Medinas and guesthouses in 8 days

Four medinas, two houses

In Tunisia, the medina is the walled old town, and a dar is a traditional house built around a courtyard. This trip puts both at its heart: you sleep in two guesthouses set in historic homes, in Tunis and then in Sousse, and explore four medinas, three of them UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Tunis, Sousse and Kairouan. The fourth, Mahdia, was the capital of the Fatimids.

You fly into Tunis-Carthage, 8 km from the medina, and out of Monastir, 15 km from Sousse; Tunis is a few hours' flight from Europe's main cities, direct or with one stop and Monastir a few hours' flight from Europe's main cities, direct or with one stop. Between the two cities lie about 160 km of motorway, also served by main-line trains.

Tunis: three nights in the medina (days 1 to 3)

Dar Ben Gacem

Dar Ben Gacem has fifteen rooms in two restored houses, Dar Pasha on Rue du Pacha and Dar Kahia on Rue El Kahia, four minutes' walk apart. Each room has its own layout and furniture, set around courtyards, roof terraces and shared dining rooms. A Tunisian breakfast is included, and Tunisian meals can be cooked on request. The house is a social enterprise whose profits fund the restoration of the medina. Rates start at about €105 a night for a stay in March 2027.

Day 2: the souks with a guide

A four-hour guided tour explores the Tunis medina and its souks. Listed by UNESCO in 1979, it keeps some 700 monuments, palaces, mosques, mausoleums, madrasas and fountains, from the age when the city ranked among the great capitals of the Islamic world, under the Almohads and the Hafsids. You can look into the Zitouna Mosque from its courtyard; the prayer hall is closed to non-Muslims.

In the afternoon, the Dar Ben Abdallah museum, in a medina palace, presents folk arts and traditions; entry is free, and it closes on Mondays.

Day 3: ceramics, cooking and the Bardo

In the basement of Dar Kahia, the Dehliz El Zliz displays more than 400 pieces of Tunisian ceramics. The house also arranges visits to craft workshops and cooking and calligraphy classes. In the afternoon, the Bardo Museum, 11 km from the airport, holds one of the world's largest collections of Roman mosaics; it is closed on Mondays and costs TND 45, about €13, from 1 January 2027.

Sousse: four nights in the medina (days 4 to 7)

Day 4: arriving at Dar Antonia

The drive to Sousse takes just over two hours. Dar Antonia is a guesthouse of suites around a fountain courtyard on Rue Kaabar, inside the medina. Its interiors are by Philippe Xerri, and a butler organises your days and bookings; the house has its own restaurant, La Table Dar Antonia. Rates start at about €85 a night with breakfast.

The Sousse medina, listed by UNESCO in 1988, was the port of the Aghlabids, the dynasty that ruled the region from 800 to 909. Its ribat, a fortified monastery completed in 821, costs TND 10, and you can climb its watchtower.

Day 5: Kairouan

A guided tour takes you to Kairouan, 56 km away, about 45 minutes by road. Founded in 670 and listed by UNESCO in 1988, it is the leading holy city of the Maghreb. A combined ticket, TND 30 from 1 January 2027, covers its monuments:

• the Great Mosque, the first founded in the Maghreb, whose courtyard non-Muslims may visit; it closes at 2 pm local time, and at noon on Fridays;
• the Zaouia of Sidi Sahbi, mausoleum of a companion of the Prophet, with courtyards lined in 17th-century tiles;
• the medina, with the 9th-century Mosque of the Three Doors and the Bir Barrouta well, turned by a camel.

Kairouan is also the city of knotted carpets with a central medallion, of kilims and of makroudh, a semolina pastry filled with dates and honey. Women's weaving workshops are open to visitors.

Day 6: Monastir and Mahdia

A small-group day with lunch on a farm links two coastal towns. In Monastir, the ribat founded in 795-796 stands on the seafront; it houses a museum of Islamic art with a 10th-century astrolabe from Córdoba, and costs TND 8. The mausoleum of Habib Bourguiba, first president of independent Tunisia and a native of Monastir, is free to visit.

In Mahdia, you enter the medina through the Skifa el Kahla, the monumental gate of the Fatimid city, now lined with wedding-dress shops. The Great Mosque, founded in 916, has no minaret. Weavers in the medina work silk striped with gold and silver thread.

Day 7: Sousse at your own pace

The last day is free in the medina. The Great Mosque of Sousse, built in 851, looks like a fortress; it opens from 8 am to 1 pm local time in winter, for TND 5. The archaeological museum in the kasbah displays Roman mosaics in 2,000 m² of underground galleries; it is closed on Mondays and costs TND 10. Only part of the Catacomb of the Good Shepherd remains open to the public.

Day 8: flying home from Monastir

The Sahel metro links Sousse with the Monastir airport station, with a train every 40 minutes on average from 5 am to 10 pm local time. By car, the trip takes a quarter of an hour.

Staying in a guesthouse

• Comfort. A guesthouse offers few rooms, personal service and period interiors. It does not have the facilities of a large beach resort.
• Access. Medina lanes are explored on foot: you are dropped at the nearest gate.
• When to go. In Monastir, average highs are 22 °C in April, 26 °C in May and 27 °C in October. During Ramadan, expected from 8 February to 9 March 2027, opening hours change: see Ramadan and public holidays 2027.
• Entry requirements. Tunisia has required a passport from all travellers since 1 January 2025; the visa and entry requirements guide covers the length of stay and the validity required. The rule for your country:

• Money. On 19 October 2026, €1 was worth TND 3.36 (money in Tunisia).
• Prices include taxes. The tourist tax is paid on site according to the property's category: TND 12 per person per night in 4- and 5-star hotels, TND 8 in 3-star hotels.
• Safety. None of the stops lies in an area advised against by the European foreign ministries Sabaro follows. The country has been under a state of emergency since November 2015, and several ministries ask for heightened vigilance. The safety in Tunisia guide has the details; foreign ministries do not all give the same advice. Yours: