Bizerte

Bizerte’s small Old Port is lined with white houses, cafés and brightly painted boats, below the ramparts of a 17th-century kasbah. A canal gave the ancient town its name, Hippo Diarrhytus, “Hippo divided by the water”. On the heights to the north stands a Spanish fort from 1573, and beaches such as Sidi Salem and Rimel are close by.

History

The kasbah, about 175 m by 120 m with eight towers, dates from the 17th century, with older roots. Andalusian Moriscos settled in a quarter inside it. The fort was built in 1573 under the Ottoman pasha of Algiers.

Customs

The Old Port is liveliest in the evening, when café terraces spill onto the quays.

Food

Fish and seafood restaurants line the Old Port.

Best time

June to September for the beaches, April to May and October for walking.

The Spanish Fort has thirteen sides, designed to withstand artillery. It is now an open-air theatre used by the Bizerte International Festival.