 The Grand Mosque, Sousse |
London to Tunisia in 48 hours without flying?
You don't need to fly to visit Tunisia. Far from it. You can travel safely, comfortably and affordably from London's St Pancras Station to Tunisia without flying, by Eurostar, TGV high-speed train and comfortable cruise ferry. Take Eurostar to Lille or Paris and change onto a high-speed TGV train to Marseille, then sail to Tunisia by Corsica Linea or CTN ferry, ferries sail every few days. This page is a step-by-step guide to planning, booking and making a trip to Tunisia by train and ferry, with no flying necessary!
London to Tunis by train+ferry - times, fares, tickets
Useful country information - tourist
info, currency, etc
Hotels & accommodation in Tunisia
On other pages...
Useful
country information
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Ferries to Tunisia: |
Marseille-Tunis, Genoa-Tunis: www.corsicalinea.com, www.ctn.com.tn. Genoa-Tunis: Grandi Navi Veloci: www.gnv.it. |
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Train operator in Tunisia: |
Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Tunisiens, www.sncft.com.tn For train times, see the Train travel in Tunisia page |
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Time zone & dialling code: |
GMT+1 all year round. Dial code +216. |
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Currency: |
£1 = approx 3.5 Dinars. Currency converter |
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Tourist information: |
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Visas: |
UK citizens do not need a visa to visit Tunisia. |
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Page last updated: |
2 January 2020 |
London to Tunis
 Day 1, by Eurostar & TGV from London to Marseille: Take Eurostar to Lille or Paris, then a 186 mph TGV from Lille or Paris to Marseille... |
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 Chill out along the Rhone Valley... The TGV flies past pretty French villages, crossing and re-crossing the River Rhone on huge viaducts. Spend the night in Marseille. |
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 Day 2, at Marseille, you board the ferry to Tunisia, with comfortable en suite cabins, restaurants, bars and sun decks... |
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 Day 3, arriving in the Bay of Tunis, with the sun glinting off the sparkling waters, and the ruins of Carthage up on Byrsa Hill on your right... |
London ► Tunis
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Day 1: Travel from London to Marseille by train, leaving London St Pancras by Eurostar at 11:04, changing at Lille Europe (arrive 13:26, depart 14:01) onto a direct TGV to Marseille, arriving Marseille St Charles at 18:49. For full details, see the London to France page.
Alternative trains are available if you'd like to leave London earlier and spend an afternoon or evening in Marseille, or if you'd like to travel via Paris, see the London to France page. On certain days and periods there is a direct Eurostar from London to Marseille, see details and days of running here.
It's a very scenic trip, as south of Lyon the TGV runs along the Rhône Valley, crossing and re-crossing the River Rhône, flying at ground level through the hills of Provence over some impressive viaducts to reach Marseille. Watch out for a dramatic viaduct over the Rhone just before Avignon, with views of the famous 'Palais des Papes' in the distance (though if you can spot anyone dancing 'sur le pont d'Avignon' you've got better eyesight than me). You'll catch a glimpse of Marseille harbour with its Chateau d'If of Count of Monte Cristo fame to your right just before arriving at Marseille St Charles station. Spend the night in a hotel.
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Day 2: Sail from Marseille to Tunis by cruise ferry, usually leaving in the morning or lunchtime and arriving in Tunis the following morning (day 3). Two ferry companies, the French Corsica Linea and the Tunisian CTN (Compagnie Tunisienne de Navigation) sail from Marseille to Tunis several times a week all year-round. Sailing times & dates vary, so see the Seat61 Ferry Shop or www.corsicalinea.com for actual times & fares for your dates of travel. CTN also have their own website, www.ctn.com.tn, although without online booking. Both French Corsica Lines and Tunisian CTN ships are modern and comfortable with a full range of restaurants, bars, cinema & cabins. Make sure you're on deck as the ship sails out of the port of Marseille, past the fishing boats in the Vieux Port and the infamous Chateau d'If, with great views of the city. 24 hours later you've crossed the Mediterranean, and the ship sails into the Bay of Tunis, past the ruins of the ancient city of Carthage on Byrsa Hill, with a real sense of arrival that airline passengers will never know.
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Day 3: The ferry arrives at Tunis international ferry terminal at La Goulette, about 6 miles (10km) from Tunis city centre. You can either take a taxi (10-15 dinars, but insist that the driver uses the meter) or walk to the nearby La Goulette station on the Tunis-Marsa 'TGM' light railway and take a train two stops to the Tunis Marine station at the end of the line, journey time about 15 minutes. There are banks in La Goulette for local currency to buy a ticket. Map of Tunis (the ferry terminal is at the right-hand end of the long straight section incorrectly marked as the Avenue Habib Bourguiba, south of Keredine, at the entrance to the Ben Arous).
For onward trains from Tunis to Sousse, Monastir, Sfax & Gabès, see the Train travel in Tunisia page.
Tunis ► London
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Day 1: Sail from Tunis to Marseille by cruise ferry. Ferries sail several times a week, usually at around 11:00 or 12:30, arriving in Marseille the following day (day 2) at 08:30, 10:30 or occasionally 14:00. Sailing times & dates vary, so see the Seat61 Ferry Shop or www.corsicalinea.com for times & fares. Both French Corsica Linea ships and Tunisian CTN ships are modern and comfortable with a full range of restaurants, bars, cabins, cinema, and so on. Tunis international ferry terminal is at La Goulette, 6 miles from the city centre by taxi or light railway plus a short walk.
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Day 2: Travel by train from Marseille back to London. Allow at least 3 hours to make a connection in Marseille between the scheduled arrival of the ferry and the departure of your train.
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If the ferry arrives 06:00-08:30, there's a 12:14 TGV high-speed train from Marseille to Lille, change at Lille onto Eurostar, arriving London St Pancras at 81:06, still on day 2. f your ferry is due to arrive any later than 09:00 then you should plan to spend the night in a hotel and travel the next day (day 3). This advice takes into account the fact that ferries can sometimes arrive late. See the London to France page for the full range of times, fares & options from Marseille to London.
How much does it cost?
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The fare from London to Marseille starts at £68 one-way or £120 return by Eurostar+TGV high-speed train. See the London to France page for more information about fares.
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From Marseille to Tunis, a ferry ticket starts at £141 single, £281 return including a berth in a 4-berth cabin. You can check fares for different cabin types and dates at either the Seat61 Ferry Shop or www.corsicalinea.com.
How to buy tickets online...
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Book the ferry first, online at www.corsicalinea.com or using the Seat61 Ferry Shop. Make a note of the sailing dates & times.
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Then book the train from London to Marseille. You can book online from any station in Britain to Marseille at Raileurope.co.uk, with print-at-home or collect-at-station tickets. See the London to France page for a complete step-by-step guide to booking train tickets from the UK to Marseille.
How to buy tickets by phone...
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Book the ferry first, by calling Corsica Linea's and CTN's UK agent, Southern Ferries, www.southernferries.co.uk, on 0844 815 7785.
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Then book the train from London to Marseille, by calling International Rail on 0844 248 248 3, lines open 09:00-17:00 Mondays-Fridays or Ffestiniog Travel (01766 512400) - but it's quicker and cheaper to book online. Click here for more European rail booking advice.
London - Tunis via Genoa
It is also possible to travel from London to Tunisia via Genoa in Italy - the ferry may be a bit cheaper from Genoa to Tunis than from Marseille to Tunis, but the train fare from London to Genoa is usually more expensive and less convenient than London to Marseille.
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CTN (Tunisian) provide a ferry service from Genoa to Tunis once or twice a week, with fares starting at about £85 single, £155 return - visit the Seat61 Ferry Shop to check fares and sailing dates.
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Grandi Navi Veloci (Italian) also sail from Genoa to Tunis two or three times a week - see www.gnv.it to check fares and sailing dates.
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For details of train times and fares between London and Genoa, and how to buy tickets see the London to Italy page.
Find
hotels in Tunisia
Personal recommendation...
The Hôtel Majestic on the main Avenue de Paris in Tunis has the best French colonial facade in town and is a great place to stay, see www.booking.com/hotel/tn/majestic.en.html. It was closed for refurbishment for a while, but has reopened in 2011. It's comfortable and central, and rooms with en suite facilities cost around £20 per night.
You
should take a good guidebook. For the independent
traveller this means either the Lonely Planet or the Rough
Guide. I personally prefer the layout of the Lonely
Planets, but others prefer the Rough Guides. Both
provide excellent practical information and historical
background. You won't regret buying one!
Click the images to buy online at Amazon.co.uk
The European Rail Timetable has train, bus and ferry times for every country in Europe. It costs £15.99 from www.europeanrailtimetable.eu.
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Travel
insurance & health card
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Take out decent travel insurance, it's essential...
Never travel without proper travel insurance from a reliable insurer with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover. It should also cover loss of cash & belongings (up to a limit), and trip cancellation. An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheapest even for just 2 or 3 trips a year - I have an annual policy myself. However, don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed connection, see the advice on missed connections here. Here are some suggested insurers, Seat61 gets a little commission if you buy through these links, and feedback from using insurance for rail & ferry travel is always welcome.
In
the UK, use
www.confused.com to compare prices & policy features across
major insurance companies.
If you have a pre-existing medical condition or are over 65, see www.JustTravelCover.com - 10% discount with code seat61.
If you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the
EU, try
Columbus Direct's other websites.
If you live in the USA try
Travel Guard USA.
Get an EU health card, it's free...
If you're a UK citizen travelling in Europe, you should apply for a free European Health Insurance Card, which entitles you to free or reduced rate health care if you become ill or get injured in many European countries, under a reciprocal arrangement with the NHS. This replaced the old E111 forms as from January 2006. The EHIC card is available from ww.nhs.uk. It doesn't remove the need for travel insurance, though.
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Get a free Curve card to save on exchange rates & foreign transaction fees...
Banks often give you a poor exchange rate, then charge you a currency conversion fee on top. A Curve MasterCard means no foreign transaction fees and gives you the mid-market exchange rate, at least up to a certain limit, £500 per month as I write this. The balance goes straight onto one of your existing debit or credit cards. And you can get a Curve card for free.
How it works: 1. Download the app for iPhone or Android. 2. Enter your details & they'll send you a Curve MasterCard - they send to most European addresses including the UK. 3. Link your existing credit & debit cards to the app. 4. Now use the Curve MasterCard to buy things online or in person or take cash from ATMs, just like a normal MasterCard. Curve does the currency conversion and puts the balance onto whichever of your debit or credit cards you choose. You can even change your mind about which card it goes onto, within 14 days of the transaction.
I have a Curve Blue card myself and it's great - I get some commission if you sign up to Curve, but I only recommend such things when I've read up on reviews and tried it myself. See details, download the app and get a Curve card. Use code MAN61 to get £5 cashback after signing up and using your Curve card the first time.
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Get a VPN for safe browsing when you travel. VPNs & why you need one explained...
When you're travelling you often use free WiFi in public places which may not be secure. A VPN means your connection to the internet is encrypted & always secure, even using unsecured WiFi. In countries such as China where access to Twitter & Facebook is restricted, a VPN gets around these restrictions. And lastly, you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse with, to get around geographic restrictions which some websites apply - for example one booking site charges a booking fee to non-European visitors but none to European visitors, so if you're not located in Europe you can avoid this fee by browsing with a UK IP address using a VPN. VPNs & why you need one explained. ExpressVPN is a best buy and I use them myself.