CITY: HAMMAM-SOUSSE

HOW LONG: 4 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

I stayed at the only “hostel” that was available on hostelworld. Dar Hkaiem is not actually a hostel as it only has private rooms but there’s a common area, shared kitchen & a shared bathroom. Luckily it’s only 4 rooms so there was never a line. The owner was very friendly & happy to help answer any questions. Also to note, it’s not in the main neighborhood of Sousse, but I am so glad I chose to stay here because it felt completely local. I didn’t see any other tourists in the area. I met a Dutch girl my first evening and Amber & I proceeded to spend every waking moment together onwards. She even extended her stay so we could keep adventuring together. It was awesome because she had been to Tunisia before so already knew how to take the louages, what food to try & where we should spend each day. Also the breakfast is SOOO good. Would highly recommend this homestay/hostel.

WHERE TO EAT:

Honestly just eat at any place you see locals eating. We tried a bunch of random spots whenever we were hungry, and they were all great. The food is delicious & even with the language barrier, we found that people would do their best to explain what was on the menu. There were lots of sandwich/wrap-like options.

WHAT TO DO:

We spent our three full days exploring four different destinations:

• Our first morning the hostel owner took us on a free walking tour around Hamman-Sousse to the local market, mosque, hammams and told us about the history of the neighborhood. Would recommend doing this tour!

• In the afternoon, we took a louage from the station outside the Medina in Sousse to a small sea side town called Hergla. We walked around, I took a million pictures & we played cards in a cute cafe.

• On day two we spent the day meandering around the Medina in Sousse. I again took a million photos (Tunisia is an incredible place to take photos because it’s so colorful!), and we went to the market.

• One day three we headed to the fourth Holiest city in Islam: Kairouan. It’s a gorgeous city with more than 40 mosques and it’s a Unesco World Heritage site.

One thing I didn’t do is a hammam, which I regret not doing. Definitely try to do one while here!

Overall Thoughts:

I was blown away by Tunisia (although I only went to a small portion of it!). It’s by far my favorite country in Africa so far. My favorite part was how kind the people were. Anytime people overheard me & Amber speaking English they would say hello & ask questions of us. They always offered to help, and one man even took us to get a cake & lemonade! People shared snacks on the long bus rides. Cafe owners chatted with us. I never felt wary of my safety (which I can’t say of Morocco & Egypt). The weather was sunny each sunny each day in November, although there was a cold snap while we were there. I can’t wait to go back to explore more of the country.

BUDGET FOR 4 DAYS IN TUNISIA:

I found Tunisia to be incredibly cheap! Food & transport around the region was so reasonable if you do it like the locals do. Also a private room for $17 per night is awesome.

• Accommodation: $69 ($17 per night) – This was a private room!
• Food: $46
• Activities: $0
• Local Transportation: $52
• Miscellaneous: $1 (postcards)

Total: $168 (Daily average: $42) 

Transportation to next destination: $166 (Flight to London & Flight to The Canary Islands)