, many local operators don't. In any case, the tickets have to be bought offline at the bus station. However, buses are rarely full, so there's no need to worry about advance booking.