What to see in Nabeul

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

1. 1.Hammamet

   Jasmine, beaches and a walled medina

   Tunisia's classic seaside town: a small medina by the water, long sandy beaches and the villa of Georges Sebastian, now a cultural centre with an open-air theatre.

   Time : 1–3 days · Best : May to Sep

2. 2.Nabeul

   Capital of harissa and hand-painted pottery

   Nabeul is where Tunisia's chillies are dried, ground and turned into harissa. Its potters and ceramic painters supply the whole country.

   Time : Half day · Best : Mar to Apr, Oct to Nov

3. 3.Kélibia

   Turquoise water below a Byzantine fort

   The beach of El Mansourah is often called the most beautiful in Tunisia: shallow turquoise water at the foot of a fortress that has watched the coast since the 6th century.

   Time : 1 day · Best : May to Sep

4. 4.El Haouaria

   Falcons, cliffs and Punic quarries

   At the tip of Cap Bon, cliffs drop into a sea that faces Sicily. Huge Punic quarries carved into the rock are lit by shafts of light from above.

   Time : Half day · Best : Mar to Jun, October

5. 5.Korbous

   Hot springs that pour into the sea

   A spa village wedged between cliffs and the Gulf of Tunis on the wild western side of Cap Bon. At Ain Atrous, hot spring water runs straight into the sea.

   Time : Half day · Best : Mar to May, Oct to Nov

6. 6.Nabeul Friday Market

   Pottery, spices and straw every Friday

   Each Friday the streets of Nabeul fill with stalls of pottery, baskets, spices and harissa, alongside the everyday trade of local farmers.

   Time : Half day · Best : Mar to Apr, Oct to Nov

7. 7.Kerkouane

   The only Punic town left standing

   At the tip of Cap Bon, Kerkouane is the one Punic town that Rome never rebuilt. Its grid of streets, house walls, courtyards and private bathtubs still run down to the sea, giving a rare picture of daily life in the Carthaginian world.

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