Starting from Hammamet
Duration7h
This Carthage Sidi Bou Said tour takes you from Hammamet to the Medina of Tunis, the Antonine Baths and the blue and white village, all in one day. A private driver collects you at your door and you set the pace.
Private excursion
From €80 / vehicle
Up to 12 people
Included
Not includedCarthage archaeological site ticket (~12 TND)Lunch and drinksPersonal purchases in the souks
From €80 / vehicle
In practice, the Carthage Sidi Bou Said tour runs in a simple order: the medina in the morning, Carthage at midday, the village in the late afternoon. All three sit within about 15 km of each other, one hour up the motorway from Hammamet. Here is what matters before you book.
Here is the day hour by hour, from pickup to drop off. Times are a guide: if you love a stop, you stay, and the driver adjusts the rest.
The order of the stops is a guide. It can change with crowds, weather, opening hours or simply what you feel like: tell your driver and the route is adjusted.
Start · 8:00 or 9:00 am
Your driver will be waiting at the agreed time, at your hotel reception or right outside your door, ready to start the day. No coach to wait for and no other guests to collect: you get in, the air conditioning is already on, and you head north.
≈ 1 h on the A1 motorway
Stop 1 · 1.5 to 2 h
Your driver drops you at Bab el Bhar, the old Sea Gate, right at the edge of the medina. From there, Rue Jamaa Zitouna runs straight uphill to the Great Mosque. Follow it and the souks open up on either side.
Take them in order: Souk el Attarine, where the perfume sellers decant jasmine and geranium oil by the bottle, then Souk ech Chaouachia, where the red chechia caps are still felted by hand. Further in, the lanes go quiet around courtyard palaces like Dar Ben Abdallah. Plenty of carpet shops will invite you up to their roof terrace, and the view over the minarets and white rooftops is worth the climb, even if you buy nothing.
When you've walked enough, your driver meets you at a different gate on the Kasbah side, so you never have to double back.
Our tips
≈ 20 min to the coast
Stop 2 · 45 min to 1.5 h
Carthage isn't one site but a string of ruins scattered through a seaside neighbourhood. Your driver takes you from one to the next, and you decide how you want to see it.
One ticket · 12 TND per person (≈ €4)
Pay in cash at the first site and the ticket covers all the others for the rest of the day. Walk among the Antonine Baths by the sea, climb Byrsa Hill for the view over the gulf and the Punic ports, and stop at the Roman villas and their mosaics.
No ticket · about 45 min
Stay outside the gates: the circular Punic harbour is visible from the street, the columns of the baths from the seafront, and your driver stops wherever the view is best. A good choice if you'd rather save your legs for Sidi Bou Said.
Our tips
≈ 10 min along the coast
Stop 3 · 1 to 2 h
Your driver drops you at the foot of the village. The main street climbs between white walls, studded doors and blue wooden balconies, and the quieter side lanes are where the best photos are. It's a lovely walk, at your own pace.
Then sit down for a coffee, at Café des Nattes at the top of the steps or on the terraces of Café des Délices, which drop down towards the sea. Try a bambalouni, a sugared doughnut fried fresh in the street. For a good place to eat, a gallery or the best viewpoint, ask your driver. They know the village inside out.
Our tips
≈ 1 h back
Finish · around 6:00 pm
You leave when you're ready, and your driver takes you back to where the day began.
Three places, three eras. The Medina of Tunis and the archaeological site of Carthage are both UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and Sidi Bou Said is the most photographed village in Tunisia. This is what deserves your time at each stop.
The Zitouna Mosque, the perfume and chechia souks, the studded doors. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours on foot while the lanes are still cool.
Among the largest baths in the Roman Empire, right on the sea. They are the main entrance to the Carthage site.
The heart of Punic Carthage, with a view over the two circular harbours. Your driver drops you at each gate, so you walk very little.
Blue doors, white walls, Café des Nattes and a terrace over the Gulf of Tunis. One to two hours is enough, late in the day.
The price covers the whole car for the whole day, never each person. It includes the air conditioned vehicle, the driver, fuel, tolls and parking. Only the Carthage ticket and lunch are extra, and you pay the driver on the day with no deposit.
| Pickup from | 1 to 4 people | 4 to 6 people | 6 to 8 people | 8 to 12 people |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hammamet | €80 | €105 | €110 | €150 |
| Sousse | €130 | €155 | €160 | €200 |
| Port El Kantaoui | €130 | €155 | €160 | €200 |
| Tunis | €70 | €95 | €100 | €140 |
Price per car, in euros, for the full day. Starting in Tunis costs less because the drive is shorter.
Most offers from Hammamet are shared coaches that stop at several hotels. On a private day, the car waits only for you. You notice the difference in the timing, in how long you stay at each stop and in how you pay.
| Private with us | Shared coach | |
|---|---|---|
| Pickup | At your door, at the time you pick | At a meeting point, fixed time |
| Pace | You decide how long you stay | One schedule for the whole group |
| Price | Per car, up to 12 people | Per person |
| Shopping stops | None, unless you ask | Sometimes on the programme |
| Payment | To the driver, on the day | Usually in advance |
Spring and autumn bring the best light and mild temperatures, around 18 to 28 °C. In July and August, leave at 8:00 to avoid the midday heat at Carthage. A few simple things make the day far more comfortable.
Many tours add the Bardo Museum or a fish lunch in La Goulette. On a private day both are possible if you shorten another stop. Mention it when you book and the driver will reorder the day to avoid doubling back.
One of the largest collections of Roman mosaics in the world. Allow at least 1.5 hours, instead of the medina or part of Carthage.
The old port of Tunis, ten minutes from Carthage, known for its grilled fish restaurants.
Answers to the questions travellers ask us most before this day out.
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View excursionPick a date and a start time in the form and we confirm on WhatsApp within two hours, with no deposit. Your Carthage Sidi Bou Said tour starts at your door, so book it here.
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