Is the El Jem and Kairouan Day Trip from Sousse Worth It?
Updated October 22, 2026 · 5 min read
For most visitors, yes: El Jem and Kairouan are two sights in the Sousse region that you cannot replace with a beach day, and the VIP day trip with pickup is the easiest way to see both. It has the most reviews of the four trips compared here, 489, and the lowest price. The catch is a long day: the tour is listed at 8 to 9 hours, a large part of it in a vehicle.
| Day trip | Duration | From | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Jem, Kairouan and Sousse or Monastir: VIP day trip with pickup | 8–9 hours | €22.41 | 4.7 from 489 reviews | Most visitors |
| VIP tour: El Jem, Kairouan, Monastir or Sousse | 8 hours | €22.50 | 4.7 from 265 reviews | The same route from a second operator |
| Kairouan holy city and El Jem Colosseum day trip | 8 hours | €84 | 4.4 from 230 reviews | A tour that names the Great Mosque |
| Kairouan, El Jem and Sousse day trip with lunch | 1 day | €175 | 4.6 from 73 reviews | A guide and lunch included in the description |
All four prices are per person, as listed on GetYourGuide.
What you actually see
El Jem lies about 65 km south of Sousse, roughly an hour by road. The amphitheatre was begun around AD 238, held an audience of about 35,000, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. It is one of the best-preserved Roman arenas anywhere, and you can walk through the tunnels under the arena. There is very little shade, so a summer visit around midday is hard going.
Kairouan, founded in 670, counts as one of the holy cities of Islam. The Great Mosque is the main reason to come. Non-Muslims can see the courtyard but not enter the prayer hall, so do not expect to see the interior. Dress modestly, with shoulders and knees covered.
The two cheapest tours and the €84 tour
Two of the trips cost €22.41 and €22.50 for a full day with a driver. That is cheap, and the short descriptions do not say whether entrance tickets or lunch are included. Treat both as open until you have read the inclusions on the booking page, and budget for the entrance fees at the sites. Both promise a finish by the sea in Monastir or Sousse, and the descriptions describe a driver-host rather than a guide in the museum sense.
The €84 trip is the only one whose description names the Great Mosque and the pilgrimage city’s history. With 4.4 stars from 230 reviews it is rated slightly lower than the VIP tours. Whether the price gap buys a guide who explains the sites is something the listing does not tell us, so check that before paying almost four times as much.
Check dates and prices for the VIP day trip
The private option with lunch
The €175 trip is described as private, with a guide, hotel pickup and drop-off and a local lunch. It has the fewest reviews of the four, 73, so its 4.6 stars rest on a thinner base. It makes sense for a small family or a group that does not want to share the day with strangers.
When this trip is a bad idea
If a day of 8 to 9 hours on the road sounds like too much, or you travel with a baby or a small child who will not sit in a vehicle that long, choose El Jem alone. The private half-day El Jem tour takes about four hours and costs €69, rated 4.9 from 56 reviews. A cheaper, shorter, guided variant is the half-day El Jem tour at €34.30 for two hours, rated 4.4 from 52 reviews. It lists two hours, so ask how long the transfer from your hotel takes on top of that.
The long day is also a poor fit if you want to be back at the hotel for dinner at a fixed time. Ask the operator about the return time when you book.
Our recommendation
- For most people: the VIP day trip with pickup, after reading what the price includes.
- For a guide and lunch, privately: the day trip at €175.
- For El Jem only: one of the two half-day tours.
If you would rather spend the day on the water or on a quad, start with the boat trips or quad biking pages, and for the full range of day trips see El Jem and Kairouan day trips from Sousse.
