Tabarka and Kroumirie

Tabarka is a small port town in north-western Tunisia, watched over by a Genoese fort on an islet, at the foot of the Kroumirie forests. People come for the sea, diving and golf, and for Bulla Regia, a Roman town with underground houses. Tabarka is 171 km from Tunis-Carthage Airport, about 2 h 45 by road; the Tunisian National Tourist Office (ONTT) puts it at about 180 km from Tunis, 70 km of it on the motorway. It lies about ten kilometres from the Algerian border, so European foreign ministries' advice matters more here than anywhere else in the north: the advice for your country is in the "Travel advice" table on this page.

The port, the fort and the coral

The Genoese fort, on an islet linked to the town, is Tabarka's emblem. In the 16th century the Genoese held a monopoly on the coral trade here. Coral is still the town's speciality, sold as jewellery around the port.

Diving is Tabarka's main activity, with a long tradition behind it. The best-known site is Les Aiguilles ("the Needles"). The coral is protected and collecting it is forbidden. Boat trips run to nearby coves and out to the La Galite archipelago. Our diving page covers other diving destinations.

Tabarka golf course lays out 18 holes between forest and sea, with a driving range. It belongs to La Cigale hotel: par 72, 6,306 metres, opened in 1992 and since renovated. Our golf and thalasso guide compares it with the country's other courses.

Tabarka Jazz Festival

Founded in 1973, the Tabarka Jazz Festival made the town's name. Its 20th edition, the first in six years, was held in early July 2026, ending on 9 July, at the Théâtre de la Mer: seven evenings, plus free street concerts every night.

Bulla Regia, the town beneath the town

South of Tabarka and north of the town of Jendouba, 159 km from Tunis-Carthage Airport or about 2 hours by road, Bulla Regia is one of Tunisia's most surprising ancient sites. Its grand Roman houses have an underground storey, described by the national heritage agency as jewels of ancient Tunisian domestic architecture; they are named after their mosaics: the Houses of Venus, of the Hunt, of the New Hunt, of Fishing and of the Treasure. The town, probably founded before the 5th century BC, became Romanised after 46 BC. You also see the forum, the capitol, the theatre, baths, the temples of Apollo and Isis, and Byzantine churches.

The site is open daily, 8:30 am to 5:30 pm in winter and 8 am to 7 pm in summer (local time); admission is TND 8, about €2.40, for non-residents. From Tunis, a group day trip combines Bulla Regia with Dougga, from about €147 per person.

Kroumirie and Ain Draham

South of Tabarka, Kroumirie is a range of hills covered with pine, cork oak and Algerian oak over tens of thousands of hectares. The road from Tabarka to Jendouba crosses it and passes through Ain Draham, a village of red roofs on terraces, gateway to an area known for walking and wildlife.

Ain Draham is in an area that several foreign ministries advise against. Depending on the country, the advice covers a strip a few kilometres wide along the Algerian border, whose edge runs through the town, or all the mountain regions along the border, from Ain Draham to Kasserine governorate. Sabaro does not arrange stays or walks in Ain Draham or its mountains.

Hammam Bourguiba, less than 2 km from the border, lies inside the border strip that these ministries advise against.

Chemtou and El Feidja. Chemtou, west of Bulla Regia, is the ancient town whose quarries supplied yellow Numidian marble, used as far away as the Antonine Baths in Carthage. El Feidja National Park is in Jendouba governorate, near Ghardimaou. Several European foreign ministries advise against non-essential travel around Ghardimaou, including El Feidja National Park, and along the border south of Jendouba town, including the Chemtou site. Sabaro offers no visits there.

Tabarka and Bulla Regia: advice that varies by country

Tabarka is about 10 km from the border, Bulla Regia about thirty, north of Jendouba. European foreign ministries do not all draw the same lines along the Algerian border: depending on the country, the two sites are outside the areas advised against, can be visited with precautions, or lie inside a border strip that is advised against. The "Travel advice" table on this page gives the advice for your country.

Our safety in Tunisia guide sets out the situation across the country. For a stay in the north without these constraints, the coasts of Hammamet and Cap Bon and of Carthage and Sidi Bou Said offer beaches, golf and thalasso.

Where to stay

La Cigale Tabarka is the hotel chosen by Sabaro. This 248-room five-star hotel, villas and suites included, stands in the El Morjane tourist zone, 2 km from the historic centre. It has a 2,300 m² thalassotherapy centre (seawater spa) with 23 treatment rooms, a seawater pool with three basins at different temperatures, nine restaurants and bars, and Tabarka golf course. Rates on request; the tourist tax of TND 12 per person per night in 4- and 5-star hotels is paid separately at the hotel.

Getting there and when to go

By road. Most travellers drive from Tunis-Carthage Airport: 171 km, about 2 h 45. A car with driver is the simplest option; our getting around Tunisia guide covers the alternatives.

By air. Tabarka-Ain Draham International Airport, 12 km from La Cigale, received only seasonal charter flights in 2026: weekly from Prague between 14 January and 4 October, and from Poland from June. No scheduled route was found.

Climate. Average highs range from 16°C in January to 32°C in August. The sea is above 22°C from June to October and reaches 26.6°C in August. European visitors come mainly from April to October.