Travel
Put on the map by Carthage more than a thousand years ago, Tunisia’s northern reaches harbour ancient ruins and busy souks — but the area is also home to laid-back coastal towns and mountains ripe for adventure.
ByJack Carter
Published December 2, 2023
• 13 min read
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK)
A long line of empires have ruled and fled northern Tunisia’s shores, leaving behind a trove of treasures in a country where Arabic, African and European cultures coexist in unexpected ways. Nowhere is this more evident than in the capital, Tunis, home to one of the best-preserved medinas in the Islamic world: a 730-acre maze of grand mosques and busy souks, where getting lost along its alleyways is both a joy and an inevitability. Here, palaces once inhabited by wealthy Ottoman families are open for travellers to marvel at the painted ceilings and geometric patterns that adorn their shaded courtyards.
A 20-minute drive from central Tunis lies the remains of Carthage — an ancient coastal city stronghold that eventually fell into Roman hands in 146 BCE after three epic wars, leaving behind archaeological epitaphs including Roman baths. But travellers who escape the city completely will find a landscape of painterly seaside towns, green forests and vineyards. Away from the coastal beach resorts, adventure-seekers head to the mountainous, oak-carpeted Kroumirie region on the northwest coast, a refreshing change to Southern Tunisia’s arid Saharan landscapes. Here, mountain biking, hiking and scuba diving along Tabarka’s crimson coral reef provide many opportunities for pulse-raising excursions.
Day 1: Medina, mausoleums & markets
Morning
Enter the Medina of Tunis via Rue du Pacha for an introduction to the city’s historic core. Founded in 698CE, the ancient walled city is home to tranquil bougainvillea-scented alleyways and a web of souks and street food stalls. Wander past sugar-white residences as the smell of freshly baked tabouna — a clay-baked flatbread — wafts from kitchen windows. Many of the medina’s palaces and mausoleums were built when the Ottomans ruled the city between the 16th and 19th centuries, and are open to the public. Don’t miss Sidi Brahim Riahi Mausoleum, renowned for its bejewelled domed ceiling and marbled archways, and Dar Lasram, where Arabic motifs are intricately carved into the stucco walls around a gold-tiled courtyard.
Afternoon
For lunch, make your way to Dar Ben Gacem, a medina guesthouse with an ornate dining room, to feast on the city’s favourite dish — harissa-infused couscous and roasted summer vegetables, often served with chicken or grilled sea bream. Afterwards, swing by French patisserie Les Délices de Becha Haroun to sample its miniature fruit and almond tarts, before walking beneath the towering octagonal minarets of the Al-Zaytunah Mosque and into the souk district. Barter with the traders as they hawk their homemade perfumes and lamb’s wool rugs, before climbing the staircase to the rooftop of Ben Ghorbal carpet store for views to Mount Bou Kornine, the most easterly peak of the Atlas Mountain chain.
Evening
Start the evening with a glass of Tunisian wine over sunset at the rooftop bar of Dar El Jeld, a five-star hotel set in a restored medina palace. When the sun sinks, head downstairs for traditional meat stews and crispy stuffed brik pastries in the hotel’s chandelier-lit courtyard restaurant. Round the day off by joining locals for an evening stroll through the medina, ensuring you stop for a makroudh at one of the street stalls. These date-filled cookies often come shimmering in honey and are best enjoyed straight from the fryers, so hang around for a fresh batch. End the night by hopping in a taxi to Parisian-themed Le Boeuf sur le Toit club in the north of the city, where live jazz and world music bands play until 2am.
Day 2: archaeology & seaside towns
Morning
Start the day by climbing Byrsa Hill in the seaside suburb of Carthage, where the ruins of a citadel lie close to Saint Louis Cathedral. According to legend, it was here that Queen Dido founded Carthage in the 9th century BCE. Despite being razed by the Romans 700 years later, you can still make out the roads and stone residences embedded into the hill’s grassy slope. The nearby Museum of Carthage is closed for renovation, but for 15 TND (£4) you can pick up a VR headset from the visitor centre and take a virtual tour of the empire’s palaces and shipyards. Afterwards, head to the Baths of Antoninus to walk around the stone pillars and crumbling sauna rooms of one of the largest Roman spas ever constructed.
Afternoon
Hire a taxi and take the five-minute drive up the coast to the village of Sidi Bou Said, which feels a world away from Tunis. Walk up its main cobbled thoroughfare, while passing Greek-style whitewashed buildings with bright-blue trellises, to Dar Zarrouk for a seafood lunch. Catch of the day might include octopus or sea bream, which you can feast on while watching boats whizz across the Bay of Tunis from the outdoor terrace. Afterwards, treat yourself to fresh lemonade and a bambalouni, a large, bronze doughnut spun in hot oil and served with sugar or Nutella, from the food stall next to Café des Nattes. If time allows, visit Dar El Annabi museum, which celebrates Tunisian life inside a traditional Arab-Muslim home.
Evening
Get a taste of Tunisian nightlife in Gammarth, a cosmopolitan seaside suburb a 30-minute drive from Tunis medina. Start off with dinner at Utopia, a buzzing open-air street-food market serving up everything from Neapolitan pizzas to sushi, alongside ice-cold Celtia — the choice local lager. With your appetite sated, follow Gammarth’s in-the-know partygoers to the beach bars. Try Yüka, which brings a slice of Balearic chic to the North African coast. If you arrive early enough, order sunset cocktails at the beachfront bar. Later, live DJs spin Afro house on the large poolside terrace into the early hours, or there are private cabanas and plush seating away from the dancefloor.
Five gastronomy experiences to try
1. Ceptunes
Join chief oenologist Ludovic Pochard for a tour and tasting at this winery’s cellars, around 30 miles inland from Tunis. Ludovic is from Bordeaux and now exports his velvety Merlots, oak-aged Chardonnays and peppery Shiraz across Europe and as far afield as the US.
2. Saharan Sky cooking class
For an insight into Tunis life and food culture, sign up for a private cooking class with a local family. The day starts with a tour through the medina souks to buy ingredients, which are then used to create couscous or shakshuka dishes back at a traditional home.
3. Mushroom foraging
If visiting in autumn, join an expert guide in the woodlands of the Kroumirie mountains for an educational hike to unearth chanterelles and boletes. The gently sloping forest routes are suitable for all.
4. Domaine Neferis
Meet Samia Benali, thought to be Tunisia’s only female winemaker, on a tour and tasting session at this small winery south of Boukornine National Park — the wines produced on these hillsides once supplied the cellars of Ancient Rome.
5. Guest Table
This innovative concept delivers dining experiences in a number of outdoor settings. Tables for up to 16 people can be set on clifftop lookouts by the sea or in woodland settings in the Kroumirie mountains, with chefs preparing a variety of local Tunisian delicacies nearby.
Top three dive sites
1. Tabarka
Set sail from Tabarka Port and within 30 minutes you’ll be able to dive deep into the region’s marine protected waters. The highlight is a front-row view of its world-famous red coral and their brightly coloured, tree-like branches. Also nearby is Tunnel Reef, a labyrinth of narrow caves and caverns stretching for roughly 100 feet in length that suits more advanced divers.
2. Hammamet
Lying on the ocean bed of Hammamet Bay, a collection of sunken German and Italian Second World War vessels make for a fascinating underwater discovery, with some still containing their cargo. Visibility here is considered excellent, allowing divers to see many details such as military motorcycles fastened to their ships.
3. Al Huwariyah
On the edge of the Cap Bon peninsula, sandwiched between sweeping sea views and rolling countryside sits the small coastal town of Al Huwariyah — an ideal jumping off point for beginner divers. Depths rarely exceed more than 20 feet, while excursions take in colourful marine flora and more shipwrecks. A number of scuba schools, such as the Ras Adar Diving Center, run beginner PADI dive courses here.
Go further
Hiking
Green woodland is a rarity in Tunisia, but the little it does have can mostly be found in the Kroumirie mountains overlooking Tabarka. Hire a car and take the 40-minute drive inland from Tabarka to the city of Aïn Draham, which is surrounded by thick oak forests with marked trails to explore. For a longer hike, take the nearby Oued Ezzen hiking circuit. This six-mile route, within the Oued Zen National Park, follows a river downstream through tall, Tolkien-esque pine forests and past cascading waterfalls before ending at the Beni M’tir reservoir. Woodland campsites and lake cabins are available to book if you want to linger. The best time to visit is spring or autumn.
Fishing
The fluorescent coral that covers Tabarka’s seabed, coined ‘the red gold of the Mediterranean’ because it was once used to make expensive jewellery, has attracted both traders and smugglers for centuries. Years of harvest have depleted coral colonies, but with the seas now safeguarded by the National Marine Reserve, it’s hoped this beautiful ocean garden will start to flourish again. To learn about Tabarka’s unique maritime heritage, take a fishing trip on Melloula Bay with ecotourism operator Dar el Ain. You’ll join a local angler to try traditional fishing methods, then have your catch — most likely red mullet or sea bass — prepared for lunch back on shore.
Mountain biking
The Kroumirie mountains’ tree-lined roads and craggy downhill tracks offer an exhilarating day out for riders of all abilities. Mountain bikes can be hired from Dar el Ain, which offers on- and off-road guided tours through the hillsides, where regular lay-bys provide a reprieve from the heat and occasional incline while offering a chance to admire the views over the Barrage El Moula reservoir. The road then diverts into the forests, where hairpin bends and boulder-strewn tracks complete a challenging, but altogether unintimidating ride for families and beginners. Alternatively, opt for a cycling tour through Tabarka town centre, visiting its 16th-century ocean-facing Genoese fort and local souks.
How to do it
Tunisair operates five direct services a week from Heathrow and Gatwick to Tunis. Flights take 2h45m. Car hire is available from Tunis airport with Europcar. Or take a Tunisian louage taxi, which seat up to 10 people for shared journeys.
Golden Carthage hotel, 30 minutes from Tunis city centre, costs from 350TND (£90) a night, B&B. In Tabarka, stay at Thabraca Thalasso & Diving, from 409TND (£106) a night, B&B.
More info
discovertunisia.com
This story was created with the support of the Tunisian National Tourist Office.
Published in the December 2023 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).
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