Kairouan & El Jem: Explore Islamic & Roman Heritage

Immerse yourself in the rich Islamic heritage and Roman architecture on a private day tour of Kairouan and El Jem. Explore the 9th century Aghlabid basins, the grand mosque, Sidi Sahbi, and the medina in Kairouan. Then, visit the impressive Roman amphitheater and the renowned Museum of El Jem in El Jem.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights

The Great Mosque of Kairouan - The Great Mosque of Kairouan, also known as the Mosque of Uqba, is a historic Islamic landmark in Kairouan, Tunisia. Built in the 7th century, it boasts a blend of Islamic, Byzantine, and Roman architecture. Its iconic minaret, the “Tower of Uqba,” is a symbol of its grandeur. Serving as a center for worship,…

What's Included
  • Transportation in a tourism approved vehicle (insured for tourists)
  • Entrance fees to Kairouan and El Jem (if option selected)
  • Lunch (if option selected)
  • Licensed Tour Guide (if option selected)
  • Transport by air-conditioned vehicle
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off from Tunis, Hammamet or Sousse
What's Not Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off from hotels in other cities
Additional Information

Discover Kairouan, the fourth most sacred city in the realm of Islam. The tour begins at the 9th-century Aghlabid basins, providing insight into Kairouan and its illustrious past. Progress to the grand mosque- the oldest in North Africa, and soon after the neighboring Sidi Sahbi, offering a glimpse into some Tunisian customs. Conclude the tour with a…

Location
The Great Mosque of Kairouan
Rue Sidi Abdelkader,
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.7
(46 Ratings)
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1 star
Eukeria
Oct 1, 2025
It was everything great - Our scale is a 5! It was everything great. Hichem Benmabrouk, from Saharansky made a great job. He was very flexible, gentel and proffesional. He was friendly and as he had lot of cultural knowledge, he explained us very national questions in the car traveling. The organisation and reservation was very easy too. Many thanks!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shaghayegh
Sep 25, 2025
A very nice and pleasant experience - We had Sami with us the whole day and he was wonderful. He was a great driver, keeping the journey safe and enjoyable. He was explaining some things about the attractions and the different cities that was on our way (we had purchased the car-and-driver-only option). He was very friendly and definitely made our trip a nice and easy experience. The tour included Kairouan and El Jem. Sami would drive us to all the attractions and even help us buying tickets. He was also letting us know we can take our time in each place since it was a private tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cox_nateb
Sep 15, 2025
El Jem - one of a kind! - Wonderful day trip and my driver was great. Very friendly and made sure to help me experience the true Tunisia. El Jem is unreal, nobody really there and you get to enjoy the site to yourself. Car was nice and AC worked well.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Camper43441648599
Sep 1, 2025
A full and immersive day - We had a fantastic day visiting Kairouan and El Jem. We were picked up promptly from our hotel in Hammamet. Our guide Boutheina was a wealth of knowledge. We stopped at a roadside stall to sample prickly pear before heading for the sights of Kairouan. After visiting the Barber's Mosque, we headed to the Great Mosque before a walk through the Medina. We sampled a Kairouan staple for lunch and then headed to El Jem. We wandered all around the coliseum and then visited the Archeological museum. Boutheina gave us a detailed commentary on the mosaics and other artifacts. The car was clean, comfortable and our driver Ashof(?) made us feel safe and secure. Thank you for an immersive day and great tips on photo angles.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sonia_s
Aug 22, 2025
Worth it - Great experience Had excellent, helpful driver. Tour exceptional guide Noor,was knowledgeable pleasant ,articulate,great sense of humour, visits to sites were great,plenty of stops for comfort breaks Free time to further explore. Would definitely do more tours with this company. Family thanks both of you for fabulous day
Review provided by Viator
Lijun_q
Feb 17, 2025
Enjoyable and smooth trip. - Enjoyable and a smooth trip. Pickkup on time. Safe driving with caring. Good English speaking. Driver has nice personality.
Review provided by Viator
Eman_s
May 25, 2024
A must see trip! - Ali was a brilliant tour guide, extremely knowledgeable and had a lovely calming temperament. He was considerate of our group size and allowed a lot of free time to explore areas fully. I was amazed how he always knew a place for toilets which was essential for our group! He would take you to specific stores, such as a carpet shop after and it was wonderful to see how these were made firsthand. You will need to do your own haggling though! The tour felt relaxed, there's a good amount of time travelling between sites but these were welcomed breaks as we had travelled with 3x young children under the age of 4. The van was clean and had good quality seats and air conditioning. The lunch was a lovely buffet and before seeing El Djem. El Djem was iconic to see in person and I was so pleased that we were able to spend a lot of this time with our group to personally explore the different levels. He also took us to a lovely little store where they would hand make the marbles tiles, I was grateful that they included my young nephew to take part in cutting the marble (it made his trip very exciting!). Overall brilliant trip and I would definitely recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Rubens_j
Jul 14, 2025
Great Driver, Great Sites, Great Food but bad guide - We enjoyed the sites, the driver and lunch but the tour guide was not super helpful. He kept walking way ahead of us and giving us small pieces of info. We booked a private tour so we can have a conversation and get more in depth information that we couldn’t find on google. The driver was awesome and took great care of us.
Review provided by Viator
Sterre_g
Aug 23, 2023
Enjoyed my day but do research - Do your research when you want to buy a rug/carpet. Don’t just trust your guide to help you with that. If you really want it, do it on your own without a tour. We got into a discussion with the carpet Guy and the tour guide and the whole trip was just awkward after that. Also do your research when you want to buy argan oil. Also it is perfectly fine to go to the vendors outside of the barber’s place. They are not pushy like the tourguide sad
Review provided by Viator
Shaza_m
Jan 6, 2024
The worst! - The cities were amazing, El Jem was a beautiful surprise with the level of details and how preserved it is. Each city has its unique character and definitely worth visiting. However, the guide ruined the whole trip; he didn’t follow the timelines, he didn’t give directions or explanations in Kairouan and when feedback was given, he didn’t take well! As a matter of fact, we picked him and drop him in his hometown which led us to divert for 40mins which was very strange! He was trying to get me to buy stuff persistently which I thought inappropriate! And much more….I would never recommend him to no one!
Review provided by Viator
From $55
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).