What to see in Bizerte

9 places worth the drive in Bizerte, with the time to allow and the best period for each. Every place has its own page: history, customs, food and directions.

1. 1.Ghar El Melh

   Ottoman forts on a quiet lagoon

   A fishing town on a lagoon at the foot of Jebel Nadhour, with three Ottoman forts and, a few minutes away, the white sand of Sidi Ali El Mekki under a cliff.

   Time : Day trip · Best : May to Sep

2. 2.Utica

   Where Roman Africa had its first capital

   Traditionally counted as the first Phoenician colony in North Africa, Utica once stood on the coast, until the silt of the Medjerda river cut it off from the sea. After the fall of Carthage in 146 BC, Rome made it the capital of its new province of Africa.

   Time : 1 to 2 hours · Best : Mar to May, Oct to Nov

3. 3.Bizerte

   A northern port that kept its old harbour

   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”.

   Time : Half a day · Best : May to Oct

4. 4.Ichkeul National Park

   A lake where birds winter by the hundred thousand

   Lake Ichkeul and its marshes, below the 510 m Djebel Ichkeul, form a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of North Africa’s great wintering grounds for birds. Hundreds of thousands arrive each winter: geese, ducks, storks and greater flamingos.

   Time : Half a day · Best : Nov to Apr

5. 5.Sejnane

   Pottery shaped by hand, without wheel or kiln

   In the hills of Bizerte governorate, about 100 km north-west of Tunis, the women of Sejnane make pottery entirely by hand: no wheel, no kiln. Bowls, jars and figurines are decorated with geometric patterns, then fired in an open fire.

   Time : 1 to 2 hours · Best : Mar to May, Oct to Nov

6. 6.Cap Serrat

   A wild cove between forest and cliffs

   On the north coast between Sejnane and Tabarka, a lighthouse cape shelters a long sandy bay backed by hills of cork oak and myrtle. There are no hotels: just the beach, a river mouth and a few fishermen.

   Time : One day · Best : May to Sep

7. 7.Cap Angela

   The northern tip of Africa

   A few kilometres west of Bizerte, a rocky headland marks the northernmost point of the African continent. A short walk leads to a simple monument above the sea.

   Time : 1–2 hours · Best : Mar to Oct

8. 8.Rafraf

   A long beach below the vineyards

   A crescent of fine sand faces a small rocky island, Pilau, with hillside vineyards and fig trees behind. Popular with Tunisian families in summer, quiet the rest of the year.

   Time : Half a day · Best : May to Sep

9. 9.Sidi Ali El Mekki

   A beach at the foot of a hermit’s cave

   At the end of Cap Farina, past Ghar El Melh, a white beach runs below a cliff where a small shrine is built into the rock. Straw huts are rented for the day in summer.

   Time : One day · Best : May to Sep