Enabling various types of travel, Ferries offer crucial links between different cities in the world. Think about them as connecting dots to the four corners of the world. Whether you’re planning local trips for work, school or longer journeys for travel or business, ferries offer you some great benefits of travel.
If you’re looking for the best way to reach Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, without flying, ferries are the only option available. La Goulette port is the port of disembarkation. It’s named after the city of its location.
La Goulette is a coastal town with a long history in connecting the Northen part of the Mediterranean to the southern part. Today, it’s a port city that offers a genuine experience of Mediterranean life with its seafood and relaxed life rhythm.
To get to the capital of Tunisia by ship, you can leave from Italy or France. Italian ports connected to La Goulette port are those of Civitavecchia, Palermo, Genoa and Salerno. If you prefer coming from France, Marseille port is the only option.
In this complete guide, WildyNess team walks you through everything you need to know before sailing in Tunisia.
The Best Time to Travel by Ferry to Tunisia
If you’re a sunseeker, we are happy to tell you that the country is usually sunny from June to September and warm throughout the year.
Can you just believe that temperature can reach 30C in winter? (we can already picture your wide smile).
This is a general view on the best time to visit Tunisia. As you’re looking for the best time to travel to Tunisia by ferry, a few factors need to be taken into consideration. One of these is the high demand on ferries during specific times of the year.
As you may know, a lot of Tunisians are living abroad and prefer to come back for vacation with their cars. This makes some months frenetic.
Thus, we would recommend avoiding the months of July, August and December. Usually, these months witness a great flow of travelers sailing with ferries. If you’ve already planned your trip in these months, you need to book your tickets ASAP.
The Best Cities to Take a Ferry to Tunisia
Independently of where you are taking the ferry from. We recommend booking your ticket on this trusted website that we personally used.
Ferry Marseille to Tunis
To travel from France to Tunisia by ferry, Marseille is your go-to departure port. It travels for around 833 kilometers as the crow flies on a once-weekly basis. This ferry typically travels takes the average of 22 hours to arrive to Tunis.
Ferry Genoa to Tunis
Traveling by ferries from Italy to Tunisia is a great choice. This is mainly thanks to the variety of maritime options travelers have. One of these options is Genoa, which offers a crossing trip of 24 hours.
There is usually a trip twice a week. Amenities in ferry operator tours include an armchair, stateroom, or suite, as well as restaurants, bars, theaters, chapels, stores, and areas for parties and kids.
Ferry London to Tunis
Want to go from London to Tunis without flying? You have two options to choose from. The first one would be using the Eurostar, TGV high-speed rail. While the second one is keeping the ferry travel style always on and opt for a ferry to Calais port.
If you’re going to choose the train option, you would need to take the Eurostar to Lille or Paris, then change to the fast TGV to Marseille. Once in Marseille, the rest is easy to figure out.
While if you’re opting for ferries, the only available option is to sail from Dover to Calais then drive from Calais to Marseille.
Ferry from Other Cities to Tunis
If you’re leaving from Italy, Genoa is not the only option. While the most northerly ferry leaves from Genoa, you can alternatively opt to a ferry from Civitavecchia (near Rome) or Salerno on the Italian mainland (near Naples). The latter, however, requires more time because it stops in Palermo, Sicily.
Whether you opt for Salerno, Civitavecchia or Trapani, you need to keep in mind that these trips usually exceed 21 hours.
Also Read : Is It Safe to Travel to Tunisia ?
Tips to Plan a Great Ferry Trip to Tunisia
Book a Cabin
These kinds of journeys are long and nerve-wrecking, especially if you’re shipping your vehicle. This is known to everyone who used a ferry at least one time in their lives. So, it’s not something related to any of the ports mentioned in this article.
If you are very serious about your comfort, booking a cabin is highly recommended. Usually, ferries operating the route to Tunis have cabins, including disabled cabins, and also numbered seats.
Some travelers have already reported awful experiences due to the big crowd sleeping outside cabins in ferries.
So, make sure you are comfortable by booking a cabin (porthole or without porthole) with a private bathroom when you purchase your ticket. Televisions are available in the porthole and bathroom-equipped cabins.
Bring Your Own Food
If you’re not a big fan of airline food, chances are you will hate the ferry food. While this depends hugely on the ferry operator and your personal preferences, we highly recommend stocking some food and water.
If it’s not about the taste, you would also want to be kind to your pocket. Food on ferries is usually insanely expensive. For 24 hours, you would survive with some cold food and snacks.
We would recommend avoiding any type of food that doesn’t withstand the heat and rather opt for some biscuits, snacks, pre-cut veggies, loaves of bread, etc.
Don’t overstuff your car for easier customs check-ups
As for luggage size and weight, ferry companies tend to be quite flexible. Nevertheless, we don’t recommend jam pack your car as it will entail a long time in the check-ups once you arrive in Tunis.
For travelers without cars, companies mention on their website that there is no check-in procedure for luggage items. But, the luggage weight recommended is 50 kg. This is mainly due to the restricted luggage area onboard.
Be at least 6 hours at the port before departure
Whether you are traveling with your vehicle or not, we highly recommend reaching the port 6 hours prior to your onboard time. This way, you’re sure you will be able to deal with any inconvenience.
Also remember that sometimes the check point closes 90 min before the trip. If you’re planning to have another trip to reach the port of departure, don’t hesitate to give a call to the customer service of the ferry company and make sure to plan everything accordingly.
Cars park is not accessible anymore during the trip
Once you park your car in the designated area on the ferry. Make sure you take with you your the belongings that you would need for your stay in the cabin. The parking area will be closed during the trip and not accessible to anyone due to security reasons.
Create a car insurance certificate onsite at the port
Once you arrive to Tunis and go through customs. The last step you need to is to create a car insurance certificate at the port. Just ask for “Star Assurances” office and you will be gives directions by the port staff. It is within a walking distance.
Pet travel
You can travel with your pet on the ferry to Tunis from Genoa, depending on the company and type of vessel you’ve chosen. Make sure to carry along the necessary certificates, tickets, and any pet supplies you may need for your trip.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ferries from Italy to Tunisia (FAQ)
What’s the average ticket price?
This depends on your departing port, the type of vehicle you are driving with and the number of people, the price can vary drastically. Taking into consideration all of these factors, the one-way price of the ticket would vary from 150 euro to 1000 euro.
Where can I book cheap ferry tickets to Tunis?
As we mentioned above, we personally tested aferry.com, and we could recommend booking your ticket via their website. We compared many ferry ticket providers and found ferry the best so far in terms of service and price competitiveness.
Let us know if you have a different experience or would like to suggest another option 🙂
How long the crossing time usually takes?
As we cannot tell from which location you’re departing, It is a bit daunting to determine the exact duration. But, let’s break down the duration depending on the departing port.
From Palermo, the trip takes between 10.5 hr and 11.5 hr, which makes it the fastest ferry trips sailing to Tunisia. However, Palermo is located in Sicily, which comes at the far southern part of Italy.
From Genoa or Marseille, the crossing time ranges from 20 hr min to 25 hr, depending on many factors. Both ferries travel approximately at the same pace.
What’s the arrival port in Tunis?
For passengers, there are two arrival ports: Zarzis port and La Goulette Port. As far as the Zarzis port is considered, the only ferry operator giving this option is the CTN. (National Ferry Company of Tunisia)
The maritime line was launched in late 2016 and aims at catering to the needs of Tunisians living in Europe while keeping in mind the tourists wanting to come to the Southern part of the country.
Also, the timetable of the crossing trips is a bit too limited. This port may be great for those who are going to be traveling at the pre-communicated dates and had one of the southern Tunisia city as a main destination.
La Goulette Port is still the arrival port you would opt for. This is usually due to the busy timetable of ferries sailing on a weekly basis. This brings a great deal of flexibility in case you decided to modify your trip details.
What ferry companies have trips to Tunisia?
From France or Italy, you can sail with one of the four major ferry operators:
- Grimaldi Lines
- Corsica Linea
- Grandi Navi Veloci (GNV)
- La Compagnie Tunisienne de Navigation (CTN)
Usually, the ferries typically run once a week and go all year long.
CTN is a Tunisian ferry company. Operating for more than twenty years, the company is usually deemed as the one providing of the most comfortable trips and the biggest choices of onboard amenities.
Sail in Tunis Port with fewer worries
Sailing in a new city comes with overwhelming feelings. However, overwhelmed or worried you are, implementing the tips we’ve covered and doing your research will help alleviate a lot of your worries.
Whether it’s your first time trying this type of travel or not, it’s time to give it a try.
