Two hours' flight, white villages with blue doors and the Sahara beyond the oases – Tunisia is Africa close to home at small prices.
Photo: David Clarke (Unsplash)
Full disclosure: I only know Tunisia from other people's stories – from friends who describe it as a cheaper, closer alternative to Egypt. A two-hour flight, beaches on Djerba and near Hammamet, hotels at prices that no longer exist in Europe.
What appeals to me is less the beach than everything else: Tunis with its medina, the ruins of Carthage and the artists' village of Sidi Bou Said with its white-and-blue houses above the sea. And in the south, the Sahara: Tozeur with its oases, the salt lakes and the Berber villages where Star Wars was filmed.
In winter it's too cool for the beach, but ideal for touring – 17 degrees, clear air, hardly any tourists. For a first trip I'd recommend a week in Hammamet or Djerba with two day trips, or an organised tour.
Hammamet (Yasmine) or Djerba (Midoun) for beach and hotels; Sidi Bou Said for two nights with a view; Tozeur for the desert.
I almost always compare hotels, apartments and guesthouses on Booking.com – with genuine reviews and usually free cancellation.
View accommodation in Tunisia Compare on Hotels.com Holiday rental on Vrbo