On the footsteps of the ancient Romans
Tunisia has been attracting the interest of adventurers for millennia. Over time, the native Berbers have seen a cavalcade of civilizations and settlers.
The Phoenicians built Carthage; the Romans razed and replaced it, bringing roads, temples, olive groves and a thoroughly impressive amphitheatre.
Later, the Arabs and Ottoman Turks brought Islam and Islamic architecture, and the French brought a new language and a colonial administration.
Today, sun-seeking European holidaymakers come and go all year round, drawn by Mediterranean beaches which remain just the right side of overdeveloped.
During your cruise to Tunisia, there are World-Heritage-listed Roman and Phoenician ruins to discover, beautiful mosques, tangled souks and intriguing architectural curiosities, such as ghorfas (multi-storey mud-built grain stores which look like hobbit-houses) and the underground refuges of the Berbers.
Some of these heritage sites are used as striking backdrops to annual music and theatre festivals. In the south, you can get a vivid taste of the Sahara, with camels trekking across curvaceous dunescapes and eager tour guides escorting movie nerds to the sandy remains of Star Wars sets. In fact, a holiday to Tunisia is perfect for film lovers: its desert landscapes and splendid coastal fortresses have also served as locations for The English Patient, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Monty Python’s Life of Brian.
