In December 2025, our family spent two weeks roadtripping around Tunisia. It was truly a fabulous experience! When I started writing a post about Tunisia, I realized it’d be easier to create different posts for the cities we visited instead of putting all the information in one long post. If you want to read more about logistics and our overall experience in Tunisia, click here. To read about the other cities we visited, you can go to our Tunisia page.
Before driving to La Marsa, we spent 2 nights in Tozeur where we went on a very informative Star Wars day trip.
Day 13: Drive to La Marsa
La Marsa was the last stop on our trip. The drive from Tozeur to La Marsa was definitely the longest drive of our entire roadtrip. Driving time was about six and a half hours. We left early in the morning, and arrived in La Marsa around 5pm. Not bad! For lunch we stopped in Kairouan at the same spot where we ate the first time we were there.
We also considered stopping in Kasserine to see the Roman ruins. We had heard that they are very impressive. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to do that and make it to La Marsa before night time. Kasserine is in one of the regions of Tunisia that is included in the no-go zone. However, after traveling the country by car for two weeks, we felt it would’ve been fine going to Kasserine. We would’ve probably encountered stricter security checks on the roads leading to Kasserine, but nothing more than that. At the end, this stop didn’t work with our itinerary, and that’s the only reason why we skipped it.
La Marsa is a relaxed seaside town on Tunisia’s Mediterranean coast, just north of Tunis. It blends sandy beaches, a lively atmosphere, and stylish cafés with an easygoing local vibe. There you can enjoy fresh seafood, sea views, and quick access to Carthage and Sidi Bou Said.
We were happy to arrive in La Marsa in the early evening. First, we went for a walk along the waterfront before finding a place to eat. La Marsa felt very lively and cosmopolitan. There were lots of different restaurants to choose from. It was a big switch from the Medina in Tunis!
After having only Tunisian food for two weeks, we ate at La Piadina, a nice Italian restaurant near our Airbnb.
Day 14: Carthage and the Bardo Museum
We knew that in La Marsa, we wanted to visit the Archeological Site of Carthage, and the Bardo National Museum. We weren’t sure the museum would be open on January 1st, so we decided to visit both sites in one day.
Archeological Site of Carthage
The Archeological Site of Carthage is actually quite big. You could walk from one are to the next, or maybe rent bikes asa fun way to explore it. We chose to drive between sites because we only had the morning to see what we wanted.
We started the morning by heading to the Archeological Site in Carthage. Carthage is one of those places you hear about when you are a kid, and makes you think of far away lands full of history. We felt so incredibly lucky to be able to visit this site and see it with our own two eyes! To start our visit, we parked by this entrance, bought our tickets, and headed straight to the Roman Baths. This was one of the most impressive areas of the complex. You get to walk around the ancients baths, which makes you realize how big they must have been back when they were in use. It is also mind blowing to think about the fact that so much of them is still standing today!
After exploring the Roman Baths, we drove to a different entrance to visit the Roman Theater of Carthage. Built in the 2nd century CE, it is one of the best-known monuments of ancient Carthage and could seat around 5,000 spectators. Restored in the 20th century after it was dug out and cemented over by the French, it is still used today for concerts and cultural festivals.
Next we drove to the Salammbô “sacrificial structure.” This is an open-air sacred precinct in ancient Carthage used by the Phoenicians and later the Carthaginians. Dating from about the 8th to 2nd century BCE, it contains thousands of urns with cremated remains and stelae dedicated to the gods Tanit and Baal Hammon, and is at the center of long-running debate among historians over whether it reflects ritual child sacrifice or symbolic burial practices. However, it is suspected that they are indeed burial sites for small children.
From the Salammbô site, we drove up Byrsa hill to visit Saint Louis Cathedral. The Cathedral is a 19th-century Roman Catholic cathedral built on the ancient citadel of Carthage, on the spot traditionally associated with the death of King Louis IX of France during the Eighth Crusade in 1270. Completed in 1890 in a Romano-Byzantine style, it no longer functions as a church but as a cultural venue, and its hilltop setting offers sweeping views over the archaeological site and the Gulf of Tunis.
Honestly, we had mixed feelings visiting this site, which fortunately is no longer a religious site but a cultural one. The fact that the French built a Catholic cathedral on top of an important historical site to commemorate a king who was killed during the crusades felt wrong. The entire interior is decorated with art that honors the crusaders. Kudos to the Tunisian government for keeping it as part of their historical heritage, because it is definitely not a site that celebrates them but celebrates the former oppressive powers.
Byrsa Hill, on the other hand, was great to visit! It is the historic heart of ancient Carthage and its original citadel, rising above the surrounding ruins near the coast. Settled by the Phoenicians in the 9th century BCE, it later became the center of Roman Carthage and today is home to major remains, the Carthage National Museum, and the cathedral, with beautiful panoramic views over the Gulf of Tunis.
Bardo National Museum
After Byrsa Hill, we headed back into town to find lunch before moving on to the Bardo National Museum. After Visiting the Archeological Museum in Sousse, we were very excited to visit the Bardo Museum and see more Roman mosaics! We stopped for a quick fast food lunch at Westwood Fast Food. Even though these places are called fast food, the food is prepared on the spot and is quite fresh (and not that fast!).
The drive to the Bardo Museum from Carthage takes about a half hour without traffic. You really cross a lot of Tunis to get there! But, it was all worth it to visit this former Ottoman palace housing the largest collection of Roman mosaics worldwide!
The Bardo National Museum in Tunis is Tunisia’s most important museum. It is famous above all for its extraordinary collection of Roman mosaics, the largest and most impressive in the world. Housed in a former Ottoman palace, it also showcases Punic, Greek, early Christian, and Islamic artifacts, offering a complete journey through Tunisia’s 3,000-year history.
We mostly focused our visit on seeing the Roman mosaics. We certainly enjoyed the juxtaposition of Roman mosaic with the painted moorish tile work. It was such a privilege to visit this museum, and to be able to take a close up look at the stunning mosaic work done almost 2,000 years ago! At the Bardo Museum, you literally walk on ancient art!
We spent about 2 hours at the museum before heading back to our Airbnb for a well-earned break! For dinner that night, being New Year’s Eve, we treated ourselves to a delicious Lebanese feast at Be Babel. This dinner was basically our only New Year’s Eve celebration as this holiday is not a celebrated in Tunisia. We did hear a couple of fireworks go off in the distance, but not a lot more than that. It wasn’t a problem, but just sharing so you don’t plan on partying in Tunisia during New Years’s Eve!
Day 15: Sidi Bou Said
On our last day in Tunisia, we decided to visit the picturesque seaside town of Sidi Bou Said. Sidi Bou Said is a postcard-perfect hilltop village overlooking the Mediterranean. Located just north of Tunis, it is famous for its dazzling blue-and-white houses, flower-filled balconies, and sweeping sea views. December wasn’t quite the best time for bougainvillea blooms, but what we saw was still pretty nice!
We decided to walk to and from Sidi Bou Said starting in La Marsa. We mapped a really nice loop that took us through residential areas, Sidi Bou Said Park, fun eateries, and past the Palace of Sidi Dhrif. The views on the way back were lovely!
Wandering the cobbled lanes in Sidi Bou Said felt like stepping into a painting! Wrought-iron doors, bougainvillea, and glimpses of deep blue water at every turn. Today, Sidi Bou Said is one of Tunisia’s most visited destinations, celebrated for its cafés, art galleries, and relaxed atmosphere that blends traditional charm with a distinctly Mediterranean elegance. It’s definitely a must on any Tunisian itinerary!
Day 16: Fly Home
On our last day, we headed to the airport mid morning to return the car, and catch our flight home. The Tunis-Carthage airport was nice and modern and we didn’t have any issue in or out of it.
Shopping
La Marsa is a great place to do some shopping, if that’s your thing. They have lots of small boutiques showcasing local designers, as well as nicely curated concept stores. We had a fun time checking out stores and finding lots of unique creations!
These are a some of the stores we visited and loved:
To read more about other places to visit in Tunisia, visit this page. For all of our other travels, go here.
