The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
Why North Africa shows a fresh side of the Med
For golden sand, history and great food for less, consider Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco or Egypt – and avoid the crowds as well, says SJ Armstrong
When it comes to our holidays, no track is more beaten than the short hop south to the sun-soaked Med. But it is a lopsided migration – because half of this storied sea remains largely ignored.
Like its European counterpart, the African side of the Mediterranean offers golden sands, history-filled cities and exceptional food. But in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt, seaside crowds are few and far between. You can have whole stretches of coast to yourself, lie on beaches devoid of sunloungers and enjoy secluded swimming spots unencumbered by queues for cliff jumps. The region’s ancient Roman, Egyptian and Greek sites – unlike those further north – are also scandalously undervisited. And the locals here are still excited to see new faces, not resentful – as can be the case in places that suffer from overtourism, such as Mallorca and Dubrovnik.
What’s more, prices in the North African Mediterranean remain reasonable. Luxurious all-inclusive resorts, design-focused boutique hotels and beachfront villas are all affordable options – and when compared with the likes of Italy and France, the general cost of living is low (see our map, right). It’s an obvious answer for holidaymakers looking to tighten their belts.
Here are 10 enticing destinations on the lesser-heralded side of the Med that offer all the beauty, history and culture of the more celebrated half, with none of the drawbacks.
SIDI BOU SAID, TUNISIA
With its stark white buildings and cobbled streets lined with bougainvillea, Sidi Bou Said could easily be mistaken for Santorini, Greece. This seaside town is just half an hour from downtown Tunis – making it a perfect option for those wanting to combine the city with the beach – and only 15 minutes from its international airport. Flights from the UK typically cost around £120 return, and a new direct route from Stansted has made the region even more accessible.
When not topping up your tan, you can shop for Arabic artwork in hasslefree markets, sip rich coffee in beachfront cafés, or explore some of Africa’s finest ancient ruins. Among the great names of antiquity, Carthage, a stone’s throw from Sidi Bou Said, rivals Rome and Athens. There are six archaeological sites to visit, including the remnants of the baths and villas of the city’s elite.
That Roman prioritisation of leisure and luxury has not been forgotten by Sidi Bou Said’s hoteliers: it is home to some of the country’s top accommodation. One of your best options is Maison Dedine, offering calm respite after a day of activities from £238 a night for a double room (maisondedine.com).
BIZERTE, TUNISIA
With more ambling alley cats than people, the ancient medina of Bizerte is one of the oldest in Tunisia. It sits adjacent to a modern marina, where buildings of white, green and pink reflect in the bright blue Mediterranean waters. The city is a laid-back place, perfect for travellers looking to disconnect – without foregoing access to exquisite French-influenced cuisine or comfortable hotels like the Residence Ain Meriem, which has rooms from £55 a night (residenceainmeriem.com).
Just half an hour from Bizerte is the rocky headland of Cap Zebib – a mirror of the craggy cliffs and sheltered swimming spots found in the Greek islands – where you can jump into crystal-clear sea. Alternatively, head to the sheltered cove at Cap Angela, or camp in the caves at Cap Hmem. The city is a 90-minute taxi ride from Tunis airport: expect to pay in the region of £20, or less if you are prepared to haggle.
DJERBA, TUNISIA
For white-sand beaches, turquoise waters and casual Mediterranean luxury, there are few islands superior to Djerba. It is one of North Africa’s more developed tourism destinations, with the likes of Lastminute.com offering allinclusive packages to high-quality hotels such as the four-star Robinson Djerba Bahiya, which costs around £700 for four nights (robinson.com).
Djerba is the perfect spot for travellers wanting to fill up their cases with souvenirs, or for culture lovers looking to soak up a traditional atmosphere. Explore local markets filled with woven baskets of crimson spices and delicately detailed traditional dresses, and visit the El Ghriba synagogue, an important place of pilgrimage (there are now fewer than 2,000 Jewish residents, but Jews have lived in Djerba since Roman times). The village of Erriadh is also known for its outdoor artwork, with statues displayed throughout the year and many murals.
You can fly directly to Djerba with TAP Air Portugal (flytap.com), Tui (tui. co.uk) or Ryanair (ryanair.com); expect to pay around £150 for a return flight.
SOUSSE AND EL KANTAOUI,
TUNISIA
Sousse is a city rich in history, from its Unesco-listed medina to its underground catacombs. The former encompasses a kasbah, fortifications and the Great Mosque of Sousse, as well as weaving bazaars in which to get lost. Perfectly preserved Roman mosaics and Punic artefacts can be seen in Sousse’s archaeological museum.
A short distance from the old city is the port of el Kantaoui, one of the most popular spots in Tunisia for package holidays, making it simple to combine sightseeing with stretching out by the pool.
Tui (tui.co.uk) offers seven-day, allinclusive packages flying from Birmingham to Enfidha-Hammamet International Airport – around a twohour taxi ride from Sousse – from £285.
ALGIERS, ALGERIA
Sprawling and unwieldy, Algiers entices the adventurous. Shisha smoke clouds the streets and baskets of fresh chilli peppers sting the air. Art and history are etched into every wall of the kasbah, making it the perfect city break option for culture lovers.
Wander museums and galleries housed in opulent Ottoman palaces, secluded in the old city’s labyrinthine alleys; explore halls of fine oriental art, African antiquities and prehistoric relics; stroll through resplendent gardens that date back to the arrival of Arabs in north Africa.
The Sofitel Alger (all.accor.com), perched on top of a hill overlooking the old souk, offers rooms from £138 a night. The hotel is only 20 minutes from Algiers Airport; Air Algerie flies there from Heathrow for around £150 return.
TIPAZA, ALGERIA
On the coast to the west of Algiers, and sheltered by the Chenoua mountains, lies the town of Tipaza, whose beauty has been celebrated since antiquity. Relics of the ancients remain, with crumbling Roman walls and lonely columns scattered across the nearby hillsides, overlooking the sea. The modern city is cosmopolitan, and bears a lingering French vibe that harks back to the days of empire.
Prior to independence, Algeria – along with Tunisia and Morocco – was the world’s largest exporter of wine, and much of it was grown in the fertile region surrounding Tipaza. While production has since dwindled, it is still possible to sip local wines in certain restaurants, to accompany olives freshly plucked from the nearby groves.
Only an hour from the well-connected capital of Algiers, Tipaza has a number of hotel options. Chenoua Hotel (facebook.com/hotelchenoua) has easy access to both the beach and the ruins. Expect to pay around £55 per night for a double room.
TANGIER, MOROCCO
An enclave for Europe’s cosmopolitan elite, the Moroccan city of Tangier attracted a litany of literary stars and beatnik eccentrics during the 1960s, earning itself something of a reputation for debauchery. Vestiges of its eclectic 20th-century history remain in its bookshops and bars.
Despite its illustrious history, which long predates the arrival of European expats, tour buses don’t stop here and its docks aren’t filled with cruise ships – this is one of the great overlooked city breaks. For lovers of art, architecture and the confluence of modern eccentricity and ancient tradition, Morocco’s northern port is the perfect destination.
A thriving boutique hotel scene exists in Tangier, with Villa Josephine (hotel-villajosephine.com), Riad Dar Saba (riadsabashouse.com) and Chez Mimi Calpe (mimicalpe.com) among the best options. Stays here range from £130 to £190 a night for a double room. Direct flights from Gatwick are available via Air Arabia Maroc (airarabia.com); expect to pay around £40 each way.
SAIDIA, MOROCCO
In recent years, the town of Saidia has turned itself from an industrial port into a luxury tourism haven, its beaches being some of the best that Morocco has to offer. Tourists can share the sand with camels, which have ambled along this sapphire shoreline for millennia.
This is the perfect destination for loafing, as it offers holidaymakers everything they might need in one place, from high-end resorts to some of Morocco’s best restaurants, as well as plenty of opportunities for water sports and other leisure activities.
If you go all out on an all-inclusive package at the Radisson Blu Resort (radissonhotels.com) you can spend your days lounging by the pool, indulging in fine dining and spa treatments, or out on the golf course for around £100 a night depending on the season. Flights to nearby Oujda stop in Casablanca, with return tickets costing around £120.
ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT
For the ancient Egyptians, Alexandria was the last outpost of the known world, marking the end of the “Great Green” Mediterranean and thus the boundary of civilisation. Its resplendent palaces and tombs are half-lost to the maze of modernity, but travellers can still explore underwater ruins and city-centre archaeological sites.
Two of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World – the Pharos lighthouse and Great Library – were found here, and it was a global epicentre of education, enlightenment and cosmopolitanism, luring scholars from all over the world. Pay homage to this rich history with a trip to its imposing modern library, popular with travellers, which sits amid the faded grandeur of Alexandria’s seafront Corniche promenade.
Relax after the culture-hit at the Sunrise Alex Avenue Hotel (sunriseresorts.com), which has its own private beach and rooms offering unimpeded views of the Mediterranean from around £100 a night. The city’s international airport is served by Turkish Airlines (turkishairlines.com) and Wizz Air (wizzair.com), but Britons will need to change planes in Istanbul or Milan, respectively. You can get a return flight for about £100. Lastminute.com offers all-inclusive package holidays from £945 for three nights.
THE NILE DELTA, EGYPT
To the north of Cairo, the world’s second longest river blooms, before meeting the Mediterranean at two major tangents. Near the eastern terminus, close to the coastal city of Damietta, visitors can stand practically alone in a vast expanse of wetlands, to which hundreds of thousands of waterbirds flock.
Practically untouched by tourism, this is Egypt at its most bold and biodiverse – and a far cry from the wellmanicured ancient sites and cruise ship routes for which it is best known.
Stay in Damietta, which boasts good quality hotels like the Lamar Azur (azur.travel), where doubles cost £50 a night, before venturing out to the lowlands of Lake Manzala – heaven for wildlife lovers. Damietta can be reached by taxi from the international airports at Alexandira or Cairo. Flights from around the UK cost from £110.
Despite its illustrious history, Tangier is now one of the great overlooked city breaks