Tunisia-What currency to take

skintbuthappy81

HXDave wrote: »

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

No we weren't sure how we managed it either, when we got to the airport I asked them at the exchange what currency we needed to take, they told us we could buy Dinars from them. When we got to Tunisia we had our intro and the rep went on to tell us how we exchange our currency and not to take it out of the country when we leave, we told him we had got ours from Manchester Airport and he didn't have a clue as to how they sold us them.

vegasvisitor

PompeyPete wrote: »

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).

I know about the train, but we were staying in PEK and couldn't be bothered with the train then taxi just wanted to get to the hotel asap, expecially as it was about 6pm and could make it for dinner on time. It's just a bit of a problem negotiating the price of taxis at the airport, more so than in general in the resort. There seems to be a chief negotiator stopping you arranging your fare with individual drivers, and trying to keep the price sky high.

PompeyPete

lesley74 wrote: »

It's just a bit of a problem negotiating the price of taxis at the airport, more so than in general in the resort. There seems to be a chief negotiator stopping you arranging your fare with individual drivers, and trying to keep the price sky high.

Par for the course.
So what you should have done is walk out of the airport, up the road a couple of hundred yards, and then flagged down a taxi.

dzug1

HXDave wrote: »

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

There's actually a few places in the UK that sell Dinars. It's not illegal - here.

It's Tunisian law that's been broken, if any.

And whether the rate you get here is any good - pass.

PompeyPete

PompeyPete wrote: »

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.

The following is an update from Magharebia News:
New protests strike Tunisian cities - 9 January 2011
Clashes between security forces and demonstrators in the city of Tala, 200km southwest of Tunis, on Saturday (January 8th) left four people killed and six others wounded, AFP quoted witnesses as saying. According to the government sources, only two people were killed and eight injured. The demonstrations in Tala are the latest in a string of protests that have rocked the country since the beginning of the Sidi Bouzid unrest.

On Saturday, the Tunisian General Union of Labour (UGTT) criticised the way the authorities handle the protests, AFP reported.
"We support the demands of the people in Sidi Bouzid and interior regions. The UGTT cannot but be with this region, behind those in need and demanding jobs," union Deputy General Secretary Abid Brigui, said. "It is against nature to condemn this movement, it is not normal to respond with bullets."

PompeyPete

This is the latest on the unrest. It doesn't involve any of the mainstream tourist destinations at the moment.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12162096

If you are thinking of going to Tunisia soon then it's best if you keep an eye on the FCO Travel Advice.