Tunisia

Gulf of Hammamet

With one of the most developed tourist industries in Africa, this stretch of the coast between Nabeul and Sousse is pretty much all given over to hotel complexes, golf courses, and marina's. Although Tunisia does have a long and illustrious history, much of what is offered for the planes full of package tour passengers is a semi-manufactured ideal of North African life. ‘Traditional Evenings' generally involve being bussed out to large marquees in the desert, were you'll have a westernised version of couscous, and suffer belly dancers and jugglers. Try any genuinely traditional Tunisian fare, and you'll probably be reaching for the water, as they tend to throw on the hot spices at every opportunity.  

The best way to see the real Tunisia , and it is worth seeking out, is to travel independently using the reasonably good local busses and trains. Tunis itself, with a labyrinth of busy streets inside the walled medina, is a curious and fascinating city. The ruins of Carthage , destroyed by and then rebuilt by the Romans, after it had stood proudly for a thousand years, are just outside the capital.

At the southern end of the Gulf of Hammamet is the old walled city of Sousse . As a port and resort, it's one of the better places to base yourself for trips to the south.