What you need to know when you travel to Tunisia
Updated: May 3, 2019
It has been a while since I posted something on my blog. The reason is I have been very busy picking out stuff for my house, work, Spanish classes... Many things have been going on and I felt like it was time to relax a little bit and book my next trip. This time I booked a destination that was not really on my bucket list or anything but the prices were good lol. I really enjoyed my stay and I even think about going back over there. If you want to book a cheap getaway to Tunesia there is a couple things you need to know before you go.
1. Invest in a good hotel
The prices are very low in general when it comes to booking a hotel. The thing is dont try to save an extra 50 euros on the hotel cause you will regret it. I would recommend to book a 4 star hotel if you want some decent food. In general, there is nothing outside of the hotel, no stores, no clubs, no city, nothing. You basically always have to take a cab if you want to go somewhere so it is really important to invest in a good hotel which offers also some day and night activities.
We booked the Odyssee and Thalasso hotel in Zarzis and it was just perfect, the hotel had offered a hairsalon, gym, a spa, a shisha bar, delicious food and the hotel was right at the beach.
2. Always pay in Dinars
Something I noticed is that they like to charge you more when you pay in euros. For example, a massage we wanted to book was 45 euros but only 90 TD. (1 euro is 3 TD), this is a big difference. Also when you want to book an excursion, buy something or whatsoever they charge more when you want to pay in euros. You can change money at the airport or just take some Dinars out in your hotel.
3. Excursions
There are plenty of excursions to do; an island tour around Djerba, a trip to the desert, boat rides, camel rides.. I would definately recommend taking some extra money and book some excursions so you get to know the country better and learn about there culture. There are plenty of things to do and see in and around Djerba! Keep in mind that if you want to see the desert this can take up to 4 hours driving so plan your excursions ahead to find the right balance between sightseeing and relaxing.
4. Take a speed course French
I was really surprised about how many laguages Tunesian people speak. Most of them speak obviously Arab, French, Berber, German but English is harder to find. I noticed that most people dont speak so good English so if you really want to enjoy your stay at the fullest I would take a dictionary or learn some basic French before you go.
5. Negotiate
It is very easy to negotiate a price in Tunesia, especially at the souks (markets). They will always start with a high price but if you dare to discuss the price you will definately score a bargain.