Of the many transportation options in the capital city of Tunisia, the one we have used the most is the Metro.
Like us, many daily commuters in Tunis choose the metro because it’s cheap, quick, and easy.
The Tunis Metro is an above-ground rail system. It has 6 lines, and each of them runs between 8 and 15 kilometers (5-9 miles) out from the city center. Tunis is the only city in Tunisia that has a Metro.
If you come to Tunis and plan to do any sight-seeing around the city, the Metro may be your best choice for getting around—especially if you are on the move during rush hour, when empty taxis are nearly impossible to find.
Of course, if you want an overview of ALL of the transportation options throughout Tunisia, we wrote a huge post about that: How to Get Around in Tunisia.
The experience of taking the Tunis Metro can be a little daunting for tourists because it’s not exactly user-friendly if you don’t speak English or French. There is no signage in English, and there are very few maps or visual indicators of where you are or where you should go.
Still, the Metro is a great cultural experience and a cool way to see how average Tunisians live.
Abi and I have lived in Tunisia for years, and we’ve taken the Metro hundreds of times. We’ve consolidated our experience in this post to give you our best tips for taking the Metro. Enjoy!
1. Know the Difference Between the Metro and Other Trains in Tunis
There are 3 different train systems that run in the greater Tunis area, and they all look pretty similar. You should know what the different systems are so that you know what to look for and you don’t accidentally jump on the wrong train!
Metro
The official name for the metro is the Métro léger de Tunis, but everyone just calls it “the Metro.”
You can identify the Metro by the green train cars. Most of the cars are a bright green with a white line down the middle. A few of the newer cars are mostly white with green on top and big, tinted windows. Of course, some of them have advertisement decals all over them. Anyway, they’re not that hard to spot.
TGM
Another train line that starts in downtown Tunis is the Tunis-Goulet-Marsa Rail Line, or TGM. This train has only one line, about 19km long.
You can use the TGM to get to the beaches of Amilcar and La Marsa. It also goes through Carthage, so you can use this train to get to all of the historical sites, although some of the Carthage sites are a good walk from the train stops.
The starting point for the TGM in Tunis is called Tunis Marine on Google Maps. The TGM’s train cars are white with a big, light-blue stripe down the middle. They are also have a very boxy shape.
SNCFT
Finally, there’s the SNCFT, which stands for La Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Tunisiens (in English: The National Society of Tunisian Railways). This system runs throughout the country.
The train station in Tunis is called Gare de Tunis (search Gare de Tunis on Google Maps). It is right next to the Barcelone metro stop.
2. Be Prepared for No-Frills Ride
Travelers who are accustomed to using railways in Europe may be underwhelmed by the conditions of the Tunis Metro. The Metro is not an unpleasant ride, but it’s not exactly luxurious either.
The metro went into operation in 1985, so some of the train cars are now over 35 years old, and it shows.
Everything in the metro cars is pretty well-worn. There are old posters and advertisements stuck on the walls. Some of the paneling on the roofs and walls has fallen off. Still, the cars are in good enough shape where it’s not gross to ride in them.
3. Where to Get a Ticket
There’s a ticket booth at every metro stop. It will be a small, white building with green trim. Go to the window and say the name of the stop you want to go to. The man in the booth will tell you a price in French or Arabic. When you pay, he’ll give you a printed, paper ticket.
You cannot buy metro tickets ahead of time online. So you don’t have to worry about buying a day’s worth of tickets or buying a return ticket for your trip. There is no plastic metro card you can charge with money and reuse. And, unlike the buses and louages, you cannot hop on the metro and pay an attendant inside.
4. How to Pay for a Ticket
If you haven’t dealt with Tunisian currency before, we wrote some posts to help you with that. Check out our posts on using foreign currency and our post on using debit cards.
You will need to use Tunisian Dinars to ride the metro. They do not accept credit cards, debit cards, or foreign currency. And, you should not expect to see an ATM at the Metro station, unless there just happens to be a bank close by.
Metro tickets range in price from 0.320 to 1.550 Dinars (between $0.11 and $0.53). If you’re just riding from one place to another within town, your ticket will probably cost less than half a dinar. The guy at the ticket booth will give you a price in French or Arabic. If you don’t understand either language, just hand him a dinar. We’ve never been cheated or overcharged in this exchange.
5. Watch Out for Rush Hour
It gets very crowded on the Metro during rush hours! Rush hour in Tunis is around 8:00–10:00 AM and 4:00 –6:00 PM.
At rush hour, you can expect every car to be packed. All the seats will be taken. If you do manage to get a seat, there will probably be enough old ladies in the car to where you’ll want to offer them your seat if you’re able to stand. This etiquette is expected from Tunisians, so you will not be treated like a hero if you give up your seat. It’s just expected.
On some lines, it gets so crowded that you really have to push and squeeze in, and for the whole ride you’ll be making physical contact with people on all sides. If you’re not comfortable with close contact, or if you get claustrophobic, you may want to take a Bolt taxi instead.
6. Keep Your Ticket with You
Always keep your little Metro ticket with you until the end of the ride. There are no attendants that regularly check tickets, but if the police catch you without a ticket, you have to do a walk of shame and pay a fine.
The Metro is not like the SNCFT trains, where a train attendant always comes around the punch everyone’s ticket. If you ride a few times on the Metro without being checked, you could get the misimpression that they don’t check tickets. Occasionally, the trains will stop and the police will come on to check everyone’s ticket.
Every time we see this happen, there are inevitably a handful of people who are caught without a ticket. The police herd them off the bus and make them pay a fine. Foreigners are NOT exempt from this penalty!!
The worst part of being caught without a ticket is the shame of being escorted off the train in front of everyone is unpleasant. For Western tourists, the fine of about 20 TND is not that high. Abi actually did the math one time and figured that for regular commuters, it’s cheaper to never buy a ticket and just face the penalty whenever the police check. The police check so infrequently that you can ride dozens of times before getting caught. By that time, you’ll have saved more money in tickets than you’ll pay in fines. Of course, we don’t advise this strategy.
7. Dress for the Occasion
The Tunis Metro does not offer a lot of protection from the elements. In fact, if the weather is unpleasant outside, it may actually worse inside. If riding the Metro is on your agenda for your day in Tunis, dress appropriately.
The hottest part of the Summer season in Tunis is from mid-June through mid-September. There are often hot days in the Spring and Fall as well. There is no air conditioning on the Metro. On top of that, the crowded train cars can make it sweltering. And, on top of that, you sometimes have to wait 10-15 minutes for the Metro to start.
The only relief you can get from the heat on the Metro on a hot day is to have the windows open. Sometimes, though, Tunisians do not like to have wind blowing on them, even when it’s uncomfortably hot. Some think that wind blowing on you while your wet or sweaty can make you sick. So, if you open the window on a Metro or train and a Tunisian closes it, fear of sickness is probably the reason.
8. Know Your Line
You can use the Metro to get around quickly in downtown Tunis (Centreville). You can also use it to get to some of the destinations in the suburbs, such as the Bardo Museum.
Please also be aware that one of the hub stations in Centreville is called Republique on Google Maps, but locals refer to it as Passage. This can really throw you off if someone is giving you directions.
Line 1: Starts at Barcelone in Centreville and goes south to Ben Arous.
Line 2: Starts at Republique (which is called Passage by locals) and goes north to Ariana. This line takes you through the northern part of downtown Tunis. It also takes you right past the Stade Olympique in the Menzah neighborhood.
Line 3: This line takes you to the Cite Ibn Khaldoun neighborhood, just west of the Manar neighborhood. It goes by the University of Tunis El Manar.
Line 4: Starts at Republique (also called Passage) and goes west out to Manouba. This line goes through Bardo, so you’ll take this to get to the Bardo Museum.
Line 5: This follows much of the same route as Line 3, but it goes a little farther northwest toward Mnihla.
Line 6: Starts at Tunis Marine and goes south to Mourouj.
9. Don’t Get Pickpocketed!
We saved the longest and most important tip for last… DON’T ruin your trip by getting your phone stolen on the Metro! It CAN happen to you if you’re not careful.
Every city in the world has pickpockets, and Tunisia is certainly no exception. Before you ride the Metro, give a little bit of thought to where you are going to store your valuables so you don’t get pickpocketed.
Tourists are Targets
Pickpockets and thieves target foreigners because they are usually carrying more cash, better phones, and they’re often unaware of their surroundings. Tourists are often understandably distracted because they’re trying to make sure they’re going in the right direction, or they’re taking in all that there is to see.
How My iPhone Got Stolen on the Metro
I hate to admit it, but I had my iPhone stolen from my front pocket while riding the metro a few years ago.
My Arabic teacher at the time had warned me on multiple occasions about pickpockets, and I thought it would never happen to me because I would certainly feel someone reaching in my pocket.
I still remember the day after my phone got stolen and I walked into class and told my teacher what happened. He gave me a well-deserved “I told you so.”
Here’s how it happened…. I was riding the Metro one afternoon with my phone in my front pocket. For most of the ride, I kept my hand on my phone the whole time.
But at one point, the metro got so crowded that I had both hands up on the overhead rail just to make room for people. Less than a minute later, I reached down for my phone and it was gone!
I noticed that a guy with a hat pulled down low was standing beside me, and then got off the bus really quickly. As soon as I realized my phone was gone, I knew it was him, but I didn’t get a good enough look at him to be able to describe him with any detail. I went back to the stop where he got off and looked for a while, but didn’t see anyone who looked like him.
Another Horror Story
One time, Abi and I were looking at Maps on my phone while riding the Metro at a time when it wasn’t that crowded. A Tunisian girl addressed us in English and told us that we shouldn’t have our phone out in our hands because someone could steal it. We said something to the effect of “Thanks for helping but we’re ok.” Then the girl went on to tell us what happened the day before.
A Tunisian guy was using his phone while riding the Metro, and a pickpocket took the phone right out of his hand and ran off the train just before the doors closed.
The Tunisian guy quickly stuck his head out the window has the train was taking off to get a better look at the guy. As the train picked up speed, he hit his head on a sign and died.
That’s the story that this Tunisian girl told us, at least. (This was not the first time a Tunisian has told us a gruesome death story with a lesson attached to it.) The moral of the story from this girl was… don’t have your phone out on the Metro.
How to NOT Get Pickpocketed
I know several people—both foreigners and Tunisians—that have been pickpocketed on the Metro like me. I have to say that I was just dead wrong when I thought I would feel it happening. There are enough distractions going on that you just can’t be vigilant the whole time. It’s better to secure your things in such a way that a pickpocket can’t get to them easily.
Don’t store any valuables in your back pocket. This is the easiest place to steal from. In America, I used to carry my wallet around in my back pocket like most guys. I never do that anymore. Always have my wallet in a small backpack or in my front pocket, even though it’s uncomfortable.
Listen to music. A Tunisian friend showed me how he keeps his headphones in the whole time he’s riding the Metro. If someone takes his phone he’ll at least know it immediately when the music stops. Obviously this won’t work as well with Bluetooth headphones.
If you have a backpack or a bag with zippers, wear it on your chest instead of on your back when you get on the Metro. When I carry valuables in a backpack with multiple pockets, I make all of the zippers lined up so that I can keep my hand on all of the zippers at one time.
Conclusion
To sum up, the Tunis Metro is a great option for tourists who are looking for a quick and cheap way to get around downtown Tunis, or to get to some of the popular destinations in Tunis’ suburbs.
Hopefully these tips give you the confidence to ride the Metro and make your navigation of the capital city a little easier. And as an added bonus, you’ll get to experience a little slice of daily life for thousands of Tunis-dwellers. Enjoy!
