Hammamet

Hammamet became a resort in the 1920s when European artists and writers settled here, and it has been the country's best-known beach destination ever since, though the development is now extensive and mostly modern. The old part is worth the visit: a small walled medina running down to the water with a kasbah on the sand, and the Dar Sebastian villa, built in the 1920s by a Romanian owner and now an international cultural centre with gardens.

What you actually see

• The medina - a small walled quarter running down to the beach.
• The kasbah - the fort on the sand at the edge of the medina, climbed for the view.
• Dar Sebastian - the 1920s villa and its gardens, now a cultural centre.
• The beaches - the long sand strip that made the town's reputation.

When to go

April to June and September to October are the most comfortable. July and August are hot and the resort strip is full. Winter is quiet with much closed.

Honest expectations

The modern resort strip at Yasmine Hammamet is large, generic and separate from the old town. The medina is small and heavily geared to souvenirs. Beaches are crowded in high summer.

Nearby

Nabeul is north, and Tunis is northwest.