Hammamet
Hammamet is Tunisia's best-known beach resort town, roughly an hour's drive south of Tunis, built around a genuinely pretty old medina and a long stretch of sandy Mediterranean coastline. The purpose-built Yasmine Hammamet zone just south handles most of the big all-inclusive resorts, a marina, and a casino; the old town keeps a slower, more local pace. Budget from $40/night for a solid mid-range resort room, in shoulder season.
Hammamet has been doing the European package-holiday thing since the 1960s, and it shows in the best way — the resort infrastructure is mature and reliable, the beaches are wide and genuinely nice, and it's cheap enough that a week here costs noticeably less than the equivalent trip to Spain, Greece, or southern Italy.
Old Hammamet vs. Yasmine Hammamet
| Area | Best for | Vibe |
|---|---|---|
| Old Hammamet (medina + town center) | A more local, walkable base | Small medina, local restaurants, closer to town beaches |
| Yasmine Hammamet | All-inclusive resorts, families, nightlife | Purpose-built resort zone, marina, casino, further from town |
The beaches
The main town beach is a wide, gently shelving stretch of sand right below the medina walls — good for a relaxed swim, busiest in July-August. Yasmine Hammamet's beaches sit right in front of the big resorts and tend to be quieter and more managed, since most guests stay within their own resort stretch.
What it costs
| Item | Approx. cost (shoulder season) |
|---|---|
| Mid-range all-inclusive resort, per night | $40-90 |
| Luxury beachfront resort, per night | $120-250 |
| Meal at a local restaurant | $5-10 |
| Taxi from Tunis-Carthage Airport (about 1 hour) | $25-40 |
The old medina
Smaller and more relaxed than the Tunis medina, Hammamet's is still a genuine working old town — worth an hour or two for the kasbah (a 15th-century fort with sea views) and the covered souk.
If you're staying at an all-inclusive in Yasmine Hammamet, budget at least one evening to take a taxi into old Hammamet for dinner outside the resort — the food and prices are noticeably better than most resort restaurants.
When to visit
May-June and September-October are the sweet spot: warm enough to swim, without July-August's heat, crowds, and peak pricing. See our full best-time-to-visit guide for how this compares to a Sahara trip on the same itinerary.
Mistakes worth avoiding
- Booking an all-inclusive in Yasmine Hammamet and never leaving the resort — old Hammamet's medina and local restaurants are a short taxi away and genuinely worth the trip out.
- Assuming every beach along the coast is public and free — most resort-front stretches are informally managed by the hotels in front of them; the main town beach below the medina is the reliably public option.
- Skipping travel insurance or a credit-card check before relying on card payments outside hotels — smaller local restaurants and medina shops often prefer cash.
Where to stay in Hammamet — hotels
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