Day Trips from Sousse: El Jem to Mahdia

November 5, 2026

Check the current US State Department and UK FCDO advice before travelling outside Sousse; some border and military areas of Tunisia are closed to tourists, and Sbeitla in Kasserine Governorate is essential-travel-only. All the trips below are outside the FCDO warning zones.

Sousse sits in the middle of the Sahel coast, which makes it a good base for short trips by train, metro and louage. Distances are rough, and timetables change, so check before you go.

El Jem amphitheatre

El Jem is about 60 to 70 km south. The train from Sousse Ville takes about 1 hour 15 minutes, with only a few departures a day, so look at the SNCFT timetable first. The amphitheatre dates from about 238, measures 147.9 by 122.2 m and is 36 m high. Official hours run from 07:30 to 17:00 in winter and 07:00 to 18:30 in summer. The heritage agency page showed 12 TND for non-residents before April 2026, and reports since suggest about 20 to 30 TND, rising again in January 2027, so confirm at the gate. The underground galleries are part of the visit if they are open.

Monastir

Monastir is on the Sahel Metro line from Sousse Bab Jedid station, a short walk from the main station. The Ribat is open all week, 08:30 to 17:30 in winter and 08:00 to 19:00 in summer, and was listed at 8 TND for non-residents before April 2026. It appeared in Monty Python’s Life of Brian and Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth. The Bourguiba Mausoleum is free, but reported hours differ, so check locally.

Mahdia

The Sahel Metro and louages also reach Mahdia, founded in 916 and opened as the Fatimid capital in 921. The Skifa Kahla gate dates from the 10th century and is the main remnant of the original walls. The Great Mosque was largely rebuilt in the 1960s. Fees and hours for the Borj el Kebir fortress are not published clearly, so ask on arrival.

Kairouan

Kairouan is about 60 km west and takes roughly an hour by road. Non-Muslim visitors see the Great Mosque courtyard only, and the Aghlabid Basins are a restoration site, so check access. There is no direct public transport between Kairouan and El Jem, which makes a combined loop easiest by car or tour.

Hergla

Hergla is a small cliff-top town about 24 km north-west with blue-and-white houses and an 18th-century mosque. The Halk el Menzel lagoon nearby draws migratory birds, including flamingos, in season.

Trips to skip

Tozeur, Douz and Djerba are not day trips from Sousse. The Sahara dunes begin more than 350 km away.

Booking help

Hotel desks sell coach tours, and you can compare El Jem and Monastir day tours online. The official El Jem page lists hours, and the FCDO Tunisia page lists the areas to avoid.