Things to see and do North

The Agulhas, monolithic rocks of about twenty meters eroded by the sea, are the emblem of the city, a favorite place of many Tunisians who have a special affection for it. You can reach them by following the coastal promenade from the port. Gigantic, cut and pointed, these rocks are made of sandstone of the Oligocene, rich in iron. Erosion has sculpted these extravagant shapes of reddish color forming spurs. By car, you can get there in 2 minutes, but it is on foot that you will appreciate the site the most.

Dougga is one of the most beautiful Roman sites in Tunisia. Planted in a beautiful natural setting, many of the remains are superbly preserved.

The visit begins with the impressive theater: it could accommodate more than 3 500 spectators on 25 rows of terraces. Remains of columns with Corinthian capitals and a back wall, in good condition, frame an amphitheater damaged by the centuries. Behind the theater, to the north, the remains of a temple dedicated to Saturn. To the west of the theater was the village, with the forum and the original compass rose, a sundial on a paved square which lists the twelve winds blowing over the region. The best preserved monument is the capitol dedicated to the triad Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. It was built by a rich local family in 166, and the 6 beautiful striated columns are almost intact. They precede the main room which contained a statue of the goddess Juno. This capitol is considered as one of the most remarkable monuments of Roman Africa. Going along the forum by the path to the west, one reaches the temple of Juno Caelestis, built at the beginning of the 3rd century. There too, intact columns support a portico. South of the forum, we reach the Licinian baths, from the same period as the previous temple. These thermal baths have remarkably survived the ages: one can admire a room with 12 columns, mosaic floors as well as all the equipment of the thermal baths: palestra, where combat sports were practiced, changing rooms, steam rooms and a succession of rooms, going from hot to cold. Next to the baths is the house of Dionysus and Odysseus, which had sumptuous decorations, including a mosaic representing Odysseus charmed by the sirens (transferred to the Bardo Museum). Going back eastward, we arrive at the house of Trifolium (the clover). It is a brothel of the 3rd century whose rooms are arranged in a circle around a court. At its sides, one discovers private thermal baths, the thermal baths of the Cyclops, in bad state. One can observe latrines there: a simple stone bench in arc of circle, pierced of a dozen holes. These baths owe their name to the reason of a mosaic which was discovered there. It was then the place of heated political debates. In winter, a slave would sit there for an hour in order to heat his master's place!

Continuing towards the east, we discover the arch of Septimius Severus, first African emperor. Dated 205 AD, and in a bad state of conservation, it celebrates the accession of Dougga to the rank of municipality. Finally, we will complete the visit, further south, by one of the rare monuments testifying of the pre-Roman civilizations in Tunisia, the Libyan-Punic mausoleum of Dougga. It dates from the 2nd^century BC and was dedicated to a Numidian prince, Ataban. Supporting 3 floors and a pyramidion, this monument, of a total height of 21 m, is decorated with motives of Greek inspiration (pilasters with aeolian capitals, Ionic columns or statue of winged woman) as well as Egyptian (sphinx).

The mausoleum was damaged in the 19th century by the British, who stole the funerary plaque to exhibit it in the British Museum. The other damages were repaired by a restoration in the early 20th century. Product of a double culture, Libyan and Punic, this mausoleum has thus allowed, thanks to the inscriptions engraved in the two languages, to decipher the Libyan alphabet. A unique site!

A rather modest aquarium located in the fort el-Henni, built from the th century. We are quick to turn the tower and end with a passage on the terrace at the top: beautiful view of Bizerte, the medina and the old port.

The beaches of the surroundings of Tabarka offer sites of choice for the amateurs of tranquillity: Melloula (a beach of rocks) in the west, in about ten kilometers towards the Cape Roux, with its beach of Messida. Going up towards the north-east and Bizerte, a pretty coastline emerges, well cut with beautiful creeks: Berkoukech, rocky and wild, Jebara, a large sandy beach surrounded by a wood of eucalyptus, and, a little further, Capo Negro and the beach of Sidi Mechrig with their grandiose viewpoints. Notice to the amateurs!

It is the eye dazzled by the fields of sunflowers and the nostril titillated by the scents of eucalyptus and pine that the visitor enters slowly in the region of Tabarka. With a little wave of the hand, the local children call you to sell a jar of wild flower honey. Myrtle bushes with white flowers and oleanders color the landscape. Then one advances towards Tabarka and forests of cork oaks paint the mountains of a fresh and green palette, the sight of Djebel Khemir is superb and the sea is not far.

Tabarka is an ideal place for walking (and jogging). The seaside promenade is popular with those who want to get away from it all. Take the road on foot along the hill of the Genoese fort and the beach towards the sea; when the road stops, continue walking on the rocks, thus bypassing the hill and there you come across a small pebbled cove at the foot of the fort. Don't forget to go up to the fort to admire the breathtaking view of the bay. The beach that goes from the needles to the harbor is not always clean, prefer the one in the tourist area.