Presentation

The most convenient airport is Monastir which is to the south on the coast, 20 minutes away and frequently used by holiday charter flights; another option is the Enfidha Airport which is located in the outskirts of the city; however it is still easily accessible with numerous train and shared taxi options.

Monastir is on the main line from Tunis in the south down to Sfax. Because it is located in the centre of the railway network it is well placed to reach most of the rest of the network, even as far south as Gabes on the coast and Tozeur on the edge of the Sahara . Example fares from Tunis to Monastir are 12/10/6 dinars in Grand/1st/2nd class. Tunisisan railways are mainly for goods traffic with passenger traffic taking something of a back seat so don’t expect to find yourself rattling along at 100 mph; 50 to 60 mph is more likely and the standard of the rolling stock (carriages) can be poor. That said rail services are generally reliable and above all are very cheap, even for the top class (Grand Classe Confort). They can be an excellent way to get about the country, just don’t expect Pullman style travel. The national railway company, the S.N.C.F.T. has a workable website that includes timetables and fares although you will need some rudimentary french to navigate it as the english language option was “under construction” at the time of writing. Wikipedia has an article on Tunisian railways which includes a map showing network coverage.

Highway A1 connects Monastir with Tunis. A toll applies for using the highway. Additionally, Monastir is crossed by National Road 1 (RN1), connecting the city with the south of the country, and Libya. Roads are in very good condition. Additionally, a car ferry connects Monastir with Trapani in Italy once a week i the summer months.

Buses (car) connect the city with most other parts of Tunisia. Additionally, there is a louage (shared-taxi) service covering the entire country. The far bus station (Gare Routiere) is located in some distance to the west of the Medina at the Souk El Ahad (“Camel Market”) – the City bus station is located next to the Medina in the town center). Prices are slightly lower than those of second class train tickets, but many buses do not have air conditioning.

Car ferries and express boats connect Monastir with Trapani (only in the summer months, once a week for cars and passengers) and Mazara del Vallo via Pantelleria 3 times a week, only for passengers. It takes up to 7-8 hours to Trapani and 5 hours to Mazara del Vallo. Private boats and yachts can use the marina at Port El Kantaoui (a resort about 12 km north of Monastir).