The marina
Moored yachts and waterside cafés.
Habib M'henni — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jorge Franganillo — CC BY 2.0 · Jorge Franganillo — CC BY 3.0 · Habib M'henni — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK — CC BY 2.0
Port El Kantaoui is a purpose-built resort on the coast north of Sousse, around a marina that opened in 1979. The harbour covers about four hectares and holds up to 340 boats. Around it stands a mostly pedestrian village of white-and-blue buildings, arcades and cobbled lanes, while hotels line a long sandy beach on either side. The scheme is credited to President Habib Bourguiba, who wanted tourism to grow in the Tunisian Sahel. Studied from 1971 at Sidi El Kantaoui, in Hammam Sousse, it was built under the Franco-Tunisian architect Olivier-Clément Cacoub, in a style modelled on Sidi Bou Said: white walls, arches, vaults and flowered alleys. An 18-hole golf course followed in 1980, then a new quarter and the Hannibal Park funfair in the late 1990s. The Rough Guide called it artificial and soulless; it is a stage set, not an old town, but a comfortable and lively one. Most visitors stroll the quays past moored yachts, then settle at a harbour café or seafood restaurant as the lights come on. Boat trips on mock pirate ships, glass-bottom boats and catamarans are on offer. The beach has swimming and water sports, El Kantaoui Golf now has two 18-hole courses, and children head for Hannibal Park's rides. The resort lies about 8.5 km north of the Medina of Sousse, linked to it by taxis and local buses. Spend the day at Sousse's Ribat, Great Mosque and archaeological museum, then come here in the evening; El Jem's Roman amphitheatre is 67 km south, both distances as the crow flies.
Moored yachts and waterside cafés.
Mock pirate ships and glass-bottom boats.
Two 18-hole courses near the sea.
The marina, Port El Kantaoui, Hammam Sousse
By taxi: insist on the meter or agree the fare first, as some drivers quote tourist prices. Ride-hailing cars and local buses are other options, and visitor guides mention a small tourist train.
El Kantaoui Golf has two 18-hole courses by Ron Fream: the original Sea Course, opened in 1980, with holes along the Mediterranean shore, and the shorter Panorama Course, added in the 1990s on hillier ground inland, with views over the marina.