If you think about going to Tunisia, especially its capital city, Tunis, here’s a quick post with tips and advice. It’s something that I wish I’d come across before my own trip there, and I’m sure it’ll be useful to you!

Bus from the airport

Preparing for my trip, I struggled to find reliable info on public transport between Tunis-Carthage Airport and the city centre. Travel blogs and Reddit threads either said that there isn’t any or spoke vaguely about a bus. Given my strong aversion to taxis, I was on a mission to look for it, no matter what! 😄

And it turned out that there is a bus! You need to walk to the left, until the end of the curved pavement. From there, you can see the stop across the road: modest yet cute, painted in blue and yellow.

Sure, it’s not directly outside the terminal building, but still only a few minutes’ walk away. Click here to bookmark it on Maps.me.

The only challenge are the multiple lanes of busy traffic separating you from it, with no official pedestrian crossing in sight. But if you jaywalk comfortably, it shouldn’t daunt you. Just take care while making your way across. 🙂

The stop serves bus 35 and when I visited in April 2025, it ran 3 times an hour. The ride cost only 1 dinar and took me to Avenue Habib Bourguiba, near the Clock Tower, in about 25 minutes. I didn’t realize that we’d already arrived when another passenger told me it was time to get off. I must have been the only tourist on that bus, but I wish more of us made use of it.

But here’s the great news. In March 2026, local public transport operator Transtu launched a new shuttle bus (number 635) which departs from outside the airport building. Now it’s easier than ever before. Sorry, taxi drivers!

Money

The local currency is Tunisian Dinar (TND) of which 10 equals 2.54 GBP, 2.94 EUR or 3.42 USD. Although you’re not allowed to take it out of the country, I was really tempted to sneak out a note or two as a souvenir. But I’d run out of cash by that point, never finding out what happens when they find it on you at the airport security. Most likely, they would just confiscate it.

If you do end up with leftover cash, there are two options:
1) Exchange it back into your home currency at the airport – but make sure you have a receipt from the original transaction.
2) Spend it. Treat yourself to that final coffee before you leave Tunisia, or treat someone to a nice tip. Speaking of which…

Tips

Tipping culture in Tunisia is strong. Strong. I mean it’s strong… And if leaving tips isn’t in your habit, you’ll come across as a bit rude at best or will offend someone at worst. Just like I did at one café, where the disappointed waiter/barista grumbled “No tip?!” bluntly behind my back. I felt so bad, even  though I just didn’t know better… Needless to say, I came back there for my last coffee moment in the city, ready to use up the coins. Hopefully my generous tip made up for the earlier faux pas.

Language

The official language is Arabic, and in daily interactions most people use its Tunisian variant, Derja. Like in other Maghreb countries, French is the leading international language, used in business, administration and education. English is also spoken to some extent, plus a range of other languages.

At the airport, Italian came in handy while chatting with a local lady (as I don’t speak French). She was concerned when she saw me sitting on the floor, but I was just charging my phone while waiting for the check-in desk to open.

One morning, a local man gave me a quick tour of the centre, and we communicated mostly in German. Yes, his “service” bordered on scam, but I urgently needed bureau de change, so went with it. And anyway, I was actually excited about the impromptu real-life language practice!

Personal safety

Apart from that one man, no one bothered me when I was walking around on my own, and I felt generally safe …during the day. Not so much after dark.

On my first night in the city, a young guy followed me and snatched my takeaway food as I was walking back from the medina. It could’ve been much worse as he started demanding money at one point, but eventually settled for “only” wresting the box from my hands…

I met some friendly locals later and they told me that venturing outside solo after dusk there is a massive No. I shouldn’t have done that, especially in a city I didn’t know at all. Clearly, I hadn’t quite learned the lesson from Casablanca…

But generally speaking, you’ll be alright if you simply have the wits about you and watch your possessions. Like in any big city where petty theft and pickpocketing are common.

Getting to Carthage

If you’re coming to Tunisia, I’m sure you have Carthage on your agenda. Don’t make my mistake and get there as early as you only can. The archaeological sites open around 8 in the morning, but close at 5 pm for most of the year. They’re quite extensive and spread around, so you want to make the most of the day ticket.

So, that’s it for now. I can’t think of any other tips. Let me know if anything needs to be updated, especially the bus info. For more Tunisia content, read about local vegetarian food and places to see in Tunis and beyond.