Hammamet

Picture a balmy, sand-fringed Mediterranean coast, scented with jasmine and sea breezes, and where the fish on your plate is always fresh, Tunisia is prime territory for a straightforward sun-sand-and-sea holiday. Sunbathing, al fresco dining and late-night discos are a way of life in Hammamet, the Tunisian St-Tropez. Located on the fertile Cap Bon Peninsula, about 40 miles south of Tunis, the bayfront resort is surrounded by verdant hills and citrus groves. When not basking on Hammamet Beach, browse the markets for local pottery or wander through the medina (old city) with walls that date to 1500.

Summer brings festival fever to the city with plenty of music and theatrical offerings. Stretched out across Cap Bon's southeastern coast like a lazy sunbather, laid-back Hammamet ("the baths" in Arabic) is Tunisia's original resort town. The town's center is packed with restaurants and shops, overlooked by its towering fort and medina walls. Where the hotels stop, abruptly, the beach is once again wild and untouched.

But beyond the beaches, it’s a thrilling, underrated destination where distinct cultures and incredible extremes of landscape – forested coastlines and Saharan sand seas in the south - and a wealth of historical sites, including ancient cities and fortifications, can be explored in just a few days by road or train.