Start around 9am at the Medina of Tunis and give yourself about two hours to wander its lanes, looking up at carved doorways and tilework. Use Rue Jamaa Ez Zitouna as a landmark and keep an offline map handy if you want an easier way to find your bearings. The medina is free to explore.
Continue to Zitouna Mosque, allowing about 45 minutes. Non-Muslim visitors may be restricted to viewing parts of the complex, and access arrangements can change, so check locally before you go. Dress modestly and follow any instructions at the entrance.
Walk through the medina to the Dar Ben Abdallah Museum, a restored mansion with traditional interiors and displays of Tunisian crafts. Allow about an hour and check its posted hours, as schedules can vary. Then head to Dar El Jeld for Tunisian specialties in a historic house. Budget roughly 40–70 TND per person and allow 1½ hours; booking ahead is sensible.
Spend about an hour browsing the Souks of Tunis, following the specialist lanes around the central medina. Shops often wind down later in the afternoon, so visit before it gets too late. Compare prices, ask before photographing people or stalls, and expect to bargain for souvenirs.
Comfortable shoes help on the uneven paving, and small-denomination cash is useful for purchases. This day can fit into one hotel stay in Tunis; there’s no need to change hotels between these stops.
Take the TGM from Tunis Marine towards Sidi Bou Said, getting off at a Carthage-area station for the first stops; allow about 35–45 minutes on the train, plus time to reach Tunis Marine from the medina. Trains run regularly, but check the current service and station signage before setting out. Start at Antonine Baths, then take a short taxi between the more spread-out archaeological sites to Carthage Punic Ports and Carthage Tophet. Agree the taxi fare before you go, or ask for the meter.
The Carthage sites may be covered by a combined ticket; check the ticket office for current prices and inclusions, and keep your ticket handy. Have lunch at a café or restaurant near a TGM station, then continue to Sidi Bou Said. Allow time for the steep lanes and steps as you explore, and leave some room to follow the side streets rather than sticking to a rigid route.
Stop at Café des Nattes for mint tea and a traditional sweet; budget roughly 10–25 TND per person. Return to Tunis by TGM and spend the night at your existing Tunis hotel rather than changing accommodation for this outing. November daylight is shorter, so keep the Carthage visits to the morning and early afternoon, and check the sites’ posted hours when you arrive.
Your early start from Sidi Bou Said means the first part of the day is for reaching Kairouan; allow roughly 3–4 hours for the taxi to Bab Alioua louage station, waiting for a shared louage to fill, and the ride. Once you arrive, check in or leave your bags at your accommodation, then head to the Great Mosque of Kairouan. Allow about 1½ hours, but check visitor access locally: entry may be restricted around prayer times, and dress requirements and fees can change.
Continue to the Aghlabid Basins, by taxi or on foot depending on the heat, then return to the Medina of Kairouan to explore its lanes and shops. Bir Barouta is also in the medina; its access and operating hours can vary, so ask locally before making a special detour. Keep the pace flexible if your journey runs late, and agree on prices before buying from shops.
For lunch at Restaurant El Brija, budget roughly 25–50 TND per person; menus and prices vary, so confirm what’s available that day. This is your second hotel stop if you’re keeping the trip to three different hotels: stay in Kairouan tonight, then use a single Sousse base for the following nights, including the visit to El Jem. That avoids adding another check-in just for the Sahel portion.
After arriving from Kairouan, settle in at your Sousse accommodation, then head to the Sousse Archaeological Museum in the kasbah. Allow about 1½ hours for its Roman mosaics; check the current schedule and last-entry time locally. Admission is roughly 10–15 TND. The Ribat of Sousse is a short walk away: allow about an hour to explore the fortress and climb the tower, with entry around 8–10 TND.
Continue on foot through the Sousse Medina for about 1½ hours, leaving room to browse and stop for mint tea. Friday prayers can affect the pace of the day, and some shops may open later or close briefly around midday. From the medina, walk toward Bou Jaafar Beach for an easy seafront stroll; November can be breezy, so think of it as a walk rather than a swim.
Have dinner at a seafood restaurant near the waterfront; budget roughly 35–70 TND per person. Keep the same Sousse hotel for the night rather than adding another hotel stay; it also gives you a convenient base for tomorrow’s visit to El Jem.
From Sousse, take an early SNCFT train to El Jem; the ride is about 1–1.5 hours. Check the current timetable and buy your ticket at Sousse station, allowing extra time for the station transfer and any wait for your train. From El Jem station, it’s roughly a 10-minute walk to the El Jem Amphitheatre. Allow around two hours to explore the arena and climb the tiers; the underground passages may not always be accessible. Check the posted opening information when you arrive, as hours can vary seasonally.
Walk a few minutes to the El Jem Archaeological Museum for its mosaics and finds from ancient Thysdrus, then wander the nearby historic center and local shops. For lunch, look for a traditional restaurant near the amphitheatre; allow about 20–45 TND per person for brik or couscous, and check that the kitchen is open before settling in. The sights are close together, so there’s no need to arrange a taxi between them.
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