Tunisia-What currency to take

bowlesbargain

We are going to tunisia on Wednesday I am aware its a closed currency but not sure if its best to take pounds, dollars or Euro. Any been could point me in the best direction. Also do we have to pay to get into the country.

skintbuthappy81

As far as I can remember we didn't pay to get into the country and as for currency we exchanged it in the airport (manchester) there was also a currency exchange within the hotel. Have a brill time

HXDave

nothing required paymentwise to get in - just a form to fill out on the aircraft (as i recall).

just wondered how skintbuthappy managed to obtain Dinars at manchester, considering it is a closed currency - however thats not the issue here. I would never change currency at an airport as you always get a lot worse rate. The majority of hotels in Tunisia will either have a bank within the premises, or offer exchange facilities at the reception desk. An i am pretty sure, but not 100%, that the rates are government set, so the hotels cant rip you off. however i stand to be corrected. So in answer to the question, just take sterling. no point losing money exchanging to Euros or Dollars to exchange it again, however if you have some left over euro's or dollars at hand, a very cost effective way to get rid of them, rather than changing back to sterling.

Have a great trip - i'm sure you'll love the country.

HXDave

PompeyPete

UK passport holders don't require a visa, and are normally granted a stay of 90 days. Make sure you fill in an arrival/departure card during your flight. It's people who don't fill in the card that hold the immigration queues up!
You can't obtain Tunisian Dinars outside the country. It's easy enough to change sterling, euros, US$ for Dinars. You'll get more or less the same rate at your hotel or a bank. Travellers cheques will incur a small charge. Always make sure you have sufficient cash to last for 3 days or so. There are plenty of ATMs, but a lot of shops, restaurants and the like only deal in cash.
I tried to change some Turkish Lira in November, but no joy.
I also tried to change 120 Dinar back into sterling at Tunis-Carthage airport, but I could only get euros. Perhaps it's different at Monastir airport.

PompeyPete

HXDave - sorry, we must have been scribbling together!
The Dinar is government controlled. We got the same rate of exchange at Tunis-Carthage airport, which is teeming with exchange kiosks.
The most important thing to watch out for is that the Dinar is divided into 1,000 millimes. There are lots of different coins, which scammers love!
All the usual commonsense rules apply to Tunisia, as tourists are both easy targets and suckers!

MUM40

We went to tunisia in july and exchanged our money at the hotel, think we got just over 2 dinars for each pound, the hotel will not change any coins only bank notes. the hotel that we stayed in changed a number of currencies, as this was a bank rather than an exchange.
please do not loose your visa for departure as you will need this to leave the country, and these are hard to find at the airport.
i would not recommend changing currency back at the airport.
enjoy you stay

PompeyPete

Just a word of warning about Tunisia.
There is currently political unrest and government 'interference' with the internet. Neighbouring Algeria are also involed, and just as worrying the Yanks are keeping a close eye on the situation.
Who knows whether tourism will be affected.
The FCO aren't advising against travelling, but it might be best to do your own risk assessment before booking a holiday.

vegasvisitor

You can also buy dinars on arrival at Monastir. The rate should be fine. This is what we did before going outside to negotiate a taxi (which is not fun).

You should also be able to change more money in your hotel. Not sure where you're from, but we are in Scotland so we saved up some English £10 notes when we could get a hold of them.

I_luv_cats

A few years ago when I was there:

They said not to change up too much money at any one time as they won't change back more than a certain percentage. (think it was 50%)

They seemed to prefer American Dollars.

I stayed in Sousse.

leo2moss

I'd agree with previous poster - only change enough for a few days at a time. You can only change money back at the airport, and then only notes, and you get a pitiful rate. Better to change a little at a time. Also, most resorts have ATMs so you can withdraw dinars if you're inclined (bearing in mind bank charges.(

PompeyPete

lesley74 wrote: »

This is what we did before going outside to negotiate a taxi (which is not fun).

There is a train station at Monastir Airport.
If you arrive during the day or early evening then use it.
Train (very cheap) takes 30 minutes to Sousse, 10 minutes to Monastir, and an hour to Mahdia. If you are staying at Port el Kantanoui you can get a taxi (about 10 dinars) when you arrive at Sousse.
If you use a taxi during your stay, either insist on the meter being on, or agree a price (talk to other people first).