Tunisia is full of surprises, delights and the most amazing contrasts.
One moment you could be relaxing on the warm golden sands of a Mediterranean beach, the next you could be camel trekking in the Sahara.

From luxurious thalassotherapy sessions to some of the world's finest surviving Roman ruins, there's so much more to Tunisia

Currency
Although just a short flight from the UK, Tunisia is outside the Euro zone. The unit of currency is the Tunisian Dinar.
Any cash (Sterling / Euros) or traveller's cheques you bring can be easily exchanged upon arrival at exchange bureaux, banks and hotel receptions. (Receipts need to be kept to change leftover Tunisian Dinars back.) The exchange rate is fixed and is approximately 2 Dinars to £1 Sterling. ATMs are available in main towns, and credit cards are also accepted.

The combination of Islamic culture and European approach makes Tunisia a very popular North African holiday destination. With a climate that rarely dips under 20 degrees, it's a real hot spot all year round.

Tunisia, positioned just two and half hours flight from London, on the southern Mediterranean coast provides an easy to travel to and extremely popular destination for European visitors all year round.
Tunisia boasts excellent mediterranean beaches, coral reef diving, fantastic golf courses, endless historic and cultural sites which can all be enjoyed the whole year round.

Air
Tunisia has six international airports: Djerba, Monastir, Sfax, Tabarka, Tozeur, Tunis.
Tunisair and British Airways operate several flights a week from Heathrow and Gatwick to Tunis respectively.

Nouvelair operates a weekly flight every Sunday from Gatwick to Monastir. Bookings can be made through their UK agent, Tunisia First.

Charter flights usually fly to Monastir from regional airports (Birmingham, Glasgow, Belfast etc) all over the UK & Ireland.

Sevenair is the domestic airline operating from Tunis to Djerba, Tozeur and Sfax. Contact Tunisair for information and reservations

Ferry services
If you prefer to take a more leisurely route to Tunisia, why not book a ferry? There's plenty to recommend arriving by sea. And there are a number of companies offering regular services.

A rich and diverse cultural program has been prepared, including classical Arabic music as well as other forms of music from around the world. Cinema lovers will have the opportunity to see showings of short films by Arab and French film-makers, and there will be other forms of strange and popular entertainment, such as watching jugglers in a medieval setting.

Eid al-Fitr
When: 20 September
The end of Ramadan (a religious daylight fast that lasts a month). Partying in the streets all over the country, with enormous special feasts and other special events organised, and restaurants staying open late into the night. If you are in Tunisia on this important day, do make sure you join in the festivities

Festival of the Oases, Tozeur
When: 20 November - 10 December
The Festival of the Oases is held at the end of each year surrounding the date season, with a programme which includes parades, folk dances and camel races.

Festival of the Sahara, Douz
When: 8-11 November
Stemming from an original Bedouin marriage market, the Sahara Douz Festival has now mushroomed into a huge celebration which attracts over 50,000 people every year, from nomads, to poets, artists, camel racers, and even sand-hockey players!

Aside from the market, at the Sahara Douz Festival you can watch some impressive greyhound or camel racing as well as the equestrian military exercises known throughout the Maghreb as "fantasias". These involve a veritable swarm of riders cantering across the ground, turning abruptly and stopping in their tracks before shooting into the air.

If all the excitement is too much, you can always retire to the food area and gorge yourself on Douz's recently harvested dates!