Mild Tunisian climate, beautiful Mediterranean seas
Sousse offers the facilities and ambience of a relaxing beach holiday, overlaid with the foreign and exotic atmosphere of North Africa, all at extremely affordable prices.
This captivating holiday resort town lies on Tunisia's east coast. Long, long ago, the Phoenicians, Byzantines, Arabs and Romans discovered the delights of Sousse – 'the pearl of the Sahel'. Today, the mild climate, beautiful Mediterranean shoreline and warm people work their magic on holiday-makers from Europe and even Tunisia, whose residents enjoy mingling with visitors on the sandy beaches and busy promenade. Most sporting activities are beach or water based – fishing, scuba diving, windsurfing and water-skiing – but if you have a taste for exploration you can take one of the excursions along the Tunisian coastline.
The many resort hotels along the beachfront do not detract from the charms of Sousse, which is regarded as having the finest old city, or medina, in Tunisia. A warren of narrow covered alleyways hide colourful shops selling local goods from carpets and porcelain to leather bags and olive oil. The town's museum, situated in the old castle, is renowned for its collection of mosaics, masks, statues and other relics of the Roman occupation, and there are several miles of well-preserved ancient catacombs and marble tombs around the town.
There are bargains to be had in the Sousse medina for holiday-makers who enjoy haggling – beware canny souk shopkeepers, who can start negotiations with prices inflated to ten times the product’s real value. If bargaining isn’t your strong point, visit Sousse’s modern shopping mall, which is crammed with shops offering local goods from all over North Africa at fixed prices.
Nightlife for tourists centres on the apartment resorts and hotels, which offer dancing and entertainment. Sousse has a seamier side, however, with some places offering prostitutes along with the beer. Be aware that this goes on, and make sure before going into any club or bar that there won’t be any unexpected surprises – if in doubt, ask the doorman.
When it comes to dining out, visitors are spoiled for choice, with a variety of options available from pizza to French cuisine. In general, the better restaurants are inside the luxury hotels. The local staple dish is couscous (steamed semolina grains), which is served in various ways and popular with many holiday-makers.
If you want to know more about Sousse and how to get the cheapest holidays, visit Co-op Holidays.