Kairouan and El Djem Historical Tour: Discover Islamic Architecture and Roman Ruins from Hammamet
4.4
10 Ratings
Kairouan
Embark on a historical tour from Hammamet and explore the captivating Islamic architecture of Kairouan and the Roman ruins of El Djem. Discover Africa's second-oldest mosque, the impressive Great Mosque, and the magnificent El Djem amphitheatre.
Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • The Great Mosque of Kairouan - Visit Africa’s second-oldest mosque, explore the medina of Kairouan and marvel at the Sidi Sahbi Mausoleum. Even by classical Islamic standards, the interior of the Great Mosque is dazzling. The ornate tiles, intricate carpets and pine tree-shaped chandeliers are beguiling and even the drains are beautifully decorated. The minaret, meanwhile, became the model for those that followed. Marvel at the elaborate tiles and stucco of the Sidi Sahbi mausoleum then wander the medina’s meandering alleys of whitewashed houses with faded blue and green doors and window frames.
  • Amphitheatre of El Jem - You’ll make a pilgrimage back in time during this history-drenched full day excursion.
What's Included
  • Guide
  • Transport
  • Lunch
  • Entrance fees
What's Not Included
  • Extras
Additional Information

On this tour, you’ll discover history-drenched locations such as the Roman colosseum of El Djem, Africa’s second-oldest mosque and the medina of Kairouan.

We’ll start off in the walled city of Kairouan. Protected by sandstone walls, the old town offers medina is a maze of narrow streets, whitewashed houses with brightly painted shutters and brick-laid archways, perfect for exploring. Then you’ll visit Kairouan’s unmissable Great Mosque - considered one of the finest examples of Islamic architecture in the region. As well as the mosque’s splendid interior, the complex also features a large prayer hall, an arcaded courtyard, and a minaret.

Another important site in Kairouan is the Sidi Sahbi mausoleum, known for its beautiful tilework and stucco decorations
– it’s a popular site for pilgrimages. Next, there’s a stop for lunch before visiting El Djem amphitheatre, the third-largest built by the Romans.

Location
The Great Mosque of Kairouan
Rue Sidi Abdelkader,
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.4
(10 Ratings)
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Natalia_c
May 12, 2024
Interesting tour with a friendly guide - We had the tour with a nice, friendly guide Mo. He explained the stories behind in a very interesting way, also answering all the questions; also the organisation was very good; I can only recommend the tour and the tour guide, of course:-)
Review provided by Viator
Daniel_g
Apr 28, 2024
Excellent Cultural and Historical Tour - We had our tour to the Holy City and El Jem yesterday and it was really good. We were messaged prior to the tour to let us know the pick up time and they turned up right on time. Our guide was Mo and our driver was Taraq (I hope I have spelt them correct, apologies if not.) Mo was really friendly and funny, he spoke multiple languages and did the tour in whatever languages were required, so everyone got to hear and understand the information he was relaying to us. He was very informative and had lots to tell us. He explained how the day would work and kept us informed throughout the day. We went to the Holy City first after all the pick ups were done and spent time there while he explained everything about the city and location. We were there for a couple of hours and got to take lots of photos. From therw we went for lunch near to El Jem which was lovely. There was a good variety of things to try, including fish and chicken. We had the chicken with cous cous and salad and it was really really nice. The chicken was cooked beautifully. We then went on to El Jem where we were given lots of historical information before being allowed to walk around ourselves and take lots of pictures. We finished with a quick stop to a nearby museum where a preserved villa had been excavated and we had a look around there before getting back on to the coach for our drop offs back at our hotels. The driver was really good and you could tell Mo our guide had a lot of love for his country and his cultural and historical heritage. It was an amazing tour and I definitely recommend it. The only thing to add is just to let people know that depending on where you are and if you are one of the first pick ups, the day can be quite long as there can be a lot of driving to get to these locations. So be prepared for the long day and make sure you have plenty of water with you. It would be great if the first pick up could be dropped off first and so on but maybe it just doesn't work like that. I don't know. Other than that it was amazing and our guide Mo was absolutely brilliant. Be sure to tip him and the driver, not just a couple of pounds worth but a GOOD tip, they deserve it.
Review provided by Viator
Michael_l
Apr 8, 2024
Great day tour with a great guide! - Great and informative tour with a great helpful guide and a good, mixed group of people. Learned some history and got to really explore all of the Coliseum. Lunch was great and really enjoyed the day. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Viator
Andrew_b
Mar 22, 2024
Well worth the money - Terrific experience . Very good guide, Plenty of free time to ourselves and a better than expected lunch.
Review provided by Viator
Jacqueline_w
Jan 23, 2024
Excellent - Excellent trip extremely satisfied Aida had so much knowledge about everything 😊 would recommend . Gained so much knowledge on history about Tunisia. Very friendly and funny - driver also good company 👍
Review provided by Viator
Sean_m
Nov 19, 2023
Great tour - The tour was long, about 11 hours from Hammamet, but the guide was nice and the tour was great. I would recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Dionne_f
Apr 10, 2024
Great guide and sights - but very average day. - First I must mention the guide, who was incredibly knowledgeable and made great efforts to explain and show us key points. This included at the visiting sites and along the route. Which were truly beautiful and very rich in history. It was this what made me give the trip 3*. However the journey to the other hotels, were too many it took 2+ hours to pick everyone up. Then it was a further 1.5 hours to the first destination. This could be reduced by not booking a entire coach of people from such a wide range of hotels (distance). This also meant that there was very little space, sitting with others so close and so many children made this trip very average for me. This wouldn't be an issue if the majority of the 11 hours was not spent on the coach travelling, but it was. Lunch was at a hotel, this was awful, the food was served tepid warm at best, the chicken was inedible for most people and the fish option looked like tinned sardines. That was the range. Again you are forced to sit at specific tables, so I was again sat with a couple and a family. This would have been a nice point for some autonomy. I would recommend this trip, although not with the company, they are too money focused instead of experience focused. This makes a huge difference.
Review provided by Viator
Brigitte
May 6, 2024
Missed appointment and unprofessional service provider - I was unable to participate in this excursion because the guide did not come to pick us up at the right time Time scheduled on the ticket 7:30 a.m. and the guide came to the hotel at 7:00 a.m. according to the local service provider Tunisie voyage The meeting was at the hotel reception I would like to point out that we were not called to the hotel and at reception we were told that they had not seen anyone. We are very disappointed and have requested a full refund
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
May 2024
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