Palermo to Tunis Ferry: GNV and Grimaldi, Documents and Car

Palermo to Tunis ferry timetable

GNV runs Palermo–Tunis all year round, with a regular frequency and extra sailings in high season. The sailing is overnight, so you sleep on board and arrive the next day. Grimaldi runs one sailing a week in each direction in the periods it shows.

What to look at in the timetable

The timetable above shows the actual departures for your date and the ferry company for each one. If your day has no GNV sailing, check whether Grimaldi has a ship that day or look at the days around it.

The return

The return from Tunis has its own page: Tunis Palermo ferry.

How long the ferry from Palermo to Tunis takes

It is a crossing of a whole night: you leave at night and arrive the next day at La Goulette. The exact duration of your sailing appears in the timetable. Also allow for boarding time, which starts hours earlier, and for the passport and customs formalities on arrival.

GNV and Grimaldi: who runs Palermo Tunis

GNV (Grandi Navi Veloci) sails all year round, overnight and with extra sailings in high season. On board it has halal menus and a prayer room, and pet-friendly cabins. Grimaldi Lines adds a weekly sailing in each direction in the periods shown on its website, with check-in 4 h before boarding.

Choosing between the two is mostly a question of the day: GNV has more sailings; Grimaldi may fit better if your particular date has no GNV ship.

Palermo to Tunis ferry price

The price you see above is the lowest recent one for an adult without a vehicle. It changes with:

• The season: in high season GNV adds sailings and places fill up sooner, especially with a car.
• The accommodation: on an overnight crossing most people choose a cabin. GNV has a Cabin Plus+ cabin and the myGNV Club loyalty programme.
• The car: it is paid separately depending on its size.
• The fare: GNV advertises a fare for locals and residents and discounts for Tunisian residents returning home; the details are not published, so check in the search tool.

Children and discounts on Palermo Tunis

Enter each passenger's age when you search. On its general website, Grimaldi gives free travel to children under 3 and 50% of the fare to children from 3 to under 12, without fixed taxes or services; check in the search tool whether the child fare for your sailing to Tunis follows that rule.

Minors of Tunisian nationality cannot leave Tunisia without the express authorisation of the Tunisian parent (Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs): carry it on the outward journey too.

Palermo to Tunis ferry with a car

You can take a car, motorbike, van or motorhome. For Tunisia they ask for vehicle documents:

• Original vehicle registration document and valid insurance with a Green Card (GNV).
• According to the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, tourists cannot sell the car in Tunisia and the registration document is checked on departure: the car has to leave with the same traveller.
• Grimaldi: prior registration on the Smart Traveller platform to get a QR code that is shown at La Goulette; vans cannot carry luggage on the roof.

Tunisians residing abroad (TRE)

The Tunisian press (Business News) describes a duty-free regime for TRE with a car, with requirements such as Tunisian nationality, at least 2 years of residence abroad and an age limit for the car. That text does not come from customs: before travelling with a car you want to leave in Tunisia, confirm the conditions with Tunisian customs.

Palermo to Tunis ferry with a dog

GNV has pet-friendly cabins with linoleum floors and daily disinfection, and lets you leave the cabin late, up to 15 min before docking. There is an outdoor walking area. Bring a lead, muzzle, carrier and the animal's food.

We have not been able to confirm which papers Tunisia asks for your pet to enter: ask the Embassy of Tunisia before booking. More information in ferry with a dog.

On board the Palermo to Tunis ferry

On an overnight crossing it is normal to book a cabin. GNV offers halal menus and a prayer room on board. Keep to hand in the cabin whatever you need for the night.

Ports of Palermo and Tunis

Port of Palermo

Port of Palermo >> How to get there

Port of Túnez

Port of Túnez >> How to get there

How to get to the port of Palermo

GNV boards at Calata Marinai d'Italia; its ticket office is on Calata Puntone. Palermo Centrale station is about 2 km away and buses 101, 102, 107 and 230 run through the area.

If you are travelling with Grimaldi, your ticket shows the terminal and the check-in time. In both cases, check-in for Tunis is long: with Grimaldi, 4 h before with or without a vehicle.

Arriving in Tunis: the port of La Goulette

Ships arrive at the port of La Goulette, about 10 km from the centre of Tunis. From there, the TGM train has a stop at "La Goulette Port"; by road you get there via the RN9 or the P1, and there is parking nearby. GNV has an office on Avenue Habib Bourguiba.

With a car, passport and customs control is what takes longest: keep to hand your passport, vehicle registration document, insurance and, if you are a non-resident, the paid hotel booking and return ticket required by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Documents for travelling from Palermo to Tunis

Spaniards and other EU citizens

• Passport valid for at least 3 months. An ID card alone is not enough.
• No visa for up to 90 days (Spaniards).
• All passengers, minors included, with an original document.
• By sea, non-residents must show at the port a paid hotel booking and a return ticket (Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Print them.

Tunisians and travellers with a Tunisian passport living in Europe

You carry a Tunisian passport. We have not been able to check the entry rule for Tunisian citizens in an official source: confirm it with your consulate. Spanish-Tunisian dual nationals are fully Tunisian as far as Tunisia is concerned, according to the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Money

The dinar is not convertible and cannot be taken out of the country. Euros must be declared if they exceed the equivalent of 5,000 dinars.

I Love Ferry tips for Palermo Tunis

1. Check your passport before booking: expiry more than 3 months after departure. With an ID card you will not board.
2. Arrive with plenty of time to spare. With Grimaldi, 4 h before; with GNV, the lead time shown on your ticket.
3. Print the hotel booking and return ticket if you are not a resident: the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs says they are asked for at the port, though not always.
4. With a car, register your entry on Smart Traveller if you are going with Grimaldi, and carry the original registration document and Green Card.
5. Choose a cabin over a seat: it is a whole night at sea.

Why book the Palermo to Tunis ferry with I Love Ferry

• You compare GNV and Grimaldi in the same search and see which sailing you have each day.
• You enter ages, vehicle and pet before paying.
• Our team in Jávea will look after you in Spanish, and the documents text is written for those travelling with a Tunisian or European passport.

Other ways to get to Tunis by ferry from Italy

• Civitavecchia Tunis ferry: GNV and Grimaldi, useful if you are coming from Rome.
• Genoa Tunis ferry: GNV direct and sailings by the Tunisian ferry company CTN.
• Salerno Tunis ferry: Grimaldi.

Frequently asked questions about the Palermo to Tunis ferry

Any questions about your ferry?

Here are the questions travellers ask us most. If yours is not here, our team of real people helps you before, during and after your trip.

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Ferry deals to Túnez

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