15-Day Complete Tunisia: Nine UNESCO Sites

Fifteen days is enough to stop choosing. You take the north coast and the cork forests, the Punic town at Kerkouane that Rome never rebuilt, the Roman interior, the eastern medinas down to Sfax, the island of Djerba, the ksour country around Tataouine, the deep desert at Ksar Ghilane and Douz, and finally the mountain oases at Tamerza, Chebika and Mides on the Algerian border.

It is also the only circuit that reaches nine of Tunisia's ten UNESCO World Heritage sites (the tenth, Ichkeul National Park, is closed to visitors), including Sidi Bou Saïd, inscribed in July 2026. The pace is yours: fifteen days means a place that deserves a second morning gets one. Accommodation is arranged along the route and confirmed with your dates when you book.

What you see

• Carthage — the Punic capital Rome destroyed and rebuilt — baths, ports and villas above the sea
• Sidi Bou Saïd — a clifftop village of blue doors and whitewashed walls above the Gulf of Tunis
• Tunis Medina — a UNESCO-listed maze of souks, mosques and palaces, still trading as it has for centuries
• Bardo Museum — a beylical palace holding the richest collection of Roman mosaics in the world
• Bizerte Old Harbour — the oldest port in Tunisia, its fishing boats still moored under the kasbah walls
• Ghar el-Melh — three Ottoman sea forts above a lagoon and its floating gardens
• Tabarka — a Genoese castle on a rock, cork forests behind and coral diving offshore
• Bulla Regia — a Roman town that built its villas underground, mosaics still on the floors
• Dougga — the best-preserved Roman town in North Africa, standing almost alone in the hills
• Testour — founded by Andalusian exiles, its minaret carrying a clock that runs backwards
• Kerkouane — the only Punic town never rebuilt by Rome — its streets and pink bathtubs are Carthaginian
• Nabeul — Tunisia’s pottery town, with a Friday market and workshops open to visitors
• Zaghouan Water Temple — the Roman nymphaeum that fed Carthage through a 132-kilometre aqueduct
• Thuburbo Majus — a capitol and forum standing in open farmland, usually with nobody else in them
• Kairouan — Islam’s fourth holy city, built around the Great Mosque and its vast cisterns
• Sbeitla — a Roman forum with three golden Capitoline temples standing side by side
• El Jem Amphitheatre — one of the largest Roman amphitheatres ever built, and among the best preserved anywhere
• Medina of Sousse — a walled Aghlabid port town whose ribat and great mosque still face the sea
• Monastir Ribat — an 8th-century coastal fortress guarding the lagoon, and a famous film location
• Mahdia — a Fatimid capital on a narrow cape, with a silk-weaving quarter and quiet beaches
• Medina of Sfax — the least touristed great medina in the country, walls intact and still working
• Djerba — an island of white villages, ancient synagogues and a coastline that stays warm late
• Tataouine — the town of fortified granaries that lent its name to the Star Wars desert planet
• Chenini — a Berber village stacked on a ridge, cave houses around a white hilltop mosque
• Ksar Ouled Soltane — four storeys of vaulted grain cells around two courtyards, the best-kept ksar of all
• Matmata — Berber pit dwellings carved into the earth, familiar from the Star Wars films
• Toujane — a stone village spilling down the mountainside above the Matmata plateau
• Ksar Ghilane — a hot-spring oasis at the edge of the great dunes, reached where the tarmac gives out
• Douz & the Dunes — the gateway to the Sahara, where the tarmac stops and the erg begins
• Chott el-Jerid — a salt lake so flat and bright it produces mirages across the whole crossing
• Tozeur — a desert oasis of patterned brickwork, its palm grove fed by hundreds of springs
• Nefta — a Sufi oasis town above the Corbeille, a bowl of palms below the houses
• Mides Canyon — a sheer-walled gorge on the Algerian border, used more than once as a natural film set
• Tamerza Canyon — a deserted mountain village beside a canyon and a year-round waterfall
• Chebika — a mountain oasis where a spring runs through a gorge above the salt flats

The circuit, day by day

1. Day 1
   Pick-up From your hotel or the airport, at a time that suits you
2. Day 1
   Carthage The Punic capital Rome destroyed and rebuilt — baths, ports and villas above the sea
3. Day 1
   Sidi Bou Saïd A clifftop village of blue doors and whitewashed walls above the Gulf of Tunis
4. Day 1
   Tunis Medina A UNESCO-listed maze of souks, mosques and palaces, still trading as it has for centuries
5. Day 2
   Bardo Museum A beylical palace holding the richest collection of Roman mosaics in the world
6. Day 2
   Bizerte Old Harbour The oldest port in Tunisia, its fishing boats still moored under the kasbah walls
7. Day 3
   Ghar el-Melh Three Ottoman sea forts above a lagoon and its floating gardens
8. Day 3
   Tabarka A Genoese castle on a rock, cork forests behind and coral diving offshore
9. Day 4
   Bulla Regia A Roman town that built its villas underground, mosaics still on the floors
10. Day 4
    Dougga The best-preserved Roman town in North Africa, standing almost alone in the hills
11. Day 4
    Testour Founded by Andalusian exiles, its minaret carrying a clock that runs backwards
12. Day 5
    Kerkouane The only Punic town never rebuilt by Rome — its streets and pink bathtubs are Carthaginian
13. Day 5
    Nabeul Tunisia’s pottery town, with a Friday market and workshops open to visitors
14. Day 6
    Zaghouan Water Temple The Roman nymphaeum that fed Carthage through a 132-kilometre aqueduct
15. Day 6
    Thuburbo Majus A capitol and forum standing in open farmland, usually with nobody else in them
16. Day 7
    Kairouan Islam’s fourth holy city, built around the Great Mosque and its vast cisterns
17. Day 7
    Sbeitla A Roman forum with three golden Capitoline temples standing side by side
18. Day 7
    El Jem Amphitheatre One of the largest Roman amphitheatres ever built, and among the best preserved anywhere
19. Day 8
    Medina of Sousse A walled Aghlabid port town whose ribat and great mosque still face the sea
20. Day 8
    Monastir Ribat An 8th-century coastal fortress guarding the lagoon, and a famous film location
21. Day 9
    Mahdia A Fatimid capital on a narrow cape, with a silk-weaving quarter and quiet beaches
22. Day 9
    Medina of Sfax The least touristed great medina in the country, walls intact and still working
23. Day 10
    Djerba An island of white villages, ancient synagogues and a coastline that stays warm late
24. Day 10
    Tataouine The town of fortified granaries that lent its name to the Star Wars desert planet
25. Day 10
    Chenini A Berber village stacked on a ridge, cave houses around a white hilltop mosque
26. Day 11
    Ksar Ouled Soltane Four storeys of vaulted grain cells around two courtyards, the best-kept ksar of all
27. Day 11
    Matmata Berber pit dwellings carved into the earth, familiar from the Star Wars films
28. Day 12
    Toujane A stone village spilling down the mountainside above the Matmata plateau
29. Day 12
    Ksar Ghilane A hot-spring oasis at the edge of the great dunes, reached where the tarmac gives out
30. Day 13
    Douz & the Dunes The gateway to the Sahara, where the tarmac stops and the erg begins
31. Day 13
    Chott el-Jerid A salt lake so flat and bright it produces mirages across the whole crossing
32. Day 13
    Tozeur A desert oasis of patterned brickwork, its palm grove fed by hundreds of springs
33. Day 14
    Nefta A Sufi oasis town above the Corbeille, a bowl of palms below the houses
34. Day 14
    Mides Canyon A sheer-walled gorge on the Algerian border, used more than once as a natural film set
35. Day 15
    Tamerza Canyon A deserted mountain village beside a canyon and a year-round waterfall
36. Day 15
    Chebika A mountain oasis where a spring runs through a gorge above the salt flats
37. Day 15
    Return Drop-off at your hotel

Every stop on this tour, explained one by one →

Common questions

Places on this trip

Carthage UNESCO

The Punic capital Rome destroyed and rebuilt — baths, ports and villas above the sea

Grand Tunis

Sidi Bou Saïd UNESCO

A clifftop village of blue doors and whitewashed walls above the Gulf of Tunis

Grand Tunis

Tunis Medina UNESCO

A UNESCO-listed maze of souks, mosques and palaces, still trading as it has for centuries

Grand Tunis

Bardo Museum

A beylical palace holding the richest collection of Roman mosaics in the world

Grand Tunis

Bizerte Old Harbour

The oldest port in Tunisia, its fishing boats still moored under the kasbah walls

Bizerte

Ghar el-Melh

Three Ottoman sea forts above a lagoon and its floating gardens

Bizerte

Tabarka

A Genoese castle on a rock, cork forests behind and coral diving offshore

Jendouba

Bulla Regia

A Roman town that built its villas underground, mosaics still on the floors

Jendouba

Dougga UNESCO

The best-preserved Roman town in North Africa, standing almost alone in the hills

Béja

Testour

Founded by Andalusian exiles, its minaret carrying a clock that runs backwards

Béja

Kerkouane UNESCO

The only Punic town never rebuilt by Rome — its streets and pink bathtubs are Carthaginian

Nabeul

Nabeul

Tunisia’s pottery town, with a Friday market and workshops open to visitors

Nabeul

Zaghouan Water Temple

The Roman nymphaeum that fed Carthage through a 132-kilometre aqueduct

Zaghouan

Thuburbo Majus

A capitol and forum standing in open farmland, usually with nobody else in them

Zaghouan

Kairouan UNESCO

Islam’s fourth holy city, built around the Great Mosque and its vast cisterns

Kairouan

Sbeitla

A Roman forum with three golden Capitoline temples standing side by side

Kasserine

El Jem Amphitheatre UNESCO

The Roman amphitheatre often called the Colosseum of Africa, among the best preserved anywhere

Mahdia

Medina of Sousse UNESCO

A walled Aghlabid port town whose ribat and great mosque still face the sea

Sousse

Monastir Ribat

An 8th-century coastal fortress guarding the lagoon, and a famous film location

Monastir

Mahdia

A Fatimid capital on a narrow cape, with a silk-weaving quarter and quiet beaches

Mahdia

Medina of Sfax

The least touristed great medina in the country, walls intact and still working

Sfax

Djerba UNESCO

An island of white villages, ancient synagogues and a coastline that stays warm late

Médenine

Tataouine

The town of fortified granaries that lent its name to the Star Wars desert planet

Tataouine

Chenini

A Berber village stacked on a ridge, cave houses around a white hilltop mosque

Tataouine

Ksar Ouled Soltane

Four storeys of vaulted grain cells around two courtyards, the best-kept ksar of all

Tataouine

Matmata

Troglodyte Berber houses carved down into the earth, familiar from the Star Wars films

Gabès

Toujane

A stone village spilling down the mountainside above the Matmata plateau

Gabès

Ksar Ghilane

A hot-spring oasis at the edge of the great dunes, reached where the tarmac gives out

Kébili

Douz & the Dunes

The gateway to the Sahara and its camel treks, where the tarmac stops and the erg begins

Kébili

Chott el-Jerid

A vast salt lake crossed on a causeway, its salt flats bright enough to throw mirages the whole way over

Tozeur

Tozeur

A desert oasis of patterned brickwork, its palm grove fed by hundreds of springs

Tozeur

Nefta

A Sufi oasis town above the Corbeille, a bowl of palms below the houses

Tozeur

Mides Canyon

A sheer-walled gorge on the Algerian border, used more than once as a natural film set

Tozeur

Tamerza Canyon

A deserted mountain village beside a canyon and a year-round waterfall

Tozeur

Chebika

A mountain oasis where a spring runs through a gorge above the salt flats

Tozeur