Hammamet

The Travel Pages visits Hammamet, one of the best beach resorts in Tunisia, with its souk, Great Mosque, Kasbah or fort all helping to also keep a traditional Tunisian feel to the town.

Hammamet is arguably the finest of Tunisia’s beach resorts. It has beautiful sandy beaches running either side of town, backed by distant hills. The beach running south-west from the medina is the more sheltered of the two.

Hammamet Baths

The word ‘hammamet’ means ‘baths’, a tradition which continues in Hammamet today, which has seven thalassotherapy centers.

Where is Hammamet?

Hammamet is at the south-eastern edge of the Cap Bon Peninsula. It’s about an hour’s drive south-east from the Tunis-Carthage International Airport. You can catch the bus into Tunis if you want to spend a day there, and there are plenty of taxis around town if you want to explore locally.

Hammamet Hotels

Despite attracting more than half a million sun-seekers each year, resort development has been kept in control with respect for the environment. Hotels are attractively built amongst the palms and do not rise above tree height. Many have beautiful gardens extending down to the sea. The once-quiet fishing village may now be lively with plenty of restaurants, shops, and discos, but part of Hammamet’s appeal is that it still retains its timeless Tunisian charms.

Hammamet’s Medina and Souk

The small medina was built on the headland in the 9th century, though it took its present shape under the Hasfid rulers in 1463-74. Although Hammamet’s souk is lined with souvenir stalls today, the residential area is a delightfully unspoiled place to stroll. The whitewashed houses have doors with colourful tile fish or the hand of Fatima for good luck.

The Great Mosque is closed to visitors, but the Turkish bath is open to men in the mornings and women in the afternoons.

Hammamet’s Kasbah or Fort

The kasbah, or fort, dates from the 15th century and overlooks the sea in a corner of the medina. An enormous ramp leads into the courtyard, and steep steps take you up to the top of the ramparts for magnificent views over the ocean and the white domes and terraces of the medina.

Fun Fact

Sophia Loren has a house on the beach in Hammamet.

Dar Hammamet Museum

Signs lead you to the small Dar Hammamet Museum in the medina. It has an interesting collection of traditional costumes and bridal dowries, including fine jewellery and embroidery.

Hammamet’s International Cultural Centre

On Avenue des Nationes Unies, about 3 kms (1.9 miles) north-west of the town center, is the International Cultural Centre. This romantic villa was built by the Romanian millionaire George Sebastian in the 1920s, and guests from Winston Churchill to the artist Paul Klee stayed here.

Now owned by the state, it’s the venue for an annual music and drama festival each July and August, and hosts art exhibitions and conferences throughout the year. Both the villa and the gardens are a delight to explore.

Pupput

Pupput is a small Roman archaeological site, about 6 kms (3.7 miles) south-west of town on the Sousse road. The ruins of this former port date from the second to fourth centuries. There’s not a lot to see beyond some mosaics from Christian tombs and mosaic floors from the Roman villas and baths.