Sousse Governorate · Tunisia
Where to stay in Sousse
Sousse is a city in Sousse Governorate, Tunisia, home to about 222,000 people. This guide covers 1 hotel in Sousse.
- Places to stay in this guide
- 1
- Best months
- March to May and October to December
- Nearest airport
- MIR14 km · Monastir Habib Bourguiba International Airport
- Currency
- TNDTunisian dinar
- Time zone
- Africa/Tunis
- Language
- Arabic
About
About Sousse
Sousse, Sūsah, or Soussa, is a city in Tunisia, capital of the Sousse Governorate. Located 140 km (87 mi) south of the capital Tunis, the city has 271,428 inhabitants (2014).
Located on the coast, it has good beaches and a clear turquoise sea. It is a popular tourist destination, particularly with Russians, Serbs, Croats, British, Germans and East European people. You will be surprised to see many empty hotels and hotel clubs (permanently closed) along the beach front north of the centre. However, Medina and beach areas are still lively. Its climate is classified as hot semi-arid (BSh) but is close to hot-summer Mediterranean (Csa). Rainfall is mainly in colder months.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Sousse
See
All of Sousse's main sights are located within the labyrinthine medina in the heart of the city. Walk around and get lost in the western residential areas, which have beautiful surprises. There are signboards with a "cultural walk" marked out that you could follow. Up on the western side, the medina goes unto higher ground and you can see the sea.
- Grand Mosque of Sousse
- Sousse Ribat
- Sousse Archaeological Museum
- Musee Dar Essid
- The Sousse Catacombs
- Eglise St Felix
- Synagogue Keter Torah
Do
Play golf. There is no golf course in Sousse, but one in Port El Kantaoui and two in Monastir. Walking around the fishing boats at the port is a pleasant way to spend time, and families with children may wish to take a trip on one of the 'pirate' ships which offer fishing and other nautical activities.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Places to stay in Sousse
1 place to stay from the chains this guide covers, each linked to its own website.
| Place to stay |
|---|
| Occidental Sousse Marhaba hotel |
Schematic: the city centre in orange, each place to stay as a dot, distance rings in kilometres.
Where to stay
Which part of Sousse to stay in
Don't compare the category directly to European hotels, expect to take a star (or even two) from these hotels.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
More hotels in Sousse
2 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Iberostar Selection Diar El Andalous | 8.7 km | |
| Iberostar Selection Kantaoui Bay | 10.0 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Sousse
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Sousse are March to May and October to December. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 35 °C; October is the wettest, with about 53 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Sousse: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Monastir Habib Bourguiba International Airport (MIR), about 14 km from the city centre in a straight line; Enfidha - Hammamet International Airport (NBE, 32 km) and Tunis Carthage International Airport (TUN, 119 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
The most convenient airport is Monastir MIR which is to the south on the coast, 20 minutes away and frequently used by holiday charter flights.
Getting around
Taxis in Sousse have a bad reputation and the best advice is to agree a price before getting in and ensure that the price is not 'per person'. If you are unsure of what a reasonable price should be, ask at your hotel reception. The taxis do have meters, but the drivers are often reluctant to use them; be firm and insist it is reset to the 0.500 dinar "standing charge" at the start of your journey. One favourite trick is to leave the previous fare on the meter so that it will be added to your fare before you even set off.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
MIR · Monastir Habib Bourguiba International Airport
NBE · Enfidha - Hammamet International Airport
TUN · Tunis Carthage International Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Sousse
Eat
You can have a nice meal for around 10 DT or less (depends on the place), but prices are generally low. For this you don't have to negotiate prices. Restaurant du Peuple. Next to Hotel de Paris. Good couscous, comes with salad starter, and watermelon and tea at the end. COunt about 10 DT per person. Burgerplace "PLAN B" in the hotel area, near Riadh Palms Hotel and opposite Tej Merhaba Hotel on street Avenue Taïeb Mehiri, Sousse, Tunesien. Lively - cheap sandwiches and burgers, delicious and juicy. 8.5 DN incl. french fries. Many teenage locals here in the afternoons. Modern clean place. Restaurant Lido; excellent fish restaurant by the port, opposite the 'pirate' ships.
Drink
Drinking tap water is generally not harmful - some people and almost all tourists prefer, though, to use the bottled water that you can find everywhere (very cheap, for around 0.200-0.400 DT per 1/2 liter, 0.300-0.650 DT for 1.5 liter). Non-carbonated (non-sparkling) water is the most popular, and is called "mineral water". Carbonated water is available as well, but you must specifically ask for water with gas (eau avec gaz) or Garci (the most popular brand). Expect to find a Coke for around 0.800 to 1.5 DT (depends if in a supermarket or hotel). The favorite beverage of the locals is tea, with many tea based specialties being available at the many cafes and restaurants around town.
Stay safe
A terrorist attack at the end of June 2015 killed 38 mostly British tourists. The UK government still recommends against all but essential travel to Tunisia as a whole, though it has no stronger warning against travel to Sousse as of August 2016. There's no danger from street crime from walking alone at any time. Most streets are very busy till late night. Respect the locals and you will be respected. Crime is nearly non-existent, even if some of the neighborhoods of the city may look shabby or feel dangerous. Expect some hassle in the souk (medina) and this is most normal. Merchants always try to show their goods/shops and see what you like.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Sousse: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Sousse?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Sousse are March to May and October to December. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 35 °C; October is the wettest, with about 53 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Sousse?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Monastir Habib Bourguiba International Airport (MIR), about 14 km from the city centre in a straight line; Enfidha - Hammamet International Airport (NBE, 32 km) and Tunis Carthage International Airport (TUN, 119 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Sousse?
Tunisian dinar (TND).
Nearby
Destinations near Sousse
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.