It's possible to go to Tunisia without a plane! In fact, the country is one of our selection of destinations for getting to the sun without taking a plane. Here are our practical solutions for making this trip a reality.
How to get to Tunisia without flying?
There are two main ways to get to Tunisia without flying: take a ferry from France, or take a ferry from Italy. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Taking a ferry from France is the most practical solution, as it involves the fewest transport changes. Taking a ferry from Italy is a little more complicated, but it's also the least polluting and least expensive solution, as the ferry crossing is much shorter. In both cases, you'll arrive in Tunis, which is one of our selection of destinations where you can go without flying from France. We'll tell you more about these two solutions below.
Taking a ferry from France
If you want to go to Tunisia without flying and are looking for simplicity, simply take a train to Marseille. Marseille station is well connected from the rest of France, and you'll have no trouble getting there. You can also make the initial journey by car. Then, from Marseille, there are several ferries running direct to Tunisia: one run by Corsica Linea, and the second by CTN (Compagnie Tunisienne de Navigation). The crossing takes around 23 hours before reaching Tunis, an excellent destination for backpackers. To organize your stay in Tunisia, read our guide to the best things to do in Tunisia.
Alsoworth a read: to help you organize your transport to your destination, take a look at our article on hitchhiking.
Taking a ferry from Italy
It's also possible to reach Palermo, in Sicily. All you need to do is take a train to Milan. There are direct TGV trains from Paris or Chambéry. Then, from Milan, take a direct night train to Palermo, Sicily. In fact, this second train will itself board a ferry for the first short crossing to the island. Again, you can also make the whole journey by car, if you prefer. On arrival in Palermo, simply take a ferry to Tunis. The crossing is operated by Grimaldi Lines and GNV (Grandi Navi Veloci) and takes around 12 hours. This option is quite long, due to the need to cross Italy by train, but it is also the least polluting, as it is the shortest ferry journey to Tunisia from Europe. It's also the cheapest option, as a long ferry crossing can be expensive. There are also other ferries regularly leaving Italy for Tunisia, notably from Civitavecchia, near Rome, but as this option is neither the fastest and most convenient, nor the most affordable and ecological, we have not developed it further.
Relatedarticle : see also our article on sunny destinations accessible without flying.
What budget should I allow for train travel to Tunisia?
The budget indicated below is only an indication, as the price of your journey to Tunisia without a plane will depend on a large number of factors, such as the date of your trip and how far in advance you book your tickets. Ferry prices can also vary considerably depending on the services you opt for: single seat or bed in the cabin, meals included or not, etc. To get a clearer idea of the budget you'll need for your trip, we suggest you run some simulations on the websites of the various companies. To minimize your budget as much as possible, we advise you to make your reservations as early as possible, to travel out of season, to prepare your own meals and possibly not to opt for a bed in the cabin. Travelling without a car on the ferry can also considerably reduce the budget.
In the first case, getting to Marseille by train can be quite affordable. From Paris, you can even find tickets for €25 if you book early. On the other hand, the ferry crossing from Marseille to Tunis is longer and therefore more expensive. But on average, this crossing costs around €300 for a single pedestrian. You should therefore expect to pay around €325.
If you choose to go to Tunisia by air via Italy, prices again depend. But if you plan ahead, you can get a train ticket from Paris to Milan for €35, then a sleeper ticket on the night train to Palermo from €65. The ferry costs an average of €75 with a bed in the cabin. You should therefore expect to pay around €175.
The cheapest way to get to Tunisia without flying is to take the ferry from Palermo, Italy. The indicative prices above are calculated for a one-way trip without a vehicle.
Related article: for more air-free travel, see our guide to air-free travel to Morocco.
What is the carbon footprint of a train trip to Tunisia?
To go to Tunisia without a plane, you'll have to take the train or the ferry. Of these two means of transport, the ferry is by far the most polluting. Travelling via Italy will emit the leastCO2, as the ferry journey will be much shorter than crossing the Mediterranean from Marseille. However, it should be noted that ferry travel is in any case less polluting than air travel. In fact, it is estimated that a plane journey can be up to three times more polluting than the same journey by ferry. To calculate your exact carbon footprint, please consult our dedicated article.
Start planning your trip now by booking your train tickets in advance:
