How to prepare a weekend in northern Tunisia, from mausoleums to mountain routes

This short article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK)

A long line of empires have actually ruled and left northern Tunisia’s coasts, leaving a chest of treasures in a nation where Arabic, African and European cultures exist side-by-side in unanticipated methods. No place is this more apparent than in the capital, Tunis, home to among the best-preserved medinas in the Islamic world: a 730-acre labyrinth of grand mosques and hectic souks, where getting lost along its alleys is both a happiness and an inevitability. Here, palaces as soon as occupied by rich Ottoman households are open for visitors to admire the painted ceilings and geometric patterns that decorate their shaded yards.

A 20-minute drive from main Tunis lies the remains of Carthage– an ancient seaside city fortress that ultimately fell under Roman hands in 146 BCE after 3 legendary wars, leaving historical epitaphs consisting of Roman baths. Tourists who leave the city totally will discover a landscape of painterly seaside towns, green forests and vineyards. Far from the seaside beach resorts, adventure-seekers head to the mountainous, oak-carpeted Kroumirie area on the northwest coast, a revitalizing modification to Southern Tunisia’s dry Saharan landscapes. Here, mountain cycling, treking and diving along Tabarka’s crimson reef supply lots of chances for pulse-raising expeditions.

Day 1: Medina, mausoleums & & markets

Early morning
Get in the Medina of Tunis through Rue du Pacha for an intro to the city’s historical core. Established in 698CE, the ancient walled city is home to peaceful bougainvillea-scented alleys and a web of souks and street food stalls. Roam previous sugar-white houses as the odor of newly baked tabouna— a clay-baked flatbread– wafts from kitchen area windows. A number of the medina’s palaces and mausoleums were constructed when the Ottomans ruled the city in between the 16th and 19th centuries, and are open to the general public. Do not miss out on Sidi Brahim Riahi Mausoleum, renowned for its bejewelled domed ceiling and marbled archways, and Dar Lasram, where Arabic concepts are elaborately sculpted into the stucco walls around a gold-tiled yard.

Afternoon
For lunch, make your method to Dar Ben Gacema medina guesthouse with an elaborate dining-room, to delight in the city’s preferred meal– harissa-infused couscous and roasted summertime veggies, typically served with chicken or grilled sea bream. Later on, visit French patisserie Les Délices de Becha Haroun to sample its mini fruit and almond tarts, before strolling below the towering octagonal turrets of the Al-Zaytunah Mosque and into the souk district. Barter with the traders as they hawk their homemade fragrances and lamb’s wool carpets, in the past climbing up the staircase to the roof of Ben Ghorbal carpet shop for views to Mount Bou Kornine, the most easterly peak of the Atlas Mountain chain.

Evening
Start the night with a glass of Tunisian red wine over sundown at the roof bar of Dar El Jelda luxury hotel embeded in a brought back medina palace. When the sun sinks, head downstairs for conventional meat stews and crispy packed brikpastries in the hotel’s chandelier-lit yard dining establishment. Round the day of rest by signing up with residents for a night walk through the medina, guaranteeing you pick up a makroudhat one of the street stalls. These date-filled cookies typically come sparkling in honey and are best taken pleasure in directly from the fryers, so spend time for a fresh batch. End the night by hopping in a taxi to Parisian-themed Le Boeuf sur le Toit club in the north of the city, where live jazz and world music bands play till 2am.

Day 2: archaeology & & beach towns

Early morning
Start the day by climbing up Byrsa Hill in the seaside residential area of Carthage, where the ruins of a castle lie close to Saint Louis Cathedral. According to legend, it was here that Queen Dido established Carthage in the 9th century BCE. In spite of being taken down by the Romans 700 years later on, you can still construct out the roadways and stone houses embedded into the hill’s grassy slope. The close-by Museum of Carthage is closed for restoration, however for 15 TND (₤ 4) you can get a VR headset from the visitor centre and take a virtual trip of the empire’s palaces and shipyards. Later on, head to the Baths of Antoninus to walk the stone pillars and collapsing sauna spaces of among the biggest Roman health clubs ever built.

Afternoon
Employ a taxi and take the five-minute increase the coast to the town of Sidi Bou Said, which feels a world far from Tunis. Stroll up its primary patched road, while passing Greek-style whitewashed structures with bright-blue trellises, to Dar Zarrouk for a seafood lunch. Capture of the day may consist of octopus or sea bream, which you can delight in while viewing boats whizz throughout the Bay of Tunis from the outside balcony. Later on, treat yourself to fresh lemonade and a bambalouni, a big, bronze doughnut spun in hot oil and served with sugar or Nutella, from the food stall beside Café des Nattes. If time permits, see Dar El Annabi museum, which commemorates Tunisian life inside a standard Arab-Muslim home.

Evening
Get a taste of Tunisian night life in Gammarth, a cosmopolitan seaside suburban area a 30-minute drive from Tunis medina. Start with supper at Paradisea buzzing outdoor street-food market providing whatever from Neapolitan pizzas to sushi, together with cold Celtia– the option regional lager. With your hunger sated, follow Gammarth’s in-the-know partygoers to the beach bars. Attempt Yükawhich brings a piece of Balearic elegant to the North African coast. If you get here early enough, order sundown mixed drinks at the beachfront bar. Later on, live DJs spin Afro home on the big poolside balcony into the early hours, or there are personal cabanas and luxurious seating far from the dancefloor.

5 gastronomy experiences to attempt

1. Ceptunes
Sign up with chief oenologist Ludovic Pochard for a trip and tasting at this winery’s cellars, around 30 miles inland from Tunis. Ludovic is from Bordeaux and now exports his creamy Merlots, oak-aged Chardonnays and peppery Shiraz throughout Europe and as far afield as the United States.

2. Saharan Sky cooking class
For an insight into Tunis life and food culture, register for a personal cooking class with a regional household. The day begins with a trip through the medina souks to purchase active ingredients, which are then utilized to develop couscous or shakshuka meals back at a standard home.

3. Mushroom foraging
If going to in fall, sign up with a professional guide in the forests of the Kroumirie mountains for an academic walking to discover chanterelles and boletes. The carefully sloping forest paths appropriate for all.

4. Domaine Neferis
Meet Samia Benali, believed to be Tunisia’s only female wine maker, on a trip and tasting session at this little winery south of Boukornine National Park– the white wines produced on these hillsides when provided the cellars of Ancient Rome.

5.Visitor Table
This ingenious idea provides dining experiences in a variety of outside settings. Tables for approximately 16 individuals can be set on clifftop lookouts by the sea or in forest settings in the Kroumirie mountains, with chefs preparing a range of regional Tunisian specials close by.

Leading 3 dive websites

1. Tabarka
Set cruise from Tabarka Port and within 30 minutes you’ll have the ability to dive deep into the area’s marine safeguarded waters. The emphasize is a front-row view of its world-famous red coral and their vibrantly coloured, tree-like branches. Neighboring is Tunnel Reef, a maze of narrow caverns and caverns extending for approximately 100 feet in length that matches more sophisticated scuba divers.

2. Hammamet
Pushing the ocean bed of Hammamet Bay, a collection of sunken German and Italian Second World War vessels produce a remarkable undersea discovery, with some still including their freight. Exposure here is thought about outstanding, permitting scuba divers to see numerous information such as military motorbikes attached to their ships.

3. Al Huwariyah
On the edge of the Cap Bon peninsula, sandwiched in between sweeping sea views and rolling countryside sits the little seaside town of Al Huwariyah– a perfect leaping off point for newbie scuba divers. Depths hardly ever surpass more than 20 feet, while adventures take in vibrant marine plants and more shipwrecks. A variety of scuba schools, such as the Ras Adar Diving Center, run newbie PADI dive courses here.

Go even more

Treking
Green forest is a rarity in Tunisiahowever the little it does have can mainly be discovered in the Kroumirie mountains ignoring Tabarka. Employ a cars and truck and take the 40-minute drive inland from Tabarka to the city of Aïn Draham, which is surrounded by thick oak forests with significant routes to check out. For a longer trek, take the close-by Oued Ezzen treking circuit. This six-mile path, within the Oued Zen National Park, follows a river downstream through high, Tolkien-esque pine forests and previous cascading waterfalls before ending at the Beni M’tir tank. Forest camping areas and lake cabins are readily available to book if you wish to stick around. The very best time to go to is spring or fall.

Fishing
The fluorescent coral that covers Tabarka’s seabed, created ‘the red gold of the Mediterranean’ since it was when utilized to make costly jewellery, has actually drawn in both traders and smugglers for centuries. Years of harvest have actually diminished coral nests, however with the seas now secured by the National Marine Reserve, it’s hoped this gorgeous ocean garden will begin to thrive once again. To discover Tabarka’s distinct maritime heritage, take a fishing expedition on Melloula Bay with ecotourism operator Dar el AinYou’ll sign up with a regional angler to attempt standard fishing approaches, then have your catch– more than likely red mullet or sea bass– ready for lunch back on coast.

Mountain cycling
The Kroumirie mountains’ tree-lined roadways and craggy downhill tracks provide an exciting day out for riders of all capabilities. Mountain bicycle can be worked with from Dar el Ainwhich uses on- and off-road directed trips through the hillsides, where routine lay-bys supply a reprieve from the heat and periodic slope while using an opportunity to appreciate the views over the Barrage El Moula tank. The roadway then diverts into the forests, where barrette flexes and boulder-strewn tracks finish a tough, however completely unintimidating trip for households and novices. Decide for a biking trip through Tabarka town centre, visiting its 16th-century ocean-facing Genoese fort and regional souks.