Experience the best of Monastir

Monastir sits on a headland on the Sahel coast of Tunisia, in the Gulf of Hammamet, with a marina and a sandy shoreline. The Ribat, a fortress-monastery built from the eighth century, stands at the water's edge, and visitors climb its watchtower for views along the coast. It houses a museum of Islamic art and has served as a film location. Nearby stands the ninth-century Great Mosque.

Monastir was the birthplace of Habib Bourguiba, Tunisia's first president, and his mausoleum, a grand building topped with a golden dome and twin minarets, is the town's most striking landmark. The old medina has narrow lanes and workshops. Sousse, with its UNESCO-listed medina, lies to the north, Mahdia to the south, and the great Roman amphitheatre of El Jem within reach.

Tunisian meals begin with brik, a crisp pastry filled with egg and tuna, and continue with couscous and fish, ojja, a spiced tomato and egg dish, and harissa chilli paste, with olive oil from the Sahel's groves. Mint tea with pine nuts finishes the meal. Summers are hot and the sea is warm, spring and autumn are pleasant, and winters are mild and rainy.