Getting There:
Air
Tunis-Carthage International Airport (TUN)
(+216 71 754 000 /+216 71 755 000; http://www.oaca.nat.tn)
This airport provides all the national and international concerning Tunis. It is located eight kilometers (five miles) North-East of the city center. Travelers will find gift shops, a duty-free shop, a pharmacy, restaurants and coffeehouses, car rental desks, a 24-hour tourism office, 24-hour foreign exchange desks, slot machines and a poste office.
Airlines serving the airport include:
Air Algérie (+216 71 341 888; http://www.airalgerie.dz)
Air Europa (+216 71 755 000; http://www.aireuropa.com)
Air France (+216 71 105 300; http://www.airfrance.com) Air Malta (+216 71 703 299; http://www.airmalta.com)
Alitalia (+216 71 940 494; http://www.alitalia.com)
British Airways (+216 71 963 120; http://www.britishairways.com)
Egypt Air (+216 71 341 182; http://www.egyptair.com)
GB Airways (+216 71 963 120; http://www.gbairways.com)
JatAirways (+216 71 344 468; http://www.jat.com)
Kuwait Airways (+216 71 252 733; http://www.kuwait-airways.com)
Libyan Arab Airlines (+216 71 341 645; http://www.ln.aero)
Lufthansa (+216 71 750 018; http://www.lufthansa.com)
Nouvelair (+216 73 520 600; http://www.nouvelair.com/Publish/index.asp)
Qatar Airways (+216 71 964 888; http://www.qatarairways.com)
Royal Air Maroc (+216 71 847 051; http://www.royalairmaroc.com)
Royal Jordanian Airlines (+216 71 255 194; http://www.rj.com)
Saoudi Arabian Airlines (+216 71 842 872; http://www.saudiairlines.com)
Sevenair (+216 71 942 626; http://www.sevenair.com.tn)
Tunisair (+216 71 336 500; http://www.tunisair.com.tn)
Tunisavia (+216 71 280 555; http://www.tunisavia.com.tn)
Turkish Airlines (+216 71 786 473; http://www.thy.com)
Ground transportation
Bus:
It takes about 30 minutes to join the downtown. Bus #35 or 635 links the airport to the downtown (Avenue Bourguiba or Tunis Marine stops for instance) about every 30 minutes (about TND1) until the end of the evening. The TUT bus passes each 15 minutes (about TND.90) until the end of the evening.
Taxi:
Depending on the traffic, it will take from 15 to 20 minutes to reach the downtown by taxi (the fare is around TND5/TND3 with/without luggage). The airport is well-known to be crowded by some taxi drivers trying to charge the tourists more, notably refusing to put the meter on. Choose the official yellow cabs, in order to limit the rips off. After 9p there is a 50 percent markup of the fares.
Car rental service at the airport includes:
Avis (+216 71 750 299; http://www.avis.com)
Europcar (+216 71 233 411; http://www.europcar.com)
Hertz (+216 71 754 000; https://www.hertz.com/)
Boat:
The ferries that link Tunis to the other coastal Tunisian cities and to the Northern-Mediterranean cities such as Marseilles, Nice, Genoa or Naples are to be found at the harbor of La Goulette, ten kilometers (five miles) north from Tunis downtown. It's possible to travel by ferry with your own vehicle. Shipping companies at the Harbor of La Goulette include: Compagnie Tunisienne de Navigation (CTN) (+ 216 71 341 777; http://www.ctn.com.tn) Société Nationale Maritime Corse Méditerranée (SNCM) (+216 71 338 222; http://www.sncm.fr) Here are also two water travel agencies offering ferry travels to Tunis: Viamare Travel (http:www.viamare.com) Euro-Mer (http://www.euromer.net)
Ground Transportation:
If you didn't arrive with your own vehicle, let's consider taking an official yellow cab to join the downtown (around TND5). Otherwise you can get to the La Goulette Vieille TGM Station, preferably by taxi.
Train: Tunis Railway Station (Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Tunisiens – SNCFT ; +216 71 345 511; www.sncft.com.tn) is located in the middle of the downtown, in front of the Métro Léger (Tramway) Station Place Barcelone. Many daily trains connect the capital city to the other main Tunisian cities and prices of tickets are really affordable. The timetable is available at the information office of the railway station and are also to be found daily in the newspaper La Presse written in French. Interurban Buses:
The South-Tunis Bus Station (Métro Léger Station: Bab Alioua ; +216 71 399 391) deals with the south Tunisian cities along with Tripoli in Libya and Algeria. The North-Tunis Bus Station (Bab Saâdoun) (Métro Léger Station: Bouchoucha; +216 71 562 299) connect the cities in the north of Tunisia. Bus fares are almost the same as train fares. The timetable is published in the French-written newspaper La Presse. The Société Nationale de Transport Interurbain (SNTRI; +216 71 394 440) along with some regional companies cope with those interurban bus connections.
Louage:
They are shared taxis that leave once the car is full. If you want to leave before the taxi is full you can pay the driver for the shortfall. Shared taxis for the north cities are at the North-Tunis Bus Station (Bab Saâdoun). Shared taxis for the Cap Bon leave in front of the South-Tunis Bus Station and those for the south cities are located at the Moncef Bey Bus Station, in the same suburb. Fares are almost the same as those of the buses.
TGM:
The TGM (Tunis Goulette Marsa) railroad line (+216 71 259 422; http://www.snt.com.tn) was inaugurated in 1872! It takes 40 minutes for this popular train to connect Tunis to its northern suburban seaside cities: La Goulette, Carthage, Sidi Bou Saïd and La Marsa (18 stops in total). The TGM stops only once in Tunis, at the Tunis Marine Station (Accessible by the Métro Léger lines #1 and 4), at the end of the Habib Bourguiba Avenue. Fare (first and second class) is modest. The train passes by every fifteen minutes until 9pm and then every half hour until 1a. The train is crowded during the rush hours.
Getting Around:
It isn't difficult to find its way in Tunis. The Habib Bourguiba Avenue is the main east-west oriented axis. It is crossed by a north-south oriented axis consisting of the Paris Avenue (north of the Habib Bourguiba Avenue) and the Carthage Avenue (south of the Habib Bourguiba Avenue).
Public Transportation:
The Tunis Transportation Society (Société des Transports de Tunis - TRANSTU) (http://www.snt.com.tn) copes with 206 bus lines, five tramway (Métro Léger) lines and the railroad TGM line.
Bus:
The buses of TRANSTU (http://www.snt.com.tn) connect the capital city to its suburbs. The main stations in Tunis are: Parc Habib Thameur Station, Ali Belhouane Station, Place Barcelone Station and Tunis Marine Station.
Métro Léger (Tramway) :
The Tramway is named Métro Léger (http://www.snt.com.tn) and encompasses five lines : Tunis-Ben Arous ; Tunis-Ariana ; Tunis-Ettadhamen/Intilaka ; Tunis Den Den ; Tunis-Cité Ibn Khaldoun. In the very downtown, the lines number 1 and 4 notably connect the Place Barcelone Station to the Tunis Marine Station, and the lines number 2, 3, 4 and 5 connect the Place Barcelone Station to the République Station. You can grab a map at the Place Barcelone Station for instance.
Bus Rental:
Tunis Transportation Society (Société des Transports de Tunis, TRANSTU) (http://www.snt.com.tn) has buses for rent by the day or by half a day.
Car:
Driving in the city center is awkward because of the one-ways, the frequent traffic jams and the few parking spots. But it can be useful to have a vehicle to get to the Bardo Museum and to the northern suburban seaside cities such as La Goulette, Carthage, La Marsa and particularly Gammarth.
Car Rental:
The following international car rental companies have many agencies in Tunis:
Avis (Sheraton Tunis Hotel & Towers; + 216 71 78 71 67) (http://www.avis.com)
Europcar (17, Avenue Habib Bourguiba ; +216 71 34 03 03 ; http://www.europcar.com)
Hertz (29, Avenue Habib Bourguiba; +216 71 337 997; https://www.hertz.com/)
Taxi:
Getting around by taxi proves to be very serviceable in Tunis. The taxi cabs are yellow. They pass very often (but beware of the rush hours) and are quite cheap (they have meters; TND.35 + TND.8 per minute; +50 percent after 9p). Allo TAXI (+216 71 783 311).
Foot:
Pedestrians are legion in Tunis, not only in the pedestrian medina. It is undoubtedly the most pleasant way to go around in the downtown, along the Habib Bourguiba Avenue and its adjacent streets.
