Tunis Medina, Carthage & Sidi Bou Saïd Private Tour

This private tour covers three places that tell the story of Tunisia. You walk in the old Medina of Tunis, see the ruins of Carthage and end in Sidi Bou Saïd. Your driver picks you up at your hotel door and brings you back there at the end of the day. Only your group travels in the vehicle, never strangers. The price is fixed per vehicle, and our team answers you 24/7 by phone and WhatsApp.

Almost Three Thousand Years of History

Carthage, the Medina and Sidi Bou Saïd sit within a short drive of each other. Yet each belongs to a different age: the Phoenician city, the Arab city and the village of a Sufi saint.

The Zitouna Mosque

The Medina grew around the Zitouna Mosque, founded in 698 and rebuilt in 864 under the Aghlabids. For centuries, its school trained judges, scholars and imams from across North Africa. That school later became Zitouna University. Under the Hafsids, from the 13th century, Tunis became the capital of the country. The old city then took the shape you walk through today.

Souks Around the Mosque

The souks wrap around the mosque, each street with its own trade. Souk El Attarine, the perfume market, was built around 1240 by the Hafsid sultan Abu Zakariya. Its shops still sell perfumes along the north wall of the Zitouna. Nearby, in Souk Ech-Chaouachine, craftsmen of Andalusian origin have shaped the red chechia cap since the 17th century.

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Bab el Bhar, the Sea Gate

Bab el Bhar means the Sea Gate, because the lake and the port once lay just beyond it. The French called it Porte de France. Its walls are gone, and the arch now stands alone on its square. It marks where the old city ends. Behind it run the lanes of the Medina, and ahead lie the straight streets of the new town.

The New Town

Outside the gate, a European town grew up in the 19th century, on the low ground toward the lake. One of its first buildings, now the French Embassy, dates from 1861. After the protectorate began in 1881, it became the seat of the French resident general. Facades from that period still line the streets, with iron balconies and carved stone.

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From Promenade to Avenue

Before the avenue, there was the Promenade de la Marine, a poor road between the town and the lake. It turned to mud in winter and to dust in summer. On the eve of the First World War, it was renamed after Jules Ferry. After independence in 1956, it took the name of Habib Bourguiba, who became the first president of Tunisia.

The Cathedral and the Theater

The avenue holds some of the best-known buildings of Tunis. The Cathedral of Saint Vincent de Paul was finished in 1897. The Municipal Theater opened on 20 November 1902, and it is one of the few Art Nouveau theaters in the world. On Independence Square stands a statue of Ibn Khaldoun, the historian born in Tunis.

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The City of Elissa

Tradition says that Elissa, a princess of Tyre, founded Carthage in 814 BC. The legend tells that she was granted as much land as an ox hide could cover. She cut the hide into thin strips and circled the whole hill of Byrsa. From there, Carthage grew into a sea power, the home city of Hannibal.

The Punic Ports

Two quiet lagoons near the shore are what remains of the Punic ports. The round one was the war harbor, lined with sheds for warships. On the island in its middle, the admiral kept watch over the sea. Rome destroyed Carthage in 146 BC and built a new city on its ruins. Its Antonine Baths, finished around 162, were the largest in Roman Africa.

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How Your Day Goes

This is the usual order of the day, but the schedule is yours. You can change the order, stay longer at one stop or add a lunch break wherever you like. Just tell your driver in the morning.

1. Pickup at your hotel door, at the time agreed when you book.
2. Tunis: a drive along Avenue Habib Bourguiba, then a walk in the Medina, from Bab el Bhar to the souks.
3. Carthage: the Antonine Baths by the sea, then the view from Byrsa Hill.
4. Lunch break at a place you choose, paid on the spot.
5. Sidi Bou Saïd: the main street, the side lanes and a pine-nut tea at the top.
6. Drive back to your hotel, door to door.

Price from Your Departure City

The price depends on the city where your hotel is. It covers the whole private vehicle with the driver, fuel and highway tolls. It is fixed before you travel, and nothing is added on the day. If you want a certified guide, add $50 for the day, for your whole group. Guides speak English, French, Italian or German.

Price per private vehicle, in US dollars

What the Price Includes

The vehicle side of the day is fully covered by the price. What you spend at the sites stays with you, so you only pay for what you choose to visit.