Tunisia
Top Tips
Visiting ancient sites
Quite apart from Roman-Punic Carthage, there are many impressive
Roman sites. Perhaps the finest is Dougga, a complete city perched
above rolling wheat fields. Bulla Reggia's villas have underground
storeys to escape the summer heat – a rare chance to walk
inside a complete Roman room. El-Jem’s amphitheatre rivals
Rome’s Colosseum, towering over a tiny town in mid-Tunisia.
Other fascinating sites include Sbeitla, Haidra, Thurburbo Majus
and the marble mines at Chemtou.
Lazing on the beach
There are some fantastic beaches - long golden curves lapped by
piercing-blue Med. Resorts such as Hammamet, Sousse and Jerba get
very busy but offer watersports from banana-boating to parasailing.
For remoter swims, try powdery-white El-Mansourah, near
Kélibia on Cap Bon, or the well-kept-secrets of the north
coast.
Trekking in the desert
The golden rise-and-fall of the southern dunes is the stuff of
operatic romances. You can take a 4WD or camel trek,
Lawrence-of-Arabia style, from settlements such as Tozeur, Douz and
Ksar Ghilane. Light aircraft rides and dune skiing are other
options.
Hill-walking in the north
In this surprising landscape of tall cork oak forests and big
rolling mountains, trekking is gradually catching on, with guided
hikes on little-known paths. Near the Algerian border is the
flat-topped Jugurtha’s Table, once an ancient fortress, with
steps hacked up the side for superlative views across the
plains.
Film location spotting
Star Wars originals and prequels were filmed in the south,
where the landscape and architecture are weird enough to stand in
for alien planets. The English Patient used the medina in
Sfax for Cairo and the rolling desert for Egypt. You might
recognise the ribat of Monastir – here stones were slung
during the Life of Brian. Other locations include
Zefferelli’s Jesus of Nazareth (Monastir again) and
Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom.
Shopping
Put on your bargaining hat in the glittering souks – narrow
goods-packed lanes winding through the ancient Arabic medinas.
Vibrant carpets, busy ceramics, shiny brassware, patterned
basketware and silver jewellery are fun to buy, but it can be
tiring, so try the Socopa government emporium (there’s one in
every town) or local cooperatives for fixed-price goods.
Music festivals
Tabarka in the north has excellent summer music festivals,
including rai (Algerian music), World, Latin and Jazz
festivals. For traditional Tunisian music and international stars
try the Carthage International Festival. Nabeul and Hammamet also
have lively summer music festivals featuring traditional artists.