This fertile peninsula stretches out into the Mediterranean to the north-east of Tunis. Geologists speculate that it once stretched all the way to Sicily, providing a land link to Europe that sank beneath the sea some 30,000 years ago. Today, Cap Bon - particularly the south-eastern beaches around Hammamet and Nabeul - is Tunisia's primary destination for package tourists.

A summer's stroll down the streets of Hammamet is likely to turn up 10 tourists to every local, and the pace never slackens except briefly during the middle of winter. Its location is a big draw, at the northern end of the Gulf of Hammamet, while its old medina overlooking a great expanse of sandy beach is certainly another. It's also a lively town, brimming with discos, restaurants and colourful shops - everything a holiday-maker could want. Except, perhaps, seclusion.

The biggest difference between Hammamet and its neighbour, Nabeul, is that the latter also has a range of budget accommodation, including the best organised camping area in the country. Nabeul's Friday market is one of the liveliest in Tunisia, though not for any surplus of bargains or quality merchandise.

By the time you get to Kelibia, you've left the worst of commercial tourism blissfully behind. What you'll find instead is a small town that survives mainly on its fishing fleet, with a few small, sheltered resorts and beaches and a fabulous 6th century fort that overlooks the harbour.

Halfway in between Kelibia and El-Haouaria is the relatively unheralded Carthaginian site of Kerkouane, a town founded in the 6th century BC that existed for less than 300 years before Roman forces destroyed it. It was excavated in 1962, and a museum houses some interesting finds, such as the 'Princess of Kerkouane,' a wooden sarcophagus cover carved in the shape of the goddess Astarte.

The small town of El-Haouaria is tucked beneath the mountainous tip of Cap Bon. It's a quiet spot with a couple of good beaches - especially at Ras el-Drek - but the main attractions are the Roman Caves on the coast, 3km (2mi) west of town. Much of the stone used for building Carthage was cut from this remarkable complex of yellow sandstone caves - the quarriers discovered that the quality of stone was much better at the base of the cliffs than on the surface, so they chose to tunnel into the cliffs rather than cut them down. After almost 1000 years of quarrying, the result is the caves we see today.

DMC Companies

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Summary|Culture|History
Cap Bon Peninsula|Carthage
Dougga|Tunis