Simba Fun Travel's Tunis VIP Private Day Trip: What to Know Before You Book
A private car and driver-host for Carthage, Sidi Bou Said and the Tunis medina or Bardo, rated 4.7/5 from more than 850 reviews. Here's what the price includes, why the driver is not a history guide, and what to expect at each stop.
Tour details
- Rating: 4.7/5 from more than 850 reviews on GetYourGuide
- Price: from $25 per person when we checked on 21 October 2026, down from $28; the per-person price falls as the group grows
- Duration: 7 to 10 hours, depending on where you are collected
- Group: private, your group only, up to 8 people
- Pickup: your address in Tunis, La Marsa, Gammarth, Hammamet, Nabeul, Sousse, Monastir or Mahdia, but not the La Goulette cruise port
- Cancellation: free up to 24 hours before
What to expect on the Tunis VIP private day trip
Carthage, Sidi Bou Said and the old medina of Tunis sit within half an hour’s drive of each other, but far enough apart that a day on public transport means trains, taxis and a lot of walking. The Tunis VIP Private Day Trip from Simba Fun Travel covers all three with a private car. A driver-host collects you from your address, waits at each stop and drives you on, and the third stop is your choice of the medina or the Bardo Museum.
The calendar below shows open dates and the price for your group size, which is worth entering accurately because the per-person price drops as more people share the car. The listing currently offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Check Availability
Each stop on the route has plenty to fill the time. Carthage’s fenced enclosures, from the Antonine Baths to Byrsa Hill, open on one cash pass that costs 20 dinars for non-residents and rises to 30 dinars on January 1, 2027. Sidi Bou Said is about seven minutes up the coast by car, with its blue doors and tea terraces over the Gulf of Tunis. The medina is a twenty-minute drive back into the city, and the Bardo is Tunisia’s national museum, best known for its Roman mosaics.
Doing it without a car is possible. The TGM commuter train from Tunis Marine stops at several Carthage stations and at Sidi Bou Said for well under a dinar. The trouble is the distance between Carthage’s enclosures, which sit a kilometre or two apart among villas and embassies, and the heat on open ground for much of the year. A car that waits outside each gate removes both problems, and in a private car you set the pace.
Guests mostly praise the drivers’ punctuality and the freedom to stay as long as they like at each stop. When you are finished somewhere, you message the driver and the car comes back for you. The listing’s category scores are 4.8/5 for transport, 4.7/5 for the guide and 4.5/5 for value for money.
The lower ratings mostly come down to what the day leaves out. Five points come up in them:
- The driver-host gives local tips, not a guided history of the sites, so you walk each stop on your own.
- The language you book may be delivered in writing if your driver does not speak it.
- Entry tickets are not included, so you pay in cash at Carthage and at the Bardo.
- Some drivers steer guests to particular restaurants and shops, although the listing says there are no forced stops.
- From Sousse, Monastir or Mahdia, a large part of the day goes on the road.
The listing mentions most of them in its inclusions and booking notes, in short phrases that are easy to read past next to the price and photos. Fewer than one review in ten is below four stars, and nearly four in five give the full five.
If you read up on Carthage before you go, this is a flexible and comfortable way to see all three places in a day. Without that reading, the ruins are much harder to make sense of.
Driver-host or licensed guide?
The listing describes the driver-host as giving “local facts & tips” in your language, “not deep history”, and lists a specialist history guide as not included unless you arrange one with the operator. In practice the driver drops you at the entrance, tells you roughly how long to allow and where to walk, and waits or comes back when you call. Some drivers talk about Tunisia on the road and point out what to look for at each stop. Others say very little, especially when their English, French or German is limited.
The difference shows most at Carthage. The enclosures are thinly labelled, and the stones belong to two cities, the Punic one Rome destroyed in 146 BC and the Roman one built over it. Without someone to put them in order, a lot of what you see is foundations. That expectation gap explains many of the lower ratings, from guests who booked a “VIP tour” and expected commentary at each site.
If a guide matters to you, two listings on the same ground include one:
- The Tunis private tour with a licensed guide covers the medina, Carthage, Sidi Bou Said and the Bardo in about seven hours, with the guide beside you all day. It was priced at $234 for a group of up to three when we checked on 21 October 2026, and it is rated 4.8/5 from more than 100 reviews. Entry tickets are extra.
- The Carthage and Sidi Bou Said Tour gives about two and a half hours to six Carthage sites with a licensed guide, includes the entry tickets, then finishes with an hour in Sidi Bou Said. It starts at the Tophet in Carthage, with no hotel pickup. It started from $56 per person on the same check and is rated 4.9/5 from more than 70 reviews. It does not include the medina or the Bardo.
The Simba Fun Travel day suits you better if you want a car, your own pace and a lower price, and you are happy to read up on the history yourself. Our guide to whether Carthage is worth visiting covers what the ruins are like and which three sites to see first.
Before you book the Tunis VIP day trip
- Choose the Bardo option only if your date is not a Monday. The museum is closed on Mondays, so a Monday booking with the Bardo loses its third stop. The medina option works any day.
- Ask the operator on WhatsApp after booking whether your driver will speak your language. The listing promises your language “spoken or written, as booked”, and the written version is an e-book sent on WhatsApp.
- Read up on Carthage the evening before. Our guide to what to see in Carthage ranks the main enclosures, and a few pages of background make the 90 minutes there far more useful.
- Bring cash in dinars for the entry tickets. The Carthage pass costs 20 dinars for non-residents and the Bardo costs 30 dinars, both paid at the gate.
- Tell the driver at pickup how you want to handle lunch and shopping. The listing says the team suggests a restaurant only if you ask, so if you would rather choose your own, say so at the start of the day.
How the day is organised
Your pickup time and the driver’s phone number arrive on WhatsApp the evening before, by 22:00 at the latest. You show your booking confirmation at pickup and keep your phone switched on all day, because that is how you call the car back at each stop.
The published itinerary gives about 90 minutes at Carthage, a seven-minute drive, two hours in Sidi Bou Said, a twenty-minute drive and two hours at the medina. That adds up to about six hours. The rest of the 7 to 10 hours is the drive to and from your address. From a Tunis hotel that is short. From Hammamet, allow about an hour each way, and from Sousse closer to two. One recent reviewer staying in Mahdia described about three hours each way and only four hours at the sites.
The listing’s itinerary puts Carthage first, while its description starts at the medina or the Bardo. Drivers change the order on request. Some guests start early to avoid the midday heat at Carthage, and on days when cruise ships are in at La Goulette, Sidi Bou Said and the medina are noticeably busier. One driver advised a guest from Hammamet to leave earlier for that reason.
Stop 1: Carthage
The itinerary allows 90 minutes, and which enclosures you see depends on what you ask for. Some guests describe visiting the Roman villas, the theatre, the museum and the Antonine Baths in that time. Others were dropped at a single site. The 20-dinar pass covers the main enclosures.
Name the sites you want before you set off. The Antonine Baths and Byrsa Hill are the two to ask for if you only have time for two, and the Punic Ports are a short drive from both. Some areas can be closed for restoration work, and the museum and cathedral on Byrsa have been affected by renovation in recent years, so ask the driver on the day what is open.
The presidential palace is in Carthage, and one recent reviewer advised care with photos near it because security is tight.
Stop 2: Sidi Bou Said
Sidi Bou Said gets the longest block, two hours, and it is the stop guests mention most warmly, including several who rated the day lower. Many groups have lunch here or just before.
Two hours is enough to walk the lanes, sit over a mint tea with a view of the gulf and look at the craft shops without rushing. Our guide to whether Sidi Bou Said is worth visiting covers what to see in the village.
Stop 3: The medina of Tunis or the Bardo Museum
You choose this stop when you book. The medina is two hours on foot in the souks, listed by the operator as a self-guided visit. Its lanes are a maze, and several guests describe getting lost or spending most of the time in the market streets. Before you walk in, agree where and when the driver will collect you and save the spot on your phone’s map.
The Bardo suits you better if you want history over shopping. It holds the large Roman mosaic collection, and one recent guest rated it the best part of the day. It is closed on Mondays, and the ticket costs 30 dinars for non-residents.
A few guests who had already seen a medina elsewhere in Tunisia found the souks of Tunis less interesting, and for them the Bardo may be the better choice.
Other practical things to know
- Cruise passengers cannot book this tour. The listing says passengers arriving at La Goulette should not book it, and that pickups outside the port are refused too. The VIP Private Tour of Tunis lists port pickups, works on the same driver-host basis and is rated 4.9/5 from more than 150 reviews. Our La Goulette shore excursion guide covers timings from the ship.
- Cars vary. The listing promises a new air-conditioned car. A few reviews describe a small car for five people or weak air conditioning on hot days. Groups of four or six can add an extra seat at extra cost for more room.
- Pay only through GetYourGuide. The listing says all mandatory costs are included in the GetYourGuide price. One reviewer said they were asked for an extra payment outside the platform.
- Support is on WhatsApp. If the driver is not at the pickup point, the booking notes say to message the driver first, then the operator. One recent guest whose driver arrived very late received a partial refund within five days.
Is the Tunis VIP private day trip worth it?
Yes, if you want a private car for the day and are happy to explore each stop yourself. From $25 per person when we checked, depending on group size, the price buys pickup at your address, an air-conditioned car for your group alone, a driver who waits, and as long as you like at each stop. It does not include entry tickets, lunch or a history guide.
It probably isn’t the best fit if you want each site explained as you walk it; the licensed-guide private tour covers the same ground, and the Carthage tour with tickets included goes deeper on the ruins. From Sousse or Mahdia, expect a long day in the car. Cruise passengers need the VIP tour that accepts port pickups.
If you book it, read the WhatsApp message the evening before carefully, because it carries your pickup time and your driver’s number.
How we put this together
Nobody from this site has taken this tour. This page is based on the GetYourGuide listing and its booking notes, and on guest reviews at every rating, read in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese and Dutch. Entry prices come from the national price list for Tunisian heritage sites that took effect on April 1, 2026, covered in our tickets guide. We checked the rating and price on 21 October 2026, and both change over time. We earn a commission if you book through links on this page, at no extra cost to you.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Tunis VIP private day trip a guided tour?
No. A driver-host drives you between Carthage, Sidi Bou Said and the medina or Bardo, and gives local tips, but you visit each site on your own. The listing says a specialist history guide is not included unless you arrange one with the operator.
Are entry tickets included?
No. Bring cash in dinars. The Carthage pass costs 20 dinars for non-residents, rising to 30 dinars on January 1, 2027, and the Bardo Museum costs 30 dinars.
Can cruise passengers at La Goulette book it?
No. The listing says cruise passengers should not book it, and pickups outside the port are not accepted. The VIP Private Tour of Tunis lists port pickups instead.
How long is the day from Hammamet or Sousse?
The listing gives 7 to 10 hours. About six of those are the stops and short drives between them; the rest is the drive to Tunis and back, about an hour each way from Hammamet and closer to two from Sousse.
Does the price depend on group size?
Yes. The car is private for up to eight people, and the per-person price falls as the group grows. Enter your real group size in the calendar to see the price you would pay.
Is the Bardo Museum open every day?
No. The Bardo is closed on Mondays. If you travel on a Monday, choose the medina option instead.
A private car, a driver who waits, and your own pace at Carthage, Sidi Bou Said and the medina or Bardo. Compare it with the other tours or check availability for your dates.
See Carthage and Sidi Bou Said in One Day
Pickup from Tunis, Hammamet, Sousse or the cruise port, a licensed guide at the ruins, and free time in the blue village. Most tours cancel free up to 24 hours ahead.
Check Availability & Book