← Tunis-Carthage Marathon·Day trip

Carthage and Sidi Bou Said: The Coast on One Train Line

The Punic and Roman ruins the marathon runs past, then a whitewashed cliff village with cobbled lanes, all on a single suburban train line out of central Tunis.

DurationDay trip
TransitTGM light rail, 18 minutes to Carthage and about 25 minutes to Sidi Bou Said from Tunis Marine
DepartsTunis Marine

After the Tunis-Carthage Marathon: Carthage and Sidi Bou Said

The Route: Tunis Marine → Carthage → Sidi Bou Said → Tunis Marine Logistics: TGM light rail from Tunis Marine, 18 minutes to the Carthage stations and about 25 minutes to Sidi Bou Said. One line, no changes. Marathon Month: December Duration: Day trip

Tunis Marine ──(18 mins TGM)──> Carthage ──(7 mins TGM)──> Sidi Bou Said
      ▲                                                          │
      └─────────────────────(25 mins TGM)───────────────────────┘

The marathon turns for home somewhere near Sidi Bou Said and comes back down the coast past the ruins of Carthage, so a runner who has done the distance has already seen both from the road. A train covers the same ground at a more forgiving speed.

December in Carthage and Sidi Bou Said: days average about 18°C and nights about 9°C, with rain on roughly eight days of the month, so check the forecast before choosing the day. Most of Carthage is outdoors on an open hillside. Light fades by about 17:00, which sets the length of the day.

The TGM leaves from Tunis Marine, a 10 to 15 minute walk from the finish on Avenue Habib Bourguiba. Sunday trains run every 25 to 30 minutes. A single fare is roughly 0.5 to 1.1 TND depending on distance, paid at the station, and the stops you need are Carthage Hannibal, Carthage Byrsa and Sidi Bou Said.

Carthage

Carthage is not one site but a scatter of them across a residential hillside beside the sea. Carthage Hannibal is the usual stop for the Antonine Baths, a large Roman bath complex beside the water, and the walk from the station is short and level. Carthage Byrsa serves Byrsa Hill, where the Carthage Museum sits. The hill is the climb of the day, and the museum is worth it only if your legs agree. Foreign visitors pay about 12 TND, winter hours run from about 08:30 to 17:00, and parts of the museum are being restructured, so confirm what is open when you go.

The other sites include the Roman theatre, the Tophet, the Roman villas and the Early Christian museum. Distances between them are too long for a runner in the first 48 hours, so take a short taxi between clusters rather than walking the whole route. Check the opening days before choosing which day to go.

Sidi Bou Said

Sidi Bou Said is a white and blue village on a hill above the sea, reached from its own station by a walk uphill through cobbled lanes. The gradient is steady and the surface is uneven, with steps in places. Two to three hours is enough to see every street.

Café des Nattes sits near the top of the hill from the station and is where Paul Klee worked. Mint tea is about 3 TND, cheaper than at Café des Délices, which has the better view over the bay. Prices at the second are higher, so confirm them before ordering. Ennejma Ezzahra, the palace museum of Baron Rodolphe d'Erlanger, keeps its own hours, so check them before making it the reason for the trip.

Getting back

Return on the TGM to Tunis Marine and walk to the avenue. Check the evening timetable before you leave Sidi Bou Said, since frequency drops later in the day. A taxi from the village to the city centre is an alternative if the train is slow.