Things to do in Sousse
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Sousse
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
The sweet spot: swimmable from May, with mornings still cool enough for the medina, El Jem and Kairouan.
Peak summer: heat above 32 C, warmest sea, fullest and priciest resorts, festival season.
The second sweet spot: warm sea, falling heat, crowds and prices. September is many regulars' best month.
Mild culture season at 15 to 18 C: empty museums and low prices, sea too cold for most, some beach services closed.
What's on
- International Festival of Sousse July to August
Music, dance and theatre programming across the peak summer weeks. Check the year's dates locally.
- Awussu Festival Late July
Sousse's traditional summer carnival, the city's own festival moment in high season.
Best things to do in Sousse
Ribat of Sousse
The oldest preserved ribat in Tunisia, with a watchtower view over the medina, port and sea.
Great Mosque of Sousse
An Aghlabid mosque from 851, fortress plain outside and a calm courtyard non Muslims may enter.
Sousse Archaeological Museum
Tunisia's second mosaic collection after the Bardo, housed in the Kasbah above the medina.
Medina of Sousse
A UNESCO listed walled old town of souks, food lanes and quiet residential alleys.
Dar Essid Museum
A preserved aristocratic house in the medina, with period rooms and a terrace over the walls.
El Kobba Museum
A small traditional life museum under a unique zigzag fluted dome in the medina.
Catacombs of Sousse
A short open section of early Christian burial tunnels under the modern city.
Bou Jaafar Beach
Sousse's own city beach, a long sandy curve on the corniche a walk from the medina.
Where to stay in Sousse
Sousse city and beachfront
mixed culture and beach trip, no car needed
Walk to the medina, museums and station and still be on the sand at Bou Jaafar.
Port El Kantaoui
pure resort holiday, families and golfers
The calmest beaches, the golf course and the marina, 10 km north of the historic city.
Medina adjacent
character, short stays and independent travellers
Small dars and budget hotels at the souks' door, with the beach a short walk away.
Think twice about
- Far northern hotel strip beyond Port El Kantaoui
Nothing walkable beyond the hotel itself, so every meal and evening is the resort's and every sight is a taxi ride.
- Louage and bus station districts
Functional transport districts with little to recommend them after dark. Pass through for excellent connections, sleep by the medina or corniche instead.
Best restaurants in Sousse
Dar Antonia Restaurant
French technique on Tunisian ingredients in a small stylish room, Sousse's occasion dinner.
Restaurant L'Escargot
The old guard French restaurant on the corniche, escargots, pasta and pepper steak.
Farmer's Steakhouse
A long running steakhouse for proper grilled steaks and large sharing cuts.
Restaurant La Daurade
The marina seafood address at Kantaoui, grilled fish and seafood couscous by the harbour.
Restaurant Le QG
A beachfront restaurant and lounge on the sand, for sea view lunches and sunset dinners.
Restaurant du Peuple
The best value Tunisian lunch in the city, stuffed squid and couscous at local prices.
Ali Chappati
A tiny beloved counter for chapati wraps filled to order, the city's best cheap bite.
Le Petit Café Maure
A traditional Moorish cafe in the medina lanes for mint tea, coffee and shade.
Outdoor things to do in Sousse
Amphitheatre of El Jem
The third largest Roman amphitheatre, climbable to the top rows with underground chambers.
El Jem Museum
A quiet museum around a Roman villa, with some of Tunisia's finest floor mosaics.
Ribat of Monastir
The oldest ribat in the Maghreb, a sprawling coastal fortress an easy trip from Sousse.
Bourguiba Mausoleum
The monumental tomb of Tunisia's founding president, down a ceremonial avenue in Monastir.
Great Mosque of Kairouan
One of the great buildings of the Islamic world, the centrepiece of a Kairouan day trip.
Hergla
A small white and blue fishing village north of Kantaoui, the quiet antidote to the strip.
El Kantaoui Golf Course
Two 18 hole Fream courses between the marina and the hills, the Sahel's real golf.
Hammam Anti Stress
The city's best supported traditional hammam, with steam, scrub and massage packages.
Best hotels in Sousse
Mövenpick Resort & Marine Spa Sousse
Sousse's flagship five star on the corniche, with private beach and a marine spa.
Sousse Pearl Marriott Resort & Spa
The international chain resort by Bou Jaafar beach, with pools, spa and global standards.
Jaz Tour Khalef
A large all inclusive resort on a park like plot at the northern entrance to Sousse.
Iberostar Selection Diar El Andalous
The best supported Kantaoui five star, all inclusive on the sand by the marina.
Hasdrubal Thalassa Hotel & Spa Port El Kantaoui
A calm garden thalasso hotel by the marina, with a loyal repeat guest culture.
TUI SUNEO Royal Kenz
A large, friendly four star in gardens a short walk from Kantaoui beach and marina.
Dar Antonia
The medina's boutique splurge, a small restored dar with a refined French Tunisian restaurant.
Dar Baaziz
A small, spotless family guesthouse inside the medina, with breakfast and a roof terrace.
Is Sousse expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | TND 120 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | TND 280 a person |
| Splurge | TND 650 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- El Kantaoui Golf Course: a few days ahead
- Hammam Anti Stress: a few days ahead
- Dar Antonia: a few days ahead
- Dar Antonia Restaurant: a few days ahead
- Book resort hotels well ahead for July, August and European school holidays.
- Book Dar Antonia's restaurant, high season private cars for Kairouan and El Jem, and winter golf tee times.
Is Sousse safe?
- Stay aware in crowded places, transport hubs, religious sites and places frequented by foreigners, where attacks are possible.
- Tunisia has been under a state of emergency since 2015: expect road checkpoints and bag and vehicle scanners at big hotels.
- Watch for petty theft in crowded medina lanes and keep belongings close on public beaches.
- Emergency numbers: police 197, ambulance 190.
Sousse travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Medina shopkeepers may steer you to a carpet shop via offers of help or a special festival today. Decline politely and keep walking.
- In the souks expect to settle at roughly a third to a half of the first asking price.
- Confirm the price of fish sold by weight at marina restaurants before it is cooked.
- Agree watersports prices on the beach strip before getting on anything.
Getting around Sousse: public transport and more
- The Sahel metro runs south to Monastir and its airport.
- Louages, shared taxis that leave when full, are the fastest cheap way to El Jem and Kairouan.
- Yellow taxis are cheap: insist on the meter or agree the fare before moving.
- Port El Kantaoui is about 10 km north, 10 to 15 minutes by taxi.
Who Sousse suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Sousse your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store