Edition 51: Summer 2010

Don’t be deceived by Tunisia’s size – it crams a lot into a relatively small space and making the most of your time here requires careful planning.

1. Mediterranean Tunisia (5 days)
• Tabarka
• Cap Serrat & Bizerte
• Kélibia
• Sousse
• Monastir & Mahdia

• Day 1
Begin in Tabarka, the alter ego of so many resorts further east, which mixes the best of lazy living with a busy cultural calendar and a splendid stretch of beach running east towards Cap Nègre.
• Day 2
As you follow the coast across the top of Tunisia, detour to Cap Serrat, a near-perfect outcrop that has few Mediterranean rivals. Return to the main road and continue to Bizerte, a beguiling port city with a kasbah and fine architecture. Cap Blanc, mainland Africa’s northernmost tip, is nearby.
• Day 3
Bypass Tunis as best you can, then hug the coastline around the Cap Bon Peninsula, stopping for a night (you’ll wish it could be forever) at Kélibia, one of the least-developed of Tunisia’s coastal towns. With turquoise waters, a powdery sand beach and a sentinel fort, it’s paradise.
• Day 4
Continuing down the coast road, leave Hammamet to the sun-worshipping hordes and and make for Sousse. Its decent beach and a medina rivals those in Tunis and Sfax in both scale and charm.
• Day 5
Southeast along the coast, Monastir has an eye-catching ribat (Islamic fortress) that may look familiar: it was here that hundreds of (Tunisian) extras laughed at Biggus Dickus in Monty Python’s The Life of Brian. For an overnight stay, it’s difficult to beat the gentle village charms of Mahdia, and the lovely, intimate Place du Caire is the ideal spot to rest after the rigours of the journey.

2. The deep south (7 days)
• Jerba
• Tataouine & Ksar Ouled Sultane
• Douiret
• Matmata, Douz & Tozeur

• Days 1-2
Such is the breadth of Jerba’s appeal that two days is a minimum for getting to know it, allowing a day to visit El-Ghriba Synagogue and the fortified architecture of Cedoukech, Mahboubine and Cedghiane. Divide the second day between Houmt Souq and Sidi Mahres beach.
• Days 3-4
After an early morning bus or car journey south to Tataouine, leave your bags and head out into the surrounding sites, such as the fairytale ghorfas of Ksar Ouled Sultane and Ksar Haddada, and the glorious hilltop Berber strongholds of Guermessa, Chenini and Douiret. The next day it’s on to Matmata to sleep underground.
• Days 5-7
The journey from Matmata to Douz takes you across the northern reaches of the Sahara. Once in this desert gateway town, explore its palmeraie, take a trip out into the desert as a taster (or longer if you’ve the time), then watch the town emerge from its afternoon slumber in the souq. The Sahara Festival in November is a great time to be here. Then it’s on to Tozeur, whose Ouled el-Hadef (old quarter) and Dar Chariat Museum will occupy the best part of a day. The perfect way to spend your last day is to take an excursion to the mountain oases of Chebika, Tamerza and Midès, and the custom-built Star Wars set of Mos Espa on the Sahara’s fringe.

3. Tunisia’s past (14 days)
• Tunis & Carthage
• Bulla Regia, Dougga & Le Kef
• Sbeitla & Kairouan
• El-Jem & Sfax

• Days 1-4
Lose yourself in the Tunis medina, then head beyond the city centre to the Bardo Museum, a carefully handpicked collection of the best relics from Tunisia’s ancient sites. Nearby Carthage may have been condemned and razed by the Romans, but it remains one of the most important ancient (and beautifully located) sites anywhere. Sidi Bou Saïd is the perfect alternative to sleeping in Tunis.
• Days 5-8
Southwest of Tunis by road, Bulla Regia is one of Africa’s most unusual Roman sites, with subterranean villas and some extraordinary mosaics. The above-ground glories of Dougga are within easy striking distance, before you hunker down for a couple of nights in fortress-like Le Kef.
• Days 9-11
Temple-rich Sbeitla (Roman Sufetula) is Dougga’s rival for the title of Tunisia’s best-preserved and most evocative ancient city. An easy road journey northwest then takes you from the glories of ancient Rome to the quiet magnificence of Islamic Kairouan, a pious and utterly charming place where you’ll want to spend a couple of nights.
• Days 12-14
Make for El-Jem where you’ll be suddenly transported back into Rome’s heyday; the Colosseum deserves a half-day. Having begun the trip in a medina, head for another at journey’s end: Sfax is one of the finest working medinas in North Africa. With its intact walls, serpentine lanes, lively local souqs and lovely architecture, you’d be forgiven for wondering why you’re the only foreign traveller here.