A week in Tunisia

Our second time in Tunisia within just a few months! We’ll remember 2023 as the year we discovered North Africa and this gorgeous country. Those of you who follow us on Instagram know that this trip to Tunisia wasn’t planned at all originally. We were supposed to spend a week in the north of Italy, but the bad weather hitting the country made us cancel our trip just days before departure. So we decided to head back to Tunisia, a destination that’s affordable budget-wise, especially at the last minute, and where the weather would be better than in Europe.

Tunisia, here we come! We decided to fly into Monastir so we could easily branch out and discover the east coast and part of the centre of the country, then fly back out of Tunis, which would take us up to the north of Tunisia. A week paced just right, letting us combine all these regions without rushing, taking our time and resting along the way.

We put together our one-week itinerary largely thanks to two guidebooks, the Routard and the Petit Futé on Tunisia. We’d also recommend checking out the Discover Tunisia website.

Now for our itinerary, our trip budget, our accommodation and our favourite spots… everything you need to plan your own week-long trip to Tunisia, covering the north, the east coast and the centre!

Find our whole road trip in detail on our Instagram account in a highlighted story!

Our budget for 7 days in Tunisia

• Flights: Paris-Monastir with Nouvel Air (167€ for two) and Tunis-Paris return with Tunisair (141€ for two), 308€ for two, so 154€ per person return
• Accommodation: 522€ for the 7 nights (including 5 nights with breakfast)
• Internet: 6.95€ (23 TND) for 1 Orange SIM card with 10GB
• Meals (street food, pastries and cafés): 46€ for two 🥳
• Transport (train, bus): 43€ for two
• Visits and activities: 110€ for two (including one day with a private driver at 75€)

A total of 1,040€ (roughly) for 7 days for two (that’s 520€ per person).

Our accommodation in southern Tunisia

For this 7-day trip, we decided to stay in two different places, both on the coast in Monastir and in the north of Tunisia, in La Marsa. The idea is to be able to easily branch out by public transport from these two towns, which are both pretty lively and have a wide enough range of restaurants for dinner in the evening. We deliberately skipped Tunis, as we didn’t want to stay in a very big city and wanted to be close to the sea.

❤️ Dar Benti (5 nights)

Dar Benti is a lovely place to stay in Monastir, right in the heart of the medina. We fell head over heels for this guesthouse run by Sarah, an architect by trade who fully renovated and designed this dar herself. We stayed in the spacious Emilie room, which opens straight onto the terrace and the pool while still being quiet. Breakfasts are really generous and homemade, with a sweet and savoury spread that keeps you going all day (no need for lunch). And special mention for the gorgeous outdoor spaces, and especially the pool, which we made the most of. We highly recommend this place! 455€ for the 5 nights for two, so 89€ a night with breakfast (297 TND a night in low season).

Studio in La Marsa (2 nights)

We stayed in La Marsa in a studio we found on Airbnb at the last minute. The little flat is well placed for easily visiting Carthage and Sidi Bou Said thanks to the nearby train station. Good value for money for this fairly simple place to stay! 77€ for the 2 nights

Our favourite spots in Tunisia

• Twenty 3 in Monastir: a good place on Avenue des Martyrs between the medina and the train station, where we went two evenings in a row – 5.5 TND (1.5€) for the savoury mlaoui, 7 TND (2.10€) for the chocolate crêpe
• Bazgoût in Monastir: a new place near the train station – 11 TND (3.45€) for the panozzo
• Raffino’s in Monastir: a bakery serving up good “European”-style cakes for not much money – 5 TND (1.5€) for the entremet
• Salambouf in Carthage: a good street food spot near the Tophet of Salambô – 15.5 TND (4.65€) for 2 makloub (homemade bread stuffed with meat or tuna, with salad and fries)
• Art Café in Sidi Bou Saïd: a lovely rooftop with a great view – 21 TND (6.3€) for 2 almond teas and a lemonade
• Oueld El Bey in La Marsa: a traditional sandwich shop – 13.5 TND (4€) for 2 sandwiches with tabouna (Tunisian bread)
• Boulevard des capucines in La Marsa: a bakery serving entremets and pastries – 2 TND (0.6€) for a croissant, 9 TND (3€) for a cake

What we thought of Tunisia

This trip to Tunisia proved to us once again that this country has so much to offer in terms of scenery, culture and history. In a week, we were able to discover both coastal towns with their medinas and forts, like Monastir, Sousse and Mahdia; the holy city of Kairouan and its exceptional heritage; the archaeological sites of El Jem and Carthage; and the very picturesque Sidi Bou Said. One thing’s for sure: there’s plenty to do and see in Tunisia! And just like in March, we were struck by the fact that we were often (almost) alone at gorgeous sites or in the little streets of the towns… are the tourists all camped out in their all-inclusive hotels? Either way, we had these places to ourselves and got to make the most of every spot!

So if you’re looking for a destination for a week, or even just a few days in the sun, with beautiful archaeological sites and medinas to see, consider the Tunisian coast or the north of Tunisia! A budget-friendly trip, guaranteed.