Tunisia Highlights
Tunis
The walled, historical centre of Tunis - the Medina - is the largest in the country, and contains a maze of narrow streets studded with monuments, mosques and minarets.
Carthage
The numerous and ancient ruins of Carthage are scattered over a wide area to the northeast of Tunis. Phoenician, Byzantine, Roman and Arabic influences can be found among the archaeological sites of this legendary stretch of coast.
Sidi Bou Saïd
Standing as a goal at the end of the Carthage trail, like the prow of a great ship jutting out proudly to the sea, is the cliff-top village of Sidi Bou Saïd. White cube houses sporting studded front doors and blue balconies mark out this chic, cliff-top haunt of the rich which exudes a uniquely Tunisian charm from its cobbled streets. Its stunning location commands the Gulf of Tunis.
Hammamet
To the south of Tunisia's Cap Bon peninsula stands the famous beach town of Hammamet. A humble fishing village until the turn of the last century, the resort has grown into an international tourist centre with a low-key feel.
Sousse
The historical attractions, natural harbour and white sand beaches of the northeastern city of Sousse have made it the country's third largest city and most popular resort.
Kairouan
The Holy City of Kairouan lies inland from Sousse, isolated on a baked and barren plain. As Tunisia's religious heart, it is home to more than 130 mosques (including the Great Mosque) and is a celebrated centre for the weaving of carpets and rugs. Kairouan has a lively, compact old quarter and several notable examples of early Islamic architecture.
El Jem
Not to make the detour through El Jem would be to waste one of the most extraordinary spectacles Tunisia has to offer. Modern El Jem is a rather tatty town, but as the road straightens for the final approach to the centre it reveals, memorably, something it has been holding up its sleeve. The El Jem amphitheatre (AD 230) may not be as well preserved as its counterpart in Rome but because of the incongruous setting its impact is every bit as awesome.
Douz
Little in Tunisia could equal the drive south to the Douz oasis, particularly just before sunset. Leaving Kebili, the road passes through a gap in the Jebel Tebaga mountains, the gateway to the Grand Erg Oriental. Scrub is gradually replaced by dunes; and palm-frond fences attempt to prevent sand from obliterating the road. The town of Douz is a maze of narrow streets and sand-coloured houses.
The Ksour Region
The remote southern Ksour region is barren home to a multitude of ancient and fascinating fortified villages (ksour) - communal granaries that contain stone storage cells (ghorfas) once used by the area's nomadic tribes.
Jerba
Off the coast, not far from Libya, lies the lovely island of Jerba, whose distinct culture - which includes a lively Jewish community - remains vibrant, in spite of a well-developed tourism industry.