In December 2025, our family spent two weeks roadtripping around Tunisia. It was truly a fabulous experience! When I started writing a blog about our trip, 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 Sousse, we spent 2 nights in Tunis, exploring the old Medina and taking a road trip to visit the incredibly well-preserved Roman city of Dougga.
Day 4: Drive to Sousse – Explore Sousse.
After a quick on-the-go breakfast in the Tunis Medina, we drove 2 hours to Sousse. We chose Sousse as our base to explore the surrounding area because it looked like it had the most accommodation and food options, and we were definitely happy with our choice. The apartment we chose was a block away from the Marriott hotel, and a short walk from many restaurants and cafes.
We arrived in Sousse around lunchtime so we grab a quick lunch from a fast food place serving shawarma and sandwiches. After lunch we walked to the waterfront and slowly made our way to the Medina de Sousse.
In the Medina we visited the Ribat, a fortified complex that served as a defense outpost. The Ribat was quite impressive, and we all really enjoyed the view of Sousse from the top of the main tower. We happened to time it with the call to prayer, which made it even more special!
After visiting the Ribat we continued exploring the Medina. We tried visiting Dar Lella Khadija for tea and treats, but unfortunately, the tea house was closed for restorations. The owner was kind enough to let us see the interior courtyard, which was lovely!
Once we reached the top of the hill, and the back entrance to the Medina, we realized we were very close to the Sousse Archeological Museum, so we decided to go check it out! This museum houses an impressive collection of Roman mosaics, with the most memorable being the “Head of Medusa.” Even though the collection here was much smaller than that at the Bardo Museum, we almost preferred it!
After some down time back at the apartment, we finished the day with dinner, and a short walk around our neighborhood.
Day 5: Sousse – Day trip to Monastir
Monastir is a lovely coastal city located just a 30-minute drive from Sousse. It’s a quick day trip from Sousse.
Ribat of Monastir
One of the main sites is the impressive Ribat of Monastir, one of the oldest and best-preserved fortresses in North Africa, and founded in 796CE. It was built to defend the coast from Byzantine attacks. Today, you can climb its watchtower for incredible views over the marina and the sea. From Sousse, we drove straight to the Ribat, and parked right outside it We spent a couple of hours wandering around its many corridors, courtyard and rooms. Also, this is where we learned that European castles were actually modeled after Ribats! The europeans actually brought back islamic architects to help them with the design of their own castles. Something you don’t learn in history books!
Medina of Monastir
From the Ribat, we headed to the Medina in search for lunch. The Medina de Monastir is compact but fun to explore. After wandering around the Medina for a bit, we grabbed lunch at a local pastry shop.
Bourguiba Mausoleum
After lunch we went over to the Bourguiba Mausoleum. This is the final resting place of Tunisia’s first president. The mausoleum is a striking modern landmark with golden domes and minarets, built to honor Habib Bourguiba, and reflecting both national history and elegant Islamic design.
Visiting the mausoleum took about an hour in total. Visiting is free so it’s definitely worth popping in to take a look! When we were done, we drove back to Sousse, but first we stopped at the Sousse Mall, Tunisia’s largest mall. The mall was pretty compact, but it was super modern and had most of the main Spanish brand stores. There is also a giant Carrefour, which was convenient as we wanted to stock up in snacks for a couple of long drives we knew we had later in the trip. We ended up grabbing a second lunch from Rue de Liban as the mall’s foodcourt!
For dinner we chose to have an early Christmas celebration, and had a really nice multi-course seafood meal at Le Surfin. The food was absolutely delicious and there was lots of it! I guess we were lucky to be there in the low season because reservations are hard to get during the warmer months!
Day 6: Sousse – Day trip to Kairouan
Kairouan, located in an hour from Sousse in central Tunisia, is one of the country’s most important and historic cities, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Founded in the 7th century, it is famous as the spiritual heart of Tunisia, home to the Great Mosque of Kairouan, and renowned for its role in the spread of Islam across North Africa, as well as its traditional carpets, Medina, and centuries-old architectural heritage.
Great Mosque of Kairouan
We started our visit at the Great Mosque of Kairouan. The mosque was founded in 670 CE by the Arab general Uqba ibn Nafi, and it is considered the fourth most important mosque in Islam, after the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, and Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Renowned for its massive square minaret, vast courtyard, and forest of ancient columns, it became a major center of learning and a model for mosque architecture across North Africa. We were only able to visit the courtyard and peaked inside the worshiping area, and it was truly an impressive work of art and architecture!
Old Governor’s House
From the mosque we made our way around through the Medina, past the Mosque of Three Doors, to the Old Governor’s House where now they sell beautiful rugs in the most gorgeous and colorful space.
Well of the Camel
Another popular site in Kairouan is the Well of the Camel, which is a historic water well traditionally powered by a camel that walks in a circle to draw water. Linked by legend to the city’s founding in the 7th century, it is considered a symbolic and spiritual site, believed by many to be connected underground to the holy spring of Zamzam in Mecca. We stopped by to take a picture, but we felt really bad for the camel so we left right away.
Explore the Medina
The Medina in Kairouan is also where Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark was filmed! Overall, it was fun to find the filming spots and to explore and walk around the Medina! If you visit, make sure you venture into smaller passages and take a look at the merchants and crafters while they work.
After exploring Kairouan, we went to El Brija Restaurant for the most delicious lunch! We really enjoyed the tea and sweets they brought to us for free at the end of our meal! Definitely recommend this place if you are in Kairouan, and it’s super easy to find as it’s right by the Grand Mosque!
Back in Sousse we decided to treat ourselves to teatime at Gourmandise, the boulangerie adjacent to the Marriott Hotel. It was such a delicious treat! In fact, the pastries there were so good that we went back the next day for breakfast and to buy some sweet treats for the road!
We ended the day with dinner at Beiruti Shawarma. We are big fans of Lebanese food, so we always jumped at the opportunity to have some. This place was really good, had outdoor seating, and the people working there were just super nice and helpful!
Day 7: Drive to Tatooine
We drove to Tatooine with a stop at El Djem Roman amphitheater, which is just a 1-hour drive from Sousse. Alternatively, if you are not continuing to Tatooine or into the desert, you could add an extra day in Sousse to visit El Djem.
To read more about other places to visit in Tunisia, visit this page. For all of our other travels, go here.
