Things to Do on the Cap Bon Peninsula

The Cap Bon Peninsula is the finger of land that juts northeast from mainland Tunisia toward Sicily, and it concentrates a surprising range of things into a compact driving circuit. Phoenician ruins, a clifftop Ottoman fort, Roman cave quarries, agricultural countryside, and two of Tunisia’s most popular beach resorts all sit within a 150-kilometre loop. It is one of the most rewarding routes in the country for travellers with a car and a few days to spend.

Visit Kerkouane — Tunisia’s only intact Phoenician city

Kerkouane is the standout heritage site on the peninsula and one of the most important ancient sites in North Africa. It is the only Punic (Phoenician/Carthaginian) city that was never rebuilt by the Romans — when the Romans destroyed it in 256 BCE during the First Punic War, it was simply abandoned rather than repurposed. That makes it uniquely unaltered: the original street grid, house foundations, purple dye workshops, and plumbing systems are all still readable from the ground.

The on-site museum has Punic artefacts including jewellery, pottery, and burial goods. The site itself takes 45–90 minutes to walk properly.

Entry: approximately 8 TND as of 2026. Open Tuesday–Sunday, 09:00–17:00 in winter, 08:00–19:00 in summer.

Climb Kelibia Fort

The Byzantine-era fort at Kelibia stands on a rocky headland above the town, with views across the Strait of Sicily on clear days. The fort has been modified repeatedly — Punic, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, and Ottoman phases are all present in the surviving structure — which makes it a layered site rather than a single-period monument.

Kelibia town below is a working fishing port and is one of the more genuine small towns on the peninsula, worth a lunch stop for fresh fish.

Entry: approximately 5 TND as of 2026. Open daily, with seasonal hours — verify locally.

Explore El Haouaria and the Roman quarries

El Haouaria sits at the very tip of Cap Bon and is famous for two things: its Roman-era cave quarries and its spring falconry festival. The quarries were cut into the headland by Roman engineers to extract sandstone for building Carthage — the caves are large enough to walk through, with light filtering in from openings above. They are one of the more unusual heritage sites in Tunisia.

El Haouaria also has a small but well-regarded falconry tradition. The annual festival (typically held in May or June) involves trained raptors hunting quail — a sight unlike anything else in the country.

Entry to the quarry caves: approximately 5 TND as of 2026.

Spend time in Hammamet

Hammamet is the peninsula’s main resort town and the most visited coastal destination in Tunisia. The old medina and kasbah at the historic core are worth a morning before the day-trip groups arrive. The beach at Hammamet Yasmine (the newer resort zone, 5 km south of the medina) is one of the most developed stretches of the Tunisian coast, with a range of watersports operators.

Hammamet suits visitors who want to combine beach time with easy access to the peninsula’s heritage sites by car. For accommodation options, see our where to stay in Hammamet guide.

Browse Nabeul’s pottery market

Nabeul is Tunisia’s pottery capital and the commercial centre of Cap Bon. The weekly Friday market draws vendors from across the peninsula and is the most accessible place in the country to buy hand-painted Tunisian ceramics, mosaic tiles, and terracotta directly from producers rather than tourist shops. Prices are significantly lower than in Tunis or Hammamet.

The town’s Musée Archéologique has good Punic and Roman finds from local excavations, including material from the partially excavated Roman city of Neapolis beneath modern Nabeul.

Market: Friday mornings. Museum entry: approximately 6 TND as of 2026.

Drive the coastal circuit

The best way to see Cap Bon is as a two-day circuit from Tunis or Hammamet. A clockwise route covers:

• Day 1: Nabeul → Hammamet → Kerkouane → Kelibia (overnight in Kelibia or return to Hammamet).
• Day 2: El Haouaria → the north coast road back toward Tunis via Soliman.

The north coast road between El Haouaria and the peninsula base is the least-visited stretch and has some of the most dramatic scenery — sea views on one side, the Dorsale mountains on the other.

A car is essential for the circuit. Louages and buses cover the main towns but make the heritage sites difficult to reach efficiently.

For organised tours that cover Cap Bon and the peninsula’s main sites, see our best tours in Tunisia guide. You can also book Cap Bon tours on GetYourGuide. The peninsula is also a practical day trip from Tunis.