navigation – Tunisian Experience

Hello and welcome to Tunisia! We're Andy and Abi. As expats living and working in Tunisia for about 3 years (as of Summer 2020), we can testify that Tunisia has a WEALTH of natural beauty, historical sites, and cultural experiences to discover and enjoy. But, unless you have a guide that is going to hold during your hand during the whole trip, you will need to make some decisions about HOW you will get around to see all these cool places. Once your plane lands or your ferry docks in Tunisia, you have a wide range of transportation options to choose from. We’ve done our best in this post to give you an overview of them all, as well as some general info that we would share with any friend who is going to be traveling around the country without a guide. One of the coolest things about traveling in Tunisia is its ACCESSIBILITY. You can get just anywhere in the country within a day. There’s also a range of options for getting around. From renting a luxury car, to squeezing into a speeding louage van next to a Tunisian family—you can have your choice of how you want to get around. Abi and I like to be adventurous and do things the way Tunisians do when possible. So, we've given a lot of space in this post to some of the more off-the-beaten-track options, which foreigners typically don’t use as much. If you want an immersive cultural experience, or if you just want to save some money, we highly recommend trying out some of these options. Happy trip planning! Navigation Having good navigation is important no matter where you are in Tunisia because important destinations and landmarks are not always well marked, even in the capital city. Signage can be confusing, and it's often non-existent. The roads that connect larger towns can be surprisingly desolate and under-repaired, making you wonder if you have gotten lost. It’s hard to ask for directions if you don’t speak French or Arabic. You can bring along paper maps, but road construction can quickly make those obsolete. If you rent a car, there’s usually an option to have a GPS. Still, our favorite option is Google Maps. Google Maps works pretty well in Tunisia... except when it doesn't. There have been some occasions it wants to place us on an undriveable road or take us into an area that is packed with people and would be difficult to get a vehicle through. Maps does not have common sense and it doesn't always know which streets are one-way. Still, the Google Maps app functions pretty well in Tunisia, as long as you have data on your phone, and as long as you can get 3G or 4G where you are. You can use 4G pretty reliably in the cities. It is not reliable in many other places, though. When you travel between cities or visit small towns or remote places, you should download the relevant areas on Google Maps for offline use. There are plenty of good tutorials online for how to do this. Safety Pickpocketing does happen a lot on crowded, shared transportation like the train or metro. Other than that, public transportation in Tunisia is pretty safe. Women visiting Tunisia may understandably be reluctant to get in a taxi alone or at night. One safety measure that we have used before is to use a location tracking app like Find My Friend or Life 360, just to have some extra peace of mind. Someone can keep an eye on your GPS location this way. Safety is such an important topic for traveling in Tunisia. We wrote two long posts that you should check out. First, How Safe is Tunisia for Tourists? Women? and secondly, How to Have a Safe Vacation in Tunisia. Renting a Car If you want maximal freedom to go where you please, and you're not afraid to share the road with Tunisians, renting a car is your best bet. It is a wonderful feeling to be able to go anywhere in the country within less than a day! If you're going to rent a car in Tunisia, check out our post where we warn you about the exciting and sometimes nerve-wracking experience of sharing the road with Tunisian drivers: 19 Tips for Driving in Tunisia. A few of the rental places in the Tunis-Carthage Airport There are many car rental stores around town. You can find one in almost any neighborhood. There are also many car rental places located in the airport. You can also make a reservation for a vehicle online before your trip. Most of the car rentals are manual transmission, but there are some automatic transmission cars. If you need an automatic, I would suggest making an online reservation before arriving and be prepared to pay quite a bit more than you would for manual. You will also want to familiarize yourself with European road signs. Most signs are written in both Arabic and French. If you want more detailed information about car rental, we wrote a whole post about How to Rent a Car in Tunisia that you should check out. Paying for Public Transportation You will need to use Tunisian Dinars to pay for public transportation. Even the most central train and bus stations do not accept card payments yet. We wrote a post about using Debit Cards in Tunisia, which explains how to use the ATMs. Don’t worry—dealing with Tunisian currency is pretty easy. Having correct change is helpful. If you withdraw money from an ATM, you’ll likely get 20’s and maybe 10’s. Buy something small at a hanoot (little convenience store kiosks that are everywhere) to get some change. Taxis Taxis are simple and easy to use. By European or American standards, they’re also very cheap. Depending on the time of day, it is very easy to hail a taxi. When we’re getting around Tunis outside of the metro line, a taxi is our first choice. Taxis Are Metered Taxis in Tunisia have a meter, so you know how much you are paying. (Except for some taxis at the airport. See Abi’s section on the airport below.) Most short rides across town are from 5-10 Tunisian Dinars. If you taxi from Tunis out to La Marsa or Sidi Bou Said, it will probably go over 10 Dinars. The meter will run even if you’re sitting in traffic, but it obviously runs a lot faster if you get on the highway. For this reason, taxis may frown on you or refuse the ride if you’re asking for a route that goes through a traffic jam. Using Taxis When Don't Speak French or Arabic Before you flag down a taxi, have your destination in mind. If possible, learn from a local how to pronounce the name of your destination. Taxi drivers speak Arabic and French. We’ve taken hundreds of taxis over the years, and only one or two of them could speak English. If the driver doesn’t know the exact destination, first tell him the neighborhood (use Google Maps). Then, use Google Maps to find a gas station, metro station, grocery store, or something like that. Tunisians do not use road names, at least not the ones listed on Google Maps. You have to use landmarks instead. I recommend doing this searching ahead of time, not while sitting in the taxi with the driver waiting on you. Once the driver is headed toward a landmark near your destination, you can direct him to the exact destination from there. Hailing a Taxi Taxis have a little light sitting on their dashboard that indicates whether they are available or not. It’s kind of counterintuitive, but a red light means that they are available, and a green light means someone is already in the taxi. The light helps because people often sit in the back seat and it’s hard to tell from a distance whether you should bother to wave them down. Also, if you see that a taxi does not have its sign attached to the roof of the car, that means that the driver is not currently working. Seatbelt Law There is a law in Tunisia that taxi passengers must wear a seatbelt in the front seat. The police DO enforce this law, even if they are inconsistent with it. If a policeman stops you for not wearing a seatbelt, you—not the taxi driver—will have to pay a fine. The fine is about 40 Dinars per person. Taxi Etiquette It is ok to sit in the front or the back seat. Women usually sit in the back. Men who ride alone usually sit in the front. Do not get into the back seat from the driver’s side! The drivers do not like this. Also, don’t plan on eating or drinking in the taxi. Some drivers keep their cars very clean and they would get upset if you spilled something. Bolt (Ride-Sharing App) For Americans like us who had never heard of Bolt before... it is the European version of Uber or Lyft. Bolt came onto the scene in Tunisia around 2018-2019. There are a TON of taxi drivers who are now simultaneously driving for Bolt. A Bolt car in Tunis. Notice the green marking on the back. Usually they have a bigger "Bolt" decal. Unlike in America, Bolt is not an outright competitor of taxi drivers. So if you use Bolt, you’re not taking business away from hard-working taxi drivers. How Bolt Works Bolt works like Uber in the US, with one big difference: you have to pay with cash at the end of your ride. Download the Bolt app in your App Store and enter basic information. It’s pretty self-explanatory how to request a ride from the app. You will need to have a smartphone with a Tunisian SIM card, since your driver will call you at least once before he arrives. The car will be a regular taxicab with a green Bolt decal on the side. The app prescribes the route for the taxi driver. This is really nice if you are unfamiliar with the area, as you know that he is taking you by the fastest route. Pay at the end. No tip is expected. Price The price is higher than a taxi, but it’s still a lot less than you would pay with a comparable ride-share app in America or Europe. They add an extra 5 Tunisian Dinars to the beginning of the ride, and the mileage rate is higher. Pro's of Using a Taxi Cheaper than Bolt (sometimes half the cost) If taxis are available, they are faster Don’t have to deal with the App Pro’s of Using Bolt You can quickly get a ride during rush hour without competing with others for a taxi. You can get picked up from places where taxis don’t frequent. Bolt takes you to your exact destination Choose your destination on the app, so you don’t have to explain it to the driver. The driver must follow the prescribed route, so you know you’re not going on any unwanted detours. Transportation From Tunis-Carthage Airport There are NO trains or metros that offer transportation from the airport. Here are your options. 1. Use one of the Taxis waiting for passengers The most common way to leave the airport is through a line of taxis waiting on passengers. The arrivals area will place you on the lower floor of the airport. As soon as you start walking towards your exit, you will most likely be approached by taxi drivers attempting to get your business. These drivers will get in a taxi line and wait long times for passengers. They charge a flat rate which you will want to haggle for before entering the taxi. On top of this rate they will also ask for a fee for suitcase. They will charge anywhere from 10 to 20 TND as a base rate, and another 5 to 10 TND for suitcases. 2. Find a Taxi at the Arrivals Door If you are wanting to save a few bucks, you can go to the second floor of the airport where the departures are located and grab a taxi from a passenger who is arriving. These taxis will be the normal metered taxi, although you will still want to give them an extra 5-10 TND tip for your suitcases. As they are pulling out, check the meter to make sure it is on and running. It will start at approximately 0.500 TND and be counting up. 3. Arrange a Private Pickup Many resorts and tourism companies can arrange a driver to pick you up from the airport. When you exit the baggage claim through customs, you will most likely find them off to your right holding a sign with your name or the company's name. 4. Order a Taxi with Bolt Bolt is an app with many hired taxi drivers that you can request a ride through their app system. If you want to use Bolt, you will need to get a Tunisian Sim card in your phone. This can easily be done in the airport. Often there are workers inside the baggage claim signing people up for sim cards. All you need is a passport for this sim. The better option is to exit baggage claim and grab some cash from an ATM then head over to either the Orange or Oreedoo booth and buy your sim have them set up the 4G for you there. Then you can sign up for Bolt with your new Tunisian number and order your ride. You will also now be set up with your phone working with 4G for the rest of your visit. 5. Take the City Bus This is the least glamorous option available from the airport. There are two bus lines that leave from the airport. It is a little bit of a walk to get to the station. One line goes into many of the neighborhoods in Tunis. The other line goes to downtown station where you can get on the metro lines and train station, that will take you to La Marsa or many places all over Tunis. 6. Rent a Car at the Airport (See the longer section below about car rentals in general.) There is the option of renting a car from the airport and starting your driving adventure from the start. The car rental booths are on the bottom floor with the arrivals towards the left of the airport when coming out of baggage claim. You can make a reservation online or rent same day at the airport. There are some car rental places that will also do a meet-and-greet at the airport. When you reserve your car online, you will also provide your flight information and they will be waiting for you as you exit baggage claim. Most rental cars are manual transmission, so if you need automatic transmission, it’s probably smarter to do an online reservation. You will need your driver’s license, passport, and credit card to rent a vehicle. Trains Trains are the most comfortable form of public transportation between cities. Even when crowded, trains a good deal more relaxing and spacious than taking a shared taxi. You also don’t have to worry about the crazy driving habits of louage drivers. When we visit friends in Sfax or other cities and don’t want to drive, taking the train is our first choice. The government agency called SNCFT runs the trains. There are 246 passenger trains in Tunisia with 80 main lines. The trains go up to 130 km per hr (80 mph). The stops between major cities are short. Keep in mind that the hours of operation vary for different train stations. Check the SNCFT website for detailed info about your specific trips. Getting to the Train Stations The train stations are all well-marked on Google Maps. Search with the phrase "Gare de [Name of city]." For example, Gare de Tunis. You could take a bus to the train station, but it’s a lot easier to just taxi there. Tunis. 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. It’s only a 7-minute walk from Avenue Habibi Bourguiba, which is the main avenue in the middle of downtown Tunis. It’s also a 15-minute drive (without traffic) from Tunis-Carthage Airport. Sousse. Search Gare de Sousse on Google Maps. It’s less than a 10-minute walk from Sousse’s Avenue Mohammed V. Hammamet. The main station is Gare de Hammamet on Google Maps. This station is a good 25-minute walk from the medina and the beach, so you may want to taxi to get there. Sfax. Search Gare de Sfax on Google Maps. It’s one block from the southeast corner of the medina. Where Do Trains Go in Tunisia? There are 74 train stations. They will take you to most major cities, but not all. Notable exceptions are Tabarka in the northwest, and the southern town of Douz, which is the starting point for a lot of desert adventures. Here’s a complete list of all 74 train stations from the SNCFT website. AOUINET BEJA BEKALTA BIR BOU REGBA BIR M'CHERGA BIZERTE BOUARADA BOUARGOUB BOU FICHA BOU SALEM CHEYLUS DAHMANI DEPIENNE EL AKHOUAT EL AROUSSA EL JEM ENFIDHA VILLE FOUSSANA GÂAFOUR GABES GAFSA GHANNOUCH GHARDIMAOU GROMBALIA HAMMAM-LIF JEDEIDA JEMMAL JENDOUBA VOY. JENDOUBA MAR. JERISSA KALAÂ KEBIRA KALAÂ KHASBA KALAÂ SGHIRA KASSERINE THE GOULETTE THE PÊCHERIE LE KEF THE KRIB SERS MAGEN BEN ABBES MAHDIA MAKNASSY MATEUR MANOUBA MEDJEZ EL BAB MENZEL BOURGUIBA MENZEL BOU ZAIEN METLAOUI MEZZOUNA MOKNINE MONASTIR MOULARES NABEUL PV NABEUL VILLE OUED ZARGA PONT DU FAHS RADÈS REDEYEF SEBEITLA SEJNANE SENED SFAX SIDI BOU ROUIS SOUSSE THELEPTE TINJA TUNIS PV (MARCH) TUNIS (VOYAG) TOZEUR Cost of Train Tickets It’s very cheap to travel by train. The longest one-way trips in the nicest seats are still under 30 Tunisian Dinars ($10). Children under 10 travel at a reduced rate, and children under 4 travel for free. The ticket counter at Gare de Tunis. No French or Arabic required if you know your train stop. How to Book Train Tickets You can book train tickets in advance on the state’s SNCFT website. You can only book 3 days in advance. Or, you can go to the train station in person and buy tickets. The Train Experience The trains vary in cleanliness and comfort. First Class or Class Confort seats on some of the newer trains are very nice. However, other trains like on the Tunis-Sousse-Sfax-Gabes line are leave some luxury to be desired. My (Andy’s) first experience on a train in Tunisia was to go with Abi from Tunis to Sfax and back. It was the middle of July, and there was no AC on the train, so it was extremely hot. There was only one row with two open seats for us, and one of these seats was broken, so I sat kind of lopsided. The seats had old, fabric seat-covers, and since we were sweating profusely, we couldn’t help but wonder how much grime these things had accumulated over the years. While we were waiting to take off, a little kid next to us leaned over and threw up in the aisle between us. Since Abi and I were only weeks away from returning to the US and getting married, we were in too good of a mood to be bothered by all this. But, if you’re expecting luxury on the trains in Tunisia, just be aware that conditions can be less than glamorous! Other Train Tips Attendants will come around and check your paper tickets, so don’t lose them. You are free to get up and move around on the trains. The train will have a modest snack bar that serves coffee, snacks, and bottled water. Like other vendors, they will not be serving food during Ramadan. There are bathrooms on the train, but they are unfortunately some of the most stinky and unclean bathrooms you can find in all of Tunisia! Bring your own toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and hazmat mask. Don’t expect temperature-controlled train cars. Dress for the outside weather. You are able to open windows to get a breeze. Keep in mind, though, that Tunisians are sometimes uncomfortable with wind blowing on them even when it’s hot. Tunis-Goulet-Marsa Rail Line (TGM) The TGM is a rail line that runs from downtown Tunis out to La Marsa. Taxing a taxi is faster and easier, but the TGM is just another way to get to La Goulet, Carthage, and Sidi Bou Said. Buy tickets at the train station. The TGM is run by Transtu (Société des transports de Tunis). This is a different organization than the SNCFT, which operates the trains going outside of the capital. Unfortunately Transtu doesn't have a website in English. The starting point for the TGM in Tunis is called Tunis Marine on Google Maps. Do not confuse this with Gare de Tunis. Tunis Marine is located on La Goulette Road, which is the same road as Avenue Habib Bourguiba. It’s a 5-minute walk from the big clock tower, and a 20-minute walk down the avenue from Bab Bhar, the main entrance to the medina. Here’s a complete list of stops on the TGM: Tunis Marine Le Bac La Goulette La Goulette Neuve La Goulette Casino Khereddine L'Aéroport* Le Kram Carthage Salammbô Carthage Byrsa Carthage Dermech Carthage Hannibal Carthage Présidence Carthage Amilcar Sidi Bou Saïd Sidi Dhrif La Corniche Marsa Plage *Please be aware that the stop called L’Aeroport is in fact nowhere near the airport! Tunis Metro Tunis is the only city in Tunisia with a metro system. It’s an above-ground, light rail network. The official name for the metro is the Métro léger de Tunis. We wrote a whole post about taking the Metro that you should check out if there's any chance you'll use the Metro on your trip: 9 Tips for Riding the Metro in Tunis. The Metro is a quick, cheap, and easy way to get to important places in the city such as the Bardo Museum. However, there are some neighborhoods that the metro unfortunately doesn’t reach. If you are staying in some of the Meza or Manar neighborhoods, which are some of the largest residential neighborhoods in the city, you will have to supplement your metro trip with a taxi ride or a long walk. The Metro has 8 lines with 66 stations. The stations are easy to get in and out of. They are white and green, one-story buildings. The ticket booths are all on ground level. Some of the bigger stations downtown have an underground tunnel to get you from one track to another, but in most places, you just walk across the track to get on the correct side. Go to the booth and just say the name of your stop. Use Google Maps to find the names of stops. Tickets range in price between 0.320 and 1.550 Dinars (between $0.11 and $0.53). You’ll be issued a paper ticket. Keep the ticket with you, as there are random ticket checks by the police. If you don’t have the ticket on you, you’ll be given a fine of about 20 Dinars ($6.90). As with the train service, the metro is free for kids under 4. And it’s a reduced price for kids under 10. The Metro gets very crowded during the morning and afternoon rush hours. At the busiest times, you will have to stand in very close contact with all of the other passengers. In the summer, it is like a steamy oven. Watch out for pickpockets! They are there, and they are watching you if you’re a tourist. Do NOT keep valuables in your pockets. Put things in a closed bag and keep the bag in front of you. Tunisians tend to ride the metro in complete silence, so use that quiet time to focus on not getting your things stolen. City Buses To be honest, I was not at all experienced with using the city bus system until we started writing this post, so I finally decided to go out and learn how the bus system works. Here's what we found.... A bus in Tunis at the 10 December bus stop Buses Aren't Tourist-Friendly The bus system is the least tourist-friendly mode of transportation. City buses are made for Tunisian commuters--not for tourists! There are several aspects of taking the bus that will make it less-than-optimal for traveling through Tunis if you’re a first time visitor. Bad signage. The bus stops do not have signs or maps. The buses themselves do not have signs or maps inside them either. There is nowhere that you can get a printed copy of the bus route. Basically, you have to know which bus number you’re taking. People who ride the bus regularly know their route from experience and word-of-mouth. Language Barrier. If you don’t know Arabic or French, you will feel hopelessly lost using the city buses. The only signage on the bus is an electronic sign on the front windshield that shows the bus number (a number and a letter). The sign also says the destination, but it’s written in Arabic. How to Use the Bus That being said, you should still feel free to try the bus as long as you're not in a hurry, and if you like tackling new challenges in an unfamiliar country. If you're short on change, it's still better than walking. How to pay. You can pay on the bus or at a ticket booth if you’re at a bus station. You usually get in the back door of the bus, not the front. In the back, there’s a little ticket counter with a guy selling tickets. Tell him your stop if you know it. If not, you can just say “terminus” for terminal and pay the full price, which is only about 700 milims. Wait time & hours. City buses run more frequently in the early mornings than they do during the day. If you show up to a bus stop in the afternoon, the bus may come by only every hour. We waited a good 45 minutes the first time we took a bus, and we started waiting at about 2:30 PM. Unfortunately, there’s no schedule posted for you to know when the bus is going to come. In Tunis, the city buses start at 5:30 AM and finish around 7:30 PM. The experience. City buses are not luxurious. The worst part is that they’re crowded, and you may not get a seat. If you jump on a bus half-way through its route, you may have to cram in and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with other commuters. Inter-City Buses Each city has a bus station. These busses are white with green lettering. The buses run from city to city. They follow a schedule, but often are not quite on time. You can ask at the bus station for times or find them online by clicking here. In Tunis, there are two inter-city bus stations based on whether your destination is the North or South. Confusingly, these bus stations are about 5 km apart, so take care not to choose the wrong one! If you're in Tunis but going North, search Gare Routiere Tunis Nord on Google Maps. It's near Bab Saadoun on the West side of the medina. If you're going South, search Gare Routiere Tunis Sud. It's near Bab Alioua. Louage A louage is a minivan that can hold nine passengers. Every city in Tunisia has one or two louage stations. Where I (Abi) lived in Sfax there was the north louage station taking you to any cities in a northern direction, and a southern louage station that had louages going south. The vans will have the two cities they travel between written on a sticker somewhere on the taxi. These taxis will take off to their destination, only after every seat in the van is full. How to pay. When you first arrive at the louage station, if there are any signs, they will be written in Arabic. There will be plenty of people wanting to help you out. The drivers are anxious to get their vans full and be off. You will first be directed to a ticket booth. You will pay a fee based on the distance you are traveling. A trip from Sfax to Sousse cost me about 9 Dinars ($3 USD). They will give you a printed receipt. That receipt is what you will take into the station. There will be many queues (lines) for destinations. You can tell people where you are going or show them the receipt and they will direct you to the correct van. Where to sit. When you do find your correct van, there are nine seats and all of them must be filled before the van will leave. There are two seats up front by the driver that are included in this. Most men and women segregate as much as possible. The seating choice is mostly first come first serve. People will often claim a seat with their bag and then go grab a snack, coffee, or stand around the vehicle until all passengers have arrived. Wait times. There is no way to estimate the wait time. If you are going to a popular destination at a popular time, it is very likely that you will get in a van and leave very quickly. If it is not a high peak travel time, or just not as popular of a destination, you will have to wait for a full ride. If you are the first one to buy a ticket, your wait will be longer than if you are filling one of the last seats. On a louage ride from El Djem to Sfax, we once waited for an hour for the final two seats to be filled. The driver offered that we could all pitch in and buy the final seats, and then he could leave. The experience. If you are on a longer louage trip, the driver will make stops on the highway at a gas station about every hour and a half for the passengers to get out and stretch their legs. These stations will have fast food, coffee, restrooms, and snacks for sale. Shared Taxi Inside the city there are yellow minivans that drive on a fixed route. These are called taxi jemaya in Arabic, meaning group taxi or shared taxi. If they have an empty seat, you may flag them down anywhere on their route and catch a ride. My friend and me paying for a shared taxi in Tunis These taxis will have their destinations written in on the bumper or on the top... however, they are mostly written in Arabic. If you plan on using one of these taxis, ask a local to help you know what road to wait on and to help you flag down the vehicle as well. You will pay the driver based on how many kilometers you are away from the destination. You can also exit anywhere along the fixed route. If the taxi has a seat available, it will often blink its headlights at you to ask if you want it to stop. Wave at them to get them to stop. Once inside the taxi, first find an empty seat as the taxi takes off. You then can tell them if you want them to drop you off early or take you to the end destination. You can ask for the price at this point. You will hand your money to the driver often being passed along by your fellow passengers. The driver will hand your change back in the same way while driving. Inti-Go Last but not least is Intigo, which means "You go." Intigo is another new addition to the public transportation options in Tunis. It’s basically a moped taxi. Intigo mopeds are bright orange, and they have a little roof to keep the sun off of you. The driver usually carries an extra helmet with him that you can wear, if you don’t mind sharing a helmet with hundreds of strangers. As of Summer 2020, we're not seeing a ton of Intigo mopeds around town. Maybe it's still to-be-determined whether it will last. Conclusion So these are your options for transportation in Tunisia! We wish you the best as you visit this country, and we hope this posts equips you to get out there and see all that there is to see in Tunisia!