Hammamet

Hammamet is located on the Tunisian east coast, just 45 miles south of the capital Tunis. For many hundreds of years Hammamet was a small fishing village until the 1920’s when a Romanian millionaire businessman fell in love with this place. His passion for the area was so infectious that his friends decided to build also have holiday homes there also and so Hammamet, the tourist resort, was born. Today Hammamet's economy wholly replies upon the tourist industry and attracts tourists from all over and is a favourite destination for the Swedish, German, French and British tourists.

The main attraction for families and alike is the 6 mile stretch of beautiful beach which gently falls into the Gulf of Hammamet. This beach is long, wide, doesn’t get crowded and is cleaned every day. The beach has lifeguards and is regularly patrolled by police just to make sure you are not getting pestered by hawkers.

Hammamet’s sits on top of hot geothermal springs which the Romans took advantage of by building bath houses. In fact Hammamet takes its name after this very feature as the Arabic for baths is al-hammamat. There are still baths in the medina which you can enjoy, however, be cautious about the Tunisian massage, which is as relaxing as an all-in wrestling match!

The ancient medina dates back to the 15 century and is an excellent place to explore the narrow and winding streets and to experience the tooing and frowing of typical Tunisian commercial life in the souks and bazaars. Also in the medina is a small castle/Kasbah, built in the 15 century, it has recently been restored and is certainly worth a visit. There is also a museum inside which has some peculiar opening times but it is worth walking around its walls for the views offered of the medina. Another lovely walk is along the walls of the medina itself where you can enjoy views of the sea and local white washed Tunisian houses.

Shopping in Hammamet is quite exciting and interesting. The main souk is found in the medina and here you can seek out great bargains, once you have agreed a price. Things to look out for are kaftans, brass, leather, carpets and a host of unexpected trinkets and souvenirs. There is also a modern shopping centre where you can buy more mundane and practical things.

Haggling is an art form and something which we British are not very comfortable doing. In Tunisia, however, it is a way of life as they Tunisians consider that if you look at an item you must be interested in it at some level and the only thing which is stopping you from buying is price. That’s why every time you look at something in a shop you get pestered. If you like an item and want to buy it then you should haggle and do it with a degree of confidence. Start at half the price the shop keeper is offering, and then settle around two thirds of the original price.

Hammamet is well place for a variety of excursions, although some excursions may be a bit too far for younger family members. Top places to visit are the Roman ruins of Carthage, desert safaris and Tunis. For the younger members of the family there is Flipper Aquapark which has a number of water slides and flumes and Carthageland in Yasmine Hammamet