Hammamet

Hammamet (حمامات) is in Northern Tunisia. Thanks to its beaches, it is a popular destination for swimming and water sports and is the primary tourist destination in Tunisia.

Understand
Hammamet is the oldest tourist center in the country. All resorts in Tunis have wonderful parks but even among them Hammamet stands out with its luxurious gardens. The main principle of town planning here is that houses must not be higher than cypresses.

The city was founded about 5 centuries ago. There are the fortress walls and the Big Mosque are still preserved in it. The city keeps its one-floor image. It offers wide sand beaches, modern hotels with high level of service, plenty of bars, restaurants, stores, markets.

The reported number of inhabitants varies from 100,000 to 400,000 and the population quadruples due to tourists' arrival in the summer. Around Hammamet, suburbs are being built as migrants from the southern region of the country come to find employment.

It is particularly known for jasmine, which is the namesake of the tourist resort of Yasmine Hammamet. All over Hammamet, souvenirs crafted from jasmine can be found.

History
In the 1st century, there was a settlement here known as Pupput. It was a town (now in the suburbs of Hammamet) that became a Roman colony in the 2nd century. In the 13th century, walls around town were built and medina of Hammamet was built in the 15th century. Then it came under Spanish and Turkish rule.

In 1601 it was the object of a successful Spanish attack. 300 men took 700 prisoners, mostly women and children, because most of the men in the town had fled.

In 1605 there was another Spanish attack, but this time the result was disastrous for the attackers. It was carried out by six galleys, four from Malta, six from Sicily carrying Spanish and other Christian troops. The initial taking of the town was successful as the Spanish managed to climb the walls and open the gates but then there was an unexpected call to retreat - it could not be later determined where or how it originated. In the confusion, the retreat fell into disorder and the Spanish were massacred at the beach by a much smaller number of Moors. There were 1200 men gathered at the beach trying to get back to their ships but the wind had changed and conditions were difficult.

In World War II, it became one of the headquarters of the Nazi general Erwin Rommel. Festival international d'Hammamet was established in 1964.

By plane
There are 6 main airports in Tunisia: Tunis (Carthage), Enfidha, Monastir, Tabarka, Djerba and Tabarka, Tunis being the capital. When you arrive into one of the airports, if you don't have a coach transfer booked be strong, there are lots of men waiting to take your trolley for you (and for this you will be charged!) say "no" and hang on to all your belongings.You can get a private taxi from Monastir or Tunis to Hammamet which is approximately 1hour and cost from 50 to 80 DT, or from Enfidha for around 30 DT. You can also get an airport taxi (you do not need to bargain, ask for the meter to be turned on) to get you to the intercity bus station or to the intercity collective (shared 9-seater) intercity taxi station. These options would cost you about 3-4 DT per head and probably an overcharge if you have big bulky luggage.

By train
There are a lot of trains stopping at from Tunis (about 4.5 DT), which is along the main train line and 6 km from Hammamet. You can easily take a taxi from the Bir Bou Regba (Rekba) station to wherever you want to go in Hammamet. There are fewer trains from Tunis directly to Hammamet.

Eat
A plenty of restaurants. Usually, a dinner costs 15-20 DT. A nice lobster for two people with white wine in July 2007 was about 200 DT.

Drink
Try some of the local wine, which are hard to get in restaurants in Tunis.

Mid-range




Go next

 * Kelibia — a coastal town with a fishing port and the Fort of Kelibia
 * Monastir — ancient city with a history back to Phoenecian times; these days home of the main charter flight airport in
 * Port El Kantaoui — a popular tourist destination in Tunisia, north of Sousse.
 * Sousse — the town is a UNESCO World Heritage site for its architecture, and also a popular beach resort option
 * Tunis — the laid-back capital of Tunisia with easy access to Carthage and a very authentic souk