The 8 Best Day Trips from Tunis (With Transport Instructions)

Make the most of your Tunis base with these easy day trips to ruins, beaches, hill towns, and hidden gems all reachable by public transport.

Tunis is the perfect base for exploring northern Tunisia. The capital is well-connected by train, louage, and the TGM light rail, putting a surprising number of world-class sites within easy reach. Here are eight day trips you can do without renting a car.

1. Sidi Bou Said & Carthage (15 min by TGM). The easiest day trip in Tunisia. Take the TGM train from Tunis Marine station to Carthage-Hannibal (for the ruins) then continue to Sidi Bou Said. Visit the Antonine Baths, Byrsa Hill museum, and the Punic ports in the morning, then spend the afternoon wandering Sidi Bou Said's blue streets and sipping mint tea at Cafe des Nattes. Total cost: under 2 TND for the train. Allow a full day.

2. La Marsa & Gammarth (20 min by TGM). Continue past Sidi Bou Said on the TGM to La Marsa for Tunisia's best urban beach, seaside cafes, and a relaxed atmosphere. Gammarth, one stop further, has upscale beach clubs. Perfect for a half-day beach escape. Combine with Sidi Bou Said if you start early.

3. Zaghouan & the Roman Aqueduct (1 hour by louage). The small mountain town of Zaghouan sits beneath Jebel Zaghouan (1,295m) and was the source of water for ancient Carthage. The Temple of Water (a Roman nymphaeum) at the base of the mountain is beautifully preserved. On the drive back, stop to see sections of the 132 km Roman aqueduct that carried water all the way to Carthage. Louage from Tunis: about 5 TND.

4. Thuburbo Majus (1.5 hours by louage to El Fahs). One of Tunisia's most underrated Roman sites. Unlike Dougga, you will likely have this sprawling city of temples, baths, and forums entirely to yourself. The Capitol temple and the Palaestra of the Petronii are stunning. Entry: 8 TND. Take a louage to El Fahs, then a taxi (10 TND round trip with waiting).

5. Testour (1.5 hours by louage). A fascinating small town founded by Andalusian Moors expelled from Spain in the 17th century. The Great Mosque of Testour has a clock tower with the numbers running counterclockwise — a symbol of the community's desire to turn back time to their life in Andalusia. The town has a distinctive Spanish-Moorish architectural style unique in Tunisia. Louage: about 6 TND.

6. Bizerte (1 hour by louage or train). Tunisia's northernmost city makes a perfect full-day trip. Explore the atmospheric old port with its fishing boats, walk the medina, and if you have time, take a taxi to Sidi Ali el-Mekki beach (Tunisia's most beautiful). Train from Tunis: 7 TND, 1.5 hours.

7. Korbous Hot Springs (1.5 hours by louage). A dramatic coastal road on Cap Bon leads to Korbous, a tiny spa village with natural hot springs tumbling into the sea. The thermal waters have been used since Roman times. Stop at Ain Atrous, where a hot waterfall cascades directly onto the beach. Louage to Soliman, then local taxi.

8. Oudhna (30 min by car/taxi). The closest major Roman site to Tunis, yet almost unknown to tourists. A complete amphitheater, capitol, baths, and residential quarters are being actively excavated. The site is rarely visited, so you may have it entirely to yourself. Taxi from Tunis center: about 25 TND round trip with waiting.