Things to do in Tunisia

Tunisia is the smallest country in the Maghreb. It is also the one that packs most into a short drive. Cape Angela, north of Bizerte, is the northernmost point of Africa; the dunes at Douz lie a day south.

How the country divides

Five belts, and each is a different holiday. Distances between them are modest.

• The north. Tunis and Carthage on the gulf, Dougga and Bulla Regia inland, Ichkeul behind Bizerte.
• Cap Bon. The peninsula pointing at Sicily, with Hammamet's beaches, Nabeul's potters and Punic Kerkouane.
• The Sahel. Sousse, Monastir and Mahdia on the coast, El Jem and holy Kairouan a short way inland.
• Djerba and the ksour. The island, then Matmata's pit houses and the fortified granaries around Tataouine.
• The south-west. Douz, Tozeur and Nefta, the salt flat of Chott el Jerid and the sand beyond it.

What the country is known for

Rome left more here than almost anywhere outside Italy. The amphitheatre at El Jem seated about thirty-five thousand and stands close to its full height. Dougga covers seventy-five hectares that no later town built over.

The Arab layer is as strong. The Great Mosque of Kairouan was founded in 670 and set the pattern for the Maghreb. Its square minaret was copied for centuries.

Then there is the desert. Most come south for a camel and a night under canvas. The film sets at Matmata and Ong Jemel are on the same roads.

How the trips are sold

Almost every resort base sells the same journey south. Two days reaches the dunes and back; a week takes in the oases, the ksour and the Roman coast. Where you start changes the route, not the destination.

Practical

• Season. April to June and September to October work everywhere. July and August belong to the coast; the south is punishing at midday.
• Heat. Tunis averages about 34C in August; Douz and Tozeur go well past that. Desert nights in winter drop close to freezing.
• Money. The dinar is a closed currency and may not be carried in or out. Keep exchange receipts: airport reconversion is capped against them.
• Cards. Hotels and larger restaurants take them; souks, taxis and rural stops do not.
• Between towns. Louages, the shared long-distance taxis, leave when they fill and cost little.
• Language. Arabic is official, and French runs through signs and menus. English thins out away from the hotels.
• Tipping. Not built into the bill. Rounding up covers a coffee, ten per cent a meal.
• Ramadan. The dates move each year, and daytime cafes and restaurants close. Monuments stay open on shorter hours.