Tunisia
تونس
Tunisia runs on Arabic and French — French gets you through most hotels, menus, and signs — while locals speak the Derja dialect. Bolt was suspended in 2025, so inDrive (where you name your fare) and ordinary metered 'taxi jaune' are how you get around; always insist the meter is running. It's a cash-first country: the dinar can't legally leave Tunisia, cards are accepted mainly at hotels and bigger shops, so withdraw dinar from ATMs and keep small notes for cafés, louages, and the medina.
Power & Plug
Standard European two-round-pin sockets; EU travelers plug straight in, US/UK travelers need a Type C/E adapter.
Basic phrases
Tunisian Arabic
- Helloعسلامةaslema
- Thank youعيشكyaichek
- Excuse me / Sorryسامحنيsamahni
- Yesإيهeeh
- Noلاla
+10 more below
Tipping
Tipping (bakchich) is customary in small amounts — round up taxi fares and leave 5–10% at restaurants. A dinar or two for café waiters, porters, and attendants is expected.
🚖Rideshare & Taxi
See all →🗺️Navigation & Maps
See all →💬Translation
See all →📱Messaging
See all →🍱Food Delivery
See all →✈️Travel Planning
See all →Booking.com
Largest hotel inventory globally with free-cancellation default filter.
All Tunisian Arabic phrases
What to know before you go
✓ Do
- Greet with 'Aslema' and a handshake; use your right hand for greeting, eating, and passing items.
- Dress modestly, especially at mosques and in smaller towns — cover shoulders and knees.
- Haggle politely in the souks; it's expected, but do it with good humor, not aggression.
- Accept offered mint tea or coffee — refusing hospitality can seem rude.
- Ask permission before photographing people, police, or government buildings.
- During Ramadan, avoid eating, drinking, or smoking in public during daylight.
✕Don't
- Don't take Tunisian dinar out of the country — it's a closed currency and illegal to export.
- Don't enter mosques if non-Muslim where signs forbid it, and never during prayer times.
- Don't show the soles of your feet or pass things with your left hand.
- Don't discuss politics or photograph military/police installations.
⚠️ Common scams to know
- Taxi drivers claiming the meter is 'broken' to charge a flat inflated fare — insist on the compteur.
- 'Friendly' locals in the medina steering you to a relative's carpet or perfume shop for commission.
- Hard-sell carpet shops offering 'free' mint tea then pressuring a purchase.
- Fake 'closed today, follow me' detours away from the monument you wanted to see.