When we arrived at the Monastir marina, I only knew Tunisia as a warm, budget-friendly, safe place out of the EU to winter our boat, I had no idea Tunisia had one of the world’s oldest and best-preserved Roman amphitheaters, forts from the Middle Ages, and breathtaking mosaics.
As Americans traveling full-time in the Mediterranean, we are limited to 90 days in the EU before we need to leave and stay in non-EU countries. Monastir, Tunisia, is a popular place for full-time cruisers with a lively liveaboard community. To meet the wonderful friends we made while living on the best pontoon ever click here
Not only is Monastir, Tunisia a great place to winter but it’s also a fantastic spot for getting boat projects completed. The city has many wonderful and affordable craftsmen who can upgrade almost anything (new sails, metalwork, solar installs, bimini covers, shade screens, new upholstery) you name it, someone here can do it! Because of this, we spent most of our time on a self-inflicted boat job lockdown (click here to see the adventure to a fabric store), but we did manage to squeeze in a few tourist activities. For non-boat job sightseeing, these places are our top three in Tunisia.
Top Three #1 Ribat of Monastir
A Ribat is an Islamic fortress, and this one built in the 8th century, is undoubtedly one of the coolest I have ever seen. The Ribat of Monastir made our top three in Tunisia because our kids loved exploring the steep staircases, dark passageways, and climbing the spiral staircase to the top of the watchtower. Click here to see our kids and their friends playing an epic game of tag in the Ribat.
Top three #2 El Jem Museum
The El Jem museum sits on the ruins of an enormous Roman Villa. I loved looking at the mosaics and exploring a beautiful home from 170 AD. The El Jem Museum made our top three in Tunisia because of the incredible mosaics, artifacts, a wonderful outdoor area, and two fantastic little gardens. This spot is close to the Amphitheater, making it a must-do in El Jem. Click here to see the reel of this fantastic place!
Top three #3 El Jem Amphitheater
The El Jem Amphitheater is a breathtaking Unesco World Heritage site. It is the largest colosseum in North Africa and one of the largest in the world, with enough room for 35,000 spectators! I couldn’t help but imagine the movie Gladiator because the sign inside said that the Amphitheater was designed for people to watch bloody battles between wild animals and people! This spot made our top three in Tunisia because.. LOOK AT THE PICTURES! It’s incredible! Click here to see the Reel.
If you find yourself here, our top three in Tunisia sights are must-sees! Our friends had a little more time and explored the Star Wars sights and Carthage which they enjoyed. It’s always a trade-off trying to balance work and play, if we find ourselves back in Tunisia we will do more play and LESS work! Have you been to Tunisia? What sights did you enjoy? I’d love to hear so please add them to the comments below!
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Happy Adventuring!
