Driving is a popular method of getting around in Tunisia. Many Tunisians prefer to use a car instead of walking under the hot sun and hustling with public transportation. Are you planning to discover this beautiful country by driving? In this guide, I will answer the most asked questions about driving in Tunisia.
Wondering how to rent a car or how much renting a car will cost in Tunisia? Read my previous post about renting a car in Tunisia, and in no time, you can hit the roads.
Driving a car in Tunisia
Traffic
Tunisia has about 11.9 million inhabitants, and driving is the most used type of transportation. Many cars, traffic jams, and irresponsible driving habits make traffic chaotic. Accidents and also fatalities on the road are unfortunately common.
Rules of the road
Driving in Tunisia is challenging, and a lot of patience is needed. It’s essential to remain alert and observe surroundings. What makes driving in Tunisia difficult is the congested roads and drivers’ disregard for the rules. Unfortunately, most drivers do not follow the rules, traffic signs, markings, or signals.
The road signs are similar to the ones in Europe and written in Arabic and Latin alphabet.
How about on which side of the road do you drive in Tunisia? All traffic drives on the right-hand side of the road, so if you rent a car, the driver’s seat will be on the left side.
Road conditions
The main traffic roads condition is standard and generally in good shape as well modern and new highways. Some undetected potholes might occur in the south of Tunisia. Things such as congested streets, insufficient lighting systems along the roads, poorly marked speed bumps, and low-quality conditions of roads in rural areas make driving more challenging.
Legal driving age in Tunisia
The minimum age to drive is 18 years. But the legal driving age is different when renting a car. To be able to rent a car, you must have held a driving license for at least two years. But the minimum driver age varies between the companies. It might be low as 21 but can get up to 27 years.
Keep a safe distance.
Due to the character of Tunisian traffic, it’s necessary to keep a safe distance between the cars. A sufficient distance between you and a vehicle ahead of you can give you the time you need to recognize a hazard and respond safely.
Behavior on the roads
In Tunisia, you will face speeding, honking, and flashing headlights while driving. Speeding is ordinary on the highways, and the cars might pass you from both sides (you should pass from the left-hand side). It’s safest to stay in the right-hand lanes and let those in a hurry use the left-hand side.
Honking is used for all kinds of reasons. Someone might honk that it’s safe to pass or as a friendly greeting, but you might get honked because you are on the way or you did something wrong.
Some like to flash headlights at crossroads if the lighting isn’t enough. This way, other drivers will see better that someone is coming behind the corner.
Drivers should pay attention to pedestrians as they might cross the roads, even on highways. In traffic lights, some people walk among the cars and try to sell their products to standstill cars.
Is driving safe in Tunisia?
It’s good to be aware of a couple of things before heading to the roads of Tunisia. For starters, traffic is chaotic, especially for tourists who might find the driving rules and customs disorganized. According to the statistics, traffic is also one of the biggest security threats for tourists in Tunisia.
According to the National Road Safety Observatory, there were 1051 fatalities and 6894 injuries on Tunisia roads. Why do so many traffic accidents happen? Some risk factors are speeding, failing to follow the rules, driving under the influence of alcohol, unsafe vehicles, and insufficient use of seatbelts, helmets, and child restraints. To improve driving safety, country should tighten safety laws.
It’s challenging to answer to question if you should drive in Tunisia. Maybe you are already used to chaotic traffic, a confident and experienced driver, or the plan is to drive outside the big cities where the traffic is calmer. Definitely, the road trip around Tunisia will be an unforgettable memory. After all, we could conclude that according to the statistics, driving is not safe in Tunisia, but in the end, the choice is yours.
If you want to know more about safety in Tunisia, click the link below.
Safety in Tunisia
Driving in Tunisia: A road trip in Tunisia
Road trips are absolutely a fantastic way to get to know the country. Tunisia is the smallest country in North Africa. It’s 792km (492 mi) long and 350km (217 mi) wide, which is a perfect size for a road trip. One idea is to drive by the coastline of the Mediterranean sea and admire a sea view for 1148 km (713 mi).
Due to the size of the country, the worth-visiting cities and destinations aren’t too far apart. Below, you see distances between cities and some top attractions that will help you plan your dream road trip.
Tunis – Sousse 146km/90mi
Tunis – Monastir 168km/104mi
Tunis – Hammamet 64km/39mi
Tunis – Djerba 521km/324mi
Tunis – Gabes 413km/257mi
Tunis – Tozeur 453km/281mi
Tunis – Bizerte 71km/44mi
Hammamet – Sousse 97km/60mi
Sousse – Monastir 22km/14mi
Monastir – Gabes 283km/176mi
Gabes – Djerba 106km/66mi
Djerba – Tozeur 315km/195mi
Tunis – El Jem 203km/126mi
Tunis – Matmata 469km/291mi
Tunis – Tataouine 536km/333mi
Planning to rent a car? In this post, I share everything about renting a car in Tunisia. I give practical tips and all the needed information for renting a car, and in no time, you can hit the roads of Tunisia.
In addition, I have listed 10 destinations to start discovering this wonderful country. In the list, you find three spots in the capital Tunis, and a couple of perfect beach holiday destinations, islands, and two cities nearby the Sahara. Perhaps one of the places will find the spot on your travel plan?
Thank you for reading! I hope that this guide about driving in Tunisia was helpful to you. Like always, you can drop your questions in the comments section. See you again next week!
Hi Hanna! I found your website really perfect to find information on this country 🙂
I will go to Tunísia for the first time in October 2023 and take my boyfriend with me. I’m used to travel independent but he’s not. We are super enthusiastic about this trip. I’m concerned about transport since we’re not renting a car. We will mostly spend our time in the south/desert Tozeur, Douz etc. Do tou have any tips for independent travelers there? Booking tours, find transport between places. Maybe you’ll write something about that soon? 🤩
Congrats on the website!
Catarina
Hi Catarina,
Thank you for your sweet comment. I am happy that you have chosen to travel to this beautiful country! October is the perfect time to discover southern Tunisia. You didn’t mention if you are flying to Tunis. But also one option is to fly directly to Tozeur. You can check the train schedule and routes here (https://www.sncft.com.tn/en/) There’s no train station in Tozeur, but the closest station is Metlaoui about 50 km from Tozeur and the closest station to Douz is called Gafsa about 125km from Douz. I would say that the easiest way to travel around the south is by taxi and louage (shared taxi) for longer distances and between the cities.
I can’t recommend any tour operator as I don’t have any experience in those, but I know that there are many. They will take you to the desert etc. It seems that you have read my mind as I have planned to write about public transportation and traveling in southern Tunisia. But for now, I can give you a couple of ideas: discover salt lake Chott el Djerid, drink camel’s milk (yes, that’s a thing), and sleep at least one night in Anantara Resort (more high-end, but very unique and great experience).
I wish you a great trip to Tunisia!
And please, let me know if you have some more questions.
BR, Hanna
Hello Hanna. Thank you for sharing such helpful information. We are 3 couples traveling 12 days from US in September. Do Europeans travel by ship/ferry? Are there European companies that provide tour packages to Tunisia? I’m feeling overwhelmed planning this trip for all of us and could use a knowledgeable travel agent. There aren’t any here in the US who know Tunisia well enough to help.
Hi Sarah!
September will be a perfect month for discovering Tunisia. The weather is still very hot but slightly less than in July and August and also the most popular tourist season starts to be over at that point. The most common way for Europeans to travel to Tunisia is by plane, but there are ferries between France-Tunisia and Italy-France. Especially Tunisians living abroad like to use ferries as then bringing a car is an option.
Unfortunately, I do not have experience with European travel agents, nor Tunisian ones. But after all tourism is very important for Tunisia, so for that reason many travel agencies work there. If you are staying in a hotel you could ask the hotel if they have some collaboration with some travel agent.
I am sure that your trip will go well but I know that planning may be overwhelming.
Enjoy your stay in Tunisia and let me know if you have some other questions.
Br.Hanna
Hey Hanna, so kind of you to share all your experiences with us, I‘m going to Tunisia next week and I‘m a bit concerned about the parking situation as in where to park my car safely and parking rules in general, maybe you have some advice for me.
Thank you
Hello Antonia!
First of all apologies for my late answer. As Tunisia is part of the Geneva/ Vienna Convention on road traffic the driving rules are quite similar to European ones. Pay attention to the color of curbs red/white means no parking, blue/white you need to buy a parking ticket and clear/white is ok to park. In general, parking is quite safe but you may also look for guarded parking or park the car inside.
Did you enjoy driving in Tunisia? And did you have any problems with parking?
Enjoy your stay in Tunisia,
BR.Hanna
Thanks for the post. We will try not to drive in cities. Are divers with cars available in Tunisia? I understand the louages but what about luggage? is there a limit?
I think I like the convenience of a car but have been lost a few times. Is a one way rental reasonable so I can fly back to Tunis after a one way trip south?
Hello!
Sorry for my late answer!
So, it’s possible to rent a car with a driver. It will cost way more ( I don’t have any experience in this so I can’t say how much it would cost). I would advise you to contact car rental for this.
You can take a luggage for the louage and basically there is no limit. If the car is full then there is a chance that your luggage won’t fit. One option is that you have the car for you with your luggage and you pay all the extra seats.
Yes, the one way rental is possible. There are many companies that operate around Tunisia and offer this kind of service.
Enjoy your stay in Tunisia!
BR,
Hanna
Hi! Love your articles!
I wanted to ask you something regarding road conditions as I am planning to drive from Tunis to Tozeur, spend the night there and then from Tozeur drive to Djerba.
Do i need a 4×4 or is a normal car okay?
Thank you very much!
Hello there!
Thank you for your feedback and I must say that your plan for Tunisia sounds amazing!
There is no need for 4×4 so I would choose a normal car. In general road conditions are just fine! When driving smaller roads pay attention to possible holes or bumps. As your trip is going to be rather long so I would check that there is an extra wheel in the trunk if a car tire goes flat.
Most importantly, have an amazing trip!
BR, Hanna