Cheap flights to Monastir

Quick summary

Identity

A fortress on the beach and three World Heritage sites nearby

Monastir is a seaside city on a peninsula of Tunisia's central coast, the Sahel, about 160 km south of Tunis and 20 km from Sousse. It was founded on the ruins of the Punic-Roman town of Ruspina. It is also the birthplace and burial place of Habib Bourguiba, the father of independent Tunisia.

The real strength for a traveller is the position. The medina of Sousse, the amphitheatre of El Jem and the holy city of Kairouan are all UNESCO sites within about an hour, and Mahdia is close as well. You can land near the beach, sleep by a fortress and collect three World Heritage sites without changing hotel.

In town, the medina, the Ribat and the marina are within walking distance of each other. With sea on three sides, the peninsula has sandy and rocky beaches.

Monument

The Ribat, a fortified monastery on the seafront

The Ribat is the emblem of Monastir. Founded in 796 by Harthama ibn A'yan, the Abbasid governor of Ifriqiya, it is the oldest ribat, a fortified monastery-fort, built by the Arab conquerors in the Maghreb. It was enlarged in 966, and towers were added from the 11th to the 19th century.

Inside are courtyards, cells and two mosques. A spiral staircase of about a hundred steps climbs the watchtower, with views over the old town, the cemetery and the sea. A museum of Islamic art shows pieces from the 9th to the 11th century, including an Arabic astrolabe made in Córdoba in 927.

The building is familiar from the screen: in the 1970s it stood in for Jerusalem in Monty Python's Life of Brian and in the series Jesus of Nazareth. Next door, the Great Mosque dates from the 9th century and was later enlarged. It has no courtyard and is closed to non-Muslims.

City

The Bourguiba mausoleum, the medina and the marina

The Bourguiba mausoleum is the city's second landmark. It stands at the end of a 200 m paved avenue through the Sidi El Mézeri cemetery, with a golden dome flanked by two green domes and two 25 m minarets. A small display shows the president's personal belongings, and entry is free. His former presidential palace at Skanes is now a museum.

The medina keeps part of its walls and gates and has a relaxed bazaar, where prices are said to be lower than in Sousse. Also worth a look are the Museum of Folk Arts and Traditions, the old fishing port and the Marina Cap Monastir, where the restaurants are.

For the beach, there is golden sand at Al Qurayyah, and the resort hotels line the coast at Skanes and Dkhila. There are two golf courses, Flamingo and Palm Links. Lamta, 10 km south, is the ancient Leptiminus and has a small archaeological museum.

Day trip

Sousse and Port El Kantaoui

Sousse is about 20 km away, by the Métro du Sahel or around 20 minutes by shared taxi. Its medina has been a UNESCO site since 1988. The 9th-century Ribat has a watchtower you can climb, and the Great Mosque, built around 850, looks like a fortress.

The kasbah houses an archaeological museum whose mosaic collection is ranked second to that of the Bardo in Tunis. Dar Essid is a house-museum in the old town. Like Monastir, the Sousse medina has souks selling pottery, jewellery and carpets, and haggling is expected except in fixed-price shops.

On the coast north of the city, Port El Kantaoui is a purpose-built marina resort opened in 1979, with restaurants, golf and family attractions. It makes an easy evening after a day in the medina.

Day trip

El Jem and Mahdia

The Roman amphitheatre of El Jem was built in the 3rd century and held about 35,000 spectators. It measures 148 m by 122 m, rises 36 m and has been a UNESCO site since 1979. The ticket also covers the archaeological museum, a restored Roman villa with its mosaics in place. A symphonic music festival is held in the arena in summer, and the best light is at dawn or sunset. El Jem is about an hour from Sousse by train or shared taxi, and the station is 300 m from the monument. Expect persistent souvenir sellers.

Mahdia, at the southern end of the Métro du Sahel, was the first Fatimid capital, founded in the 10th century. You enter through the Skifa el Kahla, the gateway in the Fatimid ramparts, and walk on to the Great Mosque, the Borj el Kebir fort, the marine cemetery and Cap Afrique. It is a major fishing port with a fish market and a weaving tradition. The Mahdia shipwreck, found offshore, carried Greek works of art, some of which are now shown at the Bardo.

Day trip

Kairouan, the holy city inland

Kairouan lies 75 km from Monastir and about two hours by bus from Sousse. Founded around 670 by Uqba ibn Nafi, it is regarded as the fourth holy city of Islam and has been a UNESCO site since 1988.

The Great Mosque covers more than 9,000 m² and has columns reused from Carthage. The other main monuments are the 9th-century Aghlabid basins, the Mosque of the Three Doors of 866, the zaouia of Sidi Sahib, known as the "Barber's mosque", and the Bir Barouta well. One combined ticket covers them. The medina stood in for Cairo in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

The city is famous for knotted carpets, graded by knot density, and for makroudh, a date-filled semolina pastry with honey. Give it a full day. There is no direct public transport between Kairouan and El Jem, and connections go through Sousse.

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You don't need to compare prices every day

Monastir airport

The direct gateway to Tunisia's Sahel coast

The airport is at Skanes. You can take a taxi, or the Métro du Sahel from the "Skanes-Monastir airport" station, which is 200 m from the terminal. This electrified light railway links Sousse, Monastir and Mahdia. Shared taxis, called louages, serve El Jem and Kairouan, taxis are cheap in town, and trains also run from Monastir and Sousse to Tunis.

Distances

Distances from Monastir airport

Habib Bourguiba International Airport serves Sousse, Mahdia, El Jem and Kairouan directly.

Approximate road distances, for guidance only.

When to go

When to visit Monastir?

This is a hot, semi-arid Mediterranean coast, with July and August highs around 33 °C. Winter is mild and the wettest time of year, with the sea at about 16 °C. Kairouan and El Jem are much hotter than the coast in summer. May, June, September and October are the best months for combining beach and monuments; mid-summer is the least suitable for inland visits, and December to February for swimming. The sea is at its warmest in autumn.

Planning

One way to organise five to seven days

A stay of five to seven nights could run like this. Day one in Monastir, for the Ribat, the mausoleum, the medina and the marina. Day two in Sousse, with the medina, the Ribat and the museum, and the evening at Port El Kantaoui. Day three on the beach at Skanes. Day four at El Jem in the morning and Mahdia in the afternoon, with a fish lunch by the port. Day five in Kairouan.

Any remaining days can go to Lamta and the villages south of Monastir, to a day trip to Tunis and Carthage, or simply to more beach.

Sahel cooking is based on fish. Stuffed squid, filled with greens, egg and rice and served in a harissa and tomato sauce, is cited as the regional speciality, alongside couscous with fish, brik, lablabi and mechouia salad. Monastir suits beach-and-culture travellers, families, film fans and first-time visitors to Tunisia who want short transfers.

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