Holidays in Tunisia

The popular resort of Skanes is a suburb of the port town of Monastir on the Tunisian Mediterranean. Tunisia is the smallest country in North Africa but has everything from golden beaches stretching for 875 miles to the Sahara desert to fertile lands. It is one of the most liberal of the Islamic Arab-Berber nations where rights for women were established which are unmatched by any other Arab country.

There are six National Parks, and one of these is one of the two in the world which is a UNESCO-protected Biosphere Reserve. The diverse economy includes agricultural, mining, manufacturing, and now quite a large amount of tourism, which increases its fortunes.

The reference to “The Life of Brian” refers to the Monty Python movie which featured Skanes’ ancient 8th-century rebuilt fort. This fort was also used in a TV series about Jesus of Nazareth and in the movies “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “The English Patient”. It houses The Museum of Islamic Arts with ancient Islamic artifacts and manuscripts, exquisite textiles, glassware, miniatures, and pottery.

The historic city of Skanes retains its ancient designation as Tunisia’s holiest place, which was also used by Julius Caesar as a stronghold. It is surrounded by a wall and battlements with small towers.

Luxury Hotels

There is a stretch of luxurious hotels along the coast in Skanes with magnificent architecture, beautifully manicured gardens, and located on their own well-maintained sandy beaches. The weather is warm all year round; and various water sports are available such as fishing, diving, snorkeling, wind surfing, and paragliding.

Much of the dining, dancing, and live entertainment is in the hotel restaurants, but if you want to have the adventure of eating locally, you can try the specialty dishes served with unleavened bread at a very reasonable price. Fish plays a major part in the traditional Tunisian diet along with its national dish of couscous which is a delicious combination of semolina, vegetables, spices, and meat or fish. Since Tunisia only gained independence from France in 1956, that is reflected in French cuisine along with the Arab spicy delicacies.

Tunisia Tourist Attractions

For tourist attractions there is the Bourguiba Mausoleum of the first president of Tunisia with a spectacular twin-towered gilded gold dome, the modern architecture Bourguiba Mosque, or a camel safari through the countryside to explore a desert oasis with hot pools, old Roman ruins, and ending with a Beduoin feast and belly dancers. You might choose a cruise in a sailing ship, a boat excursion, watching dolphins that swim alongside, or a choice of the Flamingo or Palm Links 18-hole golf courses. These attractions make Tunisia a first class destination for family holidays.

This is a tourist mecca with many souvenir shops as well as vendors selling their wares by parading through the streets.

In nearby Sousse, Tunisia’s third largest city, is one of Tunisia’s largest casinos and a bustling market area where jewelry, leather goods, carpets, antiques, and perfume are especially featured for purchase. Sousse has a busy fishing harbor, and if you get there early in the morning, you can see the catch from the night before being unloaded from small boats. The Kasbah Museum has a collection of third and fourth century mosaics. As in much of Tunisia, there are hundreds of years of history that can be explored since Sousee was one of the great coastal cities of the Phoenicians.