private tours of carthage v doing own thing

[Cambscruiser gb]

Hi

We'll be La Goulette in Nov with Discovery and I'd like to see Carthage. I've read the excellent posts but unsure whether to DIY/private tour if possible or fall back on ship's tour. Always done our own thing in Europe but we've done a Nile cruise previously and even with the ship's reps. found the traders a bit intimidating. Would love to follow the great post instructions on using train etc to see Carthage on our own or to find any private/small recommended tours. Would be grateful for any thoughts or advise on what's best - I know the ship's tour is a safe fallback plan but would like to be a bit more adventurous if feasible.

thanks, GB

[right trip]

Hi, Carthage is a wonderful place. Do it on your own. We were there last September and decided on the ship's tour. Once we realized how close the site was and how easy it was to get there, we regretted our decission. I would have enjoyed spending more time walking around. The people are very friendly. :)

[Cambscruiser gb]

Thanks for your advice - I'm glad you enjoyed it - finger crossed we will too!:)

Regards GB

[belleretraite]

We were there last Nov. with the MSC Splendida and found it quite easy to go to Carthage by taxi from the pier .The small train goes also to Carthage (get off at Station Carthage - Salambo) but I do not know how to reach the train from the dock.

Once on the site, you can easily find a guide or tour the site on your own with a good travel guide book. It is quite safe and we never felt harassed ! Do not forget that the Presidential Palace is very close to the site !

The visit should not take more than 3 hours ! So , if you have the time , you have to go to Sidi Bou Said , about 12 miles from Carthage and visit this beautiful village. This is a must in Tunisia !

Enjoy !

[Cambscruiser gb]

Thanks for more encouragement - just realised we're in Tunis on a Sunday - anyone know if the trains have a good/poor sunday timetable? I'd be in trouble with husband if I'd persuaded hinm to go alone and find we couldn't! :D

GB

[belleretraite]

There is a train called the TGM departing every 15 minutes, everyday from 06.00hrs till past midnight . It links Tunis to all the beaches going north to La Marsa.

There are posts on Cruise Critic on this train and you could research Trip Advisor for other comments ! Fare is a bit less than $1 one way !

[Adsmama]

Would anyone know how much money it would cost to "rent" a cab for the day for two people?? We wanted to visit Carthage and see Sidi Bou Said a bit and maybe the Medina for a little time. Just wondering what the deal was.

[Cambscruiser gb]

Thanks, Belleretraite,

Brilliant info - will definately do it ourselves with your much appreciated help (and all the other great people who have posted info on Carthage on this forum)!:):)

Thanks again, GB

[belleretraite]

Hi GB !

If you go to Sidi Bou Said, go to Café des Nattes ! Everyone knows where it is and order mint tea or arabic coffee with the dates or local pastries and just listen to the surroundings ! It will really give you the feeling of the North African way of living !

Take 30 minutes to bring back hours of memories !!!

[KirkNC]

We did Carthage and SBS on our own last week. They have a new train station that is right by where the ship docks. If you look from the ship, there is a large parking lot right outside the new docks, on the back side of the parking lot is a little white building with some blue metal fencing. That is the new train station, it has just opened in the last few weeks. It makes it easy to get the train to Carthage. Remember you need to get dinars which you can get in the little tourist village they have just opened. When you leave the ship, you have to walk through the village to get outside (unless you are on a ship excursion in which case they take you through another little building). Inside this village are some little shops one of which is a currency exchange shop. You need 8 dinars/pp for Carthage sites plus 1 dinar if you are taking pictures. The train was 2 dinars/pp each time you got on it. Personally I thought the highlights of Carthage were the baths and museums. I thought you could skip the Salambo and Punic Harbors but others may enjoy all the sites. If you concentrate on the baths and museums you cut out significant walking. You can see the baths and museums from the Carthage Hannibal stop. Get back on the same stop and it will take you to Sidi Bu Said, a beautiful village.

 

If you do this on your own be prepared to run a gauntlet of taxi drivers. Our cruise stopped in Tunis twice, the first time the drivers were very aggressive in pestering you, the second they were not as bad.

 

Here is a great thread by Coral Reef that we found helpful on Carthage on your own:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1004051

 

 

Adsmama - on the cab, negotiate hard up front and fix the price, it should be around 50-60 euros. The cabs out front are run by a service (at the exit of the village) that quoted us 75 euros for what you are asking about but if you walk out of the port there are MANY cabs that will approach you. Just be aware that while we found the Tunisians to be honest, they will try to manipulate you to maximize your fare. We took a cab to Bardo and the Medina (we ended up not actually going into the Medina, we just strolled the long street that leads up to it.) Our driver got a call while we were in transit from "his boss" that tried to get us to do more of a whole day tour instead of the 1/2 day we did. Just stand your ground with them, again they are honest, ours drove us to Bardo (where he offered to give us dinar to get in) than back into town and no money exchanged hands until we were back at the ship. We could have easily left him outside the Medina and taken the train back to the ship leaving him high and dry but while they bargin hard, they are good people. ANyway, enough on that, I do caution you on the Medina. I did not talk to anyone that said they enjoyed the experience. It is a very crowded narrow set of small streets with aggressive vendors, it is easy to get turned around. We decided it was not our cup of tea but you might love it.

 

In closing I will admit that I was a little nervous with a DIY in Tunis but having spent two days there now I can say we never felt uncomfortable so give it a try.

 

Kirk